Alright y’all, Instagram hacks to grow followers—man I gotta start with this because like three months ago I was sitting in my shitty apartment in Austin, Texas, AC blasting because it’s somehow 97 degrees in October 2025 still, eating cold pizza straight from the box, refreshing my follower count like it was gonna magically hit 1k if I stared hard enough. Spoiler: it didn’t. I had 487 followers and most of them were bots or my mom’s book club friends who liked everything out of pity. Seriously embarrassing.
But then I started messing around with some stuff that actually moved the needle. Not the “post at 3:17pm on Tuesdays” garbage that every blog repeats. Real Instagram hacks to grow followers that I tested on my own account, sometimes failing spectacularly. Here are the 7 that legit helped skyrocket my followers even though I’m still kind of a mess.
Hack #1: The Reels Audio Steal That Feels Like Cheating (But Isn’t)
Okay so first off—Instagram hacks to grow followers almost always involve Reels right now because the algorithm is obsessed. I started hopping on trending audios literally the hour they blow up. Like I’d be doomscrolling at 2 a.m. with my dog snoring on my lap, hear something catchy, save it, then film something dumb in my kitchen immediately.
One time I used this audio from some random comedian doing the “that was not in the script” bit and just filmed myself burning toast while lip-syncing. Zero editing. Burnt crumbs everywhere. Got 47k views overnight and like 380 new followers. I screamed alone in my apartment. Anyway, point is: move fast on audio. Don’t overthink the content. People stay for the sound, not your perfect face.
(For the love of god go check trending audio right now if you’re reading this.)
Hack #2: Comment Like a Real Human Psycho (The Algorithm Loves It)
This one feels gross but works stupid well for Instagram growth hacks. I stopped doing the lame “nice pic!” comments and started writing actual paragraphs sometimes. Like under someone in my niche (I’m into weird vintage cameras and coffee), I’d be like: “dude that Leica M3 shot looks like it was taken in 1974 but the grain is insane—did you push the film or just shoot wide open at f/1.4 in bad light? Asking because I tried the same roll last week and mine looked like garbage lol.”
People reply. They follow back. The algorithm sees engagement. My followers started creeping up 20–50 a day just from being a comment weirdo. Embarrassing? Yes. Effective? Hell yes.
Hack #3: Stories Polls But Make It Chaotic and Personal
I used to ignore Stories because who cares, right? Wrong. Instagram follower tips that nobody talks about enough: make polls that are slightly unhinged. Not “coffee or tea” snooze-fest. I did one like “should I delete this entire account and start over or keep embarrassing myself publicly?” 68% said keep embarrassing myself. Got 112 replies and a follower bump because people felt invested in my trainwreck.
Do polls that make people feel like they’re part of your weird little life. It’s messy but it works.
Hack #4: Collab with People Smaller Than You (Yes, Really)
I DM’d this girl who had 2.3k followers because her feed was all analog film shots of gas stations at night and it felt very “me but better.” Asked if she wanted to do a silly “film vs digital” Reel together. She said yes. We both tagged each other. Her audience spilled over. I gained almost 600 followers in a week from one collab. Don’t sleep on people smaller than you—they’re hungrier and more likely to say yes.
Hack #5: Post at the Worst Possible Time on Purpose
Everyone says post when your audience is awake. I started posting at like 4:17 a.m. CST because that’s when I’m awake and manic. Turns out a small pocket of insomniac creatives in the US are scrolling then too. My engagement rate went up 3x on those posts. Weird Instagram hack to grow followers but it worked for my crowd.
Hack #6: The Caption That Roasts Yourself First
I started every caption with self-deprecation. “Another blurry photo because my hands shake when I’m excited about expired Portra 400.” People comment laughing emojis and relate. Relatability = saves and shares = algorithm food = more Instagram followers fast.
Hack #7: Just Keep Posting Even When It Sucks (The Boring Truth)
The last hack isn’t sexy. I posted 312 times in a row even when likes were in the single digits. Consistency compounds. One day it just… flipped. From 612 to 1,200 in a month. Still not viral-famous but I can buy coffee without crying now.
Look, these Instagram hacks to skyrocket your followers aren’t magic. They’re just what a very flawed dude in Texas with too much time and not enough self-respect figured out. Some days I still feel like a fraud. But my follower count doesn’t lie.
If you’re reading this and your count is stuck—try one. Just one. And tell me in the comments what happened because honestly I need the validation too lol. What hack are you trying first? Drop it below. Or roast me. Whatever. Anyway yeah that’s my chaotic take. Go grow. Or don’t. I’m not your dad.
(Oh and huge shoutout to Later.com for their analytics that helped me see what actually worked and Hootsuite for scheduling when I was too lazy to post manually. Not sponsored, just stuff I use.)
