In just over a decade, Instagram has transformed from a place to share cute memories with friends and trendy snaps of your breakfast to one of the most vital marketing channels for businesses today. In fact, if you haven’t considered Instagram in your brand’s strategy, chances are you’re missing out big time. With over 2 billion active users, the potential for Instagram to reach consumers for virtually any niche is more than apparent, not to mention building up brand loyalty and securing additional avenues for monetization.
But managing your Instagram presence can be difficult – not just in terms of growing your followers and securing an audience, but in tracking your strategies to see if you’re doing the right thing. In this article, we’ll be diving into methods you can use to track your Instagram growth to ensure your approach is yielding the results you want. We’ll also review some tried-and-true methods to authentically grow your following. Let’s get into it.
Why monitoring your follower growth matters
Let’s get down to the basics: Your Instagram follower growth rate refers to the speed at which your account is gaining (or potentially losing) followers. Usually, it involves a mix of the two, as you’ll naturally gain and lose some followers over time depending on your Instagram activity. The goal here, of course, is to outnumber the losses with the addition of new followers.
Measuring that follower growth helps paint a clearer picture, giving you valuable insights that allow you to:
Measure the success of your Instagram strategy: Are your follower numbers steadily climbing? Are you attracting your target audience? Follower growth data communicates your strategy's effectiveness in achieving your goals.
Identify content that works: Which content is gaining traction and attracting new followers? Analyzing follower growth alongside engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares can help you pinpoint winning content styles that you should focus on.
Optimize your approach: Based on your follower growth trends, you can adjust things such as your content calendar, hashtags, and post formats and refine your overall approach to maximize the audience you bring in.
How to calculate follower growth
The calculation for your Instagram follower growth over a given period is quite simple:
The figure you use for the previous follower count will depend on the time period over which you are measuring your follower growth.
For example: Let’s say, in January, you had 5000 followers. In February, you had 5500 followers. Your calculation is therefore (5500-5000)/5000 x 100. This equates to a growth rate of 0.1, or 10%.
5 methods to track Instagram followers over time
Now, the good news is that there's no single approach to tracking your Instagram follower growth. In fact, depending on your needs and your budget, there are a variety of methods you can employ to help you with this process. Here's a breakdown of various methods you could consider:
1. Manually keep track
If you fancy yourself an Instagram follower checker, this is the old-school way to do it. Just jot down your follower count every now and then (say, once a week or once a month) to see how things are going. It's simple enough, but definitely not the most precise method, especially if you're looking at things over a long period.
2. Use Instagram’s analytics
If you have a business profile on Instagram, you've got a secret weapon: insights! This built-in tool offers you info about your followers, including how many you've gained over time, who they are (age, location, interests), and how they're interacting with your content. It's another simple way to understand your audience and determine whether your growth is up to snuff.
3. Level up with dedicated tools
Want to get even deeper into your follower growth? Influencer marketing platforms and third-party analytics tools can show you things like how your follower growth compares to competitors and even predict future growth. Platforms such as HypeAuditor for example can even give you better information about the quality of your followers, such as the percentage of fake followers (who you’ll want to avoid). These tools are great options for businesses that want to take their Instagram game up a notch and gain a strategic edge.
4. Try using spreadsheets:
If spreadsheets don’t scare you off, you can always track your follower growth manually. Just build a spreadsheet in something like Excel and record your follower count daily or weekly. Remember, consistency is key here, and the risk of human error is always there – so just be mindful.
5. Experiment with social media schedulers:
Social media management tools are another option. These tools not only have built-in Instagram growth tracker capabilities, but they can also help you schedule posts, monitor engagement, and even keep tabs on competitors. It's a great way to streamline your workflow and gain valuable insights into your audience, all in one place.
