Instagram is all about sharing your pictures and interacting with your friends, family, and followers. Getting likes on Instagram depends on so many factors. It is not just how much followers you have. There are a few tactics that you can apply to get more likes on your posts.
Instagram has a very huge number of active users. With the right strategy, you can easily target your audience and get more likes on your posts for free. In fact, you can also increase your followers on Instagram. In this guide, we have shared various tips and tactics that can help you to improve user engagement on your posts.
Table of Contents
1. Make your account public
If you have a private account on Instagram, then you have to make it public. This needs to be done because when you have a private account, only your followers can like and comment on your posts. This reduces the chances of your photos getting more likes from people who aren’t following you.
When you have a private account, your posts can’t also get on the Explore page on Instagram. To make your account public, simply go to your profile, click the menu (three parallel lines at the top-right corner), and then go to Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy. Now turn off the Private account button. That’s it.
2. Add hashtags in your posts
Using hashtags can give an instant boost on your posts to get more likes for free. When you add a hashtag, it will make that post appear on that hashtag page so that people who are exploring it can see your post there. It is important to use hashtags in the right way.
Don’t use too many of them as it can also affect your posts negatively. Only use relevant keywords that are related to the post. For example, if you are posting a picture of your selfie in the sun, then you can use hashtags like #sunkissed, #selfie, #morning, etc.
There are so hashtags which are popular for getting likes such as #likeforlike, #instalike, etc. You can also use these hashtags but we don’t recommend you for that as they aren’t organic. Moreover, you wouldn’t like to tell people that you are running after likes on your photos and videos.
3. Post at the right time of the day
You will need to know at what time of the day your followers are most active. If you will share your posts at that time, then the chances of getting more likes will be very high.
As you may already know, millions of photos and videos are uploaded on Instagram every day. If you want your posts to come at the top and get noticed by everyone, then you have to choose the right time to share them.
According to some researches, the best time to post on Instagram is in the evening and at night as most people are active at that time. You can try and experiment at different times and find out which works best for you.
4. Post original and high-quality photos
The next most important thing is that your photos should be in high-quality and also original i.e. not copied by any other Instagram profile. People love to see original content. If you will go creative and make your posts unique, it will definitely get more likes.
If your photos lose their quality as you upload them, you can read our guide on how to upload high-quality photos on Instagram. This happens normally with every person but there are few things you can do to ensure the best quality for your photos.
5. Use catchy-captions
The caption is the second thing people see after seeing your photo or video on Instagram. It gives you a great opportunity to attract people towards your posts so as to increase your likes. Most people underestimate the power of captions but we want to tell that it plays an important role.
Using a catchy-caption can dramatically increase user engagement on your post, not just likes but comments also. Do some brainstorming to come up with your own unique caption or use Google for this. One thing you have to keep in mind is that caption should be relevant to what you are posting.
6. Post regularly
It is no hidden now that the people who post regularly get more exposure and boost on Instagram. Have you ever wondered why those so-called “social media influencers” are so active? This is the main reason. Posting regularly also increases your chances of getting on the Instagram Explore page. There is no exact number as to how much you should post daily. A good rule of thumb is to post at least 2-3 times.
7. Give shoutout in your story
You can also use Instagram stories to promote your posts and get more likes on them. Instagram allows you to add posts in stories directly. Simply, click the send icon on your post and then tap the “Add post to your story” option. After that, you can edit your story by adding music, text, and stickers, and finally, post it.
The post is added as a link to the Instagram story. Viewers can click on the preview to open our post directly. By promoting your posts through stories, you will definitely get more user engagement and thus more likes. You can use some call-to-action words in your story so as to attract people to see your post.
8. Ask your friends to give story shoutouts
This is another thing you can try to get more likes on your Instagram posts. You may have many close friends on Instagram that will sum up to thousands of followers. Just ask them to promote your posts in their stories. We know it is awkward to ask someone to share your personal photos but you can use it for other kinds of posts. If you are not okay with this method, then don’t try it.
9. Increase your Instagram followers
More followers mean more likes on your posts. As simple as that. We have already posted an in-depth study on how you can increase your Instagram followers quickly. Make sure to read that post if you are interested in it. If you have very few followers on Instagram, then your main focus should be to increase them first. It’s not that hard as it sounds. With the right strategy, you can get as many followers as you want very easily.
10. Boost your post with Instagram ads
Last but not the least, you can run ads for your post to get more likes on it. This will give an instant boost. Instagram ads are quite cheap which almost anyone can afford. Make sure to target your audience properly and create an attractive post. This way, you can also increase your followers.
So these are some tips you can implement to get more organic likes on your Instagram posts for free. At last, we just want to say that it depends on how much effort you put in that decides how much likes you get on your posts. Please keep in mind that likes are just numbers so don’t run after them – there are more beautiful things in life. Let us know if we have missed any point. If you have any question in your mind, feel free to share it in the comment section below.
Vivek ChaudharyVerified AuthorThis author is verified as a trusted expert and senior writer. A formal process has been completed to confirm their identity and qualifications.
