How to Grow Your Instagram Following (No Bots, No BS)

With over 2 billion active users, Instagram is home to nearly a quarter of the world’s population. Somewhere in that endless scroll are people who would love your content. The challenge is making sure they see it.

Cutting through the crowd takes more than luck. You need a strategy you can stick to and a clear vision for the kind of online community you want to build.

To learn how it’s done, I caught up with a creator who turned her hobby into a thriving community of 117,000 somewhat-feral gardeners — you’ll get that reference later.

Know Who You Are (and Who You’re Trying to Reach)

When it comes to growing a following, it’s important to picture the community you want to build, not just the content you want to make. 

Imagine scrolling through your follower list a year from now. Who’s there? What do they have in common? And what drew them to your account in the first place?

If your goal is to hit 100k followers, great. But what do those numbers mean if most of them don’t care about your content? Not much.

Instead, focus on attracting the right people who will comment, share, and keep coming back.

How one creator hit a 100k+ following by being herself 

Brooke Morgan (@whatbrookegrows) has firsthand experience with this. She started her account as a curly hair influencer, but the niche felt more limiting than inspiring over time. So, she pivoted.

“I deleted almost all of my curly hair content… removed followers who weren’t engaged… it was painful, but I just felt like this wasn’t who I am anymore,” she says.

It was a bold move: Her follower count — around 6k at the time — dropped by half overnight. But it also gave her a clean slate to rebuild around something she really cared about: gardening. 

When she switched directions with her Instagram, she tended to a plot in a community garden and focused on long-form content for YouTube. Today, she has a full-blown backyard farm where she plants seasonal vegetables, fruits, and flowers. She frequently posts about how her plots are progressing and how she’s using the things she’s grown in recipes. Oh, and she even grew her own wedding bouquet.

The one thing about Brooke is that she prefers the dirty truth to a polished presence: “I used to be a different person on my Instagram than I was in real life. When I started being the person I am IRL on Instagram — cursing, being aggressively honest — that’s when I found success.”

Some of her best-performing content is of that nature. We’ll get into that later, but here’s the takeaway: Attracting the right followers means being the real you.

How to Grow Your Instagram Following: 5 Key Steps

You don’t need to spring for that “super follower” package from the ghost account spamming your DMs. Here’s how to grow your following organically in five simple steps.

1. Make sure your bio is on point

When a user visits your Instagram profile, you have just a fraction of a second to leave an impression — here’s how to make it count.

• Give people a reason to follow you. Use your bio to explain what users should expect from your Instagram: quick tutorials, BTS chaos, daily motivation, or just a good laugh.
  • Example: “Mini vlogs and hot takes on life in Chi-town”
    
• Add a simple call-to-action (CTA) that points users toward whatever next step you want them to take.
  • Example: “Visit our website👇”

• Use keywords in the name field. The name field is now searchable, so add words your ideal followers might search for on Instagram.
  • Example: “Alexis | Food Stylist📍NYC”

• Include a link. Instagram allows users to add up to five links to their bios. Use these to send followers to your website, YouTube channel, storefront, or wherever else makes sense.

This is just the start of what we have to say on this topic. Check out our deep dive on How to Set up Your Instagram Bio in 2025. 

2. Post content that stops the scroll

Your content has one job in the feed: Make someone pause. If you can get users to stop scrolling, you’ve done the hardest part.

A strong Instagram strategy requires a mix of content that helps you grow, retain, and convert followers into customers. That’s where the three content types below come in: discovery, trust, and community.

Content type	Goal	Example post
Discovery	Growth: Grab attention from non-followers and get them to stop scrolling.	Reel: “3 Mistakes First-Time Gardeners Make (& How To Fix Them)”
Trust	Credibility: Show your expertise and prove you know your stuff.	Carousel: “The $50 Thrift Challenge: 3 Outfits, 1 Budget”
Community	Retention: Strengthen relationships with people who already follow you.	Story: “AMA about starting a side hustle — I’ll answer in the next hour!”

