Instagram’s algorithm can show your posts and Reels to the world, or it can suppress them and you’ll be lucky to get two or three followers a post. But there are some people who have seemingly been able to gain favor with Meta’s platform any time they want.
How?🤔
We’re going to reveal the secret of how to get 10k followers on Instagram using proven techniques that work time and time again.
And while the first tip may be “taboo” for some, it’s one that we know some of the world’s biggest influencers use to grow new accounts.
1. Buy Followers 💵
Followers attract followers. If you see an account with one follower, you probably question whether the account is:
- Spam
- Real
- Worth following
And this same criticism will be used by others to judge your account when you don’t have a following of at least a few dozen to hundreds of people.
Influencers have been saying for a long time that all of a sudden, they reached a threshold where they went from their content reaching a small audience to Instagram showing their posts to thousands of people.
Growing their following probably helped.
One trick that influencers have been using to hit this goal is to buy followers from sites like Viralyft. They buy the initial followers they need to grow their accounts and get over that initial hurdle of proving their account is follow-worthy.
You can even buy 10k followers for $94.99, but you can also start small with 1k followers and will see an uptick in organic users following your account.
We know a lot of creators are fearful of purchasing followers. But you can do your due diligence to avoid issues. We recommend purchasing from a provider that offers:
- Real followers and not bots – because bots will eventually fall off over time.
- Top-tier customer support. Try reaching out to support before making a purchase to see if they respond to you in a timely manner. Scam sites will often not respond.
- Guarantees on delivery times and follower drops.
We’ve had great results buying followers, but to hit 10k followers, you’ll want to do more than just buy them. Organic growth never hurts – and it’s free – but it does take time. A trick that we’ve seen to make unknown accounts gain thousands of followers is to collaborate with influencers.
2. Collaborate with Influencers or Brands
Brands and influencers already have massive followings, and you can leverage these followings to your advantage. Collaborating on Instagram is easy:
Step #1: Open your app
Step #2: Create a post, but don’t publish it just yet
Step #3: Tag people in your post
Step #4: Invite a collaborator
Step #5: Search for a collaborator
Step #6: Tap Done.
And if the collaborator(s) agree to collab on the post, it will show your post on your own and the collaborators’ accounts, too.
Before you jump in and start trying to collaborate with The Rock or Selena Gomez, we recommend that you take a more strategic approach. Creators get collab post requests all the time and will ignore your request if they don’t know you.
So, what can you do?
We recommend that you:
- Comment on a person’s posts and try to make a connection with them.
- Over time, ask the person if they would like to collab post together.
If you’re a specialist or have experience that is invaluable, collab with people who will value your expertise. For example, let’s assume that you’re a dog trainer known for helping owners stop reactive dog behavior.
You might want to connect with well-known veterinarians who would be happy to have you collab with them because your post brings value to their audience.
3. Go Viral with Timely Posts
If everyone could go viral, we would all be influencers. Viral posts require more than just picking up a smartphone, taking a picture of your cat, and posting it. Unless you have the world’s most amazing cat, this type of post will get lost in the sea of other pet-related posts.
How can you go viral?
- Hop on trends. If you see people posting about a certain celebrity, challenge or even a sports team winning the championship, create content around the trend quickly. Your content can go viral and help you get a ton of followers.
- Research your niche. When you know your niche and audience, you can create content that they want to see more of. For example, if you research influencers and see that they get tons of comments and views every time they post about a certain topic, follow their lead and create something similar.
We have an extensive guide on how to go viral on Instagram that you can follow.
4. Use the Right Hashtags and Keywords
Hashtags are not as popular as they used to be, but if you want to get 10k followers on Instagram, you need to use them. I know that I follow quite a few hashtags, and they always show up in my feed.
You can use a lot of hashtag tools to make finding the right tags easier, but you can also do this manually.
For example, let’s assume that you are a gardener. Open your Instagram and go to the search function. Type in “#garden” and you’ll find:
- 83.7M posts for #garden
- 33.7M posts for #gardening
- 7.2M posts for #gardendesign
- 5.1M posts for #gardeninspiration
Add these keywords into your gardening posts. You can also use other hashtags, such as #strawberries or #plantingstrawberries, if that’s what your post is about.
One word of caution is not to over-do it with hashtags because you don’t want to make it seem like you’re spamming. Instead, take the time to add a handful of hashtags to each post that are relevant.
Pro tip: Some hashtags go viral and are trendy. If you notice everyone is posting under a certain hashtag one day, it’s a fast way to get a lot of followers fast on Instagram. Gamers did this when PS 5 was released and a lot of their posts went viral.
5. Post at the Right Time
What’s the best time to post? You can try posting at different times to find the best option for your audience, but there are general guidelines to follow, too:
- Monday: 11 am – 2 pm
- Tuesday: 10 am – 4 pm
- Wednesday: 9 am – 4 pm
- Thursday: 9 am – 2 pm
- Friday: 11 am
- Saturday: 9 am – 12 pm
- Sunday: 10 am – 11 am
Sunday is the worst day to post for most audiences, so maybe you can use this as the day you spend time creating posts for the week.
We know that the guidelines above work for most audiences, but you need to consider your audience and how your own posts perform. Adjust your posting time if you find that the recommendations above are just not working as planned.
6. Share Your Post Across Platforms
You likely have social media accounts on TikTok, Facebook, X or other social networks. Ask people to follow you on Instagram. Create a post telling people about your new Instagram account or share a screenshot of your most recent Instagram post and mention your Instagram handle.
If you can add a link to your account, that’s even better.
Cross-promoting across social media networks is a simple way to grow any account you create. But you’ll find the best results if you have an Instagram in a similar niche.
7. Buy Ads
If you have a budget to grow your account, why not purchase ads on Instagram? You’ll want to make sure your account is public and that it’s set to a creator or business account. Now, do the following:
Step #1: Go to your profile
Step #2: Find the post you want to promote and tap on the post
Step #3: Go to “Boost post”
Boosting posts allows you to promote a post for money, so you obviously want to choose a topic that you think has the best chance of getting attention. If you don’t see the Boost post option, open up your app and:
Step #1: Tap your profile picture on the bottom right.
Step #2: Find the hamburger icon on the top right and tap it
Step #3: Go to Account type and tools
Step #4: Be sure to set your account as a creator or business
You should now be able to boost posts and set your budget.
8. Host a Giveaway
But to maximize your reach and the chance of getting tons of followers, you’ll need to make sure that you do a few important things:
- Choose a prize that your audience will want. You have to make it worth their while to enter your giveaway. Offer something that will solve their problem or make their lives better in some way.
- Set the rules to maximize your following. It’s your giveaway, which means that you get to set the entry rules. If your goal is to get followers fast, make it so people have to follow you and like or comment on your post to enter.
Contests and giveaways do well with our point on hashtags and will generate a lot of free publicity for your account. If you need a few ideas to get started, we have 9 creative Instagram ideas that you can follow.
Is The First 10,000 Followers On Instagram The Hardest?
You’ve probably heard that getting your first 10,000 followers on Instagram is the hardest. To some degree, this is true. Why? Because it’s hard to convince people to follow you if you have no followers or even a few hundred. People want social proof. They want to know that you’re worth following. And until you hit that 1,000-10k follower mark, you’ll struggle to earn their trust.
Can You Be An Influencer With 10,000 Followers?
Most people believe that you need thousands of followers to be an influencer. But you absolutely can be an influencer with just 10k followers. What matters is your engagement rate. If you have 10,000 followers who always like, comment and share your content, that’s more valuable to brands than having a million followers who never engage with you.
