I joined the Instagram bandwagon way back when it was first launched, simply because everybody else was doing it!! I had no clue what I was doing, didn’t know what a hashtag was and I even posted some of my first photograph’s upside down. Yup they are still there, scroll down my feed if you don’t believe me! Now my account has over 42k followers and I want to share the secret of how to grow Instagram followers organically and authentically.
How to grow Instagram followers organically
I didn’t have a relationship with Instagram back then. I posted mostly drunken photos on night’s out or pictures of my home. It was when I got really sick with Lyme disease and became completely bed-bound for 5 years that my passion and love affair with Instagram started.
Focus on growing an Instagram community that matters
Naturally because I was sick most of my online friends were also sick, so my Facebook feed soon became one illness story after another. Don’t get me wrong I still value the support I get from Facebook and the compassion that comes from those that have been through it and are the only ones that know what it is like. But I also needed to get away from the Lyme. I needed that escapism. A place where being sick didn’t define me.
How to grow Instagram followers in 2024
So I started my Instagram journey. Initially it was a place for me to share photos from my Etsy shop , which also started because of my illness and for a year or two it was easy for me to hide behind these photos. I felt that I could still be a part of this visual community that I was obsessing over without having to show my face because let’s face it, who wants to see pictures of a sick girl in her bed? I didn’t have to talk about my Lyme unless I wanted to and I found that it was a place that made me happy.
But then I realised that I had a voice on Instagram and that people loved my aesthetic and what I had to say, and I was determined to use that voice and grow my community. While the growth at the beginning was at a snails pace, I kept applying organic Instagram Growth Tips and it paid off. I also received tons of DM’s asking how I grew so fast, which is what inspired me to write this post. The number one thing that I did was INVEST in myself!
Organic Instagram Growth Tips 2024
I was wondering how to grow my Instagram followers organically when I stumbled across a sassy Texan, Helene in Between. This girl was breaking the mould of instagram flat-lay perfection and perfect size 8 bodies with immaculate hair and makeup….now don’t get me wrong this girl is beautiful, but she is completely herself and that happiness radiates from her.
She is infectious!
When I first started following her she had an instagram following of 15k and mine had grown to about 1k. She made me realise that I didn’t have to hide behind my staged Etsy shop photos, I had a voice and I could use it. I could just be me and still grow authentically on Instagram!
Also this is a girl after my own heart. Travel, food, wine and dogs (not in that order!) make her happy. I wanted this life so bad and while I was too ill to travel, I travelled with her, marking down my favourite places on my get well bucket list. I also watched her grow rapidly to 600k followers and I wanted this for my account. While everyone else started using bots and engagement pods Helene was growing her Instagram account organically and having real interactions with people.
So I decided to take the plunge and invest the $547 in her teachings and it was the best decision I ever made for my Instagram. At the time I was ill and wasn’t working so I honestly couldn’t even afford this course but I did know that if I wanted to succeed I had to INVEST in myself and learn. I scraped together the money for the Payment Plan which was $197 over 3 months as this was more affordable to me.
Within 6 months I had grown from 2k followers to 10.5k and a few months later had almost doubled to 20k and had already tripled the money that I invested!. Helene taught me how to grow my Instagram account the right way, organically and authentically.
In the beginning, simply the thought of reaching 5,000 was a huge goal for me. It’s true what they say, there is comfort in numbers. The likelihood that you’ll follow someone with 10K vs 1K is much higher. Only after reaching 5K followers I started to see my follower count grow more rapidly, even more so after I reached 10K. I call this the snowball effect. My biggest advice when you’re under 5K followers is NEVER GIVE UP. It might seem cliche, but keep at it! There were many times I wanted to give up. But your self doubt is your biggest obstacle. I looked at the bigger picture and look at where I am today!
I have been approached to work with big brands and now get paid to travel. It is also possible to make a career out of and monetize Instagram for you. I have paid complimentary trips to Austria, Bath, New York, Estonia, Romania and India and more than that I have found my confidence and my voice.
I was even invited to stay in Ireland’s most luxurious 5 star hotel, Ashford Castle, and stay in a room that cost over €3,000 per night! I have made so much money from getting paid to post on Instagram that looking back, it was a no-brainer to make that $547 (€510) investment in myself, even if I found it hard to justify it at the time. Investing in yourself is the best thing that you can do. It will equip you with all the knowledge and skills you will need to find your own community that trusts you and grow your Instagram account organically and authentically.