Posting a mix of all three types of content is a good way to attract new followers and keep them engaged. There’s no formal ratio or recommendation here; just keep an eye on what performs well and do more of that.

For Brooke, discovery content (specifically, Reels) has been the key to growth. In the early days, she looked to other creators in the gardening space for inspiration on what to post. That’s still a part of her strategy, but now, she likes to lean into her brand — that delightful blend of brutal honesty and humor.

“If I see a Reel format that’s doing well, I’ll try it with my own story or twist,” she says. One of her biggest wins came from what she calls a “feral garden tour,” a narrated walkthrough of her garden exactly as it was: overgrown and a little chaotic.

She paired her video with a trending audio track that was quickly picking up traction, and that combination of authenticity and timeliness struck a chord.

The Reel went viral and led to a flood of new followers. Since then, she’s posted a few more feral garden tours, but sparingly. “I try not to do them all the time. Maybe once, twice, or three times a year — I don’t want people to burn out on them, and I only want to do them when I really feel the inspiration,” she says.

Reels, Stories, and carousels are key

If you want to maximize engagement, focus on the formats Instagram loves to push: carousels, Reels, and Stories.

Carousels are one of the few formats that can go toe-to-toe with flashy edits and trending audio. We’ve put together an entire guide on creating swipe-worthy carousels, so don’t miss that.

Also, even though videos make up just 34% of all Instagram content, they reach 49% more people on average than carousels and photos. In other words, Reels are your best chance of reaching new accounts. To keep people watching, aim for videos between 60 and 90 seconds long; these clips are shared 24% more often and tend to land in far more feeds than shorter or longer videos.

Side note: Use hashtags thoughtfully

You can add up to 30 hashtags on an Instagram post, but should you? (No, you should not.)

Instagram’s Creators account once recommended using three to five hashtags per post, but that’s not a hard-and-fast rule. Posts with 11 or more hashtags tend to see the highest average engagement rates, with posts using four hashtags coming in a close second. 

Truthfully, no one is tapping a hashtag and scrolling through content anymore (if you are, let us know). However, Instagram uses hashtags to categorize your content and serve it to the right audience, so they do have some value.

Here’s what to do when it comes to choosing hashtags:

• Mix broad and niche tags. Use a few popular, high-volume hashtags for reach, and several more specific ones to target your ideal followers.
  
• Stay relevant. Every hashtag you use should directly relate to your content. Irrelevant tags confuse the algorithm and hurt your reach. Search each hashtag and look at the top posts. If your content fits in naturally, it’s probably a good match.
  
• Avoid spammy hashtags. Using banned hashtags can limit your reach or, even worse, hide your post.
  
• Rotate your hashtags. Gone are the days when you could copy the same long list of hashtags from your Notes app to everything you post on Instagram. Now, it’s best to switch them up based on the topic of each post.

Psst, save this for later: Instagram Hashtag Analytics

Also, time it right

To give your posts the best chance in the algorithm, you need to post consistently when your audience is most active. There is no perfect time to post, though; it’s different for every account and depends entirely on your followers.

“I usually post around the middle of the day, because that’s when people are on their lunch breaks. And what do you do on your lunch break? You scroll,” Brooke says.

The best way to determine when you should post is to access Instagram Insights and find out when your followers are most active. (Note: You can only use Instagram Insights with a business or creator account.)

Use this information to identify high-traffic windows. Then, post during those times (and slightly before or after) to see which windows deliver the best results.

3. Engage like it’s your job (because it is)

Remember the early days of Instagram when “follow for follow” and “like for like” were the norm? Sorry, I meant F4F and L4L. 😅

That kind of manufactured engagement was time-consuming to chase — and more importantly, it wasn’t real. Real engagement is currency on Instagram; it’s how users spend their attention in a feed packed with competing creators, brands, and viral distractions.

