How To Grow Your Instagram Without Spending a Dollar!
So if you are in the blogging world, or the business world, you know that Instagram is SO important. Whether we like it or not, Instagram matters! I have a TV show, my own talk show, & my Instagram is still what I get asked about the most by brands.
I knew from studying blogging for months before taking the jump that Instagram is necessary. One of my main goals from the jump was to focus on Instagram. Instagram for bloggers is the most important social media account.
There is a downside to this. I feel that I have to spend HOURS on Instagram every single day. That could be time spend doing other blogger work that is equally as important. I wish I did not need to put as much time into Instagram as I do, BUT it is a part of my job.
I will say that make sure you still focus on your blog. YOU OWN YOUR BLOG/WEBSITE. Instagram could be gone tomorrow, but I will always have my website. So do not put 100% of your time into Instagram, but do prioritize it in your schedule.
My account has gone from 0-16k followers in 9 months. More followers= more collabs, more partnerships, more attention from brands. I have tried as hard as I can to grow my account organically & find people who really are about my content.
Here are some ways you can grow your account for FREE!
1) The $1.80 method by Gary Vee.
To some it up quickly & easily- You find the top 9 trending posts for 10 different hashtags (relevant to your niche) and put in your .02 cents on each post = $1.80!
Make sure your comments are GENUINE- 4 words or more. Do not write blah things like “cute” or “love it”. If you want people to write genuine comments to YOU, then you must return that to them as well!
2) ANSWER EVERY SINGLE COMMENT YOU GET!
If someone takes time out of their day to leave you a comment, YOU SHOULD RESPOND! Even if its a few days later, you make sure to take the time to respond to people who took time to leave you a comment. If you do not do this, you will lose followers. If you do this, people will be happy you took the time to reach out to them and respond. They will continue to follow you & even recommend you to others!
3) Have Follow Fridays or Other Shoutout Days.
Lots of bloggers/influencers will use Instagram stories to shout out other friends/accounts to help each other grow. Totally free! I do not do this often but may in the future since it is a fun way to promote other babes which I am all about!
4) Use IG stories/Hashtag your stories!
People like to see YOU! I try to go LIVE once a week or every other week. No hiding behind pre-recorded videos. I want to engage with people as I am speaking. It may seem scary but it is not that bad! I always get more followers after going live! You can go live about whatever you think may be interesting. I have done live videos about TV shows, something funny that happened, all different things.
5) Do a giveaway!
I always ask brands I work with to donate items for a giveaway. Giving back to my audience is so nice & who doesn’t like getting free stuff? Trying to do giveaways (through donations or paid) a few times a month has been so awesome. I love the idea of my followers winning things because of me! Giveaways will always bring new people to your page!
6) Build genuine relationships with people in your niche!
When I started, I reached out to everyone I could find that was local to NY/NJ. I looked for gals who seemed like cool boss blogger ladies! I introduced myself and was able to feel out who was nice, who wasn’t, & who I could have as a blogger friend! Building support on Instagram from other bloggers is more than numbers, its soooooo nice to have. People that know how hard you work, what it takes to be successful is really awesome!
What are your tips to grow your Instagram?