10 tips for boosting your Instagram growth rate (the right way)
Building up a loyal, engaged following should be of high priority to any business on Instagram, but some tactics work better than others. We’re not going to get into why buying followers and similar underhanded tactics are a bad move, so instead, let’s focus on some Instagram growth hacks to help you rake in followers and keep them for the long haul:
1. First impressions count
Your Instagram profile communicates to others everything they need to know about you in just a few images and words – zero pressure. Take the time to make it visually appealing with a quality brand image as your profile picture and create a clear, concise bio to let users know who you are and what your brand represents. You can also include a link to your website to create a nice funnel to a storefront or something relevant to your business.
2. Focus on high-quality, trending content
Instagram is a visual platform, so naturally, you’re gonna want to ensure the content you put out will grab the attention of people scrolling by. Make sure you catch users from the very beginning with appealing imagery; in the case of trending content such as Reels, make sure you have an early hook so viewers don’t look for something else too quickly. Experiment with content until you find what clicks, and vary it up so existing followers are keen to stick around.
3. Don’t neglect proper hashtag use
Hashtags act as keywords, helping users discover your content. Research relevant hashtags within your niche, striking a balance between popularity and competition (platforms such as HypeAuditor even offer tools for finding the best hashtags to use). If UGC campaigns or very specific content related to your brand is your focus, consider creating a unique branded hashtag to encourage others to get on board – it’ll help with brand recognition.
4. Keep up with engagement
Getting comments on your content is nice, but responding to them is even nicer. Instagram users love feeling like their comments are noted and seen, and it helps to humanize your brand when you take the time to acknowledge them. Drop a reply or even just a simple like to help build community.
5. Consider strategic influencer partnerships
Influencer marketing has proven to be a big win for brands, and that’s not just for securing sales through content creators. Associating yourself with the right influencers through successful campaigns will help channel their followers to your platform, building up your follow count in the process. Just be sure to thoroughly analyze influencers to ensure a good fit, since they act as a form of brand representative when you agree to partner up with them.
6. Host giveaways and contests
Well-designed contests and giveaways can incentivize audience participation, attract new followers, and generate excitement around your brand. This can either be done on your own brand page or via collaborations with influencers, similar to the previous point. Often, these sorts of giveaways require contestants to follow your brand page to enter, helping boost followers naturally. Just don’t overdo this tactic as it may lead to uninterested users clogging up your follow count, reducing your engagement.
7. Maintain posting consistency
Social media algorithms prioritize those who keep the content flowing, and your brand is no exception to this rule. Developing a consistent Instagram posting strategy ensures your brand remains visible on your followers’ timelines, which is key to them sticking around. Aim to post on a frequent basis, at least a few times a week. Consistency also helps build anticipation and encourages followers to check back for new content.
8. Analyze your performance
Instagram insights provide valuable data on your audience demographics, content performance, and reach. Take the time to dive deep into engagement metrics such as likes, comments, saves, and click-through rates to understand what content your audience is loving and what they’re not – you can then use this to inform your Instagram content strategy, ensuring existing followers remain and that new users convert into followers when they come across your content.
9. Check out the competition
Sometimes learning from the best is the way forward. Keep an eye on your competitors' Instagram presence and take notes on their content strategy, types of posts, and engagement levels. You could also see which influencers they’re partnering up with to learn who to work with in the future, or at least the kind of influencers that are relevant in your industry. You can then adapt your findings to boost your own strategy whilst applying a unique spin to make sure you stay true to your brand’s identity.
10. Leverage paid ads
While organic growth is crucial for long-term success, appropriate paid advertising strategies can be a viable way to accelerate your follower growth and introduce your brand to those who would be interested. Try out Instagram Ads to target specific demographics and interests, making sure your paid efforts reach the right audience and also find you high-quality potential followers.
Conclusion
If you came here wondering how to track followers on Instagram, we hope that you’ve walked away equipped not only with a simple answer but a range of methods you can use in your business’s marketing strategy. By trialing out the range of ways to check your Instagram growth rate, as well as keeping in mind tips for how to keep your follow count steadily growing, you can make the most out of Instagram and cement it as a viable avenue for your brand’s growth