To get a slice of the metaphorical pie, start with the basics:

• Reply to comments and DMs. Replies make followers feel seen and keep conversations alive. Even a short acknowledgment (“thanks for the love! 🫶”) signals that you’re grateful for the engagement.
  
  Brooke likes to jump in quickly when the comments first start rolling in. “If I’m posting, I try to respond to the first few comments that come in.” However, she doesn’t overdo it; she keeps a 45-minute screen time limit on her phone to protect her mental health. “Sometimes I’ll jump on my laptop and check in. At that point, I’m just looking for anything rogue — especially if it’s a sponsored post.”
  
  Need your beauty sleep (and sanity)? You can respond to comments around the clock with Manychat.
  
• Comment on others’ posts. We’re not talking about dropping a generic emoji on a popular post — we’re talking about building online relationships with creators and users in your little corner of Instagram. Skip the “🔥🔥” and instead add a thoughtful note, ask a question, or share a related experience.
  
• Use interactive Story stickers. Polls, quizzes, sliders, and question boxes invite followers to participate in your content, not just watch it.
  
• Try Instagram Notes and channels. Notes act as bite-sized updates in your followers’ inboxes, while channels let you send announcements or exclusives to everyone who opts in.

4. Find your people 

That one family member committed to liking every single one of your posts? MVP status. But if you want your followers list to expand beyond people you know personally, you’ve got to find users who will genuinely care about what you post. 

Creative exercise: Visualize your people 🔮

If you don’t know who you’re trying to reach, try thinking through these steps:

• Name your dream follower. Give them a moniker like “Jess the New Mom,” “Mark the Side Hustler,” or “Taylor the Balcony Gardener.”
  
• Determine what they get from following you; maybe they hope to learn something, feel inspired, or be entertained.
  
• Describe their perfect feed moment. Picture the kind of post that would make them stop scrolling to share it, drop a comment, or visit your profile for more.
  
• Find where they hang out online. Which accounts are they already following? Which hashtags, Reels audio, or topics keep popping up in their feed?

Boost your reach with UGC and collaborations

Leveraging user-generated content (UGC) and collaborations are two of the fastest ways to expand your reach. Here are some ways you can go about it:

• Encourage followers to tag you and share their experiences. Every tagged Story or post is free word-of-mouth marketing, and Instagram’s algorithm loves when your handle shows up in other people’s content.

• Share UGC for authenticity and brand loyalty. When you repost content featuring your brand, you show real people using your products, which builds trust far faster than a polished ad.

• Partner with influencers and/or brands. Partnering with a brand or influencer that targets a similar audience can significantly expand your reach to hundreds or thousands of new accounts. Micro-influencers (accounts with between 1,000 and 100k followers) often have highly engaged audiences. This is certainly true for Brooke. “Even when my following was smaller, my engagement rate was high. I think it’s because people are interested in me and my journey, not just the information I’m providing,” she says.
  
  Brooke has partnered with several brands over the last few years. While it hasn’t always led to a wave of new followers, it has given her something to connect with her existing community. Recently, she worked with Heirloom Roses on a series of posts about bringing her grandfather’s roses back to life, and it’s easy to see how excited her followers were to go on the journey with her.

• Mix up your collab formats. Try Instagram takeovers, co-branded content, or joint contests. SocialPilot reports that posts with four to five collaborators get 3.8x more reach than standard posts, and tagging or mentioning others can double your reach while boosting engagement by up to 30%.

Give the people what they want (giveaways)

Giveaways are still one of the most effective ways to attract new followers quickly — if you do them right.

• Choose prizes relevant to your audience. Giving away an iPad might get you a burst of followers, but most of them will ghost you once the contest ends. Pick something your target audience cares about that also ties back to your brand.

• Keep entry rules simple. The most effective giveaways stick to basic rules: Have users follow your account, tag a friend, and share the post. If you create too many hoops for users to jump through, they’ll scroll on without engaging.

💡Tip: Learn how to run a giveaway with Manychat in six minutes.

