How to grow on Instagram, according to an IG insider

We're sharing the two BIG pieces of advice on growing your Instagram commnuity. The best part is, we got the advice straight from Instagram!

A couple of weeks ago, we sat in on an Instagram training (that was hosted by an Instagram employee!) and boy-oh-boy, there were some sparkling pieces of advice.

Who was this Instagram employee and why does she have any authority?

Mitzi Gaitan’s official title is “Emerging Talent Partnerships Manager” at Instagram. What the heck does that mean?! Her job is to work with young and emerging celebrities and help them grow their audience in a sustainable way. She is actually paid by Instagram to do what we all want for ourselves!

She had two big pieces of advice on how to grow your community.

Collaborate with Similar Accounts

First up, she says you need to collaborate with similar accounts, and people with similar target demographics. Above all else, she says IG is a community. When you collaborate with people who target the same type of people, your community grows organically and authentically. The IG platform rewards community over competition.

Use all 5 IG surfaces to get maximum exposure

Ever since IG switched from a chronological feed to an interested-based feed, people have been trying how to “break” the algorithm and get more exposure. Mitzi’s tip? Use all five IG surfaces to get maximum exposure.

Wait, what? You thought IG was just one thing, right?

Well, she broke it down into five parts:

• Feed pictures (classic posts)

• Feed videos (less than a minute)

• Stories

• Live

• IGtv

Different people like to consume material in different ways, so try out all the features and spend a little time on each surface. According to her, that is how you get the most exposure.

This can get overwhelming fast. So she suggests starting where you are and starting small. Think about what type of content you could put out on each surface. For example, you might want to do quick product reviews in feed videos, but “did you know?” longer videos in IGtv.

Here is the bottom line

Instagram is a community platform above all else. Meet your followers where they are. Sometimes, that means collaborating with a different account. Other times, that can mean creating content in the way your community wants to consume it. If you make it about them, and meet them where they are, they will follow you.

For more tips on growing your community, use these 5 steps daily to see growth!