Success on all social media platforms depends on reputation and popularity. On Instagram, a high number of likes is the most important indicator of both. Despite being one of the first social metrics that indicate post performance, likes on Instagram still stand as a go-to indicator for many brands. It’s low cost for the viewer: a double tap is all that’s needed. And an Instagram like gets wrapped into general engagement numbers.
A post with 10 likes is easy for Instagram users to ignore. But a post with 1,000 likes? That makes them stop for a closer look. It also makes it more likely that they’ll check out your Instagram profile and follow your account. That exposure boosts your Instagram engagement, meaning constant exposure to potential customers or a greater chance of becoming an authentic Insta influencer.
Here are some tips on how to get more Instagram likes.
1. Use the right hashtags
Hashtags are a big key to expanding your Instagram audience. Using a hashtag on your post will appear on the page for that hashtag. People can also choose to follow hashtags, which means you could be showing up in a total stranger’s news feed. Using hashtags on your posts is just that you are defining a category so that your post might go to the category that the post is of.
After defining the category, users can easily see your posts in that hashtag which type of post they are looking for. This throws a great impression on users and as well as on the Instagram algorithm also. Whether you’re using product or service hashtags, seasonal hashtags, acronym hashtags or location hashtags, the consensus is that keeping it under 11 hashtags is best practice.
2. Find out what your audience is seeking for
You have to do research and ask your audience for which topic they are seeking. If you provide information about that topic, then nobody can stop your Instagram post’s likes from increasing. The formula of if you will take care of your audience, then your audience will take care of yours.
3. Tag relevant users
Whether you’re tagging a collaborator, a new acquaintance or your childhood hero, the goal is to highlight how much you value them, and share that value with your audience. It’s a chance to share the love, but with the added bonus of a little bit of potential attention from those Instagram users and their own fan bases.
4. Write compelling captions
Whether you’re better off writing a novel that maxes out Instagram’s 2,200 character limit, or keeping things mysterious and punchy with a one-liner depends on your brand voice and message. But long or short, captions are a vital ingredient in a post’s success. Generally, captions are the reason for a people to like that post or not. The caption is the thing to tell the peoples what message your post is giving.
So, writing a great caption can help to get more likes on Instagram. Great Instagram captions add context and personality, and compel your followers to take action. Don’t rush this part. Take a gander at engaging Instagram captions and soak up some inspiration before you start typing. In simple words, the caption should define that what your post is about, but yet again it should be captivating enough to make people want to double tap on your post.
5. Tag your location
More than just a humblebrag about your excellent taste in breweries or coworking spaces, geotagging your location is a way for more people to find and like your photos. The posts that are tagged with a location get more likes than those not tagged with a site. It forces the people to think that they have seen that location somewhere, and the chances of liking posts by them increase surely. It’s even more helpful if you’re a brand with a brick and mortar location, as you build up a sense of community with your regulars and potential regulars.
6. Post consistently
You have to post regularly on your account. Let’s take an example. Not any single teacher loves a student who does not comes to his/her class regularly. You also have to make a schedule for posting on your account, whether twice a week, once a week, or daily.
7. Ask for the people’s opinions
If you ask for the people’s opinions, then your audience thinks that you are giving importance to them and are treating them as your family. Asking a question in the caption is a direct call-to-action for followers to add a comment. And if they’re already engaging, the likelihood that they’ll throw a like your way in the process grows. This is the best and easy method to get more likes on Instagram.
8. Don’t post what others are posting
In whatever niche or market industry that you’re in right now whether it’s fitness, whether it is football, whether it is real estate, understand that right now, there is a proven post that is viral that people are liking that has got tens and thousands of comments or shares or likes that is circulating right now in your niche, a lot of them. And rather than trying to figure things out, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, think about how you can model, not copy these best performing posts.
9. Take use of Call to Action
Now, most of the time, even though it’s obvious, and you want people to like your post or comment on it, it doesn’t seem obvious. So one of the things that you want to be doing is actually to tell people through a call to action, and this when you could say something along the lines of giving me alike.
