How to Get Free Instagram Followers: Gain 500+ New Instagram Followers in 1 Week

by | June 2021 | 10 comments

Are you struggling to grow your Instagram following? #beenthere ๐Ÿ™‹โ€โ™€๏ธ The struggle was real for me for YEARS! It took forever for me to finally figure out how to get free Instagram followers.

I first started my @Next.Destination.Unknown Instagram account back in 2014 when we set out on our full-time RV adventure. And my very first IG post was on May 13th, 2014.

Fast forward to March of 2019. I only had 1,855 followers. That might seem like a decent amount. But after nearly 5 years since starting my Instagram account, having less than 2,000 followers was just embarrassing. 

I should have had a much higher following, especially with how many posts I had. Granted, I took some time off and didnโ€™t post anything for a little over a year between April 2016 and June 2017. Regardless, I really had no idea what I was doing. 

How to Get Free Instagram Followers

After properly setting up my Instagram account, I tried to post nice photos and use the right hashtags. But I still wasnโ€™t getting anywhere with my Instagram followers. And thatโ€™s because I didnโ€™t have an Instagram growth strategy

Letโ€™s face itโ€ฆ I didnโ€™t even know where to start. So I gave up any hopes of becoming an Instagram Influencer and decided to focus on revamping my blog instead. 

But while I was researching how to become a successful blogger, I randomly stumbled upon another bloggerโ€™s post about how to get 1,000 followers on Instagram (more on that below).

I was curious. Even though I already had more than 1,000 followers, I wondered if her strategy could work for me to continue to grow my Instagram following even more. Could I reach the elusive 10k Instagram followers???

More followers mean more social proof, which translates into more opportunities. So I figured it was worth a shot. And guess whatโ€ฆ 

It totally paid off!

So now I want to pay it forward and share this top-secret Instagram growth strategy for how to get free Instagram followers with you.

Are you struggling to grow your Instagram following and wondering how to get free Instagram followers? This is the secret strategy to gain 500+ new Instagram followers in just 1 week! #Instagram #Instagramgrowth #Instagramfollowersโ€ฆ Click To Tweet

My Experience With Gaining Instagram Followers (Over 500 in Just 1 Week!)

Iโ€™ve gotta give some props to Liz over at BlueandHazel.com.  ๐Ÿ™Œ Her post 1,000 Free Followers on Instagram: Best Way to Grow a Following Fast was what got me on track for growing my Instagram following.

In Lizโ€™s post, she shares several methods for ways to grow your Instagram followers. To be honest, I didnโ€™t bother with the first strategy she mentions โ€“ Follow for Follow loops (#followforfollow).

The strategy I found to work the best for me and decided to focus on was her โ€œAction Plan Phase 1, Finding Instagram Accounts who will follow you back.โ€ 

Then I combined it with an additional step to take it even further. Iโ€™ll describe this approach with my exact strategy for how to get free Instagram followers in the next section. 

But first, I want to share my success (over 500 new followers in just 1 week!) as proof that this Instagram growth strategy works. Hereโ€™s what I experienced when I first began using this action planโ€ฆ 

BEFORE

3/3/19

AFTER

3/11/19

How to Get Free Instagram Followers - BEFORE Instagram Growth Strategy
How to Get Free Instagram Followers - AFTER Instagram Growth Strategy

NOTE #1: I actually started with 1,855 followers on 3/3/19 in the afternoon (I made a note of it but forgot to take a โ€œBeforeโ€ photo. ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ So Iโ€™m using the first screenshot I took later that evening after already gaining 100 new Instagram followers in a matter of hours.

NOTE #2: You might notice in the โ€œAfterโ€ photo above that my โ€œfollowingโ€ count is much higher than my โ€œfollowerโ€ count, which isnโ€™t ideal. But keep in mind that this is before I started unfollowing people who didnโ€™t follow me back. More on that below.

It was the afternoon of March 3rd back in 2019 (I know, I knowโ€ฆ this post is LONG overdue). I started at 1,855 followers with a goal of reaching 2,500. So I would need 645 new followers to hit that number. 

Before going to bed that night, I was already up to 1,976 โ€“ more than 120 new followers in a matter of hours! When I woke up the next morning, I was up to 1,982. And then before noon, I reached 1,993. In less than 24 hours, I had gained over 135 new followers (138 to be exact, but whoโ€™s counting?).

A week later on March 10th, I woke up to 2,434 followers (579 new followers so far). And by the time I went to bed that day, I had 2,488 (up 633 followers and just 12 away from my goal of 2,500!).