The reason that I felt inspired to write this blog post is that Helene’s course is on sale for a few days. She only launches her course once a year and if it can help just one more person find their voice and grow their Instagram then that would be my job done.
Helene is so serious about helping you successfully grow your Instagram account that is even offering a FREE video workshop about how to master Instagram.. We believe in this course so much, and are so grateful for the life and opportunities that it has created for us, that we are offering our 93-page e-book FREE for anyone signing up through our link.
The secrets to Instagram Success
Initially I struggled to be seen on Instagram. It was hard to be recognized in a sea of millions of accounts with equally great photographs and reels. Add to that the much dreaded algorithm and I was struggling to get any eyes on my account. I knew that there was much more to Instagram than just pretty photos and videos.
When I decided to actively try to grow my Instagram I knew that I needed a plan to help me succeed. I wanted a real, authentic Instagram with followers that cared about what I had to say. But I had no idea where to start. There are a lot of “influencers” out there that claim to have the secret but what they didn’t have was the years of marketing experience that Helene had and an actual strategy that worked.
When we are investing our hard earned cash we want to be confident that we are getting value for our money. You guys know me by now and I only ever recommend something that I have tried myself and can 100% stand behind. Your trust is the most important thing to me. Our link is an affiliate link but we never recommend anything unless we firmly believe in it and know that it will help you and this is the only course that we ever recommend. We retake it every year ourselves as it updates (you get lifetime access).
So I decided to take her FREE Instagram course. What did I have to lose, right? I was so impressed by Helene’s teachings and the immediate impact it had on my Instagram account that I decided to invest in her course Instagram for Success.
At a time when Instagram has become beyond frustrating I realised that
- You can crack the Instagram algorithm
- You can make a substantial income from Instagram
- You can gain more influence and engagement than ever before!
This girl seriously has all the Instagram secrets and after working 6 years in marketing really knows how to break that Instagram algorithm. So if any of you guys want to sign up here is the link to Instagram for Success. At the risk of seriously sounding like I’m girl fanning, it will be the best decision you make to grow your own Instagram organically and I know that you will all fall in love with Helene.
So as a sassy Texan would say what y’all waiting for?
Until next time you crazy kids!
Sign up to get instant access to the free workshop to grow your Instagram organically.
**This blog post contains affiliate links meaning that if you purchase this course I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I would happily recommend this course to you for free because it has brought me so much value**
If you found this helpful you might also like:
How to protect your Instagram from being hacked
Brand Collaborations Instagram
Ten of the best Instagram accounts to follow
I’m an Instagram freak. Thanks for the valuable tips.
You are very very welcome. From a fellow Instagram freak! Be sure to find @all_about_rosalilla to connect with us there.
Beautiful piece of work.
Thank you. Hopefully it will help you grow.
I definitely know what you mean about feeling like you will never get there when you are under 5K followers on Instagram, because that is me right now! I am so glad I signed up for Helene’s course and am working through it now. Here’s to learning and growing!
It can feel like an uphill battle for sure. But by implementing little changes in the right direction every day you will look back one day and actually see how far you’ve come and it’s much better to have a solid foundation of followers that care than a rocky one. I highly recommend investing in this course when it reopens next year and maybe save this blog post for reference. You can do it!
Nicola! I am so happy you shared this article as I am currently in the process of growing my Instagram following to a point where companies could start approaching me for collaboration opportunities. I LOVE Instagram and it is definitely my favorite social media platform. I get so much inspiration from this great app that I think I would go crazy if it ever went away (I know it won’t).
I love travel blogging and I just recently took a leap of faith to pursue it as a full time career (along with being a travel agent). I just recently hit a little over 1,300 followers on my account and it took me a while to get to that point, granted it was only recently that I started spending more time and energy on my Instagram; but it is definitely hard to get that following especially when there are so many other bloggers out there doing the same thing.
I enjoy following and interacting with you on social media and I am so thankful that you shared your success in a blog post. I follow Helene as well and had NO idea she had a course for growing your Instagram. I’m totally going to sign up!
I’m super excited!!! Thank you again!
Hi Taylor,
I am so happy you reached out here and thank you for this meaningful comment. I’m so happy that you decided to go for it. There is a good community of girls myself included that would love to help and see you grow. Helene has been a wonderful mentor for me and I can’t recommend it enough, although I know she only opens it up at certain times each year so keep following me and I will give you the heads up!
Lots of love girl!
Nicola
Brilliant. I find when you invest a few bob you’re more likely to follow through. Sounds like this course is good stuff, it’s hard to know which one to choose.