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Thread: Tips for growing instagram "followers"?

  1. #1
    Master
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    Tips for growing instagram "followers"?

    EDIT:

    Forgot all about this, thanks :-D

    I gave up on it for quite a while but now have...

    watchhobbyist
    worldtravelhobbyist
    lifeinthefastwayne

    Feel free to leave your Instagram accounts on here
    Last edited by W44NNE; 18th November 2018 at 21:29.

  2. #2
    I've found following the Hodinkee instagram account gets me watch related followers, which is odd as the four photos I've posted have nothing to do with watches.

  3. #3
    Plant early into a little John Innes no. 1, water regularly and protect from frost.

    Cheers,

    Plug

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by W44NNE View Post
    So I've had the @watchhobbyist instagram account running for a while but now I want to start building my photography online portfolio. I'm being realistic, not attempting to become instagram famous or whatever, but I've started a new account recently in the name of @waynegoodmanphoto

    I found adding landscape etc photos to my watches account was diluting it, and it was just silly really. A watch account should be about watches of course.

    So so are there any tips or constructive criticism you could offer to help me grow on this medium? I guess it's just for kicks st the minute, but if it could attract business prospects in the future, I'd like to build it in that way.

    Thanks in advance
    The only way IMO is interaction, follow and like others, it takes effort and time but works...otherwise just buy them (I wouldn't do this myself).

  5. #5
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    Yeah makes sense actually, thanks. Following others for them to follow you, and for their "followers" (I hate that term!!) to discover you. I'll start following some people and companies to see where that takes me.

  6. #6
    Grand Master learningtofly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dougair View Post
    The only way IMO is interaction, follow and like others, it takes effort and time but works...otherwise just buy them (I wouldn't do this myself).
    Buying followers is abhorrent, and patently obvious too. There's no short cut - put the time in, and interact as much as you can.

  7. #7
    Firstly, hashtag the tits off your posts so people can find them and remember that the obvious or biggest tags for your genre may not be the best as they get a high turnover of images - there a sites that show usage and if you search on insta for a particular hostage it will show you a list of similar ones in popularity order. Also, there are websites that will show you lists of popular tags for a given genre.

    Secondly - interact with other accounts - take the time to leave constructive comments on other people work (don't just like and run). It takes time, but when I was building my 500px and first instagram account I tried to find a routine of finding 10 images a day that I really liked and commenting - it reciprocated quite well.

    Your new account has good coherence - all your images have a similar processing by the looks, so they look like they belong together, although you state you photograph events, landscapes and portraits, I would say that your account looks very much like that of a travel 'tog!

    All the best with it.

    P.S Followed you :)

  8. #8
    Master Plake's Avatar
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    As I understand it taking your clothes off seems to boost your followers astronomically.

  9. #9
    Grand Master learningtofly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Plake View Post
    As I understand it taking your clothes off seems to boost your followers astronomically.
    Inexplicably, it didn't help me.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by learningtofly View Post
    Inexplicably, it didn't help me.
    😂😂

  11. #11
    Well you have at least one new follower.

    Me.

    :).

  12. #12
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    My son has a page he takes photos of supercars . supercar_europe . He got over a thousand followers and started by spending lots of time liking similar photos ,not following because you want a high following and have a low count of people you follow .hes 15 and it's really helped his photoghraphy as he's moved on to all types of Different subjects and is looking to hopefully make some sort of carreer out of it. His pal has over 80 thousand followers he's had amazing luck as he got a job with aston Martin in Edinburgh on the back of his following ,he gets invited to stands at motor shows gets an income from it and is really living a young boys dream on the back of his page.... Good luck

  13. #13
    Grand Master seikopath's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by learningtofly View Post
    Inexplicably, it didn't help me.
    I still have the photos ;{
    Good luck everybody. Have a good one.

  14. #14
    Grand Master learningtofly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seikopath View Post
    I still have the photos ;{
    Actually, I'm now the same weight as I was when I was twenty, so I may try again.

    Anyway, it's nice to see you posting, Dave-O. Hope you've added to your life experience, mate.

