How to get 1,000 followers on Instagram: a step-by-step plan

Reviewed by Ajay Garg, founder of MAWD Agency, 17 years in digital marketing. LinkedIn

In short: to get more followers on Instagram, give new people a reason to find you (original Reels, which Instagram shows to people who do not follow you yet) and a reason to stay (a clear profile and a regular series of posts). Then measure which posts bring follows and make more of those.

Step 1: switch to a professional account

A professional account (Creator or Business) gives you insights: reach, follows and who engaged. Without numbers you are guessing.

Step 2: fix your profile before you post more

• One line in your bio saying who the account is for and what they get.
• A recognizable photo and a name people would search for.
• Three pinned posts that show what following gets them.

Step 3: use Reels to reach people who do not follow you

Instagram has explained that a new Reel is first shown to a small group of people who do not follow you, and Reels that do well with them are shown more widely. Signals it has named include how long people watch, whether they watch to the end, shares, likes and comments. So the first second matters: open with the point, not an introduction.

Step 4: keep it original

Instagram has said that when it finds identical content, it only recommends the original. Reposting other people's clips can keep your posts out of recommendations.

Step 5: post a series, on a schedule

People follow for what comes next. A weekly series, such as "Tuesday recipe" or "Friday client question", gives visitors a reason to follow now.

Step 6: measure follows per post

Instagram insights shows follows for each post. Compare posts using follows per 1,000 accounts reached, and make more of the top ones. The planner does the sum.

What not to do

Do not buy followers or use follow-for-follow apps. Instagram removes fake follows it finds, and inactive followers make each post look less interesting to everyone else.