How to Get More Followers on Instagram in 2026

The short answer

How to Get More Followers on Instagram in 2026

To get more followers on Instagram, post original Reels of three minutes or less and hook viewers in the first three seconds. Put clear keywords in your bio and captions so search can find you. Instagram shows Reels to people who don't follow you, so that's the fastest free way to grow. Never buy followers. Instagram can limit or disable your account.

• Reels reach people who don't follow you. Keep them at three minutes or less.
• Instagram says keywords in your bio and captions help people find you in search.
• Buying followers breaks the rules and can get your account limited or disabled.

1. 1
   Tip 1

   Say what you post, right in your bio

   A stranger gives your profile a few seconds. Make the answer easy: who you are, what you post and who it's for. Instagram says to put keywords in your bio, because search matches on text.

   So write 'Easy vegan dinners' and not a mystery quote. If a new visitor can't tell what they'd get by following you, they won't follow.

   Easy vegan dinners in 20 minutes
   New recipe Reel every Tuesday and Friday
   Free shopping list below

   Got it
2. 2
   Tip 2

   Switch to a public account

   Instagram only recommends posts from public accounts. If your account is private, strangers can't see your posts at all. Creator and Business accounts are always public.

   Any public account also gets Insights, Instagram's free stats. You'll see which posts reached people who don't follow you yet. Those are the posts that grow your account.

   Do it in Instagram Got it
3. 3
   Tip 3

   Make Reels your main growth tool

   In the Reels tab, most of what people see comes from accounts they don't follow. That's how Instagram itself describes it. So a Reel can reach strangers in a way a Story can't.

   Instagram first shows a Reel to a small group of non-followers. If they enjoy it, it goes wider. Instagram says this is based on engagement, not just your follower count.

   Got it
4. 4
   Tip 4

   Hook viewers in the first three seconds

   Instagram's advice is to pull the viewer in within the first three seconds, then keep them interested the whole time. Start with the result, a question, or the most surprising moment.

   Film tall, so the video fills the whole screen. Instagram asks for vertical 9 by 16 video with no borders. It also says text shouldn't cover most of the screen.

   'You're washing your jeans wrong.'
   'Was this worth the money? Let's find out.'
   'Watch the before. Now look at the after.'

   Got it
5. 5
   Tip 5

   Post your own work, not reposts

   Instagram says original content gets the best reach. Reposted Reels, clips with a watermark and blurry videos are less likely to be recommended. So are accounts that mostly share other people's posts.

   Want to react to a popular Reel? Use Remix and add your own take. Instagram says just stitching clips together doesn't count as making it yours.

   Do it in Edits Got it
6. 6
   Tip 6

   Write captions that search can read

   Instagram says search results are matched by text. So put the words people would type into your caption: the dish, the place, the problem you solve.

   Hashtags belong in the caption too, not the comments. Instagram is capping them at five per post, and it advises a few targeted ones over a pile of generic ones.

   3 beginner houseplants that are hard to kill: snake plant, pothos and ZZ plant. Save this for your next plant shop trip.
   #houseplants #plantcare #beginnerplants

   Got it
7. 7
   Tip 7

   Test new ideas with trial Reels

   Scared a new idea will flop in front of your followers? If your account has trial Reels, turn on the Trial switch before you share. Instagram shows the Reel to non-followers first.

   After about 24 hours you can see its views, likes, comments and shares. If it did well, share it with everyone. If not, nobody you know saw it.

   Got it
8. 8
   Tip 8

   Team up with another creator

   Instagram's Collabs feature puts one post on two profiles. It goes out to both sets of followers, and Instagram says it can be recommended in Feed, Explore and the Reels tab.

   Pick someone in a nearby niche. A baker and a coffee shop. A runner and a physio. Make something useful together, not just a shout-out, so both audiences get a reason to follow.

   Got it
9. 9
   Tip 9

   Make posts people send to a friend

   For Reels, Instagram says it predicts how likely you are to reshare a video, watch it to the end and like it. For Explore, it looks at likes, saves and shares.

   So make things worth passing on: a checklist, a how-to, a joke only your niche gets. Before you post, ask one question. Who would send this, and to whom?

   Do it in Canva Got it
10. 10
    Tip 10

    Check Account Status and your Insights

    Find Account Status in your settings. It tells you if your posts can be recommended to non-followers. If something is flagged, you can fix it, delete it or ask for a review.

    Then read your Insights. Instagram suggests splitting your reach into followers and non-followers. Posts with lots of non-follower reach are your growth posts. Make more like them.

    Got it
11. 11
    Tip 11

    Post on a schedule you can keep

    Instagram says creators who regularly publish engaging Reels are best placed to grow. Regular beats heroic. Pick a pace you could keep up for three months without hating it.

    Make a batch of posts on one day and schedule them. Buffer's free plan covers three channels with 10 scheduled posts each, which is plenty for one creator.

    Do it in Buffer Got it
12. 12
    Tip 12

    Skip the follower sellers

    Don't buy followers. Don't use apps that promise free likes or followers either. Instagram's Help Center says it may remove the fake likes and follows, limit parts of your account, or disable it.

    There's a second cost. Bought followers are bots or strangers who never watch, like or share. You end up with a big number and total silence under every post.

    Got it

Tools for the job

All social media & creator apps

1. 

   Best free Reels editorEditsFree · iPhone, Android, Mac

   8.5

   Free 4K exports with no watermark, plus stats for your Reels in the same app.

   Reels creators who want a free editor with no watermark.

   You need an Instagram account to sign in, and there's no Windows app.

   Full review App Store Google Play
2. 

   Best for carouselsCanvaFree + paid plans · Web, iPhone, Android

   8.5

   A huge template library makes a clean carousel easy when you aren't a designer.

   Checklists, quote posts and tidy Reel covers.

   Canva can train AI on your content unless you opt out in settings.

   Full review App Store Google Play
3. 

   Best free schedulerBufferFree + paid plans · Web, iPhone, Android

   8.7

   Plan a week of posts in one sitting, free for up to three channels.

   Solo creators who want to post on a steady schedule.

   The free plan holds only 10 scheduled posts per channel.

   Full review App Store Google Play
4. 

   Best grid plannerLaterFree + paid plans · Web, iPhone, Android

   8.1

   Drag posts around a visual grid and get tips on the best time to post.

   Creators who care how their Instagram grid looks.

   The free plan allows 12 posts per profile a month, with no carousels.

   Full review App Store Google Play

Mistakes to skip

• Buying followers or using 'free follower' apps

  Don't. Instagram can remove the fake follows and limit or disable your account. Grow with Reels instead.

• Reposting TikToks with the watermark on

  Export a clean copy first. Instagram says watermarked Reels are less likely to be recommended.

• Posting Reels longer than three minutes

  Keep growth Reels at three minutes or less, so Instagram can recommend them to new people.

• Stuffing 30 hashtags under every post

  Instagram is capping hashtags at five. Pick ones that match the post, and put your keywords in the caption.

• Keeping your account private

  Private accounts can't be recommended. Go public if you want strangers to find you.

Bottom line

Today, fix your bio so a stranger knows what you post. Then film one original Reel with a three-second hook and a caption full of real keywords. Check your non-follower reach, and repeat. Leave the follower sellers alone.

Start with Edits

Compare the tools

Questions people ask

Checked in November 2026 against: creators.instagram.com, creators.instagram.com, creators.instagram.com, creators.instagram.com, about.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, help.instagram.com, socialmediatoday.com.

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