10 Ways to Achieve Follower Growth on Instagram in 2026

The social media landscape is perpetually changing, and it seems like there is no way to keep up with all the changing trends. From platform to platform, algorithms shift, and requirements for what will perform well alter with time. However, there are many evergreen methods for obtaining consistent, organic follower growth on Instagram. If you stay consistent with these tips, you’ll only enhance them by keeping up with what’s trending.

1. Make Shortform Video

Instagram has changed a lot over the years, but one of the most significant disruptions was the inclusion of video content. Shortform videos, or reels, have the most traction on the site. They reach wide audiences because they are accessible and bite-sized, coming straight from feeds instead of forcing followers to go to your specific page. 

They are engaging and can often lead to other engagement or lead conversions straight from the video. Unlike your regular feed, which is mostly geared toward existing followers, reels have the potential to expand audiences far beyond to entice new people to get interested.

2. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers

While investing in advertising opportunities with someone with over one million followers is ideal, it could be too broad depending on the campaign. Home in on your target audience or subsections of the market. Then, find a micro-influencer who can speak to them directly and make them feel better connected to the brand. 

Their point of view and the trust they have built with their followers will expand their reach to similar people who are not already invested in the brand. Additionally, smaller influencers are more excited to collaborate with brands that align with their values, and their enthusiasm early in their career shows on screen.

3. Run Interactive Contests and Giveaways

People are more likely to click buttons, comment, or subscribe to a newsletter if there is instant gratification. Knowing their action increased their chances of winning a contest or earning free merchandise is the perfect way to nudge followers to be more active in the community. These also make people tag others, use hashtags, and do other actions that garner attention, leading to more new followers. The buzz goes around the platform, and that makes a huge difference.

4. Optimize Your Profile

Some brand profiles look like they haven’t been pruned since the mid-2010s. Here are some great questions to ask yourself when freshening up the Instagram profile:

• Does anything lead to a broken link?
• Is the profile picture crisp and representative of the current branding?
• Does the dashboard have a coherent aesthetic?
• Are there emojis anywhere? Should there be?
• Does the bio copy have spelling errors and evoke the brand’s tone?
• Are you advertising old products or campaigns?

These simple few lines carry a lot of weight when making a first impression on a potential new lead. Even the way the cover images for Instagram Stories could turn someone off or make someone think there is a lack of professionalism. 

5. Use Relevant and Niche Hashtags

You should not copy-paste the same hashtags from five years ago into every photo description. Many of the hashtags are likely too generalized or outdated, depending on what trends were popular at the time. Actively research hashtags that appeal to your marketing segments and vary them for each post. This helps with discoverability in your customer base’s various subniches.

6. Engage Actively With Your Audience

People want to purchase from brands that feel like people. Personality is critical — it is called social media, after all. The best ways to be authentic in engaging with your audience are writing thoughtful responses to comments and direct messages. 

The occasional like or emoji-exclusive response can make your brand feel more present, but it doesn’t demonstrate as much care. Be intentional and human in each interaction to build more brand loyalty and show prospective followers how they could be a part of a cool conversation.

7. Post Consistently

Algorithms change all the time, but one of the few metrics it has discouraged is inconsistency. Maintain a regular posting schedule so your brand continues to show up in feeds — especially since nothing is sequential anymore. If you find the right balance, you will remain relevant and present in people’s feeds without getting lost among the competition. It will also ensure new followers find your content. You cannot rely on old content on Instagram to bring new people in, whereas this strategy may work on other platforms like YouTube.

8. Utilize Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are the perfect place to use interactive tools and the creative plug-ins on the platform. You can use these spaces to request Q&A fodder, do a poll to learn more about your audience, and do live chats where commenters can use fun stickers and reactions. These are small but mighty ways to speak directly to the people who follow you, and new followers will come once they see how excited everyone else is to be part of the fun.

9. Cross-Promote on Other Platforms

It is not always the best tactic to use your Instagram to promote other social media. Nobody wants to click on a Story and see a massive link to follow them on Bluesky every single day. This type of content is more for existing followers — not for garnering new ones. In fact, seeing this frequently will confuse people into thinking your primary platforms are the ones you advertise.

Instead, take the opposite approach by cross-promoting your Instagram on other sites, especially if it is your platform of choice. You can drive traffic from creative places to Instagram, including a blog post with an embedded post or in the middle of a YouTube video. Simply mention or flash a screenshot of your feed. You don’t even need to be so overt as to include a link to everything. Just get it in people’s minds — sometimes, that’s enough.

10. Analyze and Adapt

The social media landscape is chaotic, invigorating, and spontaneous. Algorithms change on a dime, and many alterations are mysterious and hard to uncover at the beginning. Having a willingness to adapt to these microchanges will also help you maintain steady follower growth. While most of these strategies are evergreen, this is a mindset you need to hold onto constantly if you want to experience success on Instagram. 

Identify what always works, and be ready to deploy those tools whenever you want. However, leave some space to shift your strategies into something new and innovative. Be willing to try new features or measure other metrics with more weight. The best social media users are always willing to experiment, because only sticking with the same tactics results in stagnation and the follower count to plateau. 

How to Get Instagram Followers in 2026 and Beyond

These tips are evergreen. Unless monumental changes occur on the platform, such as getting rid of Stories, then marketers may have to adapt. Otherwise, these are consistently proven ways to organically gain new eyes on your account. All it requires is a little planning, brand cohesion, and conscious interactivity. Then, the reputation will ripple across the dashboards of new eyes in no time.