17. Follow your suggested users. Go into your settings and click the gear icon in the upper right of your screen. Click ‘Find and invite friends’, and then ‘Suggested Users’.
18. Use Piqora to help you see which types of photos are leading to the highest engagement….then post more of them.
19. Use geotagging, especially if you’re a local business. When you geotag your photos, others who post photos in your region will see your images on the location’s page. This is a great way to catch the attention of local users.
20. Use Latergramme to schedule your Instagram posts. Posting consistently is key to growing your follower count over time.
21. Really engage. All the tips, tricks and strategies in the world can’t compete with really engaging on the platform. Be intentional about liking photos, and leaving thoughtful comments. Regularly find new people to follow, and engage with them by responding to comments and questions.
22. Combine multiple photos into a collage for maximum engagement. Use a tool like PicFrame to combine up to 9 photos or videos.
23. Ask an influencer to mention or tag your product. If you know of an influential Instagram user who has used your product, ask for a mention. It just could work…and will likely result in a ton of new followers.
24. Post photos of things that are blue. Some research suggests these get 24% more likes than photos that are orange or red.
25. Post on Wednesdays: Images posted mid-week receive slightly more engagement than those posted on other days.
26. Use the word ‘comment’ in your captions. Some research suggests these get significantly more comments than those without.
27. Use faces in your photos. Dan Zarella found that images with faces received 35% more likes than those without.
28. Tag people in your photos when relevant. This ensures those photos show up in those users’ feeds, and makes it more likely they’ll share them.

30. Create a branded hashtag. Come up with a hashtag and encourage your followers to use it. This encourages your fans to engage with your brand, and increases your visibility at the same time.
31. Share behind-the-scenes photos. Candid photos convey the personality behind your brand. Share images that show there are real people behind your logo.
32. Invite a guest to post on your account. If you have connections with an influential Instagrammer, consider asking him or her to guest post on your account. This is a surefire strategy for sending your engagement through the roof; not to mention all the new followers you’ll receive.
33. Share user-generated images. Re-share your followers images, especially ones where they’ve mentioned your product(s). This will encourage others to share photos of your products as well.
34. Consider canning the filters. Some research suggests that images with no filters get the most engagement.
35. Promote your Instagram account to your email subscribers. Periodically share an image in your newsletter and link it up to your Instagram account.
36. Promote your Instagram username on your physical marketing materials: signs, car decals, product sheets, etc.
37. Follow all your Facebook friends on Instagram, and many will follow you back. To do this, simply go to your Instagram profile and click on the 3 dots icon on the top right of your screen. Select ‘Find Friends’ and then ‘Find friends on Facebook’.
38. Use edges and structures in your photos. Images with many edges receive 125% more likes than those without.
39. Tell a story. Use your image captions to tell an engaging story. Storytelling helps create an emotional connection to your brand or product, and including a captivating story is much more likely to get your image shared.
40. If you’ve been at a live event and have taken photos, tag well-known Instagrammers for increased visibility and sharing.
41. Use Iconosquare (formerly Statigram) to track the growth of your account. Find out which images resonate best with your audience and post them more often.
42. Use a photo editing tool like Aviary to crop your images, add frames or effects, or to just generally make your photos pop!
43. Use the word ‘like’ in your captions. Some research suggests these get 89% more likes.
44. Plan, prepare and then act. As with most things in life, being intentional is your best chance at success. Make a plan for how you’re going to use Instagram, then create a schedule to keep yourself on track.
45. Post image quotes. Image quotes on social media are huge. Overlay motivational, inspirational or humorous quotes over your images using a tool like Canva.

46. Connect your Instagram account with your contact list. Click on the 3 dots button at the top right of your screen, and select ‘Find friends’ to connect to your email contact list.
47. Network with Instagram influencers. Search for hashtags relevant to your business, and pinpoint users with high follower counts and engagement. Leave thoughtful comments on their posts, and start developing relationships. You never know where these connections will lead!
48. Use a tool like Crowdfire to analyze how your Instagram posts affect your follower/unfollower stats.
49. Arrange co-promotions with other users. Find users in a complimentary niche who have a similar follower count and arrange for mentions or shout outs to help build each other’s audience.
50. Build a community using a special hashtag. Create a challenge or campaign that your community can participate in, and give it a unique hashtag. Here are some great tips on creating your own hashtag campaign.
Remember that having a large number of followers is useless if you don’t take the time to really engage and interact. And in the end, converting followers to customers is the real goal. These 50 tips will help you build your audience and facilitate lasting engagement with your followers that leads to conversions over time.