Thatโ€™s over 600 new followers in just 1 week! WHOAH! And guess what? By the next day on March 11th, I had reached my goal of 2,500 followers! WOO HOO!!!

Get Your Divi Template for Instagram Links Landing Page

Iโ€™ve used this strategy numerous times since then and usually do it every few months or so for a nice boost in followers. At the time of writing this, I now have over 6,400 Instagram followers and counting! No, I donโ€™t have 10k followersโ€ฆ yet. But Iโ€™m working on it. Itโ€™s good to have goals, right?

Even being below 10k followers, Iโ€™ve already started to get some collaboration and paid sponsorship possibilities. So thatโ€™s a start. But 10k Instagram followers is where itโ€™s at! Thatโ€™s when the clouds part, the light shines down, and the golden gates of opportunity open. 

So use the secret Instagram growth strategy below, be consistent, and youโ€™ll be on your way to 10k followers!

You may also like: Facebook Groups for Bloggers: Everything You Need to Know to Skyrocket Your Blog Growth

How to Get Free Instagram Followers

The Secret Strategy for How To Get Free Instagram Followers

So how exactly do you grow your Instagram followers to eventually reach 10k?

Iโ€™m going to tell you the exact strategy for not only how to grow your Instagram following, but also how to get free Instagram followers. 

And these arenโ€™t going to just be random people on Instagram that arenโ€™t going to care about what you post and have to say. These are going to be your people, your future Instagram community!

Iโ€™ll be honest. The strategy I used is a bit time-consuming. Butโ€ฆ it pays off! Think of your time spent as your ROI (return on investment). Your time is the investment youโ€™re making in your Instagram growth. Youโ€™ll get out of it what you put into it.

These are the actual steps I used to grow my Instagram by more than 500 new Instagram followers in just 1 week! There are actually only 3 steps. Let me break them down for youโ€ฆ

1. Find Other People to Follow

First, you need to start by finding other people to follow. An effective way to do this is by looking at other Instagram accounts that are similar to yours (your โ€œcompetitorsโ€).

How do you find your competitors though? You can use Instagramโ€™s suggestions of accounts for you to follow. 

But this is the better method you should use to find the most accounts as well as the ideal accounts to follow: 

1. Search hashtags to find accounts that are using the same hashtags you are (this means theyโ€™re trying to target the same audience you are). 

2. Look through those accounts to find ones with a similar niche and style as yours (or what youโ€™re going for). 

3. Also, check the number of people following them. If their follower count is close to yours, click through to their profile.

4. Once youโ€™re in their profile, see if the number of people theyโ€™re following is more than (or at least the same as) the number of people following them. This is a good indicator that theyโ€™ll actually follow you back.

5. If their โ€œFollowingโ€ number is higher than or equal to their โ€œFollowersโ€ number, follow them! You need roughly 70-75 people to follow you per day to reach 500 new followers in a week. So I tried to follow around 150 people per day (or as many as I had time for) because I figured if only half of them follow back, that goal could be reached.

Itโ€™s one thing to follow accounts in hopes that theyโ€™ll follow you back.  Itโ€™s another thing to be strategic with who you follow. 

By strategically following the right accounts, you can find your people, your community, your die-hard fans, the folks who will love your content and follow you to the moon and back. 

And isnโ€™t that what you want? Itโ€™s all about quality over quantity. 

You want followers who are going to love your posts by giving them a double-tap, leaving a meaningful comment, and buying whatever youโ€™re selling.

You may also like: Pinterest for Blogging Ultimate Guide โ€“ The Best Tips & Tools for How to Use Pinterest to Drive Traffic to Your Blog

Monarch Social Sharing Plugin

2. Engage with Their Posts

This next step is critical because it creates engagement. You need to engage with the new person youโ€™re following on Instagram. 

Once youโ€™ve followed someone, try to like at least 3 of their posts as well as comment on 1 post of theirs. By following them, liking 3 posts, and commenting on 1 of their posts, youโ€™ll show up in their notifications 5 times (without looking like a complete stalker).

It makes them curious to know who you are. โ€œWho is this person thatโ€™s so interested in my account and loves my content?โ€

Iโ€™ll admit, commenting takes time. But if you can leave a comment, thatโ€™s the best thing you can do! Comments are a great way to get people engaging with you! 

Start a conversation, get to know each other, or just show them that you actually read their post or gave their photo a second glance.

Growing your following is great. But growing a LOYAL following is KEY! And itโ€™s all about engagement.

Another strategy I want to also start using is Maria Wendtโ€™s Love Bomb Strategy that helped her get her first 10,000 followers on Instagram. 

