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Home » Blog » Social Media » How To Get Free Instagram Followers Instantly? (Without Spending On Ads)

How To Get Free Instagram Followers Instantly? (Without Spending On Ads)

Last Updated on February 16, 2021 by Arfa Nazeer 12 Comments

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Wondering, how to get free Instagram followers instantly? Starting an Instagram account looks enticing and it’s easy to set up your account to publish the first post. But, getting free followers can be a little tricky if you’re just starting out.

Many marketers suggest taking Instagram marketing services to gain more followers automatically but what if you’re just starting out, and have no budget to invest in your Instagram page?

This post walks you through simple tricks to increase free Instagram followers.

Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If someone makes a purchase through affiliate links, I may earn a small compensation. For more, please read on to privacy policy and disclosure.

how to get free real instagram followers instantly. Hands holding a phone.

Quick navigation

  • How to get real Instagram followers for free?
  • Should you use apps for free Instagram followers?
  • Should you buy Instagram likes?
  • The Strategy I use to get free Instagram followers
  • What I did to get more Instagram followers?
  • How to get free Instagram followers fast even with a new account?
  • 1- Have a story
  • 2- Use Milotree on your website
  • 3- Target first 1000 free Instagram followers
  • 4- Follow followers of your competitors
  • 5- Use hashtags and engage with those hashtags
  • 6- Promote your Instagram on other social media channels
  • What are your tips on getting free Instagram followers?

How to get real Instagram followers for free?

When you thinking of getting free Instagram followers, you should know that there’s no magic wand to get you 10,000 followers in a day.

But,

You can easily get real Instagram followers for free!

Focus on three things below to get Instagram followers naturally;

  1. Create awesome instagram content. It includes writing steller captions, taking/buying gorgeous stock photographs and making interactive videos.
  2. Invest your time in engaging with others on Instagram. If you think you will share a post, and expect to get 1,000 likes in your first month then you’re living in a dream. You need to interact with others. Give likes and make comments on a regular basis.
  3. Learn to study analytics. You should know when your followers are active, and what do they need from you. For this, you should first identify your target audience.

As you know by now that in order to get free Instagram followers instantly, you need to give your time and energy!

Do you want to start a self-hosted blog and make money online? Follow my comprehensive tutorial to create a blog today! It’s time to go self-hosted. More than 100+ bloggers have already used this guide to start a money making blog from scratch.

The next question is…

Should you use apps for free Instagram followers?

A lot of people ask should they use apps for getting more Instagram followers fast? There are multiple Instagram apps available online to get more likes and followers on your account.

Are they really worth it?

I don’t think so!

Personally, I won’t try such apps that make my account exposed to bots and your account data is also on risk.

One of my friends told me that some Instagram apps help in getting more followers for a limited time period but then, it just stops. Because Instagram encourages organic growth and social interaction.

Is it safe to use free Instagram apps to get followers?

Honestly, I will have doubts when I have to add my account details to such free apps. Not just my password, but the whole account data with the content is at risk.

Well, I have something to share with you.

Look at the answers below;

get instagram followers for free, gain free instagram followers

For more, you can read the whole quora thread here.

What you can do instead is?

  • Hire an Instagram expert
  • Take services of a virtual assistant
  • Invest in Instagram-based courses, coachings, ebooks etc
  • Use the trial feature of any authentic app, and see if it’s working in an organic manner.

Should you buy Instagram likes?

Well, no not at all!

This doesn’t help. Eventually, it will also kill your engagement rate on instagram.

Your focus should be on engagement and content creation. There are so many ideas for creating engaging content on Instagram. Now, you can do different formats too like IGTV, reels, stories and posts. There is a variety to experiment.

The Strategy I use to get free Instagram followers

I used to search for the same question everywhere.

How to get free Instagram followers instantly, if I’m new to Instagram?

But,

Let’s get real.

Within less than 3 months, I was able to get 1000 followers on Instagram without any ads.

I know it’s not a big number but what I mean to say is that you can totally increase your Instagram followers with free methods. Below, I have explained some tips to hit more followers.

Related post: 61 Instagram Post Ideas You Must Use To Make Your Feed Engaging

how to get free instagram followers, Struggling to get free instagram followers? Are you trying to grow your Instagram followers without spending on ads? This post guides you everything to start using Instagram for getting more followers #Instagram #socialmedia

What I did to get more Instagram followers?

