The Way to Get Increase Followers on Social Media Handle (The Human Approach)
Table of Contents
Introduction
Social media is no longer where we post selfies or memes. It is now the world stage where companies are built, products are sold, and ideas spread like wildfire. You may be a content creator, a small business, or a business brand, but your number of followers is not just a number but a testament to your reach, reputation, and influence.
But here’s the reality: building followers on social media requires strategy, patience, and imagination. There is no catch-all shortcut and definitely no magic bullet. There are, however, timeless approaches, habits of behavior, and techniques that work every time.
This guide by The Next Digital distills genuine, useful, and successful steps to grow your social media followers on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (X), and YouTube.
Why Follower Count Matters
Your followers don’t directly put food on the table. But they unlock opportunities that do:
- Brand credibility: More followers = more trust.
- Organic reach: Your content gets seen more often.
- Monetization: Influencer deals, affiliate marketing, ad revenue.
- Community building: A loyal audience is your biggest asset.
- Sales and leads: Followers convert into customers with the right strategy.
So it’s not necessarily all about the numbers, strategic growth is important.
The Foundation: Know Your Platform and Purpose
Not before posting or planning, however. Ask yourself these:
- Why are you on this platform? To educate, entertain, promote, sell, or connect?
- Who is your audience? Define age, interests, pain points, location, and behavior.
- What kind of content best suits the platform?
Instagram likes visuals. LinkedIn lives for thought leadership. Twitter is rapid-fire and reactive.
- What do you want followers to do? Follow, comment, click, buy, or share?
These four questions will better inform your strategy than any hack ever will.
Step-by-Step Strategies to Increase Followers
1. Optimize Your Profile – First Impressions Matter
Your bio is your digital handshake. It should clearly convey:
- Who you are
- What you do
- Why others should follow you
- A concise CTA (Call to Action) such as “DM for collabs” or “Link in bio”
Tips:
- Set a professional or on-brand profile image
- Add a clickable link to your website or landing page
- Have a simple and searchable username
- Add relevant keywords in your bio for easy discoverability
2. Make Content That Connects, Not Only Reaches
Ditch the attempts to impress the algorithm—focus on resonating with humans.
Types of Content That Perform:
- Instructional content: Tips, how-to’s, myths vs. facts
- Behind-the-scenes content: Reveal your process, team, workspace
- Interactive content: Polls, questions, quizzes, sliders
- Personal anecdotes: Get vulnerable, real, relatable
- User-generated content: Highlight fans, customers, or community members
- Visual content: Carousels, reels, short-form video
Posting Rules of Thumb:
- Employ hooks in the first line or second of video
- Keep captions scannable
- Employ a consistent voice and brand tone
- Include CTAs: “Save this post”, “Tag a friend”, “Comment below”
3. Post Regularly (But Not Robotically)
Growth adores consistency. But that does not mean you post every day—just remain active.
Actionable Plan:
- Pick a frequency you can maintain (e.g., 3x a week)
- Schedule content using a monthly calendar
- Repurpose and recycle content across platforms
- Vary formats: image, video, carousels, text-only posts
Bonus: Utilize scheduling apps like Buffer, Later, or Meta Planner to keep things organized.
4. Use Hashtags Wisely
Hashtags are discovery mechanisms—not aesthetic touches.
Best Practices:
- Utilize niche-specific hashtags, not trending ones
- Don’t use the same set for each post (spammy)
- Look up hashtags your dream followers are already using
- On Instagram, limit yourself to 8–15 high-quality hashtags
- On Twitter and LinkedIn, 3–5 usually suffice
5. Engage Before You Post, Not Just After
Social media is not a monologue—it’s a conversation.
Here’s what works:
- Respond to every comment (particularly in the first hour)
- Comment on posts from other creators within your niche
- Like and share other people’s stuff
- Follow individuals genuinely, rather than hoping for a follow-back
- Utilize the 30 minutes prior to posting and 30 minutes after to engage actively
This says to the algorithm: “I’m here, I’m relevant, show my stuff!”
6. Partner to Increase Reach
You’re stuck in your current bubble, partner to break the ceiling.
Collaboration Ideas:
- Host Instagram Lives with other creators
- Do guest takeovers
- Collaborate on co-branded content
- Interview influencers in your niche
- Host joint giveaways or challenges
This engages each other’s audiences, resulting in new followers who already trust you by association.
7. Tap Into Reels, Shorts & Video First Content
Let’s not mince words—video is king.
Platforms are favoring short-form video content such as:
- Instagram Reels
- YouTube Shorts
- TikToks
- Facebook Video
- LinkedIn native video
Quick Tips:
- Keep videos under 60 seconds
- Utilize captions and subtitles (many view on mute)
- Include energy in the first 2–3 seconds
- Avoid over-editing—raw and real tends to perform better
8. Look At What’s Working (And Double Down)
Success leaves a trail. Leverage platform insights to track:
- Which posts are saved or shared the most
- When your audience is online
- What formats work best (video vs static)
- Where traffic is coming from
- Demographics and growth trends of your audience
Then double down on what works. Don’t simply post more—post smarter.
9. Host Strategic Giveaways
Giveaways can blow up your follower count when done correctly—but they have to feel genuine and on-brand.
Do:
- Provide an invaluable prize that is applicable to your audience
- Request easy, non-spammy engagement (e.g., follow + comment + tag 1 friend)
- Team up with other accounts to increase reach
- Cross-promote on all platforms
- Have a distinct end date and reveal the winner publicly
Don’t:
- Provide random products which don’t have anything to do with your niche
- Ask for spammy mass tagging or follow-requests
- Not follow up with new content after the contest has ended
10. Resist the Urge to Purchase Followers
Yes, it’s tempting. But it’s also harmful.
Fake followers:
Don’t interact with your content
Destroy your credibility
Damage your engagement rate
Make algorithms wary
Will eventually be deleted
Growing organically will take longer, but it’s lasting and significant.
The Psychology of Followers: Why Do People Follow?
To grow, you need to know behavior.
People follow accounts because:
They provide value (tips, advice, entertainment)
- They’re relatable (genuine, sincere, human)
- They seek to belong to a tribe or community
- They become inspired, educated, or empowered
- They believe in the brand or voice behind the account
So instead of asking “How do I get followers?”, ask “Why would someone follow me?“
Answer that sincerely, and the rest follows.
Platform-Specific Tips
- Employ carousel posts with mini-tutorials
- Post reels regularly
- Post stories on a daily basis to remain top-of-mind
- Utilize “Add Yours” sticker to invite UGC
- Leverage Facebook Groups to create a micro-community
- Go live regularly
- Participate in comments and community pages
- Post customer testimonials
- Post personal anecdotes + professional insights
- Comment on other people’s posts to build visