Instagram has become a great way for businesses and people to promote their brands and reach lots of people. And if you work hard at it, you can build a vibrant group of loyal followers. With more than 2 billion active users, the platform is a great way to connect with people who share your interests and may be interested in buying your products or services. Before selling yourself, though, you need to focus on community first.

But the platform has many users; how can you stand out and build a strong community?

This guide will discuss tips on how to build a strong Instagram community, including how to interact and engage with your followers effectively, create interesting content, and make the most of Instagram's ever-evolving features.

What is a community on Instagram?

On Instagram, a "community" is a group of people with similar interests, goals, and values who communicate with each other through posts, comments, direct messages, and hashtags.

These people may be active on the platform because they have something in common like a hobby, job, place, or social cause, for example.

Users can build relationships, share ideas, and support each other's content by connecting with people who like the same things they do. I really love that about Instagram (and social media in general).

How important is a community on a platform like Instagram? 

Building a community on Instagram is important for many reasons, including your own fulfillment from being active on the platform. If you don’t have a community, it’s going to be pretty quiet and you might struggle to stay motivated to post content.

Defined in simple terms, an Instagram community can allow people to meet and talk with people who share their interests and passions. Instagram has designed its platform and features to encourage people to get to know each other and feel like they are part of a community where they can share their experiences, opinions, and ideas.

Your community can also be a place where people can show off their skills and abilities. These people can work on projects together, which can help them improve their skills and get their work seen by more people. The latter has been especially true for me.

In some sense, Instagram is a modern-day mini website, showcasing your portfolio, services, and knowledge in various content formats, fueling those opportunities for connection. In fact, some of my best performing posts don’t even have me in them! For example, this Instagram carousel with 10 free tools for creating content has been saved nearly 4,000 times.

How do you get 100k followers on Instagram? 

I can’t help you there because I’m far from that goal, but I have asked some of my smartest and hardest working friends on Instagram this very question, and their response is the same: Gaining your first 100k followers on Instagram requires strategy and persistence. Here are some key steps to help you reach this milestone:

1. Know your niche

Figure out what you're good at and what makes you different from others in the same field. This will help you figure out what makes you special and give you ideas for content that will appeal to your target audience.

2. Determine your purpose

Define why you want to make content and interact with your followers in the first place. This will keep you working toward your goal and keep you motivated.

3. Create engaging content

Share high-quality, visually appealing content that shows your skills and fits your values. Respond to comments and ask for feedback from users to get them involved.

4. Collaborate with others

Work with other people in your niche to promote each other's content and reach new followers. Great examples of this format are collaborative posts like the one below, which I did with @marketingharry.

An Instagram Live is another great way to collaborate with others and make video content easily.

5. Engage with your followers

Respond to comments and messages and interact with them. This will help make the community stronger and get more people involved. Remember that it takes determination, patience, and persistence to get your first 100,000 followers. It won’t happen overnight. In fact, this is exactly what we recently discussed with Daniela Schrittenlocher of @elasmarketingservices, who is incredible at building her community (and growing to over 115,000 followers in the process).

Brand Therapy

178. How do you build community on Instagram? (f. Daniela Schrittenlocher)

What does it mean to build an online community? Daniela Schrittenlocher of Elas Marketing, shares the importance of positioning your brand, recommendations for bolstering engagement, and other tricks that have gotten her over 115k followers.

Determining why you are on Instagram can help you grow faster 

Figuring out why you are using Instagram (or any other social media platform) is a key part of determining what content you should post. When you figure out your purpose, you can learn more about the goals, interests, and values of the people you want to reach. 

This information can make marketing plans more effective, build relationships, and get people more involved.

You can learn a lot about your target customers by discovering why they use social media. This information can be used to make better marketing plans, create more interesting content, and get customers more involved.

Ultimately, determining your reason for using a social media platform is important to guide your content and strategy. Once you can answer this question well, you'll be well on your way to creating high-quality, powerful content for the people you want to reach.

Organization is key to being efficient and successful on Instagram

Organizing your content and strategy is a key part of making Instagram content that is effective and has an impact.

Your content will likely get lost in the platform's sea of information if you don't have a well-structured plan.

With so many users, brands, and influencers competing for attention, you need to make sure that your content stands out and makes an impact.

To be as impactful as possible, you must stay consistent when posting.

This means that you should post regularly so that your followers know when to look for new content from you. 

By doing this, your audience will feel like they know you and can trust you, which is important for building a strong following.

Also, you should be careful about how much content you make. If you're overwhelmed by making content, take a step back and scale down. This may mean decreasing your content schedule to accommodate what’s realistic for you. I’m often asked about a minimum number of weekly posts required on Instagram and, according to Juan Galán, that’s about three times a week.

Adjusting your schedule will help you focus on quality instead of quantity and give you the time and energy to make content that makes a difference.

Batch creation is another good way to make content for Instagram.

This means that you need to plan and make as much content as you can ahead of time—usually in 1–4 weeks—and this is a great option for anyone who struggles to find time to create and post content. Batching can be very helpful because it lets you focus on your creative process without worrying about coming up with new ideas daily.

Once you get organized with your content schedule and how you create, you’ll be much more prepared to grow online consistently. 

How to increase your engagement on Instagram

Increasing Instagram engagement is another important aspect of how to build an Instagram community. Here are some tips:

Post valuable content

Visually appealing and relevant content is more likely to be shared, liked, and commented on, leading to more engagement and followers.

Optimize your content

Be strategic in using keyword-rich descriptions that help the algorithm understand your content.

Use new Instagram features

When the platform introduces new features, use them. The platform favors those who show off the latest updates with their content.

When you want to get more people to interact with you on Instagram, it's important to remember that quality is more important than quantity. 

A smaller audience that interacts with your content is more valuable than a large audience that doesn't care about what you post.

By making good content and real connections with your followers, you'll be well on your way to growing your Instagram audience and getting more people to follow you.

If you’re not growing on Instagram, here are some key points you should check:

For several reasons, your Instagram account may not grow or may have stopped growing:

• Your content and strategy might not be interesting to the people you want to reach or might not be inviting enough to get them involved.

• You may also not have optimized your bio. Instagram is a search engine, like many other social media platforms. It’s important to be mindful of the content that your bio features. The better you use keywords, the more likely it is that Instagram will share your content. 

• You need to spend time on the platform, know your audience, and read and interact with relevant content to grow. The more time you spend on the platform, the more you’ll understand trends, and the quicker you can create content in line with those trends. 

Does post quantity matter on Instagram? 

Quality over quantity is important on Instagram because it helps people stand out in a sea of content and get more people to interact with them.

By posting high-quality, relevant content to your target audience regularly, you can build trust and make your brand known as a good source of information or entertainment.

Keep in mind that it's important to balance how often you post and how good the posts are. If you post too much on Instagram, your posts might get lost in the constant flow of content, and your followers might feel overwhelmed or annoyed by the amount of content.

On the other hand, if you post enough, your followers might gain interest and continue following your account.

If you want to focus on quality rather than quantity, you need to find a posting schedule that works for your brand and audience and ensure that each post has something useful to say and looks good.

In the end, a smart way to be successful on Instagram is to focus on quality over quantity. Well-written and well-thought-out content is another way to build an Instagram community. By giving your audience high-quality content, you can build a strong presence and get more people to follow you.

Mix up your post types on Instagram to become more interesting to your audience

To keep your Instagram audience interested, you need to post different kinds of content. By adding different kinds of content, you can give your followers a varied and interesting experience that keeps them interested in your profile.

Using Reels, a feature that lets you make short, fun, and interesting videos, is a good way to do this. This is a great way to show off your personality and creativity while keeping things fresh and interesting.

Reels are a great way to connect with your audience and stand out on Instagram. You can use them to dance, cook, or show off your latest product. Learn more about creating Reels quickly here.

You can also change up your content by using carousels. These posts allow you to show off more than one image or video in a single post. I often post just text in this format:

Using carousels, you can keep your followers interested and involved while sharing more content in one post.

Finally, in-feed videos are a great way to add variety to your content. Videos are a great way to show off your products, give a quick tutorial to your followers, or give them an update on your life.

With in-feed videos, you can keep your followers interested and up-to-date and keep your profile interesting and dynamic.

Instagram Stories are your secret weapon

Instagram stories are a great way to keep in touch with your Instagram community and get to know your followers better. These short, temporary clips are great for giving people a look at your life and business from behind the scenes.

By sharing more personal and intimate moments, you can show your followers what it's like to be in your world. This will make them feel more connected to you and your brand.

One of the best things about Instagram stories is that they are made for your biggest fans. These people care about who you are and what you do and want to know more about what makes you special.

By making content just for them, you show that you appreciate their support and value their participation.

One of the best things about Instagram stories is that they give you a chance to be creative. Stories aren't linked to the rest of your content like your regular posts, so you can try out different formats, filters, and styles. This lets you show off your unique style and express yourself in new and interesting ways.

It's important to remember that you avoid sharing your posts on your story. This becomes redundant and can take away from the personal and behind-the-scenes content. In the end, sharing your posts on your story can feel more like an ad and less authentic.

Instead of talking about the post, share your camera and talk about it. This lets you put your spin on it and give it more context, which makes it feel more real and natural.

Instagram can change your business 

Strategically using Instagram can change the direction of your business. Posting interesting and relevant content to your audience will help you gain more followers and build a strong community. 

By consistently interacting with your followers' comments and questions regularly, you can turn them into brand ambassadors and get them to tell their friends about your business. You can also use your community to launch new products and services, get feedback, and test marketing campaigns.

Recap: How to Build an Instagram Community

Building a community on Instagram can be a fun and rewarding experience. The key to success is to be consistent, to talk to your followers, and to build relationships with them. Here are some ways to build a strong community on Instagram:

Turn on post notifications

Turn on the person's post notifications if you want to connect with them. This way, you'll be the first person to see their posts and can respond quickly. This will help them notice you and give you a better chance of engaging with them.

Engage with others

You can't expect people to care about what you have to say if you don't care about what they have to say. Make sure to comment on their posts, like their photos, and join in their conversations. This will help you make connections and get more people involved.

Invite people to the conversation

If you want to get more people involved, ask interesting questions and invite them to join the conversation. To get people involved, you can also make polls, ask for feedback, or share user-generated content.

Respond to every comment

Responding to each comment shows your followers that you care about what they have to say and value their opinions. This will help you get to know your followers better and get them more involved.

Consistency is key

The best way to build a community on Instagram is to post useful content regularly. Make sure to post often and share content that your followers will find interesting and engaging.

Building a strong and engaged community on Instagram takes time and work, but with these tips, you'll be well on your way. To help your community grow, remember to be consistent, talk to other people, and always respond to comments.