How to get more likes on Instagram? 10 tricks to increase your likes

Instagram is a platform that has evolved significantly over time, but one aspect has remained unchanged since its inception: Likes. These are the true driving force behind user-posted content, and users post them to show their appreciation and fuel engagement.

Today, several factors have come into play that allow for increasing the reach of posts. One of these, the most important, is the much-discussed algorithm, which works autonomously to show a given post to as many users as possible. To do so, it takes into account factors such as a profile’s regularity of posting, the number of shares and interactions, current trends, quality, and so on.

At the same time, there are other systems that simply degrade one’s rating in the eyes of the Instagram algorithm, even though they bring immediate benefits in numerical terms. For example, you may have considered buying fake likes at least once, through one of the many websites that offer these services. Nothing could be more wrong; doing so will penalize your photos and videos in the long run.

Without wasting any more time, today in this guide we provide you with the 10 simplest and most effective tips for organically increasing your Instagram likes. If you follow them correctly, your profile will start to grow in no time.

1. Post regularly

Instagram can be a diary of your life, where you can post photos or brief moments of your day. To increase likes, a fundamental rule is consistency.

Posting posts regularly, at least weekly, is a great way to keep your account alive and prevent followers from fleeing. Profiles that post content randomly, with dozens of days between posts, risk making users believe they’re not worth following.

Be careful, posting too much can also backfire: posting multiple photos a day can be counterproductive, as it leaves little breathing room for content (even very good ones) to shine. The best solution is to find a middle ground.

Instagram always highlights the latest post from each account. By posting continuously, previous posts risk not being displayed neither on your followers’ homepages nor in the Explore section.

2. Choose the right time to post

Any self-respecting guide on how to get more Instagram likes cannot ignore an aspect that many people ignore: not all hours of the day are the same when deciding when to post.

The advice is to post when users are most active, usually between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM, but early morning is also a good time.

If a post receives a lot of likes, comments, and shares immediately after publication, Instagram considers it interesting and shows it to more people. Posting when users are most active increases the chances of this rapid interaction.

If you have a business or creator account, you can check your Instagram analytics to see when your followers are most active and adjust your posting strategy.

3. Use the right hashtags

While they’re no longer as central as they once were, hashtags remain an important tool for increasing your Instagram likes. But how do you use them? Unfortunately, it’s a widely used method, and attaching them to a post doesn’t always guarantee success.

Be sure to use trending hashtags in Instagram posts only appropriately: there’s no point in using a popular hashtag, perhaps related to a TV show, if you’re posting a photo of a landscape.

Be careful about including popular or trending hashtags only on themed content; associating hashtags in the vain hope that they will generate traffic to your posts is a mistake (you could be flagged as spam).

With the latest updates to Instagram’s algorithm, hashtags inserted directly within the caption are penalized. It’s therefore better to add them at the end of the caption, being careful not to overdo it: 5-6 words preceded by the hashtag symbol are sufficient.

Finally, it’s no longer advisable to use hashtags that were once considered the golden rule for getting likes. The various "like4likes," "instalikes," and "likes" are frowned upon by the platform.

4. Tagging other profiles

Every time you tag another Instagram user in one of your posts, they receive a notification. This notification takes the user directly to the post in question, but it doesn’t guarantee likes, especially for profiles with a large number of followers.

Tagged people often interact with the post—likes, comments, shares—and this signals to Instagram that the content is interesting, making it visible to more people.

Tagging influencers is not a good strategy: only tag your post with Instagram accounts that might show interest in a photo or product.

At the same time, however, tagging relevant people or brands can sometimes be useful, as they might reshare your post in their Stories, leading to more likes and new followers.

Tagging influencers and brands like this must be used thoughtfully and intelligently, especially since there’s a risk of being reported and banned by the Instagram community.

5. Use geolocation

Instagram allows you to geolocalize your posts, associating one of your photos/videos with a specific place or location.

