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The internet is a great place to find useful information, learn, earn, and connect with people. For many, it has become the main way to spend free time. If you see someone on their phone, they're likely on Instagram, VK, Facebook, or YouTube. These are among the most popular platforms, so it's no surprise that many want to grow their following. Services that help with that are in demand. Instagram has been around for a long time and keeps changing, but the idea behind gaining followers is much the same. Almost every active user has heard about "growth" or "followers," but not everyone knows how to do it safely. First, understand how to promote your account the right way.
The point of promotion is to bring new people to your Instagram profile. Paid follower growth usually means rewarding people for following you. The downside: you may get bots or users who unfollow quickly.
To avoid that, focus on real users who might follow you in return. You can find them through services that connect people for mutual follows. The idea is mutual following between real accounts. Real users who care about their own growth are more likely to stay. Their accounts tend to be active and less likely to trigger Instagram's filters, so the risk of a block is lower.
Why get more Instagram followers?
Many think a higher follower count is only for showing off, or that it's mainly for making money. There's some truth in both. Unfortunately, few people know how to grow followers without running into problems. Before you start, rely on facts, not rumours.
Growing your follower count can make your profile more visible. People do it for different reasons. The main ones are:
- 1. Visibility. Often an account is grown to build a strong portfolio or to make a good impression when meeting new people.
- 2. New business. It used to be harder for beginners to promote a brand. Instagram has made it easier. You can promote almost anything in a natural way.
- 3. Sharing and connection. People are drawn to popular accounts. Lack of attention often pushes people to look for ways to grow. When your profile is more visible, you can share knowledge and ideas and make new connections.
- 4. Promotion. Business owners often use a personal account to promote their brand. This kind of promotion can be effective and free.
- 5. Income. If you know how to grow followers without big spend, your profile can become a source of income. Popular accounts can work with brands, shops, bloggers, etc. Selling ads can significantly increase your revenue.
Whatever your goal, it's important to grow your account the right way.
How to avoid getting blocked
To minimise the risk of a block when growing followers on Instagram, follow these simple rules:
- Take it slow. Don't add more than a few thousand followers per day. Large spikes can trigger Instagram's systems.
- Use only trusted services. This article mentions a few reliable options.
- Take breaks. If you're aiming for 100k followers, spread it over time. Pause growth for 1–2 days every so often.
- Don't rely only on one method. Use contests, ads, better content, and a clear profile too. Follower count affects how your account is seen. A larger audience is often used for:
- higher ad rates;
- a larger audience for products or services;
- easier organic growth.
Bridgit.me is an Instagram growth service that does not use fake followers, so you can promote your profile safely and avoid blocks.
Instagram is good at detecting fake accounts and may remove them or restrict the accounts that used them. In early stages, prefer methods that use real users. Avoid bots to reduce the risk of a block.
Don't overuse automated growth, especially if you sell products or services. You might gain a few thousand followers that way, but then focus on "white hat" methods. Follower growth is not only about blocks. Other downsides:
- Low engagement. Even with 10k paid followers, you may get few likes and comments. Low engagement means your posts are less likely to rank or show at the top of feeds.
- Services often show your profile to people who want to earn, not to your target audience. Reaching the right people is harder.
- If you run ads, much of the budget can be wasted on fake or irrelevant accounts.
- Bots and inactive users don't buy. Use growth tools carefully. First, prepare your account. It should look attractive and make people want to follow. Fill out your profile properly:
- Choose a clear profile photo. If you're a business owner or blogger, use your face. People trust real people. Use a simple image without tiny details.
- Describe what you do briefly and clearly. Use emojis to make it easy to scan.
- Include a keyword in your username or display name. Both are searchable, so people can find you more easily.
- Publish at least 10 posts so visitors understand what your profile is about.
- Create your own hashtag so others can easily find your posts.
Then analyse your competitors' audience. See what they offer and what gets the most likes and comments. Check what topics matter to their followers, how often they post, and how they engage.
After that, create a content plan. List ideas for posts and plan at least a month ahead. Post regularly so your account feels active and your follower count can grow. Only then start attracting followers. Profiles with under 50 followers look less trustworthy. Aim for a few hundred first, ideally gained manually. New accounts are watched more closely, so if you signed up less than six months ago, be extra careful. Ways to increase reach:
- invite friends and contacts;
- add your profile link on other social networks;
- run DM campaigns;
- manually follow people who might be in your target audience;
- comment on others' posts.
Once you have over 400 followers, you can use automated growth, but stay within the platform's limits.
Instagram limits
Instagram used to publish exact limits; exceeding them could lead to restrictions. That information is no longer public. Still, for new accounts it's wise to stay roughly within: no more than 720 actions per day or 30 per hour (follows, likes, comments). The hourly limit matters most. If you follow 25 accounts in an hour, you may only unfollow 5 in that same hour.
These numbers are approximate. It's better not to push them. Once your account is a few months old, scrutiny eases. You can then use automated growth tools. Which one to use, and whether to use them at all, is your choice. Just remember they are "grey" methods and come with some risk.
Risks of follower growth in 2024
Artificially inflating activity on social networks, including Instagram, breaks platform rules and can have serious consequences. In 2024, the risks may include:
- Account block: Instagram actively fights fake growth and may block or restrict accounts that break the rules. You can lose access to your account and content.
- Loss of trust: If people find out an account used fake growth, they may lose trust in the account and its owner.
- Damage to brand reputation: For business accounts, fake growth can hurt your brand. Users value authenticity and real engagement.
- Algorithm penalties: Instagram uses algorithms to measure activity and engagement. Fake growth can lead to lower reach and harder organic growth.
- Loss of ad options: The platform may reject ad requests from accounts that have used fake growth.
- Legal issues: In some cases, fake growth can be illegal and lead to legal consequences.
- Data leaks: Some low-quality growth services can lead to leaks of personal information and security risks.
For long-term success, build an organic audience, engage with followers, and follow platform rules to avoid these risks.
Growing followers without paid growth
This is a long-term, ethical process that uses different methods to attract a real audience. Here are some approaches:
- Quality content:
Post interesting, useful content that appeals to your target audience. Keep a consistent style and topic so you attract followers who care about what you share.
- Engage with followers:
Reply to comments and questions. Join discussions, use hashtags and mentions to draw attention to your profile.
- Hashtags:
Use popular, relevant hashtags. Use niche hashtags so people interested in the topic can discover your content.
- Collaborate with other accounts:
Engage with other users, share their content, leave comments. Run joint giveaways or contests.
- Stories and Live:
Use Instagram Stories and Live to attract attention. Run live sessions where you can interact with followers in real time.
- Consistency:
Post regularly to keep your audience's attention. Keep a consistent style and theme.
- Contests and giveaways:
Run contests where following you is a condition for entry. Do giveaways for your followers.
- Advertising:
Consider Instagram ad campaigns to attract new followers. Target your ideal audience.
Remember that growing followers takes patience and steady work. Aim for a real audience that is genuinely interested in your content.