Since people go to Instagram (mostly) to look at photos, give them something to “ooo” and “ahh” at. Thanks to the technology on (most of) our smartphones and the filters

on Instagram, you have help in making your shots look picture perfect. But if you want to take things to the next level, click here to learn how.

The key to getting new followers is not only to use hashtags but to know which ones are the right ones. Popular tags include #love, #cute, #me, #follow (or #followback),

#happy, #picoftheday, #TBT (Throwback Thursday) and---should we be shocked?---#selfie.

It’s pretty common for professionals and celebs to say “Follow me on Instagram” on other social media accounts. That’s the best way for people to know that you have other

accounts in the first place. 

A way that you can avoid nagging people to death with this announcement is connecting your Instagram to, for instance, your Twitter. Then, whenever you post

something on IG, a message will automatically go to your Twitter too. 

One thing about this? Twitter has a character count that sometimes cuts your messages off and that can get

annoying. Keep that in mind with whatever you’re writing on Instagram that you’re about to share elsewhere.

Instagram is a great platform to get your friends in on the fun too. If you’re trying to get more of them to follow you, tag them on pictures and

picture quotes. They’ll chime in and probably tag some of their people. Before you know it, you’ve got a couple of more followers…easily.

Instagram has had a Snapchat-like sharing feature for a while now. You can record video or post images that will last only 24 hours before disappearing. You can also livestream

your day! Just click on the camera icon in the upper left-hand corner, then on the “live” option and you can start recording.

You want people to like your stuff, so like theirs first. The more you click on the heart on their IG page or more importantly, the more you comment on their

stuff, the more likely they’ll want to engage in what you’re saying---and go over to your page to see what you’re talking about too.

A ton of people with a lot of IG followers will be good for saying “link in the bio”. This (usually) means that if they have a video blog, podcast

or event coming up, they will provide the info in the bio of their profile. In all of your social media platforms, consider using it as a space to provide

your social media addresses. That way, everyone knows where and how to find you.

The best time to post on IG? It might sound crazy, but according to the people who research this kind of stuff, it’s 2AM or 5PM? Why? Well, on the

2AM tip, we have to remember that Instagram is used all over the world. While America is turning in for the night, folks on the other side of the ocean

are just getting their day started. 5PM? A lot of us are getting off of work then. We’re actually reading more people’s stuff than posting our own.

There are all sorts of tools that you can use to get more followers on Instagram. Schedugram allows you to automate your posts. PicFlow helps you to create a slideshow

on your page. Sprout Social helps you to keep track of your analytics. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Click here to read about more.

Social media doesn’t take vacations. If you want to gain the attention of more followers, neither should you. Sunday is a day that doesn’t get quite as much traction, so

you’re able to get more people to check you out. Post then, see what happens. Before you know it, you might be up there with those with followers in the

thousands. Let us know in the comments section, so we can spread the word!