How To Get Free Followers on Instagram: Our Top 6 Tips

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Karen Lin

Instagram Tips | Feb 15, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

For many brands and creators, the ultimate measure of success on Instagram is how high your follower count goes. And the pursuit of getting thousands of followers can get so intense that some people end up buying fake followers. But this is almost always bad for the future of your Instagram profile. Instead, it’s better to focus on organic growth to get more Instagram followers. Not sure how to do that? Don’t worry—we’ll show you how to get free followers on Instagram.

The age-old question of how to get more followers on Instagram is something that has racked creator’s brains for years. And to be honest, there’s still no perfect formula to boost your follower count organically. The best you can do is maintain a high-quality online presence on Instagram to get more organic followers.

Of course, we also have a few tricks up our sleeve. Read on to see our top tips for getting more Instagram followers without it costing a penny.

An Instagram profile with plenty of followers and a short following list.

Why Growing Your Follower Count Is a Must To Succeed on Instagram

Getting a lot of Instagram followers is important for any brand because it’s a key metric of success. A higher follower count means that more people find your content helpful, important and entertaining. And isn’t that always the goal of any brand on the social media platform—to be relevant to their audience?

Whether your goal is to sell products or make a name for yourself, having many followers is pertinent for success.

For brands, a high follower count means more people seeing your products, which can lead to sales.

For influencers and content creators, it means you’re getting the fame and credibility you’ve always dreamed of. Plus, having tons of followers is one way to land brand deals and career opportunities online.

Is It Possible To Get Free Instagram Followers Instantly?

Many people dream of getting 10,000 followers in five minutes without putting in the work. Some creators look for ways to cut corners, such as buying fake followers online. But is that a good tactic if you want to grow on Instagram?

No, buying fake followers is hardly ever a good idea. Plenty of sketchy follower services try to lure you in with promises of free followers and engagements in seconds. Some apps offer free trial services for their paid follower tools, which might also tempt you to buy fake followers. But know that these followers are never what they seem.

When you buy these followers online, it’s not real people who will follow your page but fake accounts. These accounts are inactive and won’t interact with your content, killing your engagement rates. Instagram might also flag or shadowban your account when they notice that you’re generating inauthentic activity on the platform.

So then, what is the best way to grow your follower count quickly without purchasing these fake followers? Is there a way to get free Instagram followers instantly?

Yes, there are tons of ways to grow your account and get real followers fast. To do that, you must focus your Instagram marketing strategy on genuine organic growth. That means improving your content quality, campaigns and posting schedules to reel in followers authentically.

Granted, this tactic won’t give you followers in mere seconds, like buying them or availing a free followers trial online. But it’s the fastest way to get real followers that will benefit you in the long term.

Instagram keeps an eye on users buying fake followers or generating inauthentic activity on the social media platform.

6 Ways To Grow Your Instagram Followers Organically

There are some quick tricks to get organic followers without reworking your social media marketing strategy. These include joining Instagram pods or following others in the hopes of getting a follow in return. But these methods don’t always work. Luckily, there are smarter, more sustainable ways to get followers without following people or joining pod groups.

The best way to grow your Instagram followers organically is by improving your craft on the social media platform. Don’t know where to start? Here are our six tips to get Instagram followers for free:

1. Curate an Aesthetic Feed to Reel In New Instagram Followers

Building an aesthetically beautiful Instagram feed isn’t just for looks. It’s also a tool you can use to rake in new Instagram followers organically. When you capture people’s attention with your style and aesthetic, it could lead to more followers.

People will only follow accounts that have content they love seeing. If you have low-quality, unappealing posts, fewer people are inclined to give you a follow. But if you make a fabulous first impression with an aesthetic they want to see more, they will follow you.

Having a solid aesthetic tells people that you know what your brand style and personality are. This is an attractive quality in brands, especially when they are consistent in delivering this aesthetic. Whether you’re going for a minimalist, monochromatic look or a bright and colorful feed, stick with it. Let it serve as inspiration for your potential followers.

An Instagram profile with a consistently clean and monochromatic aesthetic.

2. Publish Instagram Stories To Diversify Content

But it’s not just your Instagram feed that you have to work on if you want more organic followers. If you want to catch more people’s attention, you need to diversify your content. Adding newer, trendier formats like Instagram Reels to your content mix is a great way to do it.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram screen time has risen by 24% thanks to Reels. That’s how much people love them. So, it’s a tool you should leverage if you want organic growth.

Creating Reels is a terrific way to get more people’s eyes on your brand. Since it has its tab on Instagram’s homepage, it’s easier to discover brands through Reels than feed posts. Here are some examples of Reels you should consider posting on your page:

·   Product-centric videos that show off the features of your brand’s offerings

·   Funny, relatable meme reels that will make people laugh

·   Tips and tricks according to your specific niche

·   Videos that summarize a day in your life or a recent trip you went on

Man taking a vertical video of his friends to use as content for Instagram Reels.

