Whether you’re starting from scratch or giving your Instagram strategy a much-needed refresh, hitting your first 1,000 followers isn’t an overnight thing.

Instagram continues to have some of the best engagement rates for brands and small businesses, but if you want followers who actually care about what you do (aka potential customers), it takes more than cute memes and a nice filter.

Here’s your friendly guide to growing your audience authentically—because I’ve been there too!

1. Fill in Your Bio (Yes, Seriously!)

You’d be surprised how many people skip this step or leave it half-finished. Your bio is prime real estate—it's the first thing people see when they land on your profile, so make it count!

Here’s what to include:

Profile Name: Use your business name (make it searchable!)
Bio Description: What do you offer? Who do you help?
Profile Picture: Logo or a professional photo if you’re the face of your brand.
Link in Bio: Direct people to a landing page that YOU control (not Linktree, please—I’ve got a whole blog explaining why!).

2. Leverage Your Existing Network

Your first followers are often people who already know, like, and trust you—so don’t be shy!

Follow friends, family, and past clients.
Connect your Instagram to Facebook and Threads.
Announce your IG handle on other platforms and ask your people to follow and share.

Pro Tip: When someone follows you, say hi! Start the convo early—it makes them feel seen and increases your engagement.

3. Be Consistent with Your Posting Schedule

Instagram rewards consistency, not perfection.

Here’s a realistic weekly plan:

Feed Posts: 3–4 per week
Stories: Daily (even just a quick check-in)
Reels: 2–3 per week
Engagement: Reply to comments & DMs within 24 hours

If you ghost your account for a while, it’s harder to bounce back. Start with what’s manageable—you don’t need to post every day to be successful. Just be consistent and intentional.

4. Post High-Quality, Engaging Content

Content should educate, entertain, or inspire. Try a mix of:

Behind-the-scenes
Tips & how-tos
Testimonials
Client transformations
Inspirational quotes (but don’t overdo it!)
Industry insights
User-generated content

👉 Not sure what to post? Download my 50 free ideas for content:

Also, check your last 9 posts—would someone know what your business is about just from scrolling your grid? If not, time for a little content glow-up!

5. Start Conversations & Engage with Others

Instagram is a two-way street. Don’t just post and bounce—engage!

Ask questions in your captions
Run polls and quizzes in Stories
Reply to every comment and DM (yes, every one!)
Leave thoughtful comments on other people’s posts in your industry

And hey, slide into someone’s DMs (professionally!) and tell them what you love about their content. Real connection > random likes.

6. Use Smart Hashtags

Hashtags still matter in 2025, but they’ve evolved.

Use a mix of:

Niche hashtags (#MadeInNovaScotia, #HalifaxMakers)
Industry hashtags (#SocialMediaTips, #DigitalMarketing)
Branded hashtags (Create your own!)
Location-based hashtags (especially if you’re a local biz)

✅ Instagram lets you use up to 30 hashtags per post—use them wisely and always use capitalization for each word (#KASocialMedia not #kasocialmedia).

Keep a few “go-to” hashtag sets saved in your Notes app for easy copy/paste!

7. Prioritize Video Content

Like it or not, video is STILL queen.

According to Instagram updates as of early 2025:

Reels can be up to 3 minutes long now
Stories are now 60 seconds per clip
Feed videos can be up to 60 minutes
Live videos can go up to 4 hours

If you’re not already doing video content, now’s the time to start. It doesn’t need to be perfect—just show up as YOU.

8. Go All-In on Reels

Reels are still the fastest way to grow in 2025. Seriously.

Use Reels to:

Teach something useful
Share behind-the-scenes clips
Show off your product/service in action
Join trending audio (if it fits your brand!)

Short, snappy, and helpful or fun = winning combo.

9. Use Carousels to Educate & Inspire

Carousels (multi-image posts) are gold for:

Step-by-step how-tos
“Swipe to learn” tips
Myth-busting
Before/after stories

They encourage people to stay on your post longer, save it, and share it—which tells the algorithm your content is worth showing to more people.

Need an example? Check out my post [insert link] on how to use carousels like a pro.

10. Remove Fake Followers & Bots

It’s not about how many followers you have—it’s about the right followers.

Every few months, scroll through your follower list and remove:

Spammy usernames
No profile pics or bios
Inactive accounts

Cleaning out fake followers improves your engagement rate, which boosts your visibility with real people who might actually become customers!

Consistency & Quality

Reaching your first 1,000 followers isn’t always easy—but it’s totally doable with strategy and consistency.

And once you get there? It really does get easier. That momentum starts to build, and before you know it, you’ve got a thriving, engaged community that loves what you do.

💬 Need help getting started or want a fresh set of eyes on your strategy? Reach out to book a 1:1 session with me or check out my social media training options.

You don’t have to figure it all out alone—I’ve got you. 💛

10 Ways to Get Your First 1,000 Followers on Instagram (2025 Update!)