25 Proven Ways to Get More Likes On Instagram (2023)

Want to get more Likes on Instagram?

This article shows you 25 proven ways to get more Likes and followers on IG (without spending too much time or money).

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Question: Are you getting maximum Likes on your Instagram posts right now?

For most businesses, the answer is NO!

Because if your Likes aren’t increasing post by post over time, then your business is missing out on a HUGE amount of potential exposure.

But don’t worry — it’s not a lost cause.

You can use strategies to get more Likes on Instagram INSTANTLY.

This article will share our top 25 proven tips to get more Instagram likes AND followers.

Let’s get started!

We'll cover:

• Why Likes and engagement are important
• How to get more Likes on Instagram: 25 killer tips
• How NOT to get more likes on Instagram

25 Proven Ways to Get More Likes On Instagram

Most people are just guessing when it comes to their social media strategy.

So they try different things that they HOPE will get them more likes.

Unfortunately, businesses don’t grow on HOPE.

They thrive on KNOWLEDGE and ACTION.

We and countless other businesses have tested these 25 tips, and we don’t HOPE they work for you.

We KNOW they’ll work for you just like they’ve worked for everyone else.

Learning how to get more likes and followers on Instagram is a science.

Your likes and followers will grow steadily if you prioritize following these tips.

Why Likes and engagement are important

Is it that big a deal if you aren’t getting many likes?

Is it worth your time to work on your Instagram likes and followers?

YES X2!

Your social media presence is one of the first impressions people have of your business.

So if they find a lifeless page that gets 2 or 3 likes per photo, that isn’t very impressive!

Instead, you want your potential customers to see a thriving, growing Instagram profile!

Increasing Instagram followers and likes starts a beautiful, business-growing cycle of exposure.

Let’s look at that cycle and show you how it can help your business grow.

1. Get more exposure

Getting lots of likes and engagement on Instagram isn’t just to boost your ego — it’s also free advertisement!

Social media helps your business grow because people are… well, social!

If you create a page with AMAZING engagement, your followers will start to show their followers your page.

That means you just got a FREE word-of-mouth referral because your business’s Instagram page was full of likes and engagement.

If that sounds like a long shot, it isn’t.

Social media profiles are like snowballs.

First, they have to gain momentum to get started.

But once they get started, they multiply.

2. Get more followers

What happens when your followers share your page with their followers and friends?

You get even more followers!

Followers create new followers, so many people are tempted to buy followers when they’re just starting (DON’T buy followers. We’ll discuss why near the end of this article).

This natural growth due to engagement is both sustainable and beneficial.

When you get followers because of referrals, they're primed and ready to be interested in the content on your page.

3. Repeat

Once this snowball gets started, it picks up the pace quickly.

Likes bring in followers...

Those followers like your posts and engage with them...

Those likes bring in MORE followers.

That process repeats itself, which is what creates a thriving Instagram community!

Don't get discouraged if your Instagram page has been stagnating for a while.

We’ll show you how to tap into this exposure cycle to grow your followers quickly.

Before long, your Instagram likes and followers will be growing faster than you’ve ever seen!

How to get more Likes on Instagram: 25 killer tips

Now that you’re familiar with the benefits of increasing your Instagram Likes let’s talk about how to do it.

These tips will help you improve your Instagram strategy and each post individually.

If you can consistently put all 25 of these tips into practice, you should quickly boost your Instagram followers and Likes.

After we’ve gone through our top tips to get more Likes on Instagram, we’ll also give you some tips on things to AVOID on Instagram.

(You don’t want to waste all that hard work and ruin your profile!)

Let’s jump in!

1. Use hashtags

There's a strong correlation between the level of engagement and the number of hashtags used on Instagram images.

More hashtags equal more engagement! It’s that simple!

Instagram allows for up to 30 hashtags per image, and there's no reason to limit yourself to just a couple.

Instagram itself recommends using 3-5 hashtags per post, but social media experts recommend using as many as possible.

However, it’s essential to recognize that using irrelevant hashtags just to get to 30 won’t help you.

You should stick to hashtags that are directly relevant to your post.

2. Don't use filters

Do you plan to filter your next Instagram photo? Don't do it!!

Studies show that Instagram images — particularly selfies — with filters result in FEWER likes than those without filters.

Why?

People want to feel like they’re getting to know the real you through your Instagram account.

