How to get more followers on Instagram for writers can seem like a total mystery, especially if you are just starting out! This blog is here to be your powerful kick-start guide to either get your Instagram up and running or enhance your existing account by getting more followers.
A little about my social media expertise. Professionally, I’m the content manager at a higher ed marketing agency. I manage social media and create and execute the editorial calendar, with year-over-year increases in page reach of +590% on Facebook and +1,100% on Instagram, and +2,140% link clicks on LinkedIn. I also boosted our social media website traffic by +2,993%.
I’m excited to share my knack for marketing and social media to help other writers. Over the last few months, I doubled my Instagram following on my author account so I could offer the tried-and-true tips I found so other writers out there could benefit from them too.
With the fall of Twitter, Instagram has become the premier social media outlet to build your author platform. You can read more about surviving the Twitter fallout in my last blog, “The Writer’s Survival Guide to Social Media Live at DIY MFA!.
But in a lot of ways, Instagram is tougher than Twitter to build your following! Plus, it can even be confusing where to begin. That’s why this month, I published another article on DIY MFA: The Top 3 Simple Instagram Tips for Writers.

I thought making a companion video blog here would help even more with how to get more followers on Instagram for writers. So here we go! We’ll start with the basics of optimizing your account and profile page and then dive into how to use follow trains and follower strategies on Instagram.
Let’s dive in!
How to Get More Followers On Instagram for Writers Tip #1: Set Up Your Profile for Success!
How should you set up your Instagram profile to attract more followers? This video explains it all:
Here are some key takeaways from the video:
- Don’t look like a spam bot! Have a great profile picture. I use my professional headshots, but a smiling selfie would be terrific. Bottom line: you don’t want a blank image or a random object that clearly isn’t you!
- Have a descriptive bio! In the video, I go over how you can use emojis and even hashtags to show what kind of glorious author content your followers can look forward to. Make sure to let the world know right away what kind of writer you are and mention any affiliations you might have so fellow members from your groups can find you.
- Lastly, if you have a website, make sure to list it!
How to Get More Followers On Instagram for Writers Tip #2: Instagram Following Strategy
What’s a follow train? And how can you determine who you should follow in the hopes that they’ll follow you back? This video tells it all:
First off, you’ll discover what follow trains are and how to find ones specifically for authors.
Next, we’ll take a deep dive into who you should follow and who you shouldn’t:
- Newbies: Newbies on Instagram might not have a lot of posts, followers, or people they are following. I love to encourage newbie writers to Instagram by following them, BUT ONLY if they meet certain criteria. They must have a decent profile picture and a bio that aligns with my Instagram author community, and they must have good content, even if they haven’t posted a lot. A newbie who is following +2,000 people but who only has 200 followers is a red flag for an account you might want to avoid.
- Middlers: Middler users are in the middle of their Instagram career. They have about an equal ratio of followers to following, and they have generated a decent amount of content. If they have a bio that aligns with your writer brand and good content, then these are great folks to follow. They will likely follow you back!
- Influencers: Influencers have way more followers than folks they are following. Remember: Instagram caps you at 7,500 people you can follow! So, if someone is close to that cap, chances are they won’t follow you back if you follow them. That’s not to say you should never follow an influencer! I follow plenty of influencers who offer amazing content. However, just know that these folks probably won’t follow you back, so be judicious.
How to Get More Followers On Instagram for Writers Tip #3: Instagram Follower Maintenance
You’ve set up your profile and you’re on your way to attracting new followers. Great! Now, here are some hands-on tips for regular Instagram follower maintenance, security checks, and boosting post engagement:
In this video, I talk about how to monitor your account to weed out spam bots and deadweight followers. I’ll also cover how to keep an eye out for evil spoofers and a good strategy for following back folks (or not) who follow you. I’ll also cover how you can boost your posts in Instagram’s algorithm by keeping an eye on your comments and a solid engagement strategy.
How to Get More Followers On Instagram for Writers: Key Takeaways
Instagram can be a tough nut to crack at first. But by following these three tips, you’ll be well on your way to a stronger following:
- Make sure you have a bold profile that reflects your brand as a writer.
- Develop a follower strategy that’s smart, especially when it comes to follow trains.
- Keep up your regular Instagram maintenance and monitor your engagement strategically.
Did you find these tips helpful? Tell us if you were able to leverage some of these tips to build your Instagram following in the comments below! And keep your eyes peeled for more DIY MFA columns and blogs from me about how to market yourself as an author.
Oh, and if you want to connect on Instagram? Come find me at @RachelTeferet, and yes, I follow back my amazing readers 🙂