Several of the steps in her system involve engagement. And thatโ€™s the critical piece in growing your Instagram account.

Want to grow your Instagram followers to 10,000? Between Mariaโ€™s method and the one I mentioned above, youโ€™re sure to get tons of free Instagram followers and reach 10k in no time! Thatโ€™s your golden ticket.

You may also like: How To Easily Set Up Your Instagram Account for Business to Succeed

How to Get Free Instagram Followers

3. Unfollow People Who Arenโ€™t Following You Back on Instagram

Unfortunately, the max amount of Instagram accounts anyone can follow is 7,500. So you canโ€™t use the above method forever. But itโ€™s a good way to get started and even give your following a boost now and then.

Since thereโ€™s a limit for how many people you can follow, youโ€™re going to want to only follow people who follow you back.

That way you have room to follow more people who actually want to follow you too. Thatโ€™s how to get free Instagram followers.

After all, isnโ€™t that the whole point?

So if I follow someone and they donโ€™t follow me back after a week or so, I unfollow them. Iโ€™d rather find new accounts to follow in hopes that theyโ€™ll return the favor and follow me back.

I use the InstaClean App to find and unfollow people who arenโ€™t following me back. I canโ€™t find it online or in the app store anymore.

But there are a slew of apps out there that you can use to find and unfollow people who arenโ€™t following you in return. Just do a search in the app store, try a few out, and find the one you like best. 

Or you can unfollow people manually (this can be time-consuming if youโ€™re following a lot of people). Hereโ€™s how to find people youโ€™re following who arenโ€™t following you back:

Get 6 Free Design Assets with Creative Market

1. From your profile, click on โ€œFollowingโ€ to see everyone youโ€™re following

2. Click on each profile individually

3. Within each personโ€™s profile, click on โ€œFollowingโ€ to see who theyโ€™re following

4. If theyโ€™re following you, you should see your profile listed at the top

5. If youโ€™re not listed as one of the accounts theyโ€™re following, go back to their profile and click on โ€œUnfollowโ€

Before you unfollow people who havenโ€™t followed you back yet, I recommend waiting at least a few days to a week after you followed them. That way you can give them time to follow you back.

Try engaging with their account first by liking their posts, and more importantly, leaving comments. Feel free to also shoot them a DM (direct message) introducing yourself.

If youโ€™ve done all of that and they still havenโ€™t followed you back after a few weeks, chances are they arenโ€™t going to. Itโ€™s a good call to unfollow them at that point.

You may also like:ย 5 Creative Ways to Promote Your Blog on Instagram For Free

BONUS TIP: The Best Way to Grow Your Instagram Followers

My biggest piece of adviceโ€ฆ COMMENTS are where itโ€™s at! By leaving comments on other peopleโ€™s posts and replying to comments people have made on your posts, youโ€™ll develop relationships.

Youโ€™re showing them that you took the time to read what they had to say. And donโ€™t you want the same from people who see your posts? Itโ€™s the Golden Rule: treat others how you want to be treated. 

The old saying โ€œyou reap what you sowโ€ also applies. Put the effort in to engage with others, and in return, youโ€™ll receive helpful engagement back.

By opening up a line of communication, youโ€™re creating a foundation to build actual connections with people. This will turn your followers into true fans who care about what you have to say and will buy what youโ€™re selling. And isnโ€™t that the ultimate goal?

Wrapping Up How To Get Free Instagram Followers

Soโ€ฆ are you ready to get free Instagram followers and grow your IG account like crazy? You can start using this Instagram growth strategy TODAY and start seeing immediate results! 

And this doesnโ€™t have to be a โ€œone and doneโ€ deal. You can โ€œwash and repeatโ€ with the above steps. Use this method to give your Instagram followers a nice boost every so often. Try giving it a go once a month.

Then beyond just growing your Instagram followers, why not take Instagram a step further? You can also use Instagram to promote your blog and grow your email list with Instagram as well.

These strategies will grow your blog traffic and following!

Get your Instagram Links Page Template and grow your traffic by driving your Instagram audience directly to your blog or website!

Leave a question or comment here!

Divi Template for Instagram Links Landing Page

Like this Post? Pin it!

How to Get Free Instagram Followers
How to Get Free Instagram Followers
How to Get Free Instagram Followers
Follow Next Destination Unknown on Pinterest

Affiliate Disclosure

This post may contain affiliate links or links to Amazon. If you choose to purchase anything through these links, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting me and my blog. Youโ€™re the best! See the full disclosure for details.

Join the Free Blog Launch Course and learn how to start a blog in just 7 days!

Let’s Connect!