Photos with filters seem disingenuous, which results in fewer likes.

Instead of posting pictures with filters, try taking the opportunity to share a photo that helps your followers get to know you (more on that in a minute).

Pictures of:

• You doing your job
• Your team at work
• Your dogs
• Your messy desk

Your followers want to know you, and their likes will prove it!

3. Use a solid call to action

Studies show that pictures with the word “like” in the caption received 89% more Likes, and photos with “comment” got 2,194% more comments!

And no, that doesn’t mean your caption should just say, “Like, Comment.”

Instead, use your caption as a call to action.

You don’t just have to encourage likes and comments.

You should also promote tagging and sharing!

The best way to do this is to leave a standard caption.

Then, under it, add a new line saying something like, “Comment your favorite [fill in the blank with whatever your post was about]!”

4. Don't over-edit

Don’t over-edit your Instagram photos!

We’ve all seen the Instagram pictures that have been edited beyond recognition.

They usually catch your attention, but they don’t hold it for very long.

Overedited pictures (especially oversaturated pictures) can be hard to look at.

It can even be hard to tell what it’s a photo of.

To avoid this mistake, keep your editing to a minimum.

You want your pictures to look natural to get the most Likes possible.

5. Share "edgy" photos

No, we don’t mean edgy in the traditional sense (you should probably avoid edgy memes that might offend your followers).

We mean pictures with lots of edges in them!

The more edges and structures you have in your photos, the better.

This may seem like strange, black magic, but it isn’t. Studies have shown that pictures with more edges in them perform better!

When your picture has edges, it takes the viewer a moment to process the image, meaning they dwell on your picture longer.

When they sit and look at the picture, they become more likely to Like it!

Remember that “edgy” is different than “busy.”

You don’t just want to throw a bunch of stuff in your picture.

Instead, try incorporating buildings and structures in your pictures in intriguing ways.

6. Use the right colors

Did you know that specific colors perform better on Instagram?

Avoid yellow, orange & pink.

Photos with grays, blues & greens get the most engagement on Instagram.

Your guess is as good as ours as to why this happens, but it does!

It’s not the end of the world if your picture includes some pink.

However, using bluer images, in general, will help you get more likes on Instagram.

Here’s an important note: If you’re choosing between a worse picture that’s bluer and a better picture that’s pinker, you should still select the better picture.

Even if it’s at the wrong end of the color spectrum, you should always prefer a better picture.

7. Keep photos bright

People don’t see well in the dark (duh!).

By extension, people don’t log onto Instagram to look at dark pictures! Brighter pictures consistently get more likes than darker ones.

If your picture is dark, try using an editing app to brighten it up.

If you have a brighter image, you’ll get more likes and followers.

For example, this photo is too dark!

Brighten those bad boys up if you want your page to grow quickly!

8. Include faces

If your Instagram is just a collection of pictures of your breakfast and your morning coffee, it’s time to change your strategy.

People like people, and they like to see people. One study showed that people are 38% more likely to Like a picture online if it includes human faces.

Yes, I said HUMAN faces.

As much as people like to see your hamster Fido, they also want to see a human face.

This research means that you should include a variety of faces in your Instagram strategy–not just your own.

• Selfies (they still work!)
• Your coworkers
• Your happy customers
• Your kids (if you’re comfortable with it)
• Your spouse

Your profile should be FULL of faces if you want to get more likes on Instagram!

9. Use stories often

Instagram used to just be pictures (back in the dark ages).

Over time, other types of media got added:

• Videos
• Stories
• Reels

Take advantage of these other media types on Instagram!

We’ll talk about videos in a moment, but now we’ll focus on stories.

Your Instagram story gives you the chance to keep your followers up-to-date on what’s happening with you.

They create interest in your profile, leading to more likes and followers on Instagram.

They also give you the chance to get more time in front of your followers' eyes!

Try to keep your story on Instagram active and up-to-date to get more likes!

10. Post at the right times

A post is a post, right?

Not exactly!

Even the same picture can get different results depending on the time of day you posted it.

There are 2 ways you can discover the best time to post.

1. Use the “experts’” recommendations.
2. Use your audience analytics.

Social media experts have TONS of conflicting information about the best time to post.

For example, some say the best time to post on Instagram is Friday at 8 AM.

Others say post on Mondays at 3 PM. Why do they all get different answers?

They’re working with different audiences!

