New year, new Instagram presence — that’s how the saying goes, right?
For creators and brands alike, it can be tough to conquer Instagram’s ever-changing algorithm.
But with these five Instagram growth “hacks”, you can expand your reach and boost your following in 2023.
P.S. Our new email series has even more resources, tools, and tips for growing on the 'gram:
5 Hacks to Grow Your Instagram in 2023
Here are five tried and tested Instagram growth hacks to help you thrive on the platform in 2023:
Set New Goals
Optimize Keywords for SEO
Prioritize Reels
Streamline Your Workflow
Use Analytics
#1: Set New Goals
Your goals are the foundation of your Instagram strategy — without them, it’s hard to know if you’re getting it right.
And we’re not talking about vanity metrics like getting more likes. To drive success, it’s important that your goals are both specific to your brand and SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Timely
Are you looking to build brand awareness? Increase traffic to your website? Generate leads?
If you want to increase brand awareness, your SMART goal may look something like this:
To boost brand awareness, I will increase my reach by 40% in three months by sharing Reels three times a week, posting carousels once a week, and hosting a monthly giveaway.
Think relevant and realistic, and be as specific as possible so you can track and measure your progress (more on that, later).
In a nutshell, your goals are your roadmap for success, and Instagram is the vehicle driving your strategy forward. 🚗
TIP: Learn how to set intentional, SMART goals when you complete our free five-day Instagram email challenge:
#2: Optimize Your Posts for SEO
When 40% of Gen Z prefers Instagram and TikTok as their go-to search engines, brushing up on your SEO skills is a no-brainer.
Plus, our social team predicts SEO on social media will really take off in 2023 — making it more important than ever to experiment with this year.
Instagram's algorithm processes every piece of content on the app to determine what the post is about — and in turn, who might find it interesting.
And while the algorithm does all of this work automatically, there are a few ways you can help steer it in your direction:
Write relevant, descriptive captions using choice keywords and hashtags
Add descriptive alt text to your posts
Be consistent with your niche
See how Mei Pang, who is known for her creative makeup looks, ranks at the top of the Explore page when “graphic liner” is searched:
The takeaway? A strong Instagram SEO strategy = discoverability = growth.
Learn all there is to know about Instagram SEO with this Later blog post: Instagram SEO: 5 Ways to Increase Your Discoverability.
#3: Prioritize Reels
Prioritizing Instagram Reels can be a huge advantage for organic growth on the platform.
And the numbers don’t lie.
Creator Olivia Noceda shifted to a Reels-only strategy for six months and saw a 75% increase in follower growth:
From cozy recipes to wellness advice, Olivia leverages trending audio with original storytelling to build a lasting community.
“When your focus is solely on going viral, you lose the authenticity behind your content," she says.
Translation: stay true to you and the growth will follow.
And worry not, you don’t have to be a full fledged video producer to be successful on Reels (*cough* check out Reel Talk).
So, have you started storyboarding yet?
With Later, you can plan, schedule, and automatically publish your Reels in advance — sign up today:
#4: Streamline Your Workflow
With the right strategies and tools, you can publish high-impact content — without working overtime.
Learning to batch content, repurpose content, and leverage UGC are all ways you can maximize your efficiency.
It can be as simple as repurposing a popular carousel post into multiple Stories, or reposting a Tweet as a Reel:
Our advice? Accumulate a good amount of low-lift content 1-2 weeks in advance, and schedule all your posts in one session with Later.
Less screen time all while growing your Instagram? Yes, please.
FYI: Get all the tips and tricks to streamline your workflow with our Refresh Your Instagram free email series.
#5: Use Analytics
Once you have your strategy and workflow down, it’s time to dig into your performance with analytics.
Get a closer look at how your content is resonating by reviewing your Instagram Insights on a weekly basis.
This will give you an idea of what's working and how you're tracking towards your goals.
Plus, you can leverage your top-performing posts by boosting them or repurposing them later.
TIP: Later’s Analytics tool is the simplest way to track in-depth data in one easy-to-use dashboard.
And you're all set!
With these five Instagram growth hacks, you can reach more people, get more followers, and build an engaged community.
Want more? Get refreshed and re-focused with our free five-day email series, so you can grow your Instagram to its full potential in 2023. Register today:
