It is believed that Instagram, the popular social media site, is set to surpass both Facebook and Twitter with its number of users in the next 12 months. Many young adults are using the social media platform to post images and stories throughout the day while staying connected to friends, family, and even their favorite celebrities. The platform continues to thrive and may continue doing exceptionally well for years to come. With that in mind, you may want to take the necessary steps to get more followers and use the platform to your advantage in every way possible.

Avoid Using the Wrong Hashtags

It is normal to use hashtags with content that is posted to Instagram and it is common to see most people doing it. However, you do not want to use the wrong hashtags because then people are not going to find the content you have posted. Interestingly enough, Instagram has come up with a list of hashtags that are now banned. The purpose of banning certain hashtags is to keep pornographic images from making the rounds on the social media platform, especially since the Instagram team wants to keep the platform clean and safe for its thousands of users.

You may not know what is banned and what is not banned, but there is a simple way to find out. You can put the hashtag in the search box and see if it has been blocked or not. If you happen to notice that you are unintentionally using a blocked hashtag, quickly remove it. This will help with getting more Instagram followers.

Put the Location on When Posting Stories

If you want to get more local attention, you should put your location on when you are posting stories to your account. Instagram users will have the opportunity to see what people are posting at specific locations in and around their areas, which will ultimately help you get more views if you begin using the feature. If you are getting more views, you can get more followers, and that means you will get more interaction.

Attempt to Use Hashtags That Are Not as Popular

You may have the urge to use hashtags that you see other people using simply because you would like to get more viewers and followers. However, using hashtags that are too popular could work against you instead of working for you. The competition is stiff when there are hundreds and thousands of people using the same hashtags on various images. Try to come up with some creative hashtags that are not used nearly as often because then you just might get featured under the top section of Instagram for that hashtag.

Update Your Bio

It is a small section of your profile, but the bio is one section that you should pay careful attention to. You need to find a way to quickly describe yourself and your purpose in 160 characters or less. Some people like to include a link to their site in their bio, along with a brief description of themselves. Try out different things to see what helps you gain more followers. The great thing about it is that you can update your bio as often as you would like to do so.

Pick the Right Instagram Name

You can constantly change the name on your Instagram, so try coming up with something that would make it easier for people to find you. Remember that you can always use your real name or the name of your business as your username. However, when updating the name on your Instagram profile, you can use trending keywords that will help you get more followers in no time.

Follow these tips and you just might end up with more followers than you had before. These are some of the simplest ways to gain a larger following on Instagram.