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Going viral on Instagram is a growing trend among Millennials and Gen Z. While this may seem unattainable to most, is it anything but a pipe dream. Social media has taken the world by storm…and so can you! Apps like Instagram are the perfect gateway to success. Using your own creativity and software like NeoReach, anyone can up their Insta game. So how do you go viral on Instagram? Think of one of the most viral emojis: the PEACH. No, I’m not saying to post your peach… Promotion, Engagement, Analytics, Content, and Hashtags. This five-step process will take you to the next level.
1. Promotion
The best way to get followers on Instagram is to promote yourself. You can do this through countless outlets: pictures, ads, partnerships, and more. I can’t even list them all! That’s how many promotion opportunities you have at your fingertips.
On almost every influencers’ page, you will see a few posts with the phrase “Paid partnership with account” above the picture, signaling that these influencers are using their platform to their advantage by using a brand to grow their following (and their bank account). This is a great way for both brands and influencers to advertise. Brands are also more inclined to give individuals with a strong social media presence their own discount code that they can share with followers.
Another fun way to promote yourself social media account is to have giveaways! You can either create your own giveaway or do one that uses products of companies and brands you partner with. This is a great way to promote yourself and a brand, while also engaging followers. I mean, we all love free stuff right? TIP: Have a giveaway where your followers need to tag a couple of friends in order to increase your reach and exposure!
2. Engagement
Followers are more inclined to follow you if you are engaged with them. Would you rather be friends with someone who talks to you often or not at all? The choice is clear and I urge you to use this thought process with your followers. You also need to post often to retain your following simply because no one wants to follow someone on social media who is inactive. You can see how well your followers are engaging with you through the Insights tab on Instagram.
Making sure you engage your followers is important. You also need to put time into communicating with them: respond to their comments, repost content you are tagged in, etc. It is a simple yet incredibly effective way to retain and gain followers. Think about it: if you always like someone’s pictures, they typically share the love and like yours back. #Like4Like
3. Analytics
Use analytics to your advantage! Instagram features Insights to help users with this. They provide data for your Content, Activity, and Audience. I cannot stress this enough: if you have it, use it! These help you discover when the best time is to post, how many profile visits you’re getting, what your retention is, and so much more. This is just a simple tool you can use to analyze how your account is stacking up and what you can do to improve it! Instagram also offers the ability to promote your own posts. This allows you to share some of your favorite pictures in order to gain a stronger following.
The more you know, the more you succeed. NeoReach offers more advanced software to take your data to the next level. This includes social metrics and demographics like age, occupation, language, and race. We also provide the general age range of followers and what cities/countries the majority of your followers live. The more you know, the more you succeed. Knowing your audience gives you the ability to curate your feed. Pictured below are some of Kayla Itsines’ (@kaylaitsines) statistics, for example.
4. Content
Content is quite literally your key to going viral on Instagram. You cannot amass followers if you do not post quality content that catches their attention. In order to do so, you must know your audience. But, you also need to know yourself! You should be posting content that reflects you as an individual. You’re one of a kind and your true self is your best self. It’s important to put your best foot forward but don’t lose yourself in the process! Find a theme for your page and stick to it. Whether you want to focus on fashion, fitness, cooking, travel, or something else. The Instagram world is your oyster and you have the ability to DO YOUR THANG! Need an example? Mason Ramsay posted a video of him yodeling in Walmart and look where he is now!
Another way to up your content game is to use filters. Creating a cohesive appearance on your page is eye-catching to many social media users. It also looks great. Many people will pick a color scheme to use or a filter to apply to almost every picture to make sure their page look appealing to others. I’d be lying if I said I did not do this myself. You can use apps like VSCO or Lightroom to take your insta game to the next level.
5. Hashtags
Hashtags are a simple and effective way to increase your following. Simply throwing a few hashtags at the end of your caption increases your chance of catching the attention of someone who might not otherwise stumble across your page. You can also strategically select a set of hashtags to add to the comments section of your post. Instagram now has a feature where you can follow hashtags in addition to following other accounts. Use this to your advantage! Use as many hashtags as your heart desires. It will pay off in the end to help you go viral on Instagram.
