How To Increase Instagram Followers With Your Blog

Attention is where the game is at!

If you poured your time, effort, and dollars to grow your blog traffic, it makes intuitive sense to leverage it to grow your social media presence for wider reach, more branded deals, or more ad revenue.

This will save you from starting from scratch to grow your Instagram account.

So, in this blog post, we explore five laser-focused strategies that you can employ to increase your IG follower count via your blog.

But first, let’s take a look at:

Why Using Your Blog For Instagram Growth Makes Sense

Content and social media marketing can be effective channels for top startups to gain traction and compete with larger, more established competitors.

And that’s because:

• Startups often have tight budgets, and traditional advertising can be expensive. Content and social media marketing offer a cost-effective alternative. While they do require an investment of time and effort, the financial costs are typically lower compared to running large-scale ad campaigns.

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• Startups can directly engage with their audience through comments, messages, and live sessions. This direct interaction helps build relationships, gather feedback, and promptly address customer concerns.
• Social media platforms and blogs both drive significant traffic to each other. When you share links to your blog posts, product-focused articles, or other content, interested users are more likely to click through. Plus, well-optimized content can rank in SERPs, attracting organic traffic over time.
• Startups can use social media to create and nurture communities around their brand or industry. By sharing user-generated content (UGC), hosting discussions, and organizing contests or giveaways, you can encourage your followers to become brand advocates. These loyal supporters can help spread the word about your startup.
• Social media platforms offer real-time feedback from your audience. You can gather insights into consumer preferences, pain-points, and trends by monitoring comments, likes, shares, and DMs. This data is key for refining your products or services and tailoring your marketing strategy.
• Content and social media marketing allow startups to level the playing field with larger competitors. Even with a modest budget, you can create compelling content and engage with your audience effectively. If your content resonates with your target demographic, it can reach a wide audience organically.

How To Increase Instagram Followers With Your Blog

Leveraging existing blog traffic to boost Instagram followers makes sense because it taps into a pre-established audience with shared interests.

Blog readers are already engaged with your compelling content, indicating a potential interest in your IG posts. By cross-promoting and integrating your IG content on your blog, you can seamlessly funnel this engaged audience towards your social media presence.

Moreover, since blogs provide a textual experience, it naturally lures readers to follow your Instagram for richer, visual, and interactive engagement.

So, if you have decent blog traffic already, here are five strategies that you can leverage to increase your Instagram follower count:

Regularly Embed Relevant Instagram Content Into Your Blog

• Select High-Quality And Relevant Content: Choose Instagram content that aligns with the themes and topics of your blog posts. This ensures that the embedded content resonates with your blog’s audience.

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Prioritize high-quality visuals and engaging captions when selecting Instagram posts to embed. Visually appealing and compelling content is more likely to capture the attention of your blog readers.

• Strategically Place Instagram Content: Embed your IG content strategically within your blog posts. It should feel natural and relevant to the topic you’re discussing.You can place Instagram posts within the body of the blog post, in sidebars, or at the end of the article. The placement should encourage readers to engage with your IG content without being overly intrusive.
• Provide Context And CTA: Accompany the embedded Instagram content with a brief description or context that explains its relevance to the blog post. This helps readers understand why they should click on it.Include a clear and concise CTA encouraging readers to follow your Instagram account. And it doesn’t need to sound smart, instead just focus on clarity. For example, you can simply say: Follow us on Instagram for more tips like this!
• Use Instagram Widgets: Consider using Instagram widgets or plugins that display your latest Instagram feed in a visually appealing manner. These widgets can be placed in your blog’s sidebar, footer, or on dedicated Instagram-related pages.These widgets can dynamically update to showcase your most recent IG content, keeping your blog readers engaged and informed about your latest Instagram activity.
• Measure and Analyze Results: Track the performance of your embedded Instagram content. Pay attention to metrics like clicks, likes, shares, and follows directly attributed to your blog’s embedded content.Analytics platforms are among the most important productivity tools to gain insights into which types of Instagram content resonate best with your blog audience. Adjust your strategy based on what works.

Offer Exclusive IG Follower Discounts & Promote in Blog Byline

The byline is a brief message or banner that appears at the beginning or end of your blog post, and serves as a CTA.

Creating exclusive discounts for your Instagram followers and promoting them as bylines on your blog posts is a smart strategy to convert your blog traffic into loyal Instagram followers.

You must incentivize the behavior you wish to scale.

Here’s how to effectively implement this tactic:

• Design Exclusive Discounts: Craft special offers, discounts, or promotions specifically for your Instagram followers. Ensure that these offers provide genuine value to your audience and align with your blog’s niche.Make the discounts appealing and easy to understand. For instance, you can offer a percentage discount, a buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deal, or free shipping for IG followers who purchase from your blog’s recommended products or services.
• Highlight Discounts In Blog Posts: Promote these exclusive discounts in your blog posts as attention-grabbing bylines.Use simple yet compelling language and visuals to communicate the offer. For example, you can use phrases like: Exclusive Instagram Offer or IG Followers Get Flat 15% Off.Include a clear and clickable link to your Instagram profile so that readers can easily access your IG page to take advantage of the offer.
• Create Dedicated Blog Posts: Consider creating dedicated blog posts that showcase the exclusive discounts and promotions for your Instagram followers. These posts can provide more details about the offer, its expiration date, and how to redeem it.Share the link to these dedicated blog posts in your Instagram bio and stories to direct your IG followers to your blog.
• Engage With Your Audience: Be responsive to comments, messages, and inquiries on both your blog and Instagram account. If readers or followers have questions about the discounts or need assistance, provide timely and helpful responses.Encourage them to share their experiences using the discounts or interacting with your content, and you’ll have UGC at zero cost.

Use Author Bio To Promote Your IG Account

• Optimize Your Author Bio: Start by optimizing your author bio at the end of each blog post. Ensure that it’s concise, engaging, and relevant to your blog’s niche.Include a clear and clickable link to your Instagram profile. Make it easy for readers to access your IG page directly from your author bio.
• Craft a Compelling Message: Write a brief but compelling message in your author bio that encourages readers to follow you on Instagram. This message should emphasize the value they will receive by doing so.Highlight what readers can expect from your Instagram content. Will they find exclusive tips, behind-the-scenes insights, or personal stories related to your blog’s niche? Be clear and enticing!
• Highlight Your Expertise: Mention your expertise or authority in your blog’s niche. According to Scott Chow from The Blog Starter, this can reassure readers that your Instagram account is worth following because you are a knowledgeable and trusted source in the field.If you have any notable achievements or credentials related to your blog’s topic, include them in your author bio to further establish credibility.
• Update Your Bio Periodically: Don’t forget to periodically update your author bio to keep it fresh and relevant. If you have new content or promotions on your Instagram account, incorporate these updates into your bio.

Leverage Unused And Interstitial Ad Spots To Showcase Your Instagram Content

• Identify Unused Ad Spots: First, identify any ad spaces on your blog that are currently unused or underutilized. These can be banner ads, sidebars, footers, or interstitial ad spots.
• Design Compelling Ad Creatives: Create ad creatives that seamlessly blend with your blog’s design and layout. These ads should look like a natural part of your website rather than intrusive advertisements.
• Place Instagram Content Strategically: Decide where you want to place your IG content within your blog. Most popular ad networks have options including sidebars, within blog posts, as interstitial ads, or even in exit-intent pop-ups.Ensure that the placement is non-obtrusive and enhances the user experience. You want readers to engage with the content willingly.
• Implement Clickable Elements: Make sure your showcased IG content includes clickable elements — such as buttons or links — that lead directly to your Instagram profile or specific Instagram posts when clicked.Clearly label these elements, so readers know that they can access your Instagram content by clicking on them.
• Test Ad Creatives: To maintain engagement and prevent ad fatigue, periodically update with fresh posts.A/B test different ad creatives to identify which ones perform best in terms of driving clicks and Instagram follows. Use analytics to track the effectiveness of each creative.

Promote Instagram Contests On Your Blog

Contests can generate excitement, engagement, and a sense of community among your audience.

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And most importantly, they give your readers and/or followers a reason to engage with your content. This means more opportunities for you to persuade them into following you on IG.

Follow these steps:

• Define Contest Objectives: Is your primary aim to increase Instagram followers, boost engagement, or generate UGC? Understanding your objectives will help you plan the contest effectively.
• Choose A Contest Type: There are various contest types to consider — follow-to-enter (participants must follow your IG account to enter the contest), tag-a-friend (participants tag a friend in the contest post’s comments, encouraging them to enter as well), UGC (participants create and share content related to your brand or blog, using your specific branded hashtag), and caption contest (participants provide creative captions for a given image or post).
• Create Engaging Contest Prizes: Offer prizes that are attractive to your target audience and relevant to your blog’s niche. Prizes can include products, exclusive content, access to resources, or discounts.
• Set Clear Contest Rules: Clearly outline the rules and eligibility criteria for the contest in your blog post. Specify the entry method, deadline, and any terms and conditions participants need to be aware of.
• Promote The Contest On Your Blog: Create a dedicated blog post announcing the contest. Include instructions on how to enter, the value of following your IG account, and any additional steps participants should take — such as tagging friends or using a specific hashtag.
• Cross-Promote On Instagram: Announce the contest on your IG account with a post or story. Link back to your blog post for more details and participation instructions.
• Leverage Email Marketing: If you have an email subscriber list, send out a dedicated email announcing the contest to your subscribers. And include a direct link to your blog post for participation.
• Select And Announce Winners: Once you’ve identified the deserving winners, it’s time to notify them privately. Reach out to them via DMs or via email if that’s how they entered the contest.Be prompt and gracious in your communication, congratulate them on their win and provide clear instructions on how they can receive their prize(s). Do it in a way that it compels them to share it with their friends and on their own IG account.

Wrapping Up How To Increase Instagram Followers

With its visually appealing content and billions of monthly active users, Instagram can comfortably be tagged as the primary visual platform for bloggers and just about any kind of content creators to share their passions, connect with a global audience, and build a business on top of it.

And this brings bloodless competition. So, if you can leverage any pre-existing traffic to grow your IG account, it’s almost like a katana in your arsenal.

The above-mentioned strategies will help you not only increase your follower count but also elevate your brand’s visibility.

So, which tip are you going to execute first? Let us know in the comments below.