Setting a goal to reach 10k followers on Instagram

I have been on Instagram for a good few years now. But I can’t say that it’s always been fun because it hasn’t. I have been in love with Instagram and I have also fallen out of love with Instagram. You know the feeling, right? Of course, you do! Instagram is forever changing its algorithm, making it harder for our posts to be seen, showcasing the more popular grids more and leaving us small-timers in the dark. It is massively annoying, I hear you! Especially when you go to so much work to capture the photos that you do, to share. So, for the first time ever I have made it my goal to reach {hopefully} 10,000 followers on my Instagram by Christmas.

Which, might seem like quite an adventurous goal. And maybe you’re right! But, it is my 2020 goal nevertheless. If people didn’t play the ‘follow then no follow’ game {which gets nothing but an eye-roll from me} I’d be close to 10k already! But, here we are. 

Aiming for 10,000 followers on Instagram

I am currently at 6335 followers and finding it so incredibly hard to climb the mountain that is Instagram! I am doing everything I can think of to climb up the ladder and after running a recent giveaway, the numbers are slowly creeping up. Whether they will stay there once the giveaway is over, remains to be seen! However, there are a few other things I am doing and I thought I would share them with you in case you are aiming for the same goal as me. 

Mass Engagement is key

To climb the incredibly difficult Instagram ladder, you need to like, comment, and just engage as much as you can with your followers. Admittedly, it isn’t always easy or possible! Things like laundry, school runs, dishes and work can take up a lot of our time. So we don’t have that luxury to sit and be on our phones all day to mass engage. 

However, to find a way around that conundrum, I now dedicate 20 mins or so out of every other hour to like, comment and share some love through hashtags I use. Although, am I seeing any kind of change by doing this? Yes, yes I do. Once I have done the school run, I will be sat at my desk, replying to emails. Which I will also pop onto Instagram to share the love and comment on quite a few posts. I find it easier on the PC if I am honest because that is where I am for the main part of my morning. 

I do have notifications active for a lot of the feeds I follow, but the majority of the time they don’t work. Which is frustrating. If you have the same issue or have found a solution to the said issue, I am all ears! Please let me know in the comments below!

Be Authentic!

This is a given really, isn’t it? I don’t think I could follow anyone who isn’t authentic with their feed. I appreciate honest, good-hearted people who live real lives and are relatable too. Which in turn, I hope I come across as authentic, too. I am just me, nobody else and I may not be the coolest person to follow or the funniest. But I’m relatable to in a lot of ways and I think that is important too. 

Edit those photos!

I scrolled way back into my Instagram feed the other night and I came across some severely poor photos. This was due to the quality of the camera phone from years ago and not editing apps available. Or ones that I knew of, other than Adobe Lightroom! However, nowadays? Editing your apps to showcase on your feed is so important and it is something I really enjoy doing. 

I don’t use Adobe Lightroom to edit my phone photos. I use Snapseed or Quickshot. Or both on the same image! I love the portrait feature on Snapseed whereas I adore the editing abilities on Quickshot. So I would tweak the lighting, add a touch of contrast, sharpening of details and sometimes heightening the vibrancy of an image. 

Little touches here & there really give my images that little POP they needed and I love sharing crisp, clean and bright images on my Instagram feed. 

Utilising Instagram Stories

This is by far my favourite part of Instagram right now. I get more views on my stories than I do on my grid, which is exciting but a shame that those who view my stories, don’t hop over to engage on my feed. This is something I am trying to change. 

..and that is how I hope you reach 10k followers on my Instagram. By Christmas! Do you think I will do it? I hope so! 

Do you have any tips that could help me reach my goal? I’d love to hear them! Leave me a comment! 

PIN IT FOR LATER!