I get asked by a lot of people how to gain more followers, how to grow your account etc. so I figured i'd give you guys my top 5 ways to help grow your own Instagram following. It's definitely not a science and I've personally been doing this for about two years so be persistent!
1. Be consistent.
You can't post once a week and expect your following to grow. I would say that you need to post a minimum of once a day in order to be relevant. I would also recommend though that you don't post too much. Accounts that post 4 times and up a day tend to lose their engagement as people don't enjoy being bombarded by content. This mostly happens with aggregator accounts that don't create their own content anyways.
2. Take high quality photos.
Nobody wants to see your blurry photos that look like they were taken with a loaf of bread. Make sure you let your camera focus and take a quality shot, if it doesn't look crisp then I wouldn't bother posting it. You will notice this with all of the top accounts, most of these shots were probably taken with a DSLR in order to bring out the fine details. You would however be surprised how good the cameras in the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 are.
3. Always use natural light.
There is nothing better for your photos than natural light, it makes everything look crisper and adds depth to your photos. It is the first thing you learn as a photographer that lighting truly is everything. For this reason always try to take your photos outside or in a well lit room. The best days for shooting are overcast because although natural light is great, you don't want it to completely drowned out your photos either.
4. Be active on IG.
Like and comment on other photos, use the proper hashtags and interact with those that comment on your photos. I think it's important to respond to as many comments and questions as you can. There's nothing worse than someone that doesn't respond, no matter how many followers you have you're still human.
5. Experiment
Try using different angles and aspects and see what people like and they don't like. You can use a timer in order to set your camera up and take photos from a bit of a distance if you don't have someone to take your picture all the time (like me). I never really know how well an outfit will do when i'm putting it together. I can leave the house and think "this is a great look" and it will bomb on IG. Sometimes I throw together a less than desirable look and it kills on the gram. You never know so don't be afraid to take inspiration from others and put it together in your own way.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below. I'd be more than happy to help!