How to get more Instagram followers for your business

Getting more followers on a business Instagram account does not start with tricks. It starts with a profile that immediately makes it clear why someone should follow you. People often decide within a few seconds whether your account is worth their time. So make sure you have a strong bio, recognisable content, regular posts, Reels that reach new people and enough interaction with your audience. After that, you can accelerate growth with smart hashtags, collaborations, giveaways and social proof.

For a business, Instagram growth is not just about having a bigger number on your profile. You want followers who remember your brand, react, click through, visit your shop or eventually become customers. A small but active audience is often more valuable than thousands of quiet followers.

Prepare your business Instagram profile for growth

Before you try to bring more people to your account, you need to get your profile right. A new visitor usually arrives through a Reel, hashtag, ad, shared post or comment. They then quickly check your profile photo, name, bio and latest posts. If these feel messy or unclear, you will often lose that potential follower.

Use a recognisable name and profile photo

For business accounts, being easy to recognise works better than being creative in a way nobody understands. Use your business name as your account name if possible. If your brand name does not clearly show what you do, you can add a keyword in the name field, for example:

• Studio Luna | Interior advice
• Market Bakery Amsterdam
• Fit with Eva | Personal trainer
• SocialKings | Instagram growth

The name field matters because people search on Instagram using names and topics. A clear profile photo also helps. For many businesses, a logo is fine. For personal brands, however, a clear photo of your face often works better.

Write a bio that answers the basics quickly

Your bio does not need to be long. It mainly needs to explain what you do, who it is for and why someone should follow you. A good business Instagram bio usually includes:

• What you offer: for example, coaching, clothing, food, software, photography or advice.
• Who you help: entrepreneurs, parents, athletes, travellers, local customers or fans of a particular style.
• Why following is useful: tips, inspiration, offers, new collections, behind the scenes content or customer examples.
• A clear action: book an appointment, visit the shop, send a message or download something free.

Example:

Interior advice for small homes
Daily tips for calm, space and smart layouts
View our projects and book your consultation

That is much stronger than simply saying “Welcome to our Instagram.” People want to know what they can expect.

Pin your best content at the top

Instagram lets you pin posts at the top of your profile. Use that space well. Choose three posts that help new visitors understand who you are. Consider:

• a short introduction to your business
• a popular customer case study or review
• a post containing your best tips
• a clear explanation of your product or service

Think of your profile as a shop window. Your latest nine posts, bio and Highlights all work together to determine whether someone keeps looking.

Use Highlights as a quick tour

Instagram Stories usually disappear after 24 hours, but Highlights give them a permanent place on your profile. This is ideal for businesses because many visitors are not ready to buy straight away. They first want to build trust.

Good Highlights for business accounts include:

• Start here: who you are and what you do
• Reviews: customer feedback
• Products: explanations, sizes, colours, uses or results
• FAQ: delivery, prices, appointments or processes
• Behind the scenes: your team, processes or working day

Keep the covers simple and recognisable. They do not need to be perfectly designed, as long as they are clear and organised.

Post content people want to keep seeing

You will not get more followers by posting only when you want to sell something. People follow a business because they expect regular value. That could be inspiration, useful tips, entertainment, recognition, exclusive updates or trust in your brand.

Work with consistent content pillars

Many business accounts get stuck because they have to think of something new every week. Consistent content pillars make that easier. Choose three to five topics that suit your business and audience.

Use Reels to reach new people

For many business accounts, Reels are the fastest way to reach people beyond your current followers. A good Reel does not need to be expensive or complex. Simple videos often work better, as long as they are immediately clear.

Focus on these points:

• Start with a strong first image or clear text on the screen.
• Quickly make it clear who the video is for.
• Use short sentences and avoid lengthy introductions.
• Show something people recognise, want to learn or want to share.
• Finish with a natural call to action, such as “Follow for more tips” or “Save this for later.”

Examples of business Reels:

• A hairdresser shows a transformation in 10 seconds.
• A restaurant shows its most popular dish of the week.
• A coach shares one practical tip that people can use straight away.
• An online shop shows three ways to style the same product.

If you want to give your existing Reels more visibility, extra Instagram views can help create more activity around your content. Even so, make sure the Reel itself is strong, because people will only follow when your profile and content convince them.

Create carousels people want to save

Carousels are posts with multiple slides. They work well for explanations, lists, before and after examples and tips. They are useful for business growth because people often save or share them when the information is helpful.

A strong carousel usually has:

• a first slide with a clear problem or benefit
• short slides with one idea on each slide
• a practical tip or example
• a final slide with a simple action, such as following, saving or commenting

Example of a business carousel:

1. “Why your Instagram bio does not attract customers”
2. “You do not clearly explain what you do”
3. “Your audience does not feel that you are speaking to them”
4. “Your link provides no clear reason to click”
5. “Improve this today and test it for a week”

Use Stories to keep followers engaged

Stories are less useful for reaching completely new people, but they are very important for your connection with existing followers. People who watch your Stories regularly get to know your brand better. That makes it easier for them to reply, send a message or buy.

Use Stories for:

• polls and questions
• short updates
• new products or offers
• customer reactions
• a look behind the scenes
• quick tips or reminders

Do not make everything too perfect. A business Story can look professional, but it does not always need a high level of production. Genuine moments often receive more reactions.

Improve discovery with Reels, hashtags and location

Instagram growth depends heavily on discoverability. If you only post for people who already follow you, your account will grow slowly. You want Instagram and its users to understand what your content is about.

Use hashtags that genuinely suit your business

Hashtags can still help, particularly when they are relevant. Using only the biggest general hashtags, such as #love or #instagood, does not make much sense. Business posts often disappear among millions of other posts using those tags.

Instead, use a mix of:

• Niche hashtags: for example, #interioradvice, #veganbakery or #personaltraining
• Local hashtags: for example, #utrechtfood, #hairdresserrotterdam or #amsterdambusiness
• Problem based hashtags: for example, #smalllivingroom, #runningtips or #socialmediatips
• Brand hashtags: your business name, campaign name or community name

Always check whether a hashtag suits your brand and audience. Some popular tags mainly attract spam or people who only want a quick follow in return. Hashtags such as #followme and #likeforlike usually do not attract valuable business followers.

Follow hashtags and accounts in your niche

Hashtags are not only useful for being discovered. You can also use them to stay active in your market. Follow a few hashtags used by your ideal customer and comment on posts where you can add genuine value.

This is particularly valuable for a local business. A lunch spot in Groningen often benefits more from local food lovers, students and neighbourhood accounts than from random followers in other countries. Comment in a normal, human way. Avoid standard lines such as “Nice post, follow us too.” That quickly feels pushy.

Use location when it makes sense

Do you have a physical shop, salon, restaurant, practice or local service area? If so, regularly add a location to your posts, Stories and Reels. People often search for nearby places, especially for food, beauty, sport, events and shops.

Location also helps with recognition. Someone who sees that you are in the same city is more likely to follow than someone who does not know where you operate.

Do not forget Instagram keywords

Instagram is starting to work more like a search engine within social media. People search not only with hashtags but also with terms such as “wedding photographer,” “nails Amsterdam” or “healthy lunch.” So use normal words in your name field, bio, captions and the text in your visuals.

Write captions as though you are explaining your post to a customer. This reads better and also helps Instagram understand what your content is about.

Grow through interaction, collaborations and social proof

Instagram is not a noticeboard where you simply put up posts. Accounts grow faster when there is genuine interaction. Comments, conversations, shared posts and collaborations help more people see and trust your brand.

Reply more quickly and personally

When someone comments on your post or sends a message, that is an opportunity. Do not give a dry, standard reply such as “Thanks.” Ask a follow up question, share a tip or respond with something personal.

Example:

• Not: “Thanks!”
• Better: “Thank you! Which colour would you choose for your living room?”

This encourages more conversation. It makes your account feel more active and more appealing to new visitors.

Run a giveaway without losing your target audience

Giveaways can attract followers quickly, but they also attract people who only want free products. Make sure your giveaway is relevant to your business.

A good business giveaway:

• offers something that suits your product or service
• asks participants to follow your account
• encourages a useful comment, such as a preference, question or experience
• has clear terms
• does not run for too long

Avoid overly demanding tasks such as following five accounts, sharing three posts and tagging ten people. This may provide temporary reach, but it quickly feels untrustworthy and often attracts followers who leave again later.

Work with accounts your audience already trusts

Influencers and creators can contribute significantly to business Instagram growth, but account size is not the only factor that matters. A smaller creator with an active, relevant audience can offer more value than a large account with little genuine engagement.

When choosing collaborations, consider:

• do the followers match your target audience?
• does the creator receive genuine comments or mostly simple emoji replies?
• does the style suit your brand?
• is it clear what will be posted and when?
• is a paid partnership clearly disclosed?

Instagram provides information about features, settings and rules in the Instagram Help Centre. For brand partnerships, the explanation of paid partnerships on Instagram is also useful.

Share content from customers and followers

User generated content, often called UGC, is content created by your customers or followers. This could include photos of your product, a video review, a Story in which someone tags your brand or a post about their experience.

This works well because it feels more genuine than a perfect ad. New visitors can see that actual people use your product or value your service.

Always ask politely for permission before reposting someone’s photo or video, especially if you want to use that content in your feed or an ad. A shared tag in Stories is often easy to repost, but a friendly response still helps build the relationship.

Use social proof without overdoing it

People follow accounts more quickly when they appear active and trustworthy. Social proof helps with this. It can work in several ways:

• share reviews in Stories or Highlights
• show customer results
• reply to customer comments under posts
• pin popular posts
• maintain an active profile with recent content

Some businesses choose to strengthen their starting point with SocialKings. To do this, take a look at the Instagram services in the Instagram category. If you want to give your profile a quicker visual boost, you could, for example, buy Instagram followers or add extra Instagram likes to important posts. Always use this as support alongside good content, not as a replacement for a genuine strategy.

If you first want to understand how this works, also read how buying Instagram followers works.

Post regularly and check your statistics

Consistency helps followers become accustomed to seeing you. You do not need to post perfectly every day. Three strong posts a week are better than seven rushed posts with no clear purpose.