3. How To Get 1K Followers on Instagram for Free With Trendy, Viral Reels

One of the best ways to utilize Reels for organic growth is to jump on the hottest trends. By creating content using trending templates or viral audio clips, the algorithm might push your Reels out more to others. As a result, you could stack up more and more views on your Reels, potentially gaining you more Instagram followers.

The trendier and more viral your content, the more visible it’s going to be. This allows you to tap into communities and audiences that haven’t discovered your profile yet. If they stumble upon your Reel and find it interesting, they might give you a follow.

Viral Reels also have the potential for shareability. If people find your Reel funny and relatable, they might share it with friends. This widens your audience even more, gaining you new followers. 

If you’re looking for how to get 1k followers on Instagram for free, viral content is a terrific game plan.

A group of friends recording their take on the hottest viral Reels challenge.

4. How To Get Free Followers on Instagram by Using Hashtags

Did you know that choosing the right hashtags for your posts can potentially increase your follower count? Here’s how it works.

Every hashtag on Instagram has its special hashtag page. Here, you can see every post that includes the hashtag in its caption. When you upload content and include a hashtag, your posts will also show up on the main hashtag page.

Now, here’s where you can get organic growth out of it. Some users follow specific hashtag pages that are aligned with their interests. The key is to know what these relevant hashtags are for your target audience. Then, use them in your posts.

Your content will then show up on the hashtag’s page and on the feed of anyone following that hashtag. If they discover your content and find it interesting, they might just give you a follow.

5. Use Geotags To Mark Your Post’s Location

Just like hashtags, location tags have their page on Instagram. People lurk on these pages to find photo inspiration for their travels. Locals of these areas also check the page for the latest events, shops, and restaurants. So, if you want more people to discover your page organically, using location tags on your content would be wise.

For example, let’s say you recently went on a trip to Palm Springs, CA. Geotag all your content from the trip with the city’s location so that it shows up on the Palm Springs page. Your content will show up when travelers sift through the Palm Springs location tag for photo inspiration or travel tips.

Geotagging is also great for brands with local audiences. If you have a shop in a small town, geotag your posts. When the people in that area scroll through content in their city, they might discover your page and follow you.

Geotagging posts allows other Instagram users to discover your content when they explore a specific location tag.

6. Post at the Right Time To Get Immediate Traction

Another way to get Instagram followers for free is by posting your content at the right time.

As soon as you post content on Instagram, the algorithm logs how many engagements you get within a certain timeframe. If you get many likes and comments right off the bat, the app ranks your post higher on the feed. That means your post is likely to show up higher on hashtags and location tags, too.

Now, if you post your content at a time when no one is online, you lose all these benefits. Since you won’t get immediate traction on your post, potential new followers won’t discover your content on the feed.

To get engagement on your post as soon as you upload it, upload it during the best times to post on Instagram. That usually means when your followers are online. This is something you can see in your Audience Insights. That way, they can like or comment on your post immediately, leading to more visibility and new followers for you.

Post at optimal times of the day to get engagement as soon as you upload your content.

When All Else Fails, Turn to Growth Services Like Path Social

Are you not seeing results even after tweaking your online presence to follow everything we’ve detailed above? Perhaps it’s time to recruit the experts. Growth services like Path Social can help boost your Instagram content while simultaneously getting you more organic followers.

Because getting new followers is getting more challenging, we’ve come up with a way to help creators reach their audience. Our groundbreaking targeting and follower tools can put you on the path to a higher follower count.

How do we do it? It’s simple. You tell us your target audience, and we use our targeting algorithm to push your content out to them. Our social media expertise lets us catch their attention with your posts, promoting your page.

As a result, you get targeted followers and increase your post engagements. The best part is that the followers you get from Path Social are 100% real. None of them are fake accounts or bots. So, you get sustainable, real growth that lasts.

You pay for our expertise in pushing out your content to people who will enjoy it. The high follower count that you get as a result is a byproduct of this. It’s still a result of working on your content and marketing strategy. When you look at it that way, it’s like you’re getting those new, real followers as a perk!

Our core packages are designed to get anywhere between 800 to 1,500 monthly followers. It’s a sure way to get a thousand followers—all of whom are real users who will engage with your content.

Get Organic Growth by Improving Your Online Presence on Instagram

There’s no surefire way to get more Instagram followers fast and for free. But we do know that maintaining an engaging online presence and marketing strategy on Instagram can help reel in followers.

You can do this in many ways, from curating an aesthetically appealing feed to using hashtags and geotags on posts. Adding Reels and Stories to your content mix can also get the attention of new followers. To get more exposure (and hopefully, more followers), turn to viral trends and optimal posting schedules.

And when all else fails, look for trusted growth services known for their high-quality service, like Path Social. Our advanced targeting algorithm pushes your content out to your intended audience. This gets you not just more likes and comments on your posts but more new followers as well. Next time you’re stressed about how to get free followers on Instagram, remember our services can lead to organic growth. Grow your community with us today!