20 Instagram growth checklist
If you're trying to grow your Instagram account, you know that it's a constant battle to be found organically.
The only way to win this battle is through smart, effective marketing that's tailored to your brand and niche.
You're probably already using hashtags (and you definitely should be), but there are plenty of other ways to improve your Instagram engagement, including posting consistently great images, understanding how to use Instagram Stories well, and knowing how to create great looking ad campaigns.
Introducing the Instagram growth checklist - 20 strategies you can implement right now (no sign-up required) that will help you grow your account, stay competitive in the Instagram space, and ultimately turn that into real business growth.
What is an Instagram growth checklist?
An Instagram growth checklist is a list of actionable strategies designed to help you grow your Instagram following and gain more engagement.
IMPORTANT: There's a fine line between a growth hack and a quick-fix solution which could damage your account long term.
Make sure you're familiar with Instagram's rules and regulations before doing anything that could affect your account.
What is an Instagram growth checklist made up of?
Growth hacking is a term normally associated with tech, startups and entrepreneurs.
However, Instagram is a social platform just as suited to growth hacking as Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.
What types of strategies will you find in this Instagram checklist?
IMPORTANT: Don't feel like you have to implement absolutely everything in this list.
Each strategy has been designed as a growth hack so it's intended to be the quickest, most effective (and sometimes the simplest) way to increase your Instagram following and generate more engagement.
The strategies listed are in no particular order and even though some of them might seem obvious, it's still important to read them and ensure you're not overlooking anything.
20 Instagram growth checklist strategies
1. Ensure you're posting consistently great content
This is hands down the most important thing that will help you grow your Instagram account.
There's nothing more damaging than posting once every month and getting no interaction, but if you're posting multiple times each day, you're more likely to get engagement.
Keep track of what your target audience like (and don't like) and make sure you're creating and sharing content that will resonate.
2. Use relevant hashtags in your Instagram captions
This is a strategy we've already covered on the blog, but it's still extremely important.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you don't overuse hashtags - stick to 2-4 maximum per post.
3. Follow people who are similar to your target audience
There's not a huge amount of point following anyone and everyone because you're going to get a very low return on investment.
You want to target people who are interested in what you have to post and, more importantly, who would be interested in what you sell.
4. Take advantage of Instagram's advertising platform and boost your posts
Instagram announced in October 2016 that they were introducing advertising and it's now available for all users.
Instagram ads look a lot like normal posts, but they can be targeted to specific users (depending on your settings) which means you can see high returns, fast.
5. Post Instagram Stories that will get engagement
Instagram Stories are still relatively new, but they're already becoming one of the main ways people engage with brands on Instagram.
There's a couple of ways you can get creative with your Instagram Stories:
a. Add a link to your bio for people to tap and take them straight to your website or online store.
b. Take a screenshot of a recent product you're selling and share it as an Instagram Story for people to swipe up and buy.
c. Use your Instagram Stories to get email subscribers by asking people to swipe up on the stories to opt-in for your email list.
6. Run Instagram contests and giveaways
There's a number of apps out there which you can use to run Instagram contests and giveaways.
Contests are a great way to boost engagement, but make sure you're able to follow through on the prizes if your account is new.
The expensive tools are great, but it can also be done manually.
7. Use Instagram's lead generation tags to get email subscribers
You can now tell Instagram to send people who've engaged with your posts directly to your email list.
All you have to do is target those people with the lead generation tag and they'll be sent to your email list without any extra work from you.
8. Tag brands in relevant posts to get extra exposure
This is pretty simple - if you come across a product that you think your target audience would be interested in, consider tagging the brand with a relevant post.
It's a great way to get exposure and hopefully they'll also share your post for you if it's good enough.
9. Use Facebook Custom Audiences to get more traffic and sales from your Instagram account
Did you know that if someone visits your website, you can target them on Instagram with a relevant post?
It's not possible to do this by default but you can use Facebook Custom Audiences and use the pixel on your website to target people with specific ads.
10. Schedule your posts in advance
There's absolutely nothing wrong with scheduling your posts in advance.
IMPORTANT: Be sure to keep it scheduled but don't make it look like a robot is posting for you - show the human side.
11. Share videos in your Instagram Stories
Videos take up the full phone screen, which means you can create a lot more engagement using video for your Instagram Stories.
12. Create a custom link to track traffic from Instagram
This one doesn't get talked about much because Instagram doesn't make it easy.
Did you know that you can create a custom link which will tell you how many people are clicking through from Instagram?
13. Create a welcome mat to get more conversions and traffic from Instagram
It's possible to create an image which will show when someone lands on your website for the first time.
It's called a "Welcome mat" and it can be used to encourage people to follow you or sign up to your list.
14. Use Instagram's new carousel ads for extra exposure and conversions
This is a recent update from Instagram which allows photographers and influencers to post multiple images as a single link.
It's a great way to provide more value, showcase your work and get more traffic, followers and sales.
15. Use hashtags to get more reach for your content
Hashtags have been around since the beginning of Instagram and they're not going anywhere anytime soon.
They're one of the main ways you can get more exposure for your content, so it's important to know how they work.
16. Use Instagram's video view count to get more exposure
You can tell pretty much anyone that you have 1,000 followers on Instagram and they'll be impressed.
But the truth is, your engagement depends far more on how many people view each of your posts.
The more views you get, the more people that will see it and potentially engage with your content as well.
17. Interact with people who mention you to get more exposure
Did you know that when someone mentions you in a comment on Instagram, you'll get a notification?
If you reply to them, it'll show up in their notifications again.
It's a great way to get extra exposure for your account and you never know who might share your post.
18. Get more comments by asking questions or giving challenges
You can always encourage people to comment on your posts by asking questions or giving challenges.
It's a great way to get more comments and there are plenty of ways to do this.
19. Give away discounted products to encourage the sale
If you have a product or service that you want people to buy, consider giving it away to your Instagram audience.
20. Show behind the scenes photos of you working to show the human side of your business
People love to see what's going on behind the scenes so consider sharing more photos of you working.