How to Get More Instagram Followers in 2025: 9 Proven Strategies

​In today's digital landscape, Instagram stands as a pivotal platform for businesses aiming to connect with their target audience, enhance engagement, and drive growth. With over 1.32 billion users worldwide, understanding how to effectively increase your follower count is crucial for maximizing your brand's reach and influence.​

This comprehensive guide delves into 15 proven strategies to organically and strategically grow your Instagram followers in 2025. From crafting compelling content and leveraging Instagram's latest features to engaging authentically with your community, these insights are designed to align with the latest algorithm updates and user behaviours.

Why growing your Instagram followers matters in 2025

In 2025, the significance of a robust Instagram following transcends mere numbers. Here's why:​

• Enhanced brand credibility: A substantial follower count signals trustworthiness and authority in your niche, attracting potential customers and collaborators.​
• Increased engagement opportunities: More followers lead to higher engagement rates, fostering a vibrant community around your brand.​
• Broadened reach: A larger audience amplifies your content's visibility, increasing the likelihood of reaching potential customers.​
• Improved conversion rates: Engaged followers are more likely to convert into loyal customers, boosting your bottom line.​

Investing in strategies to grow your Instagram following is not just about vanity metrics; it's about building a community that supports and advocates for your brand.

9 proven strategies to grow your Instagram followers in 2025

Growing your Instagram audience is not just about increasing numbers—it is about building an engaged, high-quality following that interacts with your content and contributes to your brand’s success. The Instagram algorithm now prioritises watch time, likes, and sends per reach, making it essential to create content that keeps users engaged.

The following proven strategies will help you optimise for Instagram’s latest ranking factors while ensuring consistent growth in 2025.

1. Post consistently to stay visible in the algorithm

Consistency signals to Instagram that your account is active and reliable, improving your chances of appearing in both followers' feeds and Explore pages.

• Create a consistent posting schedule by publishing posts on the same days, at the same time.
• Analyse Instagram Insights to determine when your audience is most active and schedule content accordingly.
• Test different posting frequencies and adjust based on engagement trends.

2. Use hashtags strategically to boost discoverability

Hashtags help Instagram categorise content and show it to the right audience. However, in 2025, less is more when it comes to hashtag strategy.

• Use three to eight highly relevant hashtags rather than overloading posts with 30.
• Choose a mix of trending and niche hashtags to maximise reach while maintaining relevance.
• Monitor hashtag performance and adjust based on which ones drive the most engagement.

3. Choose the right content format based on your goals

Instagram prioritises different formats depending on audience type, making it important to align your content with your key performance indicators (KPIs).

• Carousels are shown to your followers first, making them the best choice for deepening engagement and building community.
• Reels are shown to a new audience first, making them ideal for improving reach and attracting new followers.
• Stories and Instagram broadcast channels maintain visibility among existing followers but do not contribute much to new audience growth.

4. Optimise captions for readability and engagement

Captions are now an essential part of content ranking on Instagram. They are no longer just a space for descriptions but should be treated as short articles that provide additional context.

• Structure captions with clear, skimmable formatting (short paragraphs, bullet points, bold key phrases).
• Use captions to add value rather than just repeating what is in the image or video.
• Include a strong call to action (CTA) to encourage engagement, such as asking a question or prompting a comment.

5. Engage meaningfully with comments to strengthen community

Comment engagement signals to Instagram that your content is worth ranking higher. However, not all comments contribute equally to engagement scores.

• Focus on replying to meaningful comments rather than leaving generic responses.
• Avoid emoji-only replies or low-effort responses like “Thank you” unless it adds to the conversation.
• Encourage discussions by asking follow-up questions in your replies.

6. Leverage Reels to accelerate follower growth

Reels remain Instagram’s primary format for reaching new audiences, making them essential for attracting new followers.

• Keep videos engaging from the first second to improve watch time, which is the top ranking factor.
• Use trending sounds and original content rather than repurposed videos with watermarks from other platforms.
• Include on-screen text and captions to make Reels accessible and skimmable.

7. Encourage shares and saves to improve ranking

Since sends per reach is one of Instagram’s top ranking factors, creating shareable content can dramatically improve visibility.

• Post educational carousels, industry insights, and relatable memes that people want to send via DMs.
• Create guides or how-to posts that encourage users to save for later reference.
• Use controversial or discussion-driven topics (without being polarising) to spark conversations.

8. Cross-promote your Instagram account on other platforms

Instagram’s reach does not have to be limited to the platform itself. Driving traffic from external sources can boost visibility and attract high-intent followers.

• Share Instagram content on LinkedIn and Twitter to reach professional and industry-specific audiences.
• Embed Reels and posts in blog articles to increase engagement from organic search traffic.
• Add Instagram links to email newsletters to convert existing subscribers into followers.

9. Track the right Instagram growth metrics

To ensure your follower growth is sustainable and meaningful, track performance beyond just follower count.

• Follower growth rate → Measures the speed at which your audience is expanding.
• Engagement per follower → Tracks the percentage of your audience that actively interacts with content.
• Sends per reach → Indicates how often content is shared via DM, a top ranking factor.
• Follower retention rate → Determines whether your followers stay engaged over time.

How the Instagram algorithm affects follower growth in 2025

Understanding how Instagram’s ranking system works is crucial to growing your followers. The algorithm prioritizes content that keeps users engaged, and in 2025, engagement metrics, watch time, and content originality are key factors in determining reach.