To figure out what’s best for you, look at your post analytics to see which times are getting more likes, then post at those times!

11. Vary your content

Nobody likes going to an Instagram profile only to discover that it’s all selfies, food pics, or self-promotion.

And that doesn’t mean those types of posts are BAD. It just means that nobody wants to see the same kind of post repeatedly.

To avoid that problem on your page, just make sure that you vary the type of content you’re posting. Mix in a variety of pictures:

• Memes
• Selfies
• Business pictures
• Advertisement
• Customer stories
• Random funny pictures

Boredom with the content you’re posting causes people to unfollow you.

Mixing it up and keeping them on their toes will keep the likes rolling in.

12. Link to your Instagram on your websites

We usually talk about using social media to refer people to your website, but it works the opposite way.

Your website should also be pushing people to your social media.

Getting people to follow you on social media begins a long-term relationship with them.

In other words, it increases the chances that they’ll go BACK to your website in the future.

It also increases the chances that they’ll follow you and like your photos, which helps get the "snowball" rolling.

It’s easy to push your Instagram from your website.

Just add a “Follow Us” button that links to your Instagram page. Most web-hosting services make this extremely easy to set up.

13. Leverage your other social media

Each of your social media accounts should also push your followers to your other social media profiles.

For example, you should use your Facebook and Twitter as Instagram referral tools. Your Instagram and Twitter should be Facebook referral tools. And so on.

One great way to accomplish this is to use your bio or About page to link to your other social media.

Facebook even gives you a special place to link to your other social media profiles.

There’s no reason NOT to take advantage of every possible resource you have online to get more followers and likes on Instagram!

14. Give your followers a look “behind the scenes”

We mentioned earlier that your followers want to get to know you.

We’ve found that a great way to help your followers develop a relationship with you is to give them a look behind the scenes.

What exactly does that mean?

It means that you give your followers a chance to see how your business runs:

• Who do you work with?
• What does your neighborhood look like?
• What does your office look like?
• Do you work at home? If so, show your pets and your at-home work setup.
• Pictures of office parties

Anything you can share that helps your followers feel like they’re getting to know the real you will generate likes.

15. Use influencers

Do you know who the influencers in your niche are?

If not, you should.

Not only should you know who they are, but you should probably be working with them.

Influencers have some incredibly high engagement rates — especially micro-influencers.

Nearly 4% of micro-influencers’ followers regularly engage with their content.

What does that mean for you?

If you can work with a micro-influencer to promote your page, you will almost certainly see an increase in likes and followers.

16. Use videos

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million.

With short videos on Instagram, you can capture your audience’s attention and slow down their scroll.

That’s why videos are growing so quickly on Instagram — they work.

When you start to incorporate videos into your Instagram strategy, make sure you follow a few general guidelines:

• Keep videos short and sweet. People don’t want to watch a movie.
• Videos should be high-quality and well-produced.
• Videos should have a point. Don’t just make a video because we said so. Make them because they’ll add to your follower’s experience of your page.

17. Post customer stories

If you aren’t using your Instagram to share stories of your happiest customers, you’re missing a great opportunity!

When people come to your Instagram page and see happy customers, it makes them want to hang around!

In addition, customer stories are always well-received.

People like to read about other people’s successes, which means these posts will get you likes and followers.

Before you use any customer’s story publicly, make sure to ask for their permission.

It'd be VERY awkward to share a happy customer story only to make them an angry customer.

18. Post high-quality photos

If your social media is your last priority and you’re posting whatever you can find in 5 minutes, you’re guaranteed not to get many likes.

EVERYTHING your business puts out online should be high-quality.

It is often the first thing a potential customer will see from your business, so you want to make a good impression.

People are also much more likely to Like and follow when you post high-quality images.

High-quality doesn’t just refer to resolution. It also relates to the content. Don’t post content that isn’t:

• Helpful
• Informative
• Entertaining

If YOU wouldn’t like to see it, neither will your followers.

If they don’t want to see it, they won’t Like it.

19. Engage with your followers

If you want your followers to engage with your posts, you need to engage with them.

It’s easy to think of social media as a platform to get your business’s name out there, but that isn’t how you should approach it.

Instead, you should think of it as a platform to build relationships with your customers and followers.

Engaging with your followers can look different for different users:

• Interactive posts
• Responding to comments
• Highlighting customer stories

If your followers feel like you care about them, they'll be more likely to Like your posts and tag their friends.

