10 Ways to Grow Your Base: Get More Likes, Shares, and Engagement on Instagram

There are several ways to grow your base on Instagram, and many of them have very little to do with the actual product. Some of the most effective techniques for driving loyalty and engagement might surprise you.

But because Instagram is the fourth most popular social media app with over two billion users, you can’t afford not to make the most of what it can offer. If your audience engagement has plateaued or you’re preparing to dive in and want to make your Instagram account as eye-catching as possible, try these ten ways to grow your base for more likes, shares, and engagement.

1. Start With Your Bio

A well-written Bio is a huge deal. Younger followers especially value making authentic and genuine connections with the people they follow, whether they’re individuals or companies. Although the Bio space is small, you’ll want to pack it with as much personality as possible. Every Bio should include:

• A link
• An explanation of who you are or what you do
• A call to action (CTA)
• Personality
• A branded hashtag

2. Let’s Get Reel

Reels are Instagram’s answer to TikTok, and they’ve been an extremely successful addition to the arsenal of features. Brands and influencers that create Reels consistently get more engagement from their audiences, and a well-crafted Reel could be your emissary to new follower frontiers. Successful Reels are:

• Fairly short
• Have music or voice overs
• Tap into current trends
• Come with relevant hashtags

3. Hashtags Have to Happen

Finding the right hashtags makes you so much more searchable. But you shouldn’t just throw in every single hashtag that will fit, whether they’re relevant to the content or not. Consider creating a branded hashtag that incorporates something about your product or service or is a catchy slogan. Depending on your goals, you’ll want to find a mix of hashtags for your content. Combining more niche hashtags alongside more generalized but on-topic hashtags does the trick for many. Check the Explore page and look at the captions of brands and influencers that already have larger followings. Or you could use a third-party app to help you generate hashtags by scanning the photos you’re posting.

4. Consistency Is Critical

In the beginning, it might feel like you’re preaching to an absent choir, but posting consistently is critical to growing your base. However, don’t confuse consistency with quantity. It’s better to post quality, impactful content on a schedule than flooding your Instagram with everything, hoping something will catch on. Scheduling your posts is an excellent way to plan your content so your following will learn to expect something from you at certain times. If you have trouble remembering to post consistently or want organizational help, many third-party apps allow you to create and schedule content so you always look polished and professional.

5. Learn Your Best Times

Growing your Instagram base and driving engagement works best when you have a plan. Developing a consistent schedule is crucial, but so is finding the correct times to post. If you have no idea when you should be posting content, a few methods will help you find out how to make adjustments. Try these tips:

• Base your post times on when the overall Instagram engagement times peak—Wednesday around 11 a.m. EST is a top spot.
• If you have a business account, check the analytics and see which posts achieved the most engagement and note those timestamps.
• Think about local and regional events that might impact when your audience is more or less likely to scroll

When you aren’t sure where to start, beginning with one of these tactics gives you a base to jump from. Experiment with posting times until you find the best for you, and then start scheduling content.

6. Quantity or Quality?

You could blitz your followers with a barrage of photos, Reels, Stories, and more, or you could carefully select and curate content. Both techniques can work but depend on your goals. If you’re just trying to get as many eyeballs on your account as possible and you don’t care if their interests align or not, quantity will make that happen. But if you prefer to cultivate a following that connects with your brand personally, you’ll want to move toward the quality end of the spectrum.

7. Pivotal Moments

Instagram now provides numerous tools at your disposal for presenting content to your followers. If you’ve focused on photos but notice that people aren’t engaging with your pictures, try presenting content in a new way through Stories or with a carousel. Play with different content presentations until you find what fits your content and gets the most response from people.

8. Get by With a Little Help From Your Friends

Even the most creative people struggle sometimes. If you’re at a loss for content, appeal to your followers for theirs. Ask permission to share, and then tag them in the content. They may even be more likely to share your posted content, increasing both impressions and engagement.

9. Who Are You?

What do you want people to see and think about your brand? How would you want them to describe it to friends? It can be challenging to take an objective step back and look at your “voice,” but this is essential. And if you struggle to self-edit your look and voice on Instagram, get some help from an app or friends who can give constructive criticism.

10. Get Into the Comments Section

While nobody can spend 24/7 in the comments responding to every single comment, you can schedule a time every day to go into your post comments and respond. But you don’t want to restrict yourself to only commenting on your own posts. Have conversations in the comment sections of other people’s posts and be genuine. People will respond to that and be more likely to click on your profile so they can find out more.

You’ve got a fantastic product or decided to establish yourself as a creator or influencer. Instagram is the perfect place to increase exposure and awareness when you’re ready to grow your brand. But developing a following that actively likes, shares, and engages in your content takes more than posting a nice picture. Planning and organization can bridge the gap and help you develop the following you’re looking for.