Step 1: Don’t buy Likes
Step 2: Ask yourself: “How can you cater to your audience on Instagram?
Most importantly, think of ways to make your IG feeds more intriguing because, ultimately, how you present yourself matters and differentiates you from others. It requires voluminous efforts, but if you are game for it, then nothing can stop you. Before we go deeper into exploring ways of getting more likes for free, let’s first understand a new strategy Insta has experimented with recently to reduce the cut-throat competition and envy.
Instagram is hiding Likes now. Yes, this is true. Does it not matter anymore? It does count as much as mattered before, but the ideology behind not showing the number of likes on a feed promotes healthy growth and competition.
If the content is rich and unique, then people should go ahead and like it whether anyone else follows the account or not. They should shift their focus from the number of likes to the quality of images and video clips. This all started in 2019; at first, they experimented in Canada by not reflecting the number of likes. They tried doing the same in Ireland, Japan, Brazil, New Zealand, and Australia.
You can still see the likes your IG feed attracts, but you can’t see the number of likes on other users’ feeds. However, the IG algorithm continues to operate like before.
Does this new strategy affect the brands that rely heavily on the site’s success? As per a survey conducted in Canada amongst the IG influencers, 41% of the respondents stated that it has reduced engagement on their IG handle. In comparison, 16% indicated that it had created utter confusion amidst brands.
On the bright side, 37% of respondents stated that removing several likes on other feeds has significantly lesser pressure. Their creativity is enhanced as there are more or less no hindrances in their flow of thoughts now.
In a nutshell, whether you feel the pinch or not, likes are still a critical factor in deciding the success of your IG account.
Given underneath are some of the effective ways of earning likes on Insta for free:
Post Compelling Images
Photography is an art and how you take it to the next level is a skill in itself. So, encash it well for promoting your brand. The more compelling your pictures are, the more are the chances of your feed getting more likes.
Figure out to do things differently than just being a hobbyist because you can’t expect extraordinary outcomes without exceptional efforts. So, whether you upgrade your skills, take photography lessons, or upscale your equipment, do whatever it takes to be the best.
Use the Relevant Hashtags on Your Posts
Using the relevant hashtags on your Insta feeds effective tools as these hashtags can open a Pandora box full of opportunities for you. Hashtags attract the right audience to your post and garner more subscribers. Find the hashtag that matches your niche (for instance, #beagletoydogs, don’t keep it as lame as #dog), and use it to attract like-minded people.
Placing these hashtags is also essential; you can put them either in the description or in the comments.
An ideal number of hashtags one should use to get a high engagement is around 9.
Creating a branded hashtag that speaks volumes about your brand is another critical thing to do.
Use Hashtags in Your Stories and Bio
Indeed, using stories alone don’t directly achieve bios, or Instagram likes but employing hashtags with planning in both of them is a fantastic and self-reliant way to expand your reach to fresh set followers.
Pro tip: it’s good to conceal hashtags in your stories to keep things pleasant.
Figure Out Who Your Audience is?
Some essential questions to understand well, the liking and preference of your audience, and to know who they are.
Moreover, have you distinguished your social media audience from Instagram audience overall?
Are you done with your target market research thoroughly?
Find out who your audience is by figuring out these answers.
Tag People and Brands When Relevant
The main objective is to highlight how much you value them and share that value with your audience. Whenever possible, keep tagging brands and people as and when relevant people you find; this enhances your relationship with other people. You give someone proper attention, and you get the same back. Be it you are tagging a new acquaintance, a collaborator, or any celebrity.
Write Compelling Captions
Figure out which caption describes your brand well. Not necessarily a shorter caption will always work well for you. You can choose 2200 characters of extended captions as well, which have your personal touch in them. This could be an excellent strategy to stand out in heaps of feeds.
However, try and keep it short as much as possible to gain users’ attention instantly if you are a well-established brand on social media as people already know about you and your brand. You can go ahead and add a CTA to your content.
Geotag Your Location
Geotagging your location can be another effective strategy to attract more demographics in that area to like your post. Especially if you are into plumbing services or brick and mortar business, then tagging your locations will be excellent in reaching out to the locals who may require your services at once and regularly.
Post Consistently
Posting consistently is a must to make your presence known on social media. A posting schedule tool will be super helpful in streamlining your content that needs to be posted at a regular time interval.
However, do not lose your focus; concentrate on creating quality content over quantity. This way, you can pace out your posting frequency and can take a break in between while your content gets rolling in on the site.
Post when Your Followers are Online
Instagram’s algorithm picks the recent posts to pop up on the app, analyzes the pattern when your followers visit the site or check their Insta app, probably Friday evenings after work, or are logged in most of the day on weekends. So, think through the time when most of your followers are online.
Run a like-to-win Contest
While this may take a certain amount of time and energy, planning a contest is an instant hit amongst social media viewers and significantly boosts the engagement rate on your IG post.
Do keep in mind giving away prizes that your audience may benefit from, at the same time realistic. iPhones, foreign trips, or cash prizes will only attract opportunities, not genuine fans.
Let’s Wrap Up
You can earn free likes on Instagram by putting in some substantial effort. Knowing your audience well is the key to developing content that will attract them.
Posting consistently with intriguing captions, relevant hashtags, placing them strategically in stories, comments, bio, timing the posting schedule, adding CTA to your post, adding geolocation, and running contests, are some of the effective strategies that you can use to boost your engagement rate on Insta posts.