Briana Nickas of Next Destination Unknown

Behind the Blog

Hey there! I’m Briana, a blogger, hiker, traveller, RVer, photo-taker, and National Parks lover who is passionate about exploring the great outdoors while practicing clean living for a healthier lifestyle to continue doing the things I live for. My goal is to inspire others to live a life focused on wellbeing and wandering. Join me!

READ MORE

Top Blog Categories

RVing

RVing

Blogging with Next Destination Unknown

Blogging

A Few of My Faves…

1

RAKUTEN

Get cash back on your purchases through Rakuten for free! This is seriously one of my favorite things in life!


2

SITEGROUND

Reliable hosting for your self-hosted WordPress website is a must! SiteGround is not only reliable, but it's also affordable!


3

DIVI THEME

If you want to design a custom WordPress website without having to know code, the Divi Theme is the way to go!


4

WP ROCKET

Boo for slow websites! Does your WordPress blog need a major site speed boost? You need the WP Rocket plugin!


5

MAILERLITE

For an affordable yet customizable email marketing service, MailerLite is my go-to choice!

Powered by…

Divi WordPress Theme
WP Rocket - WordPress Caching Plugin

Earn Cash Back

Get Cash Back with Rakuten!

Go Natural

Try natural skincare with 10% off Primally Pure!

Use code NDU10 for 10% off EVERY Primally Pure purchase!

Go Shopping

Get What You Need from Amazon!

Try RVing

Blogging Tools I use, LOVE, and highly recommend:

  • SITEGROUND I use SiteGround as my web hosting provider for this self-hosted WordPress blog. Their plans are affordable and include must-have features. Learn more about SiteGround and their web hosting plansย HERE.
  • DIVI THEME –ย I love the Divi Theme’s page builder to create a fully customizable website. Plus, it comes with some super handy plugins! Get 10% OFF the Divi Theme HERE.
  • WP ROCKET –ย Site speed is critical for blogs. I use the WP Rocket Plugin in conjunction with my SiteGround hosting and their SG Optimizer plugin for a super fast site. Check out the WP Rocket plugin HERE.
  • CANVAย –ย Canva makes it super easy to design eye-catching graphics and Pins for your blog. Sign up for a FREE Canva account and try Canva Pro FREE for 30 daysย HERE.
  • MAILERLITE – I love using MailerLite to design and send engaging emails to my subscribers.ย Get MailerLite FREE for your first 1,000 email subscribers HERE.

You may also like…

Leave a Comment!

10 Comments

  1. Kayla DiMaggio

    This is such great advice! I started my blog a little over two months ago and have been so discouraged by instagram recently. I am going to try your suggestions.

    Reply
    • Briana Nickas

      Thanks, Kayla! So happy to hear that you found this post helpful! ๐Ÿ™‚ Don’t give up on Instagram yet. Use these strategies to get free Instagram followers, and you’ll see a huge difference!

      Reply
  2. Danielle

    Love all of these tips! Genuine engagement is always the way to go. Also, I didn’t know about the 7500 following limit, good to know!

    Reply
    • Briana Nickas

      Thanks, Danielle! It’s all about the engagement and connecting with your followers (or soon-to-be followers). ๐Ÿฅฐ

      Reply
  3. Miranda Balogh

    Good tips! Lately, I haven’t been keeping up with my Instagram account due to other priorities. But maybe this advice is just what I need to be consistently active on the platform again. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Briana Nickas

      Hi Miranda! Thanks for your comment. I hope this post helps you get back on track with Instagram. I’ll admit I struggle with consistency myself. But it makes such a difference!

      Reply
  4. Aditi Jain

    I didn’t know about the Instagram Follow limit. Thanks for sharing that. And I totally agree, engaging the right way can work wonders!

    Reply
    • Briana Nickas

      YES, Aditi! Engagement is where it’s at! ๐Ÿ™Œ ๐Ÿ˜„ And I’m glad I was able to share a fun Instagram fact with you about the follow limit.

      Reply
  5. jasa buzzer

    I’ve been creating content for a long time, but I still have very few followers, hopefully this way my followers will get bigger.. im gona try this.. thanks youu…

    Reply
    • Briana Nickas

      This method WORKS! So excited for you to give it a try and grow your Instagram followers!

      Reply
Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Treasure Chest of Freebies with Free Resources for Blogging, Travel, RVing, and Hiking

Unlock the Treasure Chest of Freebies!

ย 

Sign up for the key to unlock the Treasure Chest of Freebies and get your free Travel, RVing, Hiking, Wellbeing, and Blogging resources!

Success! Check your inbox for the key to unlock the Treasure Chest of Freebies.