How to Grow an Instagram Account in 2024 (Easy Mode ✅)

Grow with Alex
20 Jan 202413:26

TLDRIn this informative video, Alex shares a proven strategy for growing an Instagram account in 2024. The key to success lies in niche mastery, where the explore page is tailored to the account's theme, providing inspiration for content, hashtags, and captions. Trending audios are identified through the Instagram reel feature, and original content creators are encouraged to edit their videos to match these trending sounds for better engagement. The video also emphasizes the importance of audience engagement through the use of Instagram's new poll feature in captions, which can significantly boost post interaction. Captions should be well-crafted with a hook, valuable content, credit, and a clear call-to-action. Using effects can triple views, and it's advised to experiment with subtle ones. The video advises turning off Facebook recommendations to focus growth on Instagram alone. Hashtags are crucial for the algorithm to understand the content's audience, and using a mix of single and multi-word hashtags is recommended. Pinning exceptional posts with a call-to-action in the comments can capitalize on virality. The bio should be concise, appealing, and community-focused, with a clear value proposition. Lastly, adding keywords on videos can assist the algorithm in showing the content to the right audience. By applying these strategies, Instagram growth is not only possible but also achievable.

Takeaways

  • 📈 Focus on Niche Mastery: Customize your Instagram Explore page to show content similar to your niche for easy inspiration and ideas.
  • 🎶 Use Trending Audios: Find trending audios on the Explore page and use them in your posts to increase engagement and reach.
  • 🎥 Edit to Trending Audios: For original content, edit your video to match trending audios to improve performance when posted.
  • 📊 Engage with Polls: Utilize Instagram's new poll feature in captions to boost audience engagement and responses.
  • 📝 Craft Captions Strategically: Use a hook, advice, story, or actionable steps in your captions to keep viewers on your post longer.
  • 🔍 Keyword Optimization: Include relevant keywords in your captions to help the Instagram algorithm understand and target the right audience.
  • 🌟 Effects for Engagement: Experiment with subtle effects to enhance your content without drastically altering it, potentially increasing views.
  • 🚫 Disable Facebook Recommendations: To ensure views contribute to Instagram growth, turn off Facebook recommendations to focus traffic on Instagram.
  • 📌 Use Hashtags Wisely: Apply 3-7 relevant hashtags to help the algorithm categorize your content without overpopulating and confusing it.
  • 📌 Pin Strategically: Pin comments on high-performing posts to encourage follows and pin content after 30 days when its momentum decreases.
  • 📝 Optimize Your Bio: Use your bio to capture attention and incentivize follows, focusing on community and value rather than selling.

Q & A

  • How did the speaker's Instagram account grow in the last 30 days?

    -The speaker's Instagram account grew by over 50,000 followers in the last 30 days and is expected to continue growing at a similar rate throughout 2024.

  • What is the importance of training your Instagram account?

    -Training your account, also known as Niche Mastery, ensures that the explore page shows content similar to what you post, providing a source of inspiration for content ideas, hashtags, and captions.

  • How can you find trending audios on Instagram?

    -You can find trending audios by pressing the 'reels' button at the bottom right of your profile, then looking at the bottom left for the trending audios section. An upward-pointing arrow indicates a trending audio.

  • What is the benefit of using trending audios in your content?

    -Using trending audios can significantly improve the performance of your video and increase its chances of being discovered by the Instagram algorithm.

  • How can polls in captions increase engagement on Instagram?

    -Polls in captions allow users to vote on simple questions, which can lead to a high number of responses and increased engagement, thus boosting the visibility of the post.

  • Why is it important to use keywords and a strategic approach in your captions?

    -Using keywords and a strategic approach in captions helps Instagram's algorithm understand the content and keeps users on the post longer, increasing the overall watch time and the likelihood of the post being shown to the right audience.

  • What is the recommended format for an effective Instagram caption?

    -An effective caption should start with a hook, followed by advice, a story, or actionable steps. Then, credit the source of the content, include a call-to-action to follow for more content, and end with relevant hashtags.

  • How can effects on Instagram Reels help increase views?

    -Effects on Instagram Reels can make content more appealing and can sometimes provide additional exposure if the effect is popular, as the algorithm may show more content under that effect.

  • Why should you turn off Facebook recommendations for your Instagram content?