  15. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by pastrana72 View Post
    Well you have at least one new follower.

    Me.

    :).
    Make that two.
    @c_p

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by nosher View Post
    My son has a page he takes photos of supercars . supercar_europe . He got over a thousand followers and started by spending lots of time liking similar photos ,not following because you want a high following and have a low count of people you follow .hes 15 and it's really helped his photoghraphy as he's moved on to all types of Different subjects and is looking to hopefully make some sort of carreer out of it. His pal has over 80 thousand followers he's had amazing luck as he got a job with aston Martin in Edinburgh on the back of his following ,he gets invited to stands at motor shows gets an income from it and is really living a young boys dream on the back of his page.... Good luck
    Interesting. Anyone else got stories of how Instagram followers have lead to tangible benefits?

  17. #17
    Grand Master learningtofly's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jdh1 View Post
    Interesting. Anyone else got stories of how Instagram followers have lead to tangible benefits?
    There are plenty of ways to monetise an Instagram account (acting as an influencer or brand ambassador is a good example), and the more followers you have the better. Followers are also a benefit if your account is business oriented.

    I have relatively few followers compared to the serious users - about 3k - but I probably get a couple of emails a week asking me to participate in one thing or another, not that I'm interested in doing so. Mind you, I know many people who go on regular paid-for trips, which would be nice.
    Last edited by learningtofly; 6th May 2017 at 21:56.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Jdh1 View Post
    Interesting. Anyone else got stories of how Instagram followers have lead to tangible benefits?
    We use influencers on Instagram for our business so they get free stuff. Our midwife and husband have nearly a million followers between them and promote all sorts of things for all sorts of companies. Not sure how much they're paid and how much stuff they get sent but it's easy enough to make a living if you've got a decent sized engaged following. I've only got 750 or so and have been sent free stuff, but there aren't too many decent pages in my niche.

    As an example I got free tickets for my son and I to see Harlequins play Newcastle at the Stoop.
    Last edited by dougair; 6th May 2017 at 21:51.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by learningtofly View Post
    There are plenty of ways to monetise an Instagram account (acting as an influencer or brand ambassador is a good example), and the more followers you have the better. Followers are also a benefit if your account is business oriented.

    I have relatively few followers compared to the serious users - about 3k - but I probably get a couple of emails a week asking me to participate in one thing or another, not that I'm interested in doing so. Mind you, I know many people who go on regular paid-for trips, which would be nice.
    I know there are people doing it (in fact I'm currently working on a project involving a dozen girls who have an average of 3 million followers each) but these are all young attractive women who are selling a lifestyle. I'm more interested in whether young Joe Soaps and boring middle aged old farts are making anything out of it.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jdh1 View Post
    Interesting. Anyone else got stories of how Instagram followers have lead to tangible benefits?
    I went to uni with a lad who set up a page that now has over 9 million followers. He travels the world staying in the best hotels for free.

  21. #21
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    Thanks for the follows and advice. Very, very helpful. It's only a start but I gained 20 followers yesterday so it must be helping :-)

    Quote Originally Posted by Ashtennisguru View Post
    Firstly, hashtag the tits off your posts so people can find them and remember that the obvious or biggest tags for your genre may not be the best as they get a high turnover of images - there a sites that show usage and if you search on insta for a particular hostage it will show you a list of similar ones in popularity order. Also, there are websites that will show you lists of popular tags for a given genre.

    Secondly - interact with other accounts - take the time to leave constructive comments on other people work (don't just like and run). It takes time, but when I was building my 500px and first instagram account I tried to find a routine of finding 10 images a day that I really liked and commenting - it reciprocated quite well.

    Your new account has good coherence - all your images have a similar processing by the looks, so they look like they belong together, although you state you photograph events, landscapes and portraits, I would say that your account looks very much like that of a travel 'tog!

    All the best with it.

    P.S Followed you :)
    I had no idea sites like this exist, but I'll definitely look into it. I notice when you type in part of a hashtag it gives you a number of how many times it's been used, but I've always thought it's unreliable so this will be better.

