In the world of Instagram, engagement usually equals success. Thus, your popularity is determined by your number of followers, story views, and, most significantly, the likes on your posts.
So, it comes as no surprise that most influencers and brands try their best to get as many likes on their content as possible. To that end, they use different tricks, from using hashtag strategies to getting really creative with their posts.
Follow along as we explore all of these methods and help you figure out how to get a bunch of likes on Instagram each time you post.
Instagram Likes: How Much Do They Still Matter?
In 2021, Instagram started rolling out updates that eventually allowed users to hide the likes on their public posts. If you use this option, your post will say “liked by [Instagram_user] and others”. By clicking on this part of the post, you can access the list of users who liked it.
According to Instagram, these updates are supposed to help people enjoy the platform without worrying too much about likes and engagement. Moreover, the company wanted to give users full control over their accounts, and that includes who can see their like counts.
Now, you might be wondering: do likes still matter if people can just hide them? Well, the answer is a resounding yes.
Namely, Instagram likes are still a huge part of the app’s analytics. So, even if you hide them on your posts, they still play an integral role in the overall recommendation system that controls what certain users see as they scroll on the app.
In other words, the more likes your post gets, the more likely it will show up on people’s feeds if they’re interested in your niche. Therefore, gunning to get more Instagram likes is definitely necessary, especially if you are an up-and-coming brand or influencer that wants to make it big.
Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of the best tips and tricks you can use so your posts thrive.
Tips and Tricks for Getting More Instagram Likes
1. Make Compelling Content
First and foremost, your content has to be of the highest quality if you want it to have a lot of likes. Otherwise, people will simply scroll right by your post, as it won’t look interesting or attractive enough to pique their interest. So, you should dedicate time, effort, and resources to making engaging pics or videos.
That can entail playing around with lighting and effects, going to exciting places to create your content, or making funny skits or dancing Reels. You can also collaborate with other users or brands or make high-quality IGTV content.
Your decision should depend on your preferred niche and your goals for a particular post. In addition, it should be based on your target audience. By figuring out what they like and want to see on their feed, you’ll have no trouble getting them to double-tap.
2. Use Hashtags Wisely
On Instagram, hashtags can be your biggest friend and ally if you want to reach a larger number of people with your content.
Namely, when you use hashtags, you ensure that your posts appear when people search for them. That, in turn, puts you on a lot of users’ radars, allowing you to impress them and get them to engage with you.
But for that to be possible, you have to be smart about your hashtag selection and usage. For one, you shouldn’t just pile on hashtag after hashtag, hoping that at least a few of them will give you exposure.
Instead, it is better to use from 3 to 5 hashtags in total. A few of them should be general and related to your niche or brand, while the rest should refer to the post itself.
For example, let’s say you’re just starting a book review page on Instagram (or a bookstagram). When posting your first review, you should use general hashtags such as #bookstagram and #bookreview. In addition to those, it’s also wise to include hashtags for the specific book you’re writing about, its author, and its publisher.
These guidelines work for posts in any industry or niche, from makeup and skincare to sports and true crime. Applying them to your posts will ensure that you use all the advantages that come with hashtags without making your post look tacky and hard to read.
Furthermore, hashtags are also a great tool for building brand presence and making all your posts more available. If you tag all your content with a single unique hashtag (your brand name, for example), you’ll make it a lot easier for people to find your posts. From there, getting more likes will come a lot more easily.
3. Get the Best Out of Captions
While the content itself is always crucial, you shouldn’t overlook the significance of captions. They accompany your videos or pics and can play a big role in attracting people’s attention.
When coming up with a good caption, it’s important to think of the goal of the entire post. For example, if you are advertising a product, it helps to mention when and where it will be available.
On the other hand, you can also use captions to check in with your audience. That can include telling them something personal or sharing updates about your life or work. This approach is more suitable for influencers, as they usually build their brand on fan interaction and being candid on socials.
However, you can utilize longer captions even if you run a brand. Instead of just writing your product’s name and description, you could tell your audience a bit about the production or creative process behind it. That way, they’ll feel closer to you and more inclined to actually buy what you’re offering.
