Are you here for an Instagram followers hack?
This guide explains how to grow your Instagram followers using a free Instagram followers hack, the hashtag.
Being able to use hashtags to grow your following is one of the advantages of Instagram. Using hashtags is a quick, easy, and free method of growing your Instagram followers.
Instagram is one of the biggest marketing, selling, and networking social media platforms on the planet. It wasn’t always the case, but in recent years Instagram has boomed.
You need Instagram secret hacks that others aren’t using to generate interest.
To take advantage of its 200 million active monthly users to promote your brand and create more audience engagement. Read on for 5 easy ways to gain more followers.
Let’s get started learning a valuable Instagram followers hack: the secret use of the hashtag.
Instagram Followers Hack 1: Create a Branded Hashtag
What is a branded hashtag?
A branded hashtag is one that is specific to your brand. It can be used on Instagram and other social media platforms to promote your core business. A branded hashtag will let you organize your best content around it increases the chances of audience engagement.
That’s not all. With branded hashtags and sites such as Clickthrough LTD, you can diversify your campaigns on Instagram and beyond by creating more audience engagement along the way. Make a branded hashtag for individual campaigns making sharing and engagement more likely.
Related Reading: Blogger Hashtags: 429 Hashtags for Social Media Growth
Where to Put Your Branded Hashtag
Creating a branded hashtag for yourself doesn’t take much creativity. You want a branded hashtag people associate with you. Mine is the name of my blog, #MostlyBlogging.
Clearly, this Instagram followers hack only works if people see your branded hashtag.
Where are you going to use your hashtag? I use my branded hashtag on both LinkedIn and Instagram. On Instagram, I end my Instagram captions with #MostlyBlogging like a signature.

As you see in the screenshot, I use my branded hashtag in my Instagram Stories.
Note: If you want to use a symbol other than the hashtag symbol, You can put a thumb up or another icon on a custom Instagram sticker using the free Any Sticker app.
Once you have your branded hashtag you need to make it work for you. That means online as well as offline. Make sure people know what to search for on the platform by including the branded hashtag in your profile and your offline advertising.
There’s more to creating a successful hashtag than simply coming up with a catchy slogan for your business or campaign. Use this hashtag across platforms, in offline advertising and emails, and don’t forget to link your other social platforms back to Instagram.
As indicated, I use my branded #MostlyBlogging hashtag at LinkedIn as well as Instagram.
It gets better: Do you want to hear some good news about having a branded hashtag?
When you’ve used your branded hashtag for long enough, your social media followers will start using it themselves and not just on Instagram.
This form of user-generated content is free promotion for you! What a way to boost your brand!
Look:
I went to the Twitter search bar and typed my branded hashtag #MostlyBlogging.

As you see, my branded hashtag, #MostlyBlogging, appears in the caption.
Try searching your branded hashtag at Twitter. The site divides the tweets into categories such as “Top” and “Latest.”
I did not even know I had a branded hashtag until I followed this Instagram followers hack. Like me, you may be surprised at what you find.
If your followers are using your branded hashtag, you will grow your following. The Herd Mentality says if they like your brand, it must be good. Their use of your branded hashtag is a form of testimonial offering their approval.
It isn’t always easy to land followers on the Instagram platform, but it isn’t impossible either. One tip is to use industry specific terms to connect with your niche audience more strongly. Using hashtags that your target audience search will deliver better results.
When you use diverse hashtags it might allow your profile to get more views, but followers will only get on board if they have a viable long-term interest in what you do. That is why it’s so important to know your target audience and be ultra specific with your hashtags.
Instagram Followers Hack 4: Don’t Be Boring
If you want to engage more Instagram users and increase your chances of landing new followers, avoid boring hashtags. Those one or two-word hashtags still have value – of course, they do – but you need to mix them up with more creative, colorful, and engaging language.
Instead of applying basic one and two-word hashtags, why not tell part of your post’s story for the hashtag? Like long-tail keywords, these can help to attract users with slightly more diverse search criteria. It also helps to encourage curiosity in your posts.
Let’s examine the tweet once again.

Look at the Twitter user‘s last hashtag.
#KnowWhatYouNeedToKnow is six words long. Does it make you curious? It certainly piques my curiosity. What is it I need to know?
This Instagram followers hack encourages you to use these unique wordy hashtags on Instagram. You will generate interest by being different and by users’ curiosity as to the meaning of your hashtag.
If there is a popular event happening in your industry, you should ride on its coat-tails. Let’s say for instance the World Cup is on and your business has a special lunch to watch the nation’s big game. Post an Instagram picture of the event with the hashtag #WorldCup.
OK so this might not get you many followers but it will raise awareness of your brand which leads to more followers in the end. Look out for major industry events in your niche and create related posts to increase your brand awareness.
Instagram Followers Hack: Update
I heard an Instagram followers hack that seems to be working for me. On Chalene and Brock Johnson’s podcast, Build Your Tribe, they shared an Instagram hack: Don’t post an Instagram Story for 24 hours. Make sure all your stories are gone. They, 24 hours later, post again.
When I follow this tip, I find my story views are higher. More views leads to more followers. Therefore, I find this an effective Instagram followers hack.
Another Instagram Followers Hack: On your Instagram story, use the Follow sticker. People may not think to follow you, but when they see the Follow sticker, they may be motivated.
Instagram Followers Hack Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Instagram followers hack?
A hack is a shortcut. Therefore, an Instagram followers hack will save you time growing your number of Instagram followers.
What is the best Instagram followers hack?
There are many effective ways to grow your Instagram account. The Instagram followers hack this post suggests is using unique and specific hashtags to your brand.
Wrapping Up: Instagram Followers Hack, Hashtag Best Practices
In closing, this guide explained how to use a simple, free, easy-to-use Instagram followers hack, the hashtag.
Takeaways
How to use the hashtag as your Instagram followers hack:
- Invent a branded hashtag for yourself
- Use the branded hashtag across social channels.
- Create unusual hashtags for your brand, and for variety, use these on occasion.
- Use industry hashtags.
- Use event hashtags and post photos of yourself on Instagram with these hashtags.
Readers, please share so Instagrammers seeking an Instagram followers hack learn about how hashtags can be effective in growing your Instagram follower count.
I look forward to your views in the comments section. Do you know an Instagram followers hack you find effective?
Authors: A contributing author and Janice Wald
This post was made possible by the support of our readers.

Janice Wald is the founder of MostlyBlogging.com and co-founder of the Mostly Blogging Academy. She is an ebook author, blogger, blogging coach, blogging judge, freelance writer, and speaker. She won the Best Internet Marketer Award and the Best Blogger Award at the 2021 Infinity Blog Awards. Wald was also nominated as 2019 Best Internet Marketer by the Infinity Blog Awards and in 2017 as the Most Informative Blogger by the London Bloggers Bash. She’s been featured on Small Business Trends, the Huffington Post, and Lifehack.