    The advice about commenting is very logical as well. I like comments on my own images so I'll do the same for others.

    Quote Originally Posted by learningtofly View Post
    Inexplicably, it didn't help me.
    I very much doubt be #naked would work for me either Tony. It's likely to deter rather than attract

    Quote Originally Posted by alex View Post
    I went to uni with a lad who set up a page that now has over 9 million followers. He travels the world staying in the best hotels for free.
    That would be nice; I'd settle for Travelodges :-D

  22. #22
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    Have to agree with Ash - your Instagram links to your website, but the two seem unrelated - your portfolio on your site reflects your tagline on IG, but your posts there don't gel, if that makes sense.

    Your stuff looks good, but maybe better to have harmony between your different media feeds ?

    I struggle with getting followers - I often find I get followers, which I follow back and then find they stop following me - seems to be a ploy to gain followers - many of the people with huge followings, follow very few people themselves.

    I read an instructing article about using apps to gain followers - not something I would entertain myself, but having read it, its now apparent that many of my followers don't actually 'like' my photos themselves, and it's a bot doing it..

    Anyway, gave you a follow on there (I am @upscape)

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by GS70 View Post
    Have to agree with Ash - your Instagram links to your website, but the two seem unrelated - your portfolio on your site reflects your tagline on IG, but your posts there don't gel, if that makes sense.

    Your stuff looks good, but maybe better to have harmony between your different media feeds ?]

    You're both right. I've changed it. Better to mess up like this now and learn from my mistakes I thought, so I've now added another account :-s

    @worldtravelhobbyist
    @watchhobbyist
    @waynegoodmanphoto


    The @worldtravelhobbyist will document the photos I've been uploading over the past day or so, @watchhobbyist will be back to purely watches and @waynegoodmanphoto will be my main work.

    I think the hardest thing will be creating a flow with the @waynegoodmanphoto account due to the different aspects of my work but it makes sense to separate it all as has been said.

    I'm going to start editing the accounts soon.

  24. #24
    Craftsman AndyRS2113's Avatar
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    Just followed all three of yours Wayne ;)

    @tempuscreations

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyRS2113 View Post
    Just followed all three of yours Wayne ;)

    @tempuscreations
    Thanks, followed you back. Spent the morning editing the accounts. This is something I should have done a long time ago.

  26. #26
    Of course, another good way to get followers is to start a mutual follow club on a message board ;)

    https://www.instagram.com/superhumanphoto/

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ashtennisguru View Post
    Of course, another good way to get followers is to start a mutual follow club on a message board ;)

    https://www.instagram.com/superhumanphoto/
    Haha, done...

  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by alex View Post
    I went to uni with a lad who set up a page that now has over 9 million followers. He travels the world staying in the best hotels for free.
    Excellent. Do you know his account? Always interested to see people doing well.

  29. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ashtennisguru View Post
    Of course, another good way to get followers is to start a mutual follow club on a message board ;)

    https://www.instagram.com/superhumanphoto/
    Done, some lovely images Ash.

  30. #30
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    I've followed your accounts too. ;)

  31. #31
    I'm glad nobody is a) buying Followers, or b) using bots. It's easy to spot, and given all the recent #instafraud articles, likely to blow up in your face.

    I have had sustained organic growth since I spun-off my watch-related account (@the_watchnerd, just reached 2,000 Followers). Annoyingly, having your photos stolen by other people, and Regranned, actually boosts numbers a little, although it's not really a custom I'd tend to support. Last night ABTW reposted a video of mine - and they already have 12,500 views. I've got 30-extra Followers. Sigh.

    Good luck. Hashtaggery seems to be the quickest semi-legitimate route to success. I find that content alone doesn't always help - see @onehourwatch as an example.

  32. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by W44NNE View Post
    Done, some lovely images Ash.
    Thanks mate, appreciate it.

  33. #33
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    As a non Instagram person I would ask, why do you all want a large amount of followers?

    Is it the fame?

    Money?

    Or what?

    I can understand business people being interested in spreading the word, but private folk?

    I know bloggers like Joella etc have made a fortune from their stuff but is it possible with just pics?
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  34. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil.C View Post
    As a non Instagram person I would ask, why do you all want a large amount of followers?

    Is it the fame?

    Money?

    Or what?

    I can understand business people being interested in spreading the word, but private folk?

    I know bloggers like Joella etc have made a fortune from their stuff but is it possible with just pics?

    It certainly is possible to earn from just photos. There are a large number of people doing it.

    As for why I want to increase followers as a non business it's nice to have engagement on the stuff I post up. I like to share the images I make and hope that people may enjoy them, offer feedback or criticism ( all good to help me improve). That seems to be lacking though and it's mostly like and run with no real interaction.


    For those that missed it, I am @upscape on there. In case you want to add me ;)

  35. #35
    Master
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    Never under estimate the power of hashtags. Try to take note of hashtags others use that are related to your type/style of photos. Create one or two unique hashtags for yourself and use them on every photo.

    As others have said, engage with your followers, ask questions, answer questions, give advice, it all helps.

    I started using IG to share my hobby and found there are many others who have the same or a similar hobby, which makes it good for sharing ideas and supporting each other.

    It’s weird how some photos end up with more likes than others. Photos that I’ve made a real effort never do so well, quick snaps taken half way through making a project always get a good number of likes, more than the finished piece sometimes!

    I don’t really understand how people make loads of money from IG ?, All I’ve ever got is an extra bundle of cord from my supplier after mentioning them and a nice marlin spike at a discount for a mention. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

  36. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Essexman View Post
    I don’t really understand how people make loads of money from IG ?, All I’ve ever got is an extra bundle of cord from my supplier after mentioning them and a nice marlin spike at a discount for a mention. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.
    Not many are making loads of money of IG but alot are getting free stuff to endorse, but like any media, the bigger the audience the more brands will pay to reach them.

    Cristiano Ronaldo recently reached a 100 million followers, brands are throwing money at him to promote their goods.

  37. #37

  38. #38
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    I can highlight 3 main tips for growth of Instagram: posting often, qualitatively and interestingly. To speed up the development of your profile, you can also use it instashop.today.

  39. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by LikeLight1 View Post
    I can highlight 3 main tips for growth of Instagram: posting often, qualitatively and interestingly. To speed up the development of your profile, you can also use it spamalot.today.
    Sad that you spent your time joining up just to spam us. Hopefully your account will be nuked soon.

  40. #40
    Master yumma's Avatar
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    You’ve got an extra follower in me anyway. Best of luck with it. Looks decent; wasn’t sure what to drool over most, the watches or cars; bravo!

  41. #41
    Master
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    Forgot all about this, thanks :-D

    I gave up on it for quite a while but now have...

    watchhobbyist
    worldtravelhobbyist
    lifeinthefastwayne

  42. #42
    Journeyman
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    been having fun the last 10 months on a new floral photo account, got me up over 5k followers now, and yes interacting/ commenting is what you have to do, along with hashtagging and consistant image quality and posting times.
    I post three times a day, early am, 1pm and 9pm, post anymore and you may lose people.
    Im just ding it for fun please take a look

    iflorabotanica


    my BNW page is over a year old but only at 2.5k followers as i have been a bit slow on it lately and the BNW hash tags contain millions!

    cheers andy

  43. #43
    Grand Master VDG's Avatar
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    Fun? Sounds like full time job to me.
    Fas est ab hoste doceri

  44. #44
    Journeyman
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    Quote Originally Posted by VDG View Post
    Fun? Sounds like full time job to me.
    bout an hour a day TBF!

  45. #45
    Master murkeywaters's Avatar
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    Just started IG and its a steep learning curve but some great info here even if most of it was 2017!

    I'm going to try and post once a day for now and learn how it all connects, I'm using it for business purposes only so quality followers are what I need.

  46. #46
    Master
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    What is instagran? Some kind of health food or a grandparent rental agency?

  47. #47
    Quote Originally Posted by tixntox View Post
    What is instagran? Some kind of health food or a grandparent rental agency?

    its where narcissists hang out to feel wanted.

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