5 Tips for Increasing Your Instagram Growth

Are you looking to get more exposure to your Instagram content and grow your following? Then listen up, friend. I’ve been doing some digging (and testing) and if you want more eyeballs on your content and notifications of “_________ started following you” then this is what it takes.

Here are 5 tips for what is working now to grow your following on Instagram in 2022:

TIP 1: Post more often.

I know it’s probably not what you want to hear, but the truth is that growing faster requires posting more often. I’m talking like five times per week often too. It may seem a lot compared to the once or twice you could be doing now, but if your goals include expanded reach and growth then frequent posting will help.

That being said, posting often doesn’t work on its own. You need to be using the right instagram features (aka the ones they tell us they want us using) for each of these posts to truly get maximum benefit.

What does that mean? Well, let’s go onto Tip 2.

Tip 2: Reels are (still) where it’s at for growth.

Yep, you guessed it. Reels are still the BEST way to expand your reach. Want to post a single photo? You still can, just do so as a Reel, add some music or a voice recording over it and let it fly. There are some really hilarious options for voiceovers that say things like “Instagram wants Reels? Here’s a photo as a Reel,” if you really want to get cheeky with it.

You can still get your pics out there without spending hours upon hours creating new videos. Just pay attention to the features that Instagram is favoring if you want them to favor you in exposure.

Tip 3: Forget carousel posts and use Reels templates instead.

I have previously written about ways to make creating Reels faster and Instagram keeps leveling up to give us more options (thankfully!) Now you can find a “Use Template” button above the account name when viewing someone else’s Reels.

Tap this button and you’ll automatically be given a template to follow with their Reel’s exact number of slides and timing figured out for you. Load up the slides with the photos (or videos) you would have previously put into a carousel, add some music/audio, a quick caption and post it.

Tip 4: Don’t forget captions ON the Reel.

You’ll get more engagement if you put captions ON the Reel rather than in the traditional caption spot under it. New followers will be finding you by scrolling through Reels so they read what is literally in front of their face.

You don’t have to do pointing to a bunch of words as they appear on the screen (#hardpass) though having something for people to read will help them stick to watch the full thing.

If you have more you want to say than can be on the Reel, simply add a “See Full Caption👇🏻” where you expand on the point you want to make. Long captions can still work, though they aren’t as necessary with Reels as they previously had been.

Choose whether you do captions ON the Reel or below it. You don’t actually need both anymore, which saves you time. Pick where it’s most valuable to get your points across and focus there.

Tip 5: Take a break from Instagram Stories.

You know that creating Stories is the easiest way to keep your audience updated on what you are doing. It’s fast, gets your message out there, and doesn’t have to be picture perfect.

However, if you are seeing a dip in your views, take a break. Having a never ending story (without Falkor for all my 80s kids) can hurt you more than help you. Take 24–48 hours off from posting Stories, then post again and you should see views increase.

Final Reminder that supersedes everything else.

Above all, the quality of your content still matters most. You can post five times a week and be making Instagram Reels like it’s your job (even though we both know it’s only part of it) and still not get the reach you want if the quality isn’t great.

Quality wins over quantity. Period. So no matter how many Instagram Reels or Stories you have time to create each week, make sure they are on topic & engaging for your ideal client/follower avatar.