More Instagram Followers

Why would I post freaky milkshakes, for example? 😉 Because they were well received by my Instagram users (and of course I like to drink them myself)! I made sure that the shakes reflect my own imagery: lots of pink and pastel, sweet details and donuts. With these branding elements I created my unique visual language and managed to stay in the users' memory for a long time.

Would you like further examples on the subject of image design and format development? In my free Instagram online seminar, I share my top 3 strategies for creative images and more followers with you.

A harmonious Instagram feed
Once you get the hang of creating beautiful photos for Instagram, you should start thinking about a consistent imagery. When I started Instagram, it was clear that pink and pastel shades should be my primary colors. My entire profile should radiate a bright, friendly atmosphere.

But it can also be very different for you: think carefully about what fits your blog or company. For example, is your color green? Excellent! Then always use green blobs in your photos!

In the meantime, my account is much less colorful and I focus more on muted tones and more natural settings.

The development of my visual language

Always keep in mind that you can only convince new users to follow you if your overall profile is consistent. It is therefore not enough to just upload beautiful pictures, but these MUST also fit together and harmonize well as a collage. Simple example: Important: Post eg. not the same scenery next to each other twice.

Create engagement
I already confessed to you that at the beginning I underestimated exactly this point. I thought: "With a few nice photos, the job is done, it" clicks "and followers grow on autopilot." At first I really underestimated how important it is to answer comments and to write comments yourself under other pictures.

And again, I would like to be completely honest when I speak of a growth to 100,000 subscribers within a few months and you ask yourself how I did it: I particularly commented and liked a lot on Instagram in the beginning. Really, really a lot. That helped me to make other users aware of me. At some point I reached a point where I was already well known in my little niche and no longer had to interact like crazy (comments are still answered trotzdem). In the beginning, however, it really took many hours of interaction before I could build up a solid community.

So: engagement on Instagram is at least as important as beautiful pictures.

You can also find out more about this in my free Instagram webinar. There I will tell you my best tricks for increasing your Instagram interaction rates.

Use the right hashtags
I know a lot of Instagram users who either have hashtags as irrelevant or use hashtags incorrectly. To be honest, I'm always surprised how few Instagram users have correctly recognized the potential of hashtags (including my Instagram beginnings, by the way!).

You use hashtags so that your pictures are ideally featured by the Instagram algorithm for 24 hours via the hashtag search. This means that many more users see your photo and become aware of you.

Note: Hashtag is not the same as Hashtag! There are big hashtags (e.g. #yummy, #food, #fashion, #ootd) and smaller hashtags (e.g. #milkshakes, #fashionblogger_de, #diyblogger). I have carefully researched hashtags for each of my image types (flatlay, food, DIYs).

Now you are probably asking yourself the question: How do I research hashtags? You can also search for hashtags in the Instagram app.

How to find the right hashtags
Suppose I am a fashion blogger and now I give, for example. #fashionblogger_de. Then I see related hashtags like #modeblogger and #modeblogger_de in the bar above. These hashtags are a bit smaller than #fashionblogger_de and this gives me a higher chance of being featured at the top of the hashtag. Nevertheless, the hashtags fit my niche perfectly and should therefore be used!

Over time, you will get a feel for which hashtags are large (from 500,000 images) and which hashtags are smaller. Note: The smaller the hashtag, the smaller the competition and the greater your chance of being displayed at the top.