6 tips to get more followers on Instagram

Everybody wants to grow their Instagram following, right? I've been on Instagram for 3 years now, ever since I got my first smartphone (I was late to the party, okay?) and I've been loving the platform to make new friends and find loyal, smart, amazing followers. My account started as a personal one and slowly transformed into a nails only account with freehand nail art, tutorials, and funky videos. This week I passed 560k and it still baffles me to this day how I got there... but I have tips for you to get there as well! Come find out how to gain more Instagram followers!

Post beautiful pictures that are clean, crisp and well lit. Use the best camera you can find, and brush up on your photography basics. Try to use only your own pictures, or if you really want to post someone else's picture, the best thing is to ask them for permission before posting it. There is such a thing as copyright (everything on the internet is not automatically free for use just because you can view it or listen to it) and violating international copyright laws might result in the picture being removed from your account and maybe even your whole account getting disabled. So ask before you post :)

Don't spam other users with 'follow for follow', 'hey great pic come look at my profile', 'NAIL ART HERE' or other things like that. Begging for attention will most likely earn you the exact opposite of what you want to accomplish. Instead...

Make connections with other accounts. You can leave thoughtful comments that will make people curious to see who you are, recreate someone's nail design and tag them in the caption (people love getting credit for their original designs!) and feature someone's picture on your profile while tagging them in the caption. Chances are, they'll take a look at your profile, show you some love and maybe even follow you!

<-- I got permission from @annabean1983 to use her beautiful picture as an example! I try to leave meaningful, funny, smart or sweet comments that show that I took a good look at someone's picture, not just glanced over it. I really like getting to know the people I follow! If you want someone to notice you, this is the best way to go. You'll get meaningful friendships out of it ;-)

Don't block people just for unfollowing. Everyone is free to follow and unfollow who they want, it's not a personal insult in any way. If you block them, you prevent them from ever coming back and re-following and that's the last thing you want! I don't even watch my unfollow list, it doesn't matter. It makes me feel a whole lot happier, this feeling of blissful ignorance, and like I said people are free to do what they want!

Use hashtags to make it easier for people to find you. You can use popular hashtags that people will search for, or use hashtags of feature accounts that will repost your pictures and videos and give you more exposure that way. I'm especially a fan of this last method because it's a great way to get more followers that really care about nail art! And for the last, and the best of my tips...

Post original, talk worthy content. The best growth spurts I've had came from posting something that nobody had seen or thought of before. Those posts get the most likes, comments, they get shared and shared again, people tag their friends to come see it and they crave more posts like that. Especially my completely ridiculous 3D designs make my Instagram blow up with fan messages!

OK people! That's the best I have to offer! It might take some time but as you start to get more followers, it gets easier and you will see your numbers start to climb faster and faster. Now go out there and make some Instagram history!