How To Build a Genuine Following on Instagram That Lasts

We are all looking for our tribe in this world. We all want that ideal group of people who see us for who we are and support us. It makes going to life that much easier. It’s no different on these giant social media platforms. We want to know that we are creating high-quality content for people who truly appreciate it. We want to know that we have a genuine following. Well, do you know how to build a genuine following on Instagram? 

It’s not as easy as people would think. A huge follower count doesn’t equal a genuine following. People follow some creators for so many different reasons. The lack of interest in their content shows up in the engagement rate. 

Finding potential followers in your target audience is going to take some intentionality. Fake followers are easy to amass. Genuine Instagram followers are not. If you’re interested in building a genuine Instagram following, this article is for you. Keep reading because we share our best tips.

How To Build a Genuine Following on Instagram: Deliberate Growth Tactics 

We guess you’ve heard about fake followers on Instagram, but you’re not impressed. You know that other accounts are buying their followers, but you want no part of it. It’s not that you judge them. You just want something different for your brand. You are deliberately taking the hard way, so we hope these tips make it worth your while. 

We can tell you how to get genuine followers on Instagram. Here are some tips:

1. Use Stickers on Your Instagram Stories

The stickers in your Instagram stories are not just for being playful. Yes, you can add a graphic here or there to spice up a story post. However, if you’re looking to increase your reach, you should be doing things like this with your stickers.

Use the Add Yours Sticker whenever you can. There are Instagram users who look at the other accounts that have been added to these stickers. If a sticker is very specific to specific Instagram users, you are a step closer to finding your people.

2. Incorporate Some User-Generated Content

If you’re selling a product, you need to show potential followers that the existing customer base loves your product. The best way to do this is by showing followers what people already say. That is where trendy user-generated content (UGC) is useful.

When people post and tag you on their stories, you should re-share the stories. You could even take it a step further by creating an Instagram highlight with just customer stories. When they tag you in a review, share that review with your following. Even a simple direct message (DM) of them praising your product is worthy of high-quality user-generated content.

You can brainstorm ways to incentivize people to talk about your product. They could be happy with your product but are keeping it to themselves. That doesn’t help you! Perhaps you can offer a discount for future purchases or a free sample. This could be a small investment in the future of a bigger following.

3. Pay for Some Instagram Ads

You might be thinking that Instagram ads are not in the budget. The great thing about the Instagram ads feature is that it lets you create ads with your budget in mind. You can let the app know how much you’re willing to spend. It will create the ads based on that.

You can put in the type of followers that you’re trying to reach. Remember that Instagram keeps records of everyone’s age, location, and gender. They will use this information to make sure that you don’t waste ads on people you aren’t trying to access. Instagram ads give you the power to find genuine Instagram followers by defining your ideal followers yourself.

You can even determine how long you want the ads to run. Think of that post that perfectly represents your brand. Use Instagram ads to boost that post. Of course, you can always create a whole new ad from scratch.

4. Engage in Influencer Marketing

Your Instagram account is your brand. How are brands reaching their target audience these days? They certainly aren’t putting ads on the radio like back in the day. They’re barely investing in commercials for TV anymore. They’re engaging in some intensive influencer marketing. Perhaps you should do the same.

The ideal influencer has something that you are trying to get. That thing is a group of genuine Instagram followers. For the right terms, an Instagram influencer can also help you get these followers. 

The hardest part will be finding an influencer that aligns with your brand. There are so many different types of creators out there. There is the Fitness influencer who posts her daily stats. There is the fashion influencer constantly altering clothes on her mother’s machine.

There is the food influencer who is swearing that her mushroom recipe tastes like beef. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but you have to keep your ideal target market in mind. Their Instagram insights will let you know if they will be an asset to your growth.

Instagram insights will give a breakdown of the type of followers that influencers have. It will show you if the engagement rate is good or if people just follow without interacting. This is the best way to know if an influencer can help you capitalize on their following.

Instagram Hacks for Organic Growth That Actually Work

So you’re at a crossroads. You want organic growth because you want genuine Instagram followers. However, you don’t have all day to play the waiting game for these followers to come to you. The perfect balance could be Instagram hacks for organic growth. Get one step closer to your ideal following while doing things you do anyway. Let’s get into the top three tips.