    -Turning off Facebook recommendations ensures that views and engagement come directly to your Instagram profile rather than through Facebook, which can help grow your Instagram following more effectively.

  • What is the purpose of using hashtags in 2024 according to the speaker?

    -The purpose of using hashtags in 2024 is to help the Instagram algorithm understand who to show your content to, by acting as keywords that describe the content.

  • How should you use pinned content and pinned comments on your Instagram profile?

    -Pinned content should be used to highlight a post that is performing exceptionally well after 30 days when its momentum starts to die down. Pinned comments can be used to incentivize followers to follow your account by adding a call-to-action in a comment on a viral post.

  • What are the three lines of advice for creating an effective Instagram bio?

    -The first line should include searchable keywords that describe your account. The second line should describe the value and what your brand is about. The third line should focus on community and use inclusive language to encourage followers to join.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Niche Mastery and Guaranteed Growth Strategy

The first paragraph introduces the speaker's success in growing an Instagram account and outlines a strategy for consistent growth. The focus is on niche mastery, where the speaker emphasizes the importance of training the Instagram account to focus on a specific niche. This is done by liking and saving content within the niche for a few days, which in turn shapes the explore page to show similar content. The speaker also discusses the use of trending audios, finding them through the 'reels' feature, and how to save and use them in posts. Additionally, there's a tip for using trending audios in original content creation by downloading them, editing the video to match, and then uploading it to Instagram with the audio. Engaging the audience through Instagram's new poll feature in captions is also highlighted as a powerful growth tool.

05:03

📝 Captions, Keywords, and Effects for Enhanced Engagement

The second paragraph delves into the importance of captions and keywords for increasing engagement and watch time on Instagram. The speaker provides a formula for creating effective captions that include a hook, advice or story, crediting the source, a call to action (CTA), and hashtags. The use of effects to enhance content visually is also discussed, with a recommendation to use subtle effects that complement the content rather than overpower it. The speaker advises turning off Facebook recommendations to ensure views are focused on Instagram, and stresses the importance of using hashtags strategically to help the algorithm target the right audience. Pinned comments on viral posts are suggested as a way to encourage follows, and the use of pinned content is advised after a post's momentum has slowed down.

10:05

🚫 Optimizing Your Bio and Utilizing Keywords for Algorithmic Boost

The third paragraph focuses on the correct use of the Instagram bio to attract and retain followers. It advises against using the bio as a selling space when seeking growth, and instead, to use it to capture attention and provide value. The speaker provides a structure for an effective bio with three lines: searchable keywords, a description of the account, and an invitation to join the community. The importance of using keywords on videos to help the algorithm understand the content is also highlighted, with an example of how to add tiny, barely visible text keywords to a post for better discoverability.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Instagram Account Growth

Instagram Account Growth refers to the process of increasing the number of followers on an Instagram account. In the context of the video, the speaker shares their experience of growing one of their accounts by over 50,000 followers in a month. The video aims to reveal strategies that can help viewers achieve similar growth on their own accounts, emphasizing the importance of understanding and utilizing Instagram's features effectively to attract and retain followers.

💡Niche Mastery

Niche Mastery is the concept of focusing on a specific theme or area of interest for an Instagram account. The speaker highlights the importance of training the account to focus on a particular niche, which helps Instagram's algorithm to show relevant content and attract a targeted audience. For instance, if the account is about food, the speaker suggests engaging with similar content to ensure that the explore page shows food-related posts, thereby increasing the chances of content creation and engagement within the niche.

💡Trending Audios

Trending Audios are audio clips that are currently popular on Instagram and are being widely used by the community. The video explains that using trending audios in posts can significantly improve the performance of the content, as they are more likely to be discovered and enjoyed by users. The speaker provides a method to find and use trending audios by browsing the 'Reels' section and saving the audios for future use in posts, which can enhance engagement and reach.

💡Polls in Captions

Polls in Captions is a feature introduced by Instagram that allows users to create interactive polls directly in the post's caption. The video emphasizes the importance of this feature for engaging the audience and increasing post engagement. By posing a simple question with two options (e.g., yes or no), the content creator can gather responses and encourage interaction, leading to higher visibility and growth. The speaker suggests using this feature to ask questions related to the content or the niche to boost engagement.