Finally, we’ll leave you with a word of caution. When you write your captions, always put quality over quantity. That is to say, don’t write a book chapter’s worth of content if it isn’t relevant to your post.
4. Organize Like-Based Giveaways
If you use Instagram regularly, you’ve probably seen dozens of posts containing “like this and follow me to participate in…” Such contests and giveaways are an excellent opportunity to increase all points of your engagement, but especially likes.
With posts like these, everybody wins. On the one hand, your followers get to participate in the contest and potentially win something they want. And on the other, you’ll see an organic spike in activity in your post analytics. That can, in turn, lead to exposure and lots of new fans and customers.
Of course, it probably won’t be possible to do these types of contests frequently, especially if you’re a smaller account. However, whenever you have a chance, you cannot go wrong with such a giveaway.
5. Look at Current Industry Trends
No matter what niche you belong to, it’s always essential to keep track of what’s popular at the moment. That includes scouring all the news about your industry, as well as paying attention to what your competitors are doing.
Staying on top of trends is pivotal for anyone on social media, as it allows you to create content that your audience will truly find relevant. So, try to take note of which products are popular and what topics everyone’s discussing. Then, think of how your own brand fits into it all.
Besides industry trends, it is also wise to follow popular culture in general. For example, using popular meme formats in your content can do a lot to endear you to your audience. The same goes for popular effects, songs, filters, and so on.
As for your competitors, the same rules apply. While you should never copy someone, it can’t hurt to take a peek at what they’re doing. Even more importantly, it’s good to keep tabs on how their audience is reacting to the content. By doing so, you can improve your own content strategy significantly.
6. Tag Your Locations
According to reports, content using tagged locations has 79% higher engagement rates than regular posts. Similarly to hashtags, tagging a location can help your post appear when users search for a particular area or location. Thus, anyone who looks up a certain place can see all the posts tagged there, including yours.
So, next time you post, make sure that you tag your location — whether on a regular pic, story, or reel. Furthermore, use locations for every subsequent post on the platform. Consistency is vital, as it is what will get you noticed by those who might not know about your brand.
Finally, while it’s pivotal to tag locations when you travel, you should still do it even if you seldom leave your town or city. Doing so will help you establish yourself as a reliable local brand, bringing you both more likes and more exposure.
7. Tag Other People
In case you are partnering with a brand or influencer, you should tag them in your posts, stories, and Reels when relevant. Nowadays, Instagram even allows you to share collab posts, which appear both on your and your partner’s profiles.
You should note that this feature is only available for those with a creator or business account. So, before attempting to make a collab post, change your profile type in your settings.
Tagging other brands or influencers this way can help you catch the eye of their followers. Once they spot your profile, they might tap it and explore it, which usually leads to more likes, comments, and follows.
Even if you don’t use the collab feature, it’s still smart to tag anyone featured on your posts. That way, your post will appear in the ‘tagged’ portion of their profile, prompting their followers to check it out.
Moreover, tagging someone might also cause the algorithm to recommend your content to any users they interact with. If you have a similar target audience, you can end up with a bunch of new followers and likes.
8. Buy Likes
And finally, you can also get more likes on Instagram by buying them from different websites.
While it might seem appealing to purchase any number of likes you want right away, you have to be extra careful when it comes to choosing a seller. Namely, many of them aren’t trustworthy, and most will offer you likes from inactive accounts or bots.
It’s also important to mention that Instagram can easily pick up on any suspicious activity that is against its terms of service. That is especially the case with buying likes from sketchy third parties. If the app catches you in the act, it can easily suspend or ban your account.
So, it is essential to find a reliable seller that won’t scam you and put you on Instagram’s radar. To that end, you should check the reliability of the websites and platforms you come across.
Additionally, you can also check out relevant discussions on forums such as Quora and Reddit. That way, you can connect with users that have gone through the process of buying likes for their Instagram accounts and who can give you some useful tips.