1. Create More Reels

Creators discovered that reels achieve a level of reach that their regular posts don’t. This may mean that you’ll have to channel your inner Spielberg to reach the following that you want.

There’s no need to feel intimidated. Really, don’t have to be some high-production undertaking. Some content creators have viral reels that are just short videos on a loop. Text on the screen can go viral if you’re lucky. If there is a chance that you can achieve more reach using this kind of media, why not take it?

We cover how to make reels on Plixi. We even get into how people make lots of money from reels. Don’t miss out on something that could change your life.

2. Collaborate With Other Instagram Users

There is a valuable feature on Instagram that lets multiple people post the same thing in a joint post. It’s useful when you go to an awesome party with your friends and don’t want to post the same picture. It lets everyone have a mutually flattering photo. But that’s not the only thing this feature is good for.

You can use the feature to collaborate with an influencer of your choice. Ideally, this influencer would have a following of people that you want to follow you. Instead of having a post where they tell her followers to follow you, they could be a little less obvious.

You can upload photos or reels that show up on both your accounts in a joint post. This means that Instagram will share this photo with your followers as well as their followers. So, you will cross-promote each other. In an ideal situation, they want to access your following as well. You could spin this like a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Having joint content is like having another creator pre-approve you to their followers. It’s a pretty good Instagram hack.

3. Use Relevant Hashtags

Yes, hashtags still work. We can explain why. Right now, if you wanted to find out if a clothing store is open, you wouldn’t call them. If you needed to know the nearest sneaker shop in your area, would you phone a friend? No, you don’t have to do either of those things.

You can launch your Instagram app and use it as a search engine. You can search #BrooklynSneakerShop or #BestSneakersInAtlanta. Of course, you would adjust the hashtag to meet your needs and mention your location. Because of this practice, hashtags are still important. If you think they don’t work, maybe you haven’t cracked the code yet. It’s a useful tool for staying relevant!

Because people search this way, you can almost guarantee that people who find you want to find you. Check out our resources on using hashtags to reach more followers. It’s one hack that you will be grateful to know.

Can You Buy Genuine Instagram Followers? And Should You Even Try? 

Many people before you have asked, “Can you buy genuine Instagram followers?” Organically increasing your following does take time, so the question is a reasonable one. But is increasing your following this way worth your money? We want to take a balanced approach to this question. To do that, let’s talk about social proof.

Understanding Social Proof

The social proof that comes from having a large following can be useful for Instagram pages. This is essentially ascribing value to something because many people value it first. In the context of social media, people gravitate towards a page when they see that many people already follow it.

Subconsciously, people think that a page is of high quality when it’s popular. If a potential follower doesn’t have time to scroll your Instagram feed, they may look at certain numbers. Your follow count is one of them. You could gain a follower simply because you have many others.

This may sound like enough of a reason to buy followers. However, buying followers may not pay off in the long run. We can tell you why.

It Affects Your Engagement Rate

The big number looks nice, but it may stop there. When you buy followers, you buy a lot of fake accounts. These fake accounts cannot like your content or make comments. If you have a huge following that does nothing, it will impact your engagement rate. You shouldn’t be doing anything that jeopardizes your it.

You may find yourself in a rabbit hole. Now, you have to buy comments and likes to match your following. Maybe you have to buy views for your Instagram livestream. If you had genuine Instagram followers, you wouldn’t have to fake all this activity on your page.

Ultimately, you can’t convert bot followers to paying customers. It will also help with increasing brand awareness. However, you should post at the right time. 

Furthermore, you may find yourself playing to maintain a facade. You could have just put the effort into building a genuine Instagram following.

​​This Is About More Than How To Get Free Instagram Followers

Now you know that building a genuine Instagram following is about more than knowing how to get free Instagram followers. It’s not a quick buy on a random third-party site. Rather, it’s a daily choice to make deliberate steps to find your community. 

We will pretend that it will be easy. We would never suggest that it’s something you can do on your own. Undertaking building your empire might be a team effort. Do you want to know how to build a genuine following on Instagram? One way is by getting the social media experts at Plixi involved. 

We have a propriety AI targeting algorithm and an in-house platform for Instagram influencers. The results will speak for themselves. Follow us and start growing and gaining Instagram followers!