💡Engagement

Engagement on Instagram refers to the interactions and activities that users perform on a post, such as likes, comments, shares, and votes on polls. The video stresses that creating content that engages the audience is crucial for growth, as higher engagement signals to the algorithm that the content is valuable and should be shown to more people. The speaker provides several tips, such as using polls and crafting compelling captions, to increase engagement and, consequently, the account's growth.

💡Caption Strategy

Caption Strategy involves crafting the text that accompanies an Instagram post in a way that captures attention and encourages interaction. The video outlines a format for creating effective captions that include a hook, advice or a story, a call-to-action (CTA), and relevant hashtags. The goal is to keep users engaged with the post for as long as possible, signaling to the algorithm that the content is interesting and relevant, thereby increasing its reach and visibility.

💡Effects

Effects on Instagram are filters or enhancements that can be applied to videos or images to alter their appearance. The video discusses the underutilized aspect of using effects to boost post visibility and engagement. By applying popular effects to content, accounts can potentially gain additional exposure through the algorithm, which promotes content with popular effects to a wider audience. The speaker advises choosing subtle effects that complement the content rather than drastically altering it.

💡Facebook Recommendations

Facebook Recommendations refer to the feature that suggests content from Facebook to Instagram users. The video advises turning off this feature to prevent potential views from being directed to Facebook instead of staying within the Instagram platform. The speaker argues that while views on Facebook might increase, they do not contribute to the growth of the Instagram account, which is the primary focus for those seeking to increase their following on this specific platform.

💡Hashtags

Hashtags on Instagram are words or phrases preceded by the '#' symbol, used to categorize content and make it discoverable by others. The video explains that using hashtags helps the algorithm understand who to show the content to and recommends using a mix of single-word and two or three-word hashtags. The speaker advises against overpopulating hashtags and suggests that smaller accounts, in particular, should use hashtags to teach the algorithm about their target audience.

💡Pinned Content and Comments

Pinned Content and Comments refer to the practice of highlighting important posts or comments on an Instagram profile to ensure they are prominently displayed. The video suggests pinning content that has performed well after 30 days of its initial posting to keep it visible at the top of the profile. For comments, the speaker recommends pinning a call-to-action comment on viral posts to encourage new followers. This strategy aims to maximize the potential of high-performing content to attract and retain more followers.

💡Instagram Bio

The Instagram Bio is the short description under an account's profile picture and username. The video emphasizes the importance of using this space effectively to capture the attention of potential followers and incentivize them to follow. The speaker advises against using the bio to sell products or services, especially for accounts seeking growth. Instead, the bio should include searchable keywords, a description of the account, the value provided to followers, and a community-focused call-to-action. A well-crafted bio can significantly increase the conversion of potential followers into actual followers.

💡Keywords on Videos

Keywords on Videos are words that are typed onto the video itself to help Instagram's algorithm understand the content and show it to the right audience. The video explains that adding keywords, such as 'pizza' for content about pizza, can increase the chances of the content reaching users who are interested in that topic. The speaker suggests making the text as small as possible to unobtrusively include these keywords on the video, thereby improving the content's discoverability and reach.

Highlights

An Instagram account grew over 50,000 followers in 30 days using a specific strategy.

The strategy is applicable for accounts of all sizes, from zero to over 50,000 followers.

Niche Mastery is crucial; like and save content in your niche for a few days to train your account.

Utilize the explore page for content ideas, hashtags, captions, and trending audios.

Trending audios can be identified by an upward-pointing arrow and saved for use in your posts.

Edit videos to trending audios before posting for better performance.

Engage your audience with Instagram's new poll feature in captions to increase engagement.

Captions should be detailed with a hook, advice, story, actionable steps, credit, CTA, and hashtags.

Use effects to increase views; subtle effects like '4K' can enhance your content without drastic changes.

Turn off Facebook recommendations to focus growth on Instagram.

Use 3 to 7 hashtags to help the algorithm understand your content's audience.

Pin exceptional posts' comments with a CTA to follow for more content.

Pin content to the top of your profile after 30 days when its momentum starts to decline.

Craft a compelling bio with searchable keywords, a description of the brand, the value provided, and a community focus.

Add keywords on your videos as text to help the algorithm target the right audience.

The bio should be concise, clean, and sharp to capture the audience's attention quickly.

Join Discord or communities for help building the perfect bio and growing your account.