In a saturated market, it’s becoming harder and harder for Instagram accounts to stand out from the crowd and gain follower traction. With thousands of followers to their name (some even hundreds of thousands), a number of beauty bloggers and vloggers have mastered the art of creating lust-worthy Instagram accounts. Here, we speak to some of these top influencers to discover their best tips on how to grow an Instagram following...
1. Engage with your followers
While high-quality content and authenticity is no doubt essential, I truly believe that the most important thing anyone looking to grow their audience can do is to not only engage with likeminded brands, creatives and peers on Instagram, but also with your followers. Social media allows us to interact on a personal level with so many people, so spending time chatting with, answering questions and simply getting to know your audience is highly rewarding. You might even find yourself making new friends in the process! - Kiara King, Lion in the Wild
Engage with other Instagrammers to build up a network. - Rachel James, Rachel James
2. Provide a unique offering
Find your point of difference. Obviously referrals help, but when people end up on your page, you want what they see to be unique and recognisable. - Chloe Brinklow, TOMBOY Beauty
Instagram is becoming more and more crowded with content, so to grow your following you need not only to be consistent and post at least once a day to stay ahead, [but] you also need to bring a unique twist to your topic. For example, if you're doing travel photos, maybe add your own twist to it by bringing a mascot toy and include it in every photo. That helps keep you memorable and more of a brand than just another photo in the feed. - Wengie Huang, Wengie
3. Quality control
Quality over quantity. You're more likely to develop strong engagement and grow your following with beautiful, high-quality images once or twice a day than five average images over a 24-hour period. Content saturation is rife, so ensuring your imagery is visually beautiful, on brand and consistent with the rest of your feed is paramount. - Eleanor Pendleton, Gritty Pretty
My top tip for growing your Instagram is all about posting quality photos. All it takes is an extra 15 minutes out of your day to whip out your camera and go somewhere with cool backgrounds. - Kashani Grimmond, Shani Grimmond
4. Stay true to yourself
Be authentic. Allowing your true, genuine personality to filter through your Instagram content while simultaneously sharing your knowledge and skills is always a win-win. - Heidi Hamoud, Heidi Hamoud
Post great quality pictures that have a little bit of your own personality added to them. - Bonnie Gillies, Oz Beauty Expert
Your anomalies are what make you – don't be afraid of showing your personality in your posts. - Karissa Pukas, Karissa Pukas
5. Use relevant hashtags
Hashtags still work to get you noticed. Use relevant hashtags when you post a photo. To find relevant hashtags, search through accounts similar to yours and see what they're using. Make sure to check each hashtag before you use them to see how frequently it's being used and what type of photos are being shared there. Some popular beauty tags are #bbloggersau, #beautycommunity and #beautyaddict. - Christina Butcher, Hair Romance
Find a posting schedule that works for you and compliment each new addition with relevant hashtags to keep your account steadily growing with new followers that love what you do. - Madeleine Borgersen, The Daily Mark
6. Consistent timing
I try and post consistently so my followers can know when to expect new content. - Natalie Lucas, From Luxe With Love
Try to post at least once a day. Optimally, I think one post morning and night is ideal as it keeps your followers engaged and interested. - Stephanie Lange, Stephanie Lange
7. Don’t be lured into purchasing fake followers
In order to achieve online and social ‘success’, I believe you must grow your following organically. I am not a fan of the recent rise in brands and personal accounts purchasing likes, followers and post engagement. I believe to credibly grow your Instagram following, your feed needs to be a beautiful photographic journey, backed-up with a strong narrative. Be honest, be entertaining and be YOU! - Sarah Jane Young, She Is Sarah Jane
8. Plan ahead
Strategically plan out your posts with the idea of them being an 'online magazine' as opposed to individual photos. When a new user visits your profile to get a feel for what you are about, they are not only going to look at the individual photos but at your profile as a 'whole picture’. If they like the feel and theme of this whole picture, then they are more likely to stick around and hit that follow button! - Nikkia Cherry, Nikkia Joy
Take the time to have a look at your grid as a whole and make sure it looks good from every angle. Your grid is the first thing new visitors will see, so the better it looks the more clicks to ‘follow’ you’ll get. - Rachael Brook, Rachael Brook
Pick out your colour scheme and subject matter in advance and make sure you stick to it. For example, I stick to white, black, pink and blue as my main colours and focus on beauty products, travel shots and personal style in my photos. This gives you definitive branding and helps potential followers understand what your page is about and what they can expect when they follow you. - Emma Hoareau, Lolita Says So
9. Consistency is key
You need to have a really cohesive brand voice that is consistent throughout your imagery and messaging. - Amber Renae, Amber Renae The Style Engineer
Be consistent with your posts – that means being consistent with your schedule, your subject matter and the overall look of your feed. Nothing pleases the eye more than a cohesive, tidy feed! - Sharon Farrell, Sharon The Makeup Artist
Upload daily, use consistent filters and engage with your followers. - Li-Chi Pan, The Little Blog of Li-Chi Pan
10. Use other mediums to drive to your Instagram page
Release a global book with a page dedicated to following you on Instagram, that’s the best way of getting a genuine following from all around the globe. - Steph Adams, Steph Adams
Newsletter image: @lioninthewild
