While many of us simply use Instagram to share pictures and videos from our lives with friends and family, others use the platform as a way of making money.
The main way in which users make money through Instagram is via influencing. This is where users with large followings are paid by brands to promote certain products on their Instagram feed.
To become an influencer on Instagram you are going to need to amass a large following first. One of the biggest early milestones for someone looking to build a large following is the 1000 mark.
In this article, we are going to look at the steps you will need to take to hit this landmark figure. Let’s take a look.
How long does it take to get 1000 followers on Instagram? Key considerations
The reality is, everyone’s journey on Instagram is different and while some people can amass 1000 followers in a matter of weeks, it can take others years to grow their profile to that level. For most people though, it will take a few months to get past the 1000 follower mark on Instagram.
Getting the first 1000 real Instagram followers is the hardest part, and each 1000 after that tends to get progressively easier as your reach gets increased. To give yourself the best chance of gaining followers quickly, then take note of the following suggestions which many influencers swear by.
Do the basics well
When we’re talking about the basics of Instagram we are literally just referring to how your profile appears to the public.
Make sure you have a legitimate username and not one that looks like it could have been made by a bot, a filled-in bio and an aesthetically pleasing profile and cover photo.
While these things may seem minor on the face of it, they are actually important for making your profile appear legitimate. There are plenty of fake accounts on Instagram but by covering these basic points, you are letting your audience know that you are real.
Post regularly
When you first set up your Instagram account, you are going to feel energised and up for posting new content all the time. And with the help of Instagram video editing tools, you can create fast video content with the help of a predefined template.
However, if things don’t according to plan straight away don’t get disheartened and give up as that it what happens to 99% of failed Instagram accounts.
Instead, create a content schedule for the week or month ahead each and every week/month to ensure that you are posting regular content across your feed and story. You can even use scheduling tools to publish each post for you automatically.
Use hashtags aimed at your niche
When you set up your account, you need to be clear on the niche you are going for. Having a generic account that covers a whole host of niches is unlikely to do well so focus on one and look at what type of content successful influencers in this niche are posting.
Jump on the bandwagon of the hashtags that they use to ensure that your content is picked up on the same hashtag search as theirs. Knowing your target audience well is a massive reason why influencers can grow Instagram followers quickly.
Engage with other accounts
Keeping active on Instagram is a great way of boosting your followers. Engage with accounts within the same niche as you, even if it’s’ just commenting on and liking their posts. By doing this, your username is going to be popping up to people and they may well give you a follow on the back of this.
You can also try your luck at direct messaging others who are successful influencers within your niche. While some will ignore you, others may well be happy to offer some words of wisdom and nuggets of advice.
Methods to ‘cheat’ your way to 1000 followers
If the organic methods above don’t bring you much joy, and/or you aren’t patient enough to play the long game in the quest for 1000 Instagram followers then there are some methods available to you that can quicken up the process.
Follow for follow techniques
A lot of the time, when you follow someone on Instagram they will follow you back as a token of appreciation. With that in mind, many people go on mass following sprees in the hope of getting good returns on follow-backs.
Then, a few days later they will unfollow all of the people they recently followed, to make it look like their followers-to-following ratio is really healthy.
Get shoutouts
There are many accounts on Instagram which offer paid-for promotions to budding influencers. These accounts will post a screenshot of your account with a link to your profile either on their main feed or story and can result in hundreds of followers flocking to you.
Make sure you don’t hide stories, as you want as many people seeing your posts as possible. And be wary of this approach, as a lot of these followers may well turn out to be bots and are therefore pretty useless to you.
Buying Instagram followers
If you’re wondering how to get 1,000 followers on Instagram in 1 day, buying them may seem like a great idea, and perhaps the only way to do this from scratch.
Though some people may recommend this as a quick way to gain Instagram followers, it’s usually a waste of money. These followers are typically bots and low quality followers, which aren’t really worth anything.
It’s a much better idea to put some effort in by creating relatable content, sticking to a regular posting schedule and use trending hashtags effectively, as this will give you followers with actual value.
Conclusion
To conclude, the best way to reach 1000 followers on Instagram is to take your time and build an audience organically.
While there are methods which speed this process up, you are more than likely going to end up with a bunch of useless followers which won’t benefit you in the long run as a budding influencer.