Create a realistic posting plan

A simple plan for a business account could look like this:

• 2 or 3 Reels per week to reach new people
• 1 carousel per week with tips, explanations or inspiration
• multiple Stories per week to remain visible to existing followers
• regular engagement with customers, partners and accounts in your niche

If you do not have much time, create content in batches. For example, film several short videos in one morning. Save customer questions as inspiration for new posts. A question from one customer is often also on the minds of many more people.

Check when your own followers are active

There are many general tips about the best time to post, but your own audience matters more. A restaurant, online shop, coach and B2B service provider will often have different peak periods.

Use Instagram insights to see:

• which posts bring the most profile visits
• which Reels reach new people
• which content is saved or shared most often
• which days and times your followers are active
• which posts lead to website clicks or messages

Then test deliberately. For example, post similar content at different times for one month and see what works best. One post tells you very little. Patterns across several weeks are far more useful.

Pay attention to the numbers that really matter

Followers are important, but other numbers matter just as much for a business. Do not look only at likes. Also check:

• Reach: how many unique people saw your post
• Profile visits: how many people viewed your profile after seeing a post
• Follower growth per post: which content genuinely attracts new followers
• Saves: which content people want to return to later
• Shared posts: which content people send to others
• Messages and website clicks: which posts move people closer to a sale

If you want to learn more about how Instagram may evaluate and distribute content, this explanation of the Instagram algorithm provides additional background. Treat it as context. You do not need to outsmart the algorithm. You mainly need to create content that people genuinely want to watch, save, share or respond to.

Common mistakes that stop business accounts from growing

Sometimes the problem is not Instagram itself but small choices that slow growth. These mistakes often occur with business accounts.

Selling all the time

If every post feels like an ad, people will leave. Mix sales posts with tips, inspiration, customer stories, explanations and personal content. People want to receive value before they buy.

Not choosing a clear audience

An account that tries to speak to everyone often feels relevant to nobody. Be specific. A beauty salon, for example, could focus on busy mums, brides, students or luxury skin treatments. That choice affects your tone, visuals and topics.

Showing too few faces

People do business with people. Even if you sell a product, it helps to show your team, founder, customers or production process from time to time. This builds trust.

Posting irregularly and then stopping

Many businesses post enthusiastically for two weeks and then disappear for a month. This makes it difficult to establish a rhythm. Choose a plan that you can realistically maintain.

Copying trends without adding your own perspective

Trends can work well, especially in Reels. However, if a trend has nothing to do with your brand or audience, it will not achieve much. Only use trends when you can logically connect them to your business.

Buying followers before your profile is ready

Extra followers can make your profile look stronger, but they do not fix a weak bio, messy feed or unclear content. First, make sure your account is ready for new visitors. After that, extra visibility can help build trust more quickly. For broader advice, you can also read this guide about losing Instagram followers, causes and solutions.

Quick checklist for gaining more business Instagram followers

• Is your bio clear within three seconds?
• Do you use a recognisable profile photo and name?
• Are your best posts pinned at the top of your profile?
• Do you have Highlights featuring reviews, explanations and FAQ?
• Do you post Reels regularly to reach new people?
• Do you create content people want to save or share?
• Do you use hashtags that suit your niche and location?
• Do you actively reply to comments and messages?
• Do you work with accounts your target audience already follows?
• Do you review which posts actually attract followers each week?

Frequently asked questions about gaining more followers on a business Instagram account

How do you quickly get more followers on a business Instagram account?

The fastest healthy approach is to combine a clear profile with Reels, collaborations, active replies and content people want to share or save. A giveaway can help for a short period, but it works best when the prize suits your audience. If you want to build social proof more quickly, extra followers or likes can support this, as long as you also continue posting good content.

How often should a business post on Instagram?

There is no fixed number that works for every business. For many business accounts, a realistic schedule is better than posting every day without a plan. Consider publishing a few good posts or Reels each week, along with regular Stories. Then check your insights to see what your audience likes.

Which content attracts the most followers?

Reels often achieve the most reach among new people. Carousels work well for tips and explanations that people save. Stories are best for connecting with existing followers. The best mix depends on your business, but accounts that only publish sales content usually grow more slowly.

Do hashtags still work for gaining more followers?

Yes, but mainly when they are relevant. Large general hashtags often produce little valuable growth. Use hashtags that suit your niche, location, audience and the topic of the post.

Is Instagram suitable for every business?

Instagram works particularly well for businesses that can show, explain or personalise what they do. Examples include hospitality, beauty, fashion, coaching, fitness, interiors, travel, events, online shops and local services. Even less visual businesses can grow if they clearly showcase their expertise, customers, team and results.

Why do I get likes but not many new followers?

People may like an individual post but not yet see a reason to follow your account. Check your bio, latest posts and main content themes. Make it clear what someone will receive by following you, such as weekly tips, inspiration, offers or practical explanations.

Should I switch to a professional Instagram account?

For a business, a professional account is usually useful because it provides insights, contact buttons and extra features. This helps you see which content works and where your new followers come from.