20. Host a giveaway

People love to get free stuff!

One great way to get Likes and followers is to give them the chance to get free stuff with a giveaway!

There are different ways to host a giveaway. You can:

• Have people like a post
• Have people tag your account in a post
• Have them tag friends on your post

At the end of the contest, just randomly pick a winner.

Make sure you SHARE a picture of the winner with your followers, so they know you followed through!

These giveaways always generate many new likes and followers, so they’re a great way to give your page some momentum.

21. Curate great content

Do you struggle to find great content to share with your Instagram followers?

We talked about posting high-quality content, but how do you find it?

There are 2 ways:

1. Create all of your posts.
2. Mix in posts from around the web.

It’s a good idea to create some of your posts, but sharing content from around the web can boost your content strategy.

This is where a content tool comes into play.

Using a tool like Post Planner can save you literally hours a week finding the best content in your niche.

It can even automate the posting process, giving you more time to engage your followers in the comments.

We highly recommend giving a curating tool a try.

Try signing up for Post Planner’s free trial and see how much it can help you get more Likes.

22. Follow online trends

Your followers are interested in your niche (if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be following you).

Therefore, one of the best things you can do to get more likes is to ensure that you’re up-to-date on the latest trends in your niche.

When your posts don’t reflect the current trends in your niche, it makes you look outdated and irrelevant.

There are 2 good ways to follow online trends:

1. Follow influencers
2. Use Google Trends

Influencers know what’s important to your followers, so make sure you know what the most popular influencers in your niche are posting.

Google Trends is a great tool for keyword research and for figuring out the current trends.

When your posts line up with what your followers are currently interested in, you'll get more likes on Instagram!

23. Post consistently

How often do you post on Instagram?

Many businesses don’t realize that they aren’t posting enough.

You need to post enough that your followers are looking at your content consistently.

The more they look at your content, the more likely they are to Like and engage.

Just how much should you post?

In general, you should post once per day on Instagram.

You can post more, but you should never post more than 3 times in a day.

Likewise, you should never NOT post in a day.

In other words, 1 post per day is a MINIMUM!

24. Deal with haters

Do you get nasty comments on your Instagram posts?

What should you do with them?

• Ignore them?
• Block them?
• Post a nasty response?

Haters are an excellent opportunity to show what your business is all about.

You can take the opportunity to show kindness — people will often be impressed.

The more you show kindness in the comments, the more people will respect your business.

Respect will often lead to higher engagement.

25. Develop an image

You’ve probably heard the word “aesthetic” describing Instagram accounts.

Developing an aesthetic means having an image that remains consistent from post to post.

It DOESN’T mean that every post is the same.

It simply means you decide what your business should look like on Instagram, and then you make your posts consistent with that image.

Developing an image helps people resonate with your account.

It also encourages them to engage with you as they get to know your image better.

When people know you better, you get MORE LIKES!

How NOT to get more Likes on Instagram

Now that you know what it takes to get more Likes on Instagram, let’s talk about how NOT to do it.

If you’ve made these errors — don’t worry. It isn’t too late for your account. It may just be time to reset and try a new strategy.

DON’T buy followers

Many people starting on Instagram think that buying followers might give them the push they need.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

Instead, purchasing followers results in low-quality followers that don’t care about your content.

When people don’t care about your content (or worse, they’re bots), they won’t engage with it.

A follower that doesn’t engage with your content isn’t worth anything to your business.

Even worse, purchasing followers can get your Instagram account suspended or banned.

In other words, buying followers is a waste of time and money!

DON’T assume it will happen overnight

We hope you start to follow these tips TODAY.

However, you shouldn’t expect your next post to go viral — even if you follow all these tips.

You'll likely see a slight uptick in engagement immediately, but it'll take time to grow your page significantly.

In the meantime, don’t get discouraged. Instead, stick to your social media plan and keep posting consistently.

The likes will continue to roll in.

Conclusion

There you have it!

These 25 tips should put you well on your way to boosting your Instagram likes and followers.

If you only remember 2 things from this article (hopefully, you’ll remember more), remember these:

1. Post consistently
2. Make every image/video/story high quality

Quality and consistency will get you a long way on social media.

What other strategies have helped you get more likes and engagement on Instagram?

Let us know in the comments below!