According to Instagram head Adam Mosseri, the algorithm operates on two types of reach:

1. Connected reach → Your existing followers (people who already follow you).
2. Unconnected reach → Potential new followers (people who don’t follow you yet).

The top 3 Instagram ranking factors in 2025

According to Adam Mosseri, Instagram ranks content based on three key engagement signals:

1. Watch Time → For videos and Reels, average watch time is a primary ranking factor.

• The longer users watch your content, the higher it ranks.
• Short, engaging intros are critical to stop people from scrolling.
• Looping content (e.g., Reels that seamlessly restart) can increase watch time.

2. Likes Per Reach → Likes remain one of the strongest engagement signals on Instagram.

• For content shown to your followers, likes have the most weight.
• The more likes per reach a post gets, the more likely Instagram is to boost it to unconnected audiences.

3. Sends (Shares Per Reach) → The most important ranking factor for discoverability.

• If a post is sent via DM, Instagram interprets it as valuable content and boosts it to new audiences.
• Carousel posts and educational content tend to get more sends because they provide value.

The Instagram algorithm & content distribution rules

In addition to engagement signals, Instagram’s algorithm ranks content based on originality, format, and quality.

What lowers Instagram content reach in 2025?

1. Reposting content from other apps with watermarks

• Instagram does NOT penalise content created elsewhere, but it does reduce the reach of posts with visible watermarks (e.g., TikTok logos).
• Solution: If repurposing content from TikTok, use a watermark remover or download before posting.

2. Low watch time on videos

• If people scroll past your video quickly, Instagram sees it as low-quality content.
• Solution: Hook viewers within the first 2 seconds and use captions to keep them watching.

3. Clickbait or engagement bait tactics

• Asking for likes/comments unnaturally (e.g., “Like this if you agree”) may reduce reach.
• Solution: Instead of clickbait, create content that naturally encourages discussion.

4. Lack of interaction with followers

• If your followers don’t engage with your posts, Instagram stops showing your content in their feed.
• Solution: Reply to comments, use interactive Stories (polls, Q&As), and encourage conversations.

How to work with the algorithm to grow followers on Instagram

Now that we understand how ranking works, how can you use it to get more followers?

1. Create content that keeps people watching longer

• Focus on short-form Reels that loop naturally to increase watch time.
• Add captions & text overlays to make Reels engaging even without sound.

2. Optimise for likes and sends

• Create savable content that users want to share in DMs (e.g., tutorials, memes, guides).
• Post content that sparks reactions (e.g., “Which design do you like better? Comment 1 or 2!”).

3. Engage actively with your followers

• The more you interact, the more Instagram prioritizes your posts in their feeds.
• Reply to every comment and use DMs & Stories to start conversations.

4. Ensure your content is "Instagram-native"

• Avoid watermarks from other apps (use Instagram’s built-in editing tools instead).
• If repurposing content, upload in high quality (blurry posts get deprioritised).

How to measure Instagram follower growth (and what metrics matter)

Follower count alone doesn’t indicate success—you need engagement, retention, and conversion to build a high-value audience.

The 5 key metrics that matter in 2025

1. Follower Growth Rate

• Instead of just looking at follower count, track how fast your audience is growing.
• Formula: (New followers / Total followers) × 100 = Growth rate.

2. Engagement Rate Per Follower

• Engagement is more important than reach.
• Formula: (Likes + Comments + Shares + Saves) ÷ Followers × 100
• Ideal Benchmark: An engagement rate above 2-3% is strong; above 5% is excellent.

3. Follower Retention Rate

• How many new followers stick around?
• High unfollow rates mean content isn’t resonating or followers were acquired through giveaways or ads that didn’t convert.

4. Reach vs. Impressions

• Reach = unique viewers (who actually saw the post).
• Impressions = total views (which could be repeat viewers).
• High reach with low engagement? Your content is being seen, but it’s not compelling enough to interact with.

5. Website Click-Through Rate (CTR) from Instagram

• If Instagram traffic isn’t leading to website conversions, the issue may be:

• • Weak CTAs in captions.
  • Ineffective bio link strategy (e.g., no link-in-bio tool).

How to attract the right followers (not just more followers)

Growing an engaged, high-quality Instagram audience is far more valuable than simply increasing numbers. Here’s how to focus on follower quality over quantity.

1. Avoid fake followers & bots (Why they hurt your account)

Accounts with a high percentage of fake followers have:

• Lower engagement rates, making content rank lower.
• Reduced credibility (brands and partnerships check authenticity).
• Fewer real business opportunities from their audience.

2. Focus on audience targeting (Attract the right people)

How to target real, engaged followers:

• Niche-specific content → Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, focus on your industry-specific audience.
• Content designed for your ideal follower → Speak directly to their needs, challenges, and interests.
• Leverage competitor insights → Analyse who follows your competitors, then create content that fills gaps in their strategy.

Wrapping up: The future of Instagram growth in 2025

Instagram’s growth landscape is evolving rapidly, but the fundamentals remain the same:

• Create high-quality, engaging content (especially Reels and interactive posts).
• Use social media management tools like Sendible to automate tasks and analyse trends.
• Prioritize engagement & real community-building over vanity metrics.
• Leverage Instagram’s latest features (Broadcast Channels, AI captions, etc.).
• Track the right metrics—follower count alone isn’t enough.

Next steps:

• Download our free Instagram audit checklist to fine-tune your growth strategy.
• Try Sendible’s Instagram tools to schedule, analyze, and automate your social media workflow.