5. Take it to the next level: Automate 🤖

We’ve talked through many of the organic strategies you can use to attract new followers. Now, let’s discuss the technical side (automation).

Below, we’re covering a few low-effort ways you can use Manychat to encourage users to smash that follow button.

Turn viewers into followers 

When someone sends you a DM, you can use a Condition Block to instantly check whether they’re following you.

• If they are: The conversation flows as usual — no awkward asks for something they’ve already done.
• If they’re not: You can send a friendly nudge to hit “Follow” before you continue.

This small step turns casual DMers into followers, expanding your audience and increasing the chance they’ll see your content again.

Increase reach with every interaction

In the eyes of the algorithm, the more engagement your content gets, the better. That’s why turning small interactions into deeper conversations can make a big difference. Let’s talk about how you can do that with two popular Manychat flows.

Comment-to-DM is a versatile Quick Automation that lets you easily transition a casual comment into a private conversation. Here’s how it works:

First, set up a Quick Automation so that when someone comments on a specific post or reel, they instantly get a DM from you. You can filter by keyword or trigger on any comment, then:

• Send an opening DM to start the conversation.
• Check if they’re following you, and if not, prompt them to follow before sharing your link or offer.
• Deliver your main message (text only, but you can include up to three links).

You can also take advantage of automated Story mention replies, which initiate a conversation anytime someone mentions your Instagram account in their story. You can use this feature to:

• Send an instant thank-you, discount code, or special offer
• Acknowledge their mention (a simple way to strengthen the relationship)
• Guide them into a customer journey or encourage more UGC

Make your ads the start of real conversations (not just redirects)

Most Instagram ads drop people onto a landing page and hope for the best. With the Instagram Ads Trigger, you can skip the cold click-through and start chatting with users in their DMs.

Here’s how it works:

• Create an automation in Manychat and set up your first message (with at least one Quick Reply button).
• Link that automation to your ad in Meta Ads Manager by choosing the “Send Instagram message” call-to-action.
• When someone taps your ad, they’ll get your automated message in their DMs — no form, no friction.

With this automation in place, you can answer questions, gather leads, and guide people into your sales funnel right inside Instagram.

Greet every new follower automatically

Did you hear the good news? Follow to DM is live. 🥳

With this always-on automation, you can send users a warm greeting right after they hit the follow button. There are many reasons why you’d want to do this, but the main one is to let your new followers know you appreciate them and that your inbox is always open.

Learn more: How Follow to DM Welcomes Every New Follower for You

Let’s Call It There

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time. Speaking of which, you can save yourself a lot of hours by signing up for Manychat. (It’s free!)

Or, keep learning how to take your follower count to the moon with this video.

✋ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I keep growing once my account plateaus?

Almost every creator hits a plateau at some point. When this happens, double down on what works. Check Instagram Insights for your top three posts and recreate them in new formats — experiment with collaborations, trending audio, or giveaways to re-energize reach. Growth usually comes in bursts, so plateaus are just a part of the process.

2. Should I delete old content that doesn’t fit my current brand?

If it no longer represents you or attracts the right followers, yes. Brooke did this when she transitioned niches; deleting posts and removing inactive followers gave her a blank slate to rebuild her brand around her new vision. 

3. How do I avoid burning out from constant posting?

Avoiding burnout is a constant challenge for creators. Everyone works their way, but we suggest dedicating a weekday to recording Reels, taking photos, and drafting captions. That way, you have content ready to post throughout the rest of the week.

You can also repurpose successful posts. For example, a Reel can become a carousel, and a carousel can be broken into Stories.

4. Is it really that bad to buy followers?

Yes. Bought followers don’t engage with your content, which tanks your engagement rate, and in turn, your chances of impressing the algorithm (meaning, fewer real people will see your posts). Plus, if brands notice your follower-to-engagement ratio is off, it can hurt your credibility for partnerships.

Instead of padding your numbers, focus on getting comments, saves, shares, and Story interactions. A smaller but highly engaged audience will always open more doors (and make you more money) than a big but silent one.