10. Get on the Explore page
Behind that little magnifying glass icon, the Explore page is a cornucopia of beautiful, entertaining content personalized for you by Instagram. Brands that show up there get a lot of eyeballs. But how do brands get featured on the Instagram Explore tab in the first place? In short, you need a great engagement rate and an active community – and it doesn’t hurt to embrace whatever new feature Instagram is currently boosting in the algorithm.
11. Post at the right time
Instagram doesn’t show posts chronologically, but its algorithm does favor “recency”. This means that if you want to get in front of eyeballs, it’s important for you to know when your audience is actually looking at the app. Every brand has its own sweet spot, based on its unique audience, so your own analytics will give you some guidance. Start there, and tweak as you learn what’s working for your specific followers.
12. Run a like-to-win contest
Contests can take a little planning or a lot. But a like-to-win contest is one of the simplest ways to rack up engagement in a given time period. The key is to make sure your prize is desirable to your audience, but also specific enough that you’re attracting real fans, not opportunists (i.e., don’t give away cash or freebies).
13. Post good photos
Lest we forget that photography was an art before it was a marketing tool, we all have to own up to the fact that sometimes our taste exceeds our skill. On Instagram, there’s no room for “good enough” shots. Time to level up. Whether that means taking a photography course to develop your eye, or devoting some budget to upgrading your equipment, figure out what the pros do differently than the hobbyists.
14. Engage outside your feed
Instgram algorithm prioritizes posts from accounts that it thinks are “close”. How does it measure closeness? By monitoring how much accounts interact with each other. So, if you want to expand your reach, and therefore your chances of getting likes, don’t be a wallflower: go forth and interact. Get generous with the likes and comments.
15. Post user-generated content
Sharing content from your followers is a sure-fire way to generate engagement. It’s a thrill for the user to be featured by a brand they like, for starters, but it also acts as social proof, confirming for your other followers that it’s more than okay to be a super fan. It also showcases your authenticity and connection to the community. So go ahead: smash that share button.
16. Post behind-the-scenes content
Get a little vulnerable and show the less-than-glossy finished product – you’ll be rewarded. People love seeing how something gets made, taking a glimpse behind the scenes of a photoshoot, and learning about the real struggles behind the glamor shots elsewhere in your feed.
17. Host a takeover
If you’re comfortable handing over the keys to your account to a collaborator, Instagram takeovers are a great way to lure a new audience over to your page. Of course, the brand or influencer taking over for you should be aligned with your values – you want any fans who migrate over to your page to like what they see and stick around.
18. Watch what works for your competitors
If you do have your Instagram set to see likes, you may be able to get a glimpse at what’s working (or flopping) for your competitors again. Keep your eyes peeled or better yet, do a competitive analysis. Make social listening part of your social media marketing strategy to gauge sentiment and identify trends across the industry. You don’t want to be left behind, or miss an opportunity to pick up where your competition may have dropped the ball.
19. Ask people to tag their friends
Doing this all the time gets a little old, but the initiation to “tag a friend” paired with the right post can result in a flurry of activity. The key is to give them a good reason to tag a pal, whether that’s a funny punchline or a giveaway.
20. Embrace the memes
There’s a reason Instagram is full of memes and aggregation accounts: people can’t help but like and share funny gifs, poignant sayings or goofy gags. Though some can certainly skew juvenile, there are tasteful ways for brands to jump on the meme bandwagon in a strategic, successful way – just keep the jokes appropriate for your voice, content and audience, and don’t overdo it. A little sprinkle of meme goes a long way.
Takeaway
The Instagram algorithm rewards a high number of likes, so the more Instagram likes your photo or video has, not only gives better rankings for your Instagram page, but also boosts your presence on IG’s listings and explore pages. It’s the path to success and the ultimate Instagram marketing strategy.