Tagging a location increases the visibility of your post among people interested in that location, for example, if you attended an event like a concert, a soccer match, or a demonstration.

This method is very useful because it increases visits and views of your content—and consequently, likes—from all other users who use the search function or click on the location of a particular location.

The important thing is to always ensure that your post is correctly linked to the location described in your content.

6. Creating Stories

Since their introduction in the summer of 2016, Instagram Stories have grown in popularity to the point of surpassing their closest rival (Snapchat).

Today, Instagram Stories are a fundamental feature and among the most used by users: creating content for stories will guarantee you continued visibility among your followers, with the potential for significant growth.

Several statistics show that Reels and Stories have higher engagement than regular posts: use filters, music, and stickers to make them more engaging.

There are various ways to create content, with constantly changing and updated features: it’s up to you to bring quality and creativity to generate greater interest in your profile. The butterfly effect will increase the likes on your photos and videos.

7. Don’t Underestimate Instagram Live

Instagram Live (aka Instagram Live) is one of the most underrated features among users and, paradoxically, one of the most useful for increasing likes and followers on your profile.

Going live with your followers is one of the most effective ways to keep your account active: no matter the topic, the important thing is the interaction with the followers who join the live broadcast.

Of course, using Instagram Live doesn’t directly guarantee likes on your posts, but it can spark interest in your profile: going live can mean sending a specific notification to your followers, who will be alerted to the live broadcast, thus rising to the top of the stories on the homepage.

8. Create a contest

This is a tip applicable to more business-oriented users, but it’s actually a very simple method that can guarantee a fair amount of success and is accessible to everyone. Creating a contest is a way to engage your followers. With a little imagination and creativity, you could receive a truly significant return in likes.

How? Try tying a small prize to a post, asking in exchange for liking, or even better, sharing, your content.

The results might surprise you, but be careful not to overuse this methodology; instead, apply it on a regular basis, perhaps monthly. Your followers will appreciate it if they fill your profile with likes.

9. Use Calls to Action

Encouraging user interaction is a great way to get more likes on your Instagram posts. It may seem strange, but several studies conducted on real statistics confirm that using Calls to Action bring immediate benefits.

Even just a "Remember to like the video if you liked it" or "Next post in this series will get 100 likes" can be very helpful for growing quickly and increasing the number of interactions on your profile.

If necessary, you can also use other publishing methods like stories to ask for likes or comments.

10. Interact with your followers

Reply to comments, like your followers’ posts, and interact in stories. The more you interact, the more Instagram will expose your content to other people.

This last tip on how to increase likes shouldn’t be underestimated, given that the Instagram algorithm favors interactions.

Furthermore, followers can feel appreciated and will be more motivated to reciprocate, especially when you respond to their posts with more than just emojis.

In some cases, you can even collaborate with other profiles if you both aim to get more likes on Instagram: exchange shoutouts, challenges, and other similar activities to get your followers to know you.

How to create sponsored posts

Are you running out of patience and prefer not to wait to see your likes increase? Then Instagram offers a convenient, paid option to increase your likes and thus grow your profile faster: sponsored posts.

This is an advertising system provided by the platform where you can target a photo, video, or slideshow to a specific audience.

If you want to proceed, first go to your profile, find the post you want to promote, and then click the Promote button. Now you can set the objective (e.g., more likes), define the target audience (age, interests, and location), set a budget, and finally, the duration of the sponsorship.

Using Insights, or statistics, you can monitor in real time how your ad is performing and whether it should be extended.

Sometimes, targeted reach can ensure your post reaches precisely the people who might be interested. For example, if you manage a restaurant page and want to launch a promotion, it’s better to target people nearby rather than people on the other side of the world.

There’s no specific cost in this case. It all depends on the duration, the reach of your target audience, and any other components you prefer. Obviously, the higher your budget, the higher your chances of attracting more likes.

Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Come avere più like su Instagram? 10 trucchi per aumentare i mi piace