Likes are just one of Instagram’s many metrics that can be used to measure your success. Seeing how many likes a post, carousel or Reel has is one of the quickest ways to tell how well you’re doing.
But just how important are they? Do hidden likes still count? Should you buy likes on Instagram?
To answer that last question: No. Don’t do it. Buying likes on Instagram won’t work. The good news is, we’ve compiled tons of strategies for getting those hearts the legit way — the best things in like are free.
If you’re short on time, this video summarizes the most important tips from the list below:
Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.
Do Instagram likes still matter, even if they’re hidden?
They sure do! Likes matter as much as ever.
In case you missed it: Instagram announced in May 2021 that it would give people the option to hide public like counts.
Ever since, there have been two ways to go about hiding likes:
* You can hide like counts in your personal Instagram feed (so that you don’t see how many likes others are getting)
* You can hide likes on your own posts (so others can’t see how many likes you’re getting)
But whether we can see Instagram likes or not, the Instagram algorithm continues to work like it always has, according to the platform — and likes are one of the success metrics that help it decide whether a piece of content should be displayed to more people.
How to get more likes on Instagram: 24 tactics
1. Use the right hashtags
Using Instagram hashtags will help get your post in front of more users, leading to more likes. Once you use a hashtag, your post will appear on the page for that hashtag. That makes it easier for people to find you (and like your content).
This post from Indochino uses the hashtags #Indochino, #IndochinoWeddings, #WeddingWednesdays and #BlackFriday2022, making it very easy for users searching for wedding content (or Black Friday content) to find them.
2. Tag relevant users
Tagging other users in your IG posts will send those users a notification—and not only will tagged users usually like the post, they’ll also probably share it. More visibility = more potential likes.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by ｐｏｔｔｅｒｙ ＆ ｐｏｅｔｒｙ (@pottery.and.poetry)
This super artsy post required a collaborative effort from a poet, stylist and several ceramicists, and each of the creatives involved are tagged (and mentioned in the caption). This expands the post’s audience to all of the followers of all of the collaborators.
3. Write compelling captions
Instagram is a very visual platform, but it’s still a good strategy to use your words (after all, text is far easier for the algorithm to read than images are). Take time to write thoughtful captions to tell your audience more about your post — it helps to showcase a more well-rounded perspective of your brand. And Instagram users like that.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Katrina Lynn (@fka.getstitched)
This reworked clothing maker puts a lot of work into her products, and she shares stories about the items in many of her captions. Her audience not only sees the final product, but also learns about the creation process (for example, that the coat above took over 8 hours to make).
4. Make a Reel
Even if videos aren’t your thing, try making an Instagram Reel. Reels are quickly taking over the platform, and have a higher Instagram engagement rate than still posts (and likes count as part of that engagement).
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Pepa Espinoza (@pepa.espinoza)
At first glance, this painter’s work would be better suited to a photo than a video — but instead of just posting a picture of the finished work, the artists showed their process in an interesting and engaging Reel.
5. Run a like-to-win contest
Appeal to the universal human love of free stuff and run a like-to-win contest to really get those
http://dlvr.it/Sgbwt0
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