  • Improved my photos. This made a major difference in my overall Instagram strategy. I love taking photos for my Instagram page, thus it helped me gain more genuine followers. I have an Iphone7 plus. I bought stock images for my website and social media graphics.
  • Scheduled my posts in advance. I suggest Tailwind to schedule your content in advance. It helps in consistency and does not push you to take a photo every day for your Instagram page.
  • I also use Milotree and couldn’t be happier about it.
  • Engaging with others on instagram. I started engaging with accounts that I am genuinely interested in or love interacting with.
  • Improve your Instagram bio. You can use tailwind’s free Instagram bio tool to create your own bio.

Related post;

7 Beautiful & Premium Stock Image Sites For Pretty Graphics

Moreover, I enjoy using INSTAGRAM! Let it be an Instagram story, a caption-writing or taking photos. I love everything about it.

You can call it my favorite social media platform. But, I aslo take Instagram breaks, and don’t post for few days. It only happens when I just don’t feel like using social media. And, it’s also important to cut yourself from excessive social media.

However, being one-woman, it’s not always possible to be consistent on all social media platforms. I have a strong 30k followers on Pinterest too with a heavily engaged facebook group too. But, I always try to share some scenes on my Instagram stories.

If you want, you can simply follow me @shemeansblogging. Instagram is not my main marketing channel but I try to be there and interact.

get instagram followers for free, gain free instagram followers

How to get free Instagram followers fast even with a new account?

Many new Instagram users often peak into my DMs asking tips for gaining more Instagram followers. Or, how to get real likes on Instagram?

Again, none of the famous influencers have a magic wand for getting likes on Instagram or even gain Instagram followers.

Everyone has a different story, Instagram strategy, marketing method, investing ideas to tell when it comes to Instagram.

Though I’m still new to Instagram, I can confidently say that YOUR story is what makes you different on Instagram!

Oh, yes! If you’re just trying to grow your Instagram account without adding the life experiences, or connecting people with your goal – it’s hard to get noticed.

Let me tell you something.

Instagram has more than 1 billion Instagrammers, more than 500+ million active instagram users who are on the platform every single day.

The number is huge but you can still reach to your potential audience.

How?

You need to stand out!

Instagram is a visual pleasing platform where three things matter the most;

  • Story / Goal / Cause
  • Photos
  • Strategy

Before I explain some free methods to gain free instagram followers, I want you to also use a free tool for custom bio link. That means, now you can simply send traffic from Instagram to your content, products, youtube videos or whatever you want to promote.

Create branded landing pages to match your instagram aesthetic theme and convert followers into subscribers, or paying customers. How is that?

<<USE FREE SMART BIO TOOL TODAY>>

Here are 5 methods to gain free Instagram followers instantly even if you’re new to Instagram.

Another tip is to set a goal for your Instagram followers. For example, set a monthly goal to get 500 free Instagram followers. Then, once you hit the goal, target 1000 instagram followers in 2 months.

1- Have a story

If you’re just trying to get popular on Instagram without a story, purpose or a vision, you’re most likely to fail in a few months.

People have no time to follow accounts that are sharing rubbish!

  • You need to have a compelling story.
  • Your audience wants your expertise.
  • The Instagram users are looking for a fun lifestyle to follow.
  • You need to have an influence on your followers.
  • Establish a strong visual brand voice
  • What’s your goal of showing up on Instagram?
  • Are you trying to bring awareness?

Tell me,

Are you ready to tell your visual story?

Action Step: Find your story before you try to work on your content. Have a clear vision to get succeed on Instagram!

With a unique story telling style on Instagram, you should also pay attention on instagram engagement.

Whether it’s about your instagram stories, or instagram posts, the main purpose is to engage instagram followers. That’s what matters the most. If you have engaging followers on Instagram, your account will most likely get noticed by new users. Basically, the instagram algorithm will show your account to others 🙂

Graphic source

2- Use Milotree on your website

What is milotree?

Milotree is a soft popup to grow your social media followers every day. It’s a plugin that you install on your blog or website and it just grows your social media. As simple as that.

Many bloggers use milotree to grow their Instagram and pinterest followers. And, the results are amazing!

  • It’s mobile friendly.
  • A light weight plugin that will not slow your site.
  • Beautiful popups are predesigned
  • It can be easily set up in just two minutes

Here’s how I use it for my Instagram. A pop-up like this will appear on your blog and that’s it. People see your photos and click ‘follow’. This is the desktop version.

Try it out yourself and make decision.

<<Click here for 30-days free trial>>

Within two minutes, you can set up a popup and grow your instagram followers quickly!

3- Target first 1000 free Instagram followers

First, set a target to accomplish. When you set mini goals, it becomes a lot easier to plan an action plan. Whether you’re just starting out or already have 5k Instagram followers, explain the desired goal.

You can set your goals as follows;

  • Get first 100 Instagram followers
  • Grow from 100 – 500 Instagram followers
  • Then, grow from 500 – 1000 Instagram followers
  • Grow from 1000 – 3000 Instagram followers

When you are on the first step of getting the first 100 Instagram followers, your initial Instagram strategy will look something like this;

  • Ask your friends and family to follow you.
  • Ask your Facebook friends to follow you on Instagram.
  • Make sure you have at least 4-5 posts to get your early followers hooked in.

Setting goals are also important because it helps to develop a strategy of your own. And, you can eventually set deadlines and prepare an action plan for every small or big goal. I would suggest you look at Slay your goals, digital planner. It’s a must-have for setting and accomplishing achievable goals for your personal and business life.

4- Follow followers of your competitors

The next step to get free Instagram followers instantly is to keep an eye on your competitor accounts and their followers.

First, let me remind you;

Do not expect to get 1,000 followers in return when you follow others. People are getting smarter day by day, and Instagram users do not want their feeds to get flooded with 3,984 accounts. Right?

Recently, I’ve published a post on Instagram on ‘Follow vs Unfollow’ on Instagram. Click the link below to find some advanced tips on how to not get yourself caught up in this trap!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn8B6nhloPZ/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Ok,

What you need to do to get followers from your competitor’s account is to;

  • Take a look at your competitor’s followers.
  • Follow a mix of accounts. Some public and some private.
  • Engage with public accounts and give likes, comments.

5- Use hashtags and engage with those hashtags

Using relevant hashtags in an Instagram post actually helps to boost instagram profile reach. But, is it really effective these days?

According to this research, Instagram post with one hashtag was able to get 70% more likes and 392 comments that the post without hashtag.

No doubt, it has become harder to gain popularity on Instagram if you’re new and have no brand or celebrity face. But, as I said, you can still do it! I’ve seen tons of accounts with no famous background are doing amazingly great.

Now, hashtags are still popular but you need to be smart at using them. Too often we used to add hashtags that are too generic, but now, it needs to properly researched.

So, do you want to find best performing hashtags for your Instagram?

In my recent post, I have explained everything on finding top hashtags. Use the 4-step Instagram strategy and Tailwind hashtag finder tool. 

Well-researched hashtags guarantee you more followers, and engagement. Start adding hashtags that are relevant, not to generic and have a potential reach.

Most importantly, do not forget to engage with those hashtags.

Related Post: Ever thought of buying Instagram props? Here are cool gift ideas for instagram users.

6- Promote your Instagram on other social media channels

Another personal favorite method to get free Instagram followers is to promote your account on other channels.

Nowadays, people are using every social media channel to consume a different type of content. But, Instagram has its own audience. Instagram story feature is also gaining more popularity because it’s instant, and usually a sneak peek into someone’s life.

But, first, make sure to create Instagram bio. Use this free tool to create your clickable instagram bio link to attract new followers and build up engagment.

Some ideas are;

  • Get your email subscribers to engage with you on Instagram. For example, I have included my instagram link in my email sequence. Most new followers have found me through my emails.
  • Ask your Twitter followers to follow you on Instagram for story highlights.
  • Request your facebook followers to check Instagram highlight features for special deals, discounts, announcement, tips, recipes, travel trips etc
  • Engage in Facebook groups and show your Instagram feed to attract more followers.
  • Join my free facebook group where we have weekly threads for instagram page.

Here’s a thing when it comes to grow on social media.

Post awesome visual content!

Do you have social media templates for your Instagram or Facebook? I have a wonderful resource to share with you!

<<Get this ultimate 2020 social media calendar system>>

What you get inside this bundle?

  • Over 365+ Days of social media content planned out for you in calendar form.
  • 10 Key Post types you MUST implement to become more brand aware.
  • Hundreds of social media prompts so you never run out of ideas on what to say.
  • Thousands of hashtags in 30+ business niches to get you more reach.
  • Monthly awareness themes, observances and fun National Holiday ideas.
  • Blank calendars to add your own custom content.
  • A way to TRACK your progress each day so you hold yourself accountable.
  • A how-to guide with pro tips and brand strategies to get you started.

Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. If someone makes a purchase through affiliate links, I may earn a small compensation. For more, please read on to privacy policy and disclosure.

Do you want to get free Instagram followers? Or, wonder why you should do to gain Instagram following without spending money on ads? Use these free methods, and start getting followers! #Instagram #bloggingtips #socialmedia

If you’re not part of my Facebook group yet, click here to join it for free! In the facebook group, we engage and interact with each other by participating in daily threads and making conversations.

That’s it. I have answered a lot of questions including how to get free Instagram followers instantly. It’s quite possible, and all you need is an effective Instagram strategy.

More posts;

==> The Ultimate Guide To Make Money with Instagram

==> 8 Little Ways To Use Instagram For Clients

What are your tips on getting free Instagram followers?

Is there anything that you’ve found helpful for getting more Instagram followers? I would definitely love your feedback under the comments section.

Do let me know what is the number 1 Instagram tip from this post?

Filed Under: Social Media

About Arfa Nazeer

This passionate girl is a blogging freak. I write persuasive and meaningful content to help new learners achieve their blogging goals. I help new & aspiring bloggers start their own blogs, and generate an income. My blog is more focused on blogging tips and latest strategies to grow online biz and blogs. To receive instant tweets and tips, follow me on Twitter . Let's Chat!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Hassaan Khan says

    November 28, 2018 at 01:19

    Hello Arfa,

    It’s a fantastic blog post. First of all, Instagram is my favorite social media platform. I believe if we want to grow on Instagram, we should use all the options that are available at our disposal such as photos, videos, story, and live stream. I’ve noticed that Instagram influencers try to use every tool Instagram has to offer.

    Secondly, engagement matters a lot in Instagram growth; pay attention to the comments, likes, and mentions.

  2. Ryan K Biddulph says

    November 28, 2018 at 09:15

    Engaging is almost an instant way to gain followers Arfa. Takes some time and patience to see a few hundred followers but goodness, it WILL happen. Be patient, be persistent, and you will see success. Super advice.

  3. Arfa Nazeer says

    November 29, 2018 at 17:20

    Engagement is the key, Ryan. Let it be on any platform, engaging with the right people matters. I agree with time and patience because when you try to build that organic engagement, you just need to wait for those numbers.

  4. Futhi says

    November 29, 2018 at 23:34

    What an insightful post, Thank you for sharing.

  5. Arfa Nazeer says

    November 30, 2018 at 20:36

    Thanks so much, Futhi! 🙂

  6. Arfa Nazeer says

    November 30, 2018 at 22:04

    Hi Hassaan,

    Thank you for giving this post a read, and adding your personal experience using Instagram. Well, I really find Instagram a wonderful tool because of the variety it offers to the influencers, content creators and marketers. Just as you said that we should use all the available options to make the most out of Instagram. Well, that’s so true!

    Engagement is not just important but I think it’s how you actually grow, and get targeted leads.

  7. Moss Clement says

    March 11, 2019 at 20:07

    Hi Arfa,
    Instagram is generating more than enough buzz nowadays, and every marketer seems to takeholdoftheplatform for business growth. However, growing your followers is an epic way to sat your marketing campaign. The tips on here are powerful, for instance, setting attainable your goals will enable maintain your focus to achieve success. Your competitors who are doing well on the platform already have the market you need to scale your business. Hence, following their followers will help you grow our followers and business faster because they are your target buyer.

  8. James Harvey says

    June 24, 2019 at 15:14

    Great post, so firstly thanks! A guide you have stated above seems very informative & defining…

  9. Roman says

    June 25, 2019 at 14:48

    Hey Arfa, Excellent tips. Following the trend is the key to grow your following and popularity on Instagram. It has entirely changed the whole marketing game and your tips are very helpful to increase the free followers on Instagram.

  10. Arfa Nazeer says

    July 7, 2019 at 20:49

    Thank you!

  11. Arfa Nazeer says

    July 7, 2019 at 20:50

    Hi!

    Yes, it surely does! Instagram is the platform where one needs to be updated on trends, and what’s happening. This is a great way to let your followers know what you’re upto.

  12. Soulseeker says

    August 7, 2020 at 22:28

    Excellent article! It looks so beautiful. Thanks for sharing!!

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Hey! I'm Arfa - I help passionate bloggers like YOU start and supercharge their own glossy blogging journey and enjoy the flexibility to work from home. With that, I help you master content creation, making money, and build a readership online. While I'm not blogging and taking care of this online business, I usually spend time learning, interacting and coffeeing =)

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