Instagram Tips for Newbies: How to Increase the Followers and like Numbers

There is no newbie bonus and the algorithm has become strict and clever, so content has to arrive really well to be seen at all. All of which makes it extremely difficult to attract the necessary attention with his pictures. How to increase the Instagram followers and Like numbers and what tips and tricks you can help, I would like to show in this article.

Algorithm displaces the Instagram times

Anyone who previously published a picture on Instagram tried to stick to times when many users were online. Morning, noon, evening – very roughly. Pictures were then displayed to followers of Instagram almost chronologically.

The new algorithm changed that. The filters now namely, similar to Facebook. If a picture does not receive reactions and attention from the beginning, it loses visibility and is downgraded, so it is no longer visible to everyone.

Times themselves do not play such a big role anymore. If your image in the eyes of Instagram is important, it will eventually appear with the users. This has only little to do with times, but more with interaction rates. For that reason forget the typical times.

Hashtags are still important

The more influencers you become, the less important the hashtags become. For starters, these are still extremely important. Among other things, this is due to the fact that individual hashtags can now be followed on Instagram. Many users do this too, especially with small but nice hashtags, where not so much is spammed, but really nice photos are published. That’s exactly what you need to find.

A maximum of 30 hashtags are accepted by Instagram per image, everything beyond that is simply ignored. Some people think the order of these hashtags also plays a role, but I cannot confirm that. However, placing the important hashtags further up front is not a big hassle.

Important for the hashtags is that you do not choose too popular ones. If hashtags have millions of posts, your picture is simply lost. Rather, look for specific small hashtags that are actively pursued by some. 100,000+ and also quiet times one or the other with only a few 1000 entries.

The hashtags are best not with external tools, but always looking straight into Instagram to get a natural selection. Do not use the same hashtags on similar pictures, because Instagram does not like that. But we’ll talk about Shadow ban below.

Do not forget the video thumbnail

Often forgotten, but extremely important, is the preview image for videos on Instagram. Bottom right, when setting a video, is the button to go to the selection. There you can choose a picture from the video, which is displayed by default in the profile.

The picture should look as good as all the other Instagram posts; otherwise it will destroy your account aesthetics. Because this is so, it may be helpful to insert a corresponding still image at the end of the video in order to use this as a preview image.

As I said: very simple, but often forgotten. A bit like the thumbnails on YouTube, except that you need to trick the Instagram on Instagram to get a great thumbnail.

Story previews for the right look

Speaking of videos and thumbnails. If you save your Instagram story, you should also think about the corresponding thumbnail here. So that the stored story is presented in the best possible way, it is recommended to load the preview image into the story at the end of the day.

This image can then also be selected in the story highlights, resulting in a coherent look within the linked highlights. For example, with colored backgrounds or a small text and emoji that just fits in the round circle. Try it out a bit. As with the videos, the preview image also determines the click rate. And as I said, interaction rates are ranking factors on Instagram.

Be active, in an honest way

Instagram is a community. Simply upload a picture, be successful and become an influence, it will not work. Understand your audience, understand your users, interact and, above all, react with them. Comments and interactions are extremely important for the new algorithm on Instagram. Responds always as fast as possible and heats the discussion within the comments even quiet times. Also comment on other photos and videos.

Also, just follow the accounts that suit your audience and do not include friends or inappropriate profiles. For this you can create a private account. Make contacts, collaborate with other users and create photos together to tag each other. That helps a lot, especially in the beginning. Those who are not really active on the platform simply do not grow on Instagram. How exactly the system evaluates your actions remains open. But it is clear: your own interaction is enormously important on Instagram.

Remove inactive followers

Because activity is so important to the Instagram algorithm, it also helps get rid of inactive followers. These are profiles that follow you, but do not like your photos or leave any comments. You can remove them by going to their profile, pressing the three dots and just blocking them. They cannot follow you anymore and disappear automatically as a follower. Fake accounts and people who have never been really active can be removed so cleanly from your profile. Especially the whole bots and Follow accounts, you should definitely block and thus delete.

It’s almost always a push to block such fake profiles or inactive friends. Just go through the list of followers once a month and get rid of what fake looks like or was not really active. The more active followers you have, the more important you will be viewed by Instagram. Anyone using analytics tools for Instagram will certainly know the term engagement rate. This rate of interactivity is calculated for each post, but also for your subscribers. The more active they are the better for your general profile ranking.

Instagram has grown up

As mentioned at the beginning, the new algorithm on Instagram is quite clever. Like on Facebook, like on YouTube, like everywhere else, cheating is not as easy as it used to be.

Suddenly what counts is what’s really there at the end of the day. Interactions, reactions, real comments and likes of live users. If you do not have one and you are not active yourself and get absorbed in the scene, then you have difficulties with Instagram. That will not change anymore.

But those who stick to my tips and tricks will gradually build up a successful Instagram profile. This can take some time today, so just stay tuned and do not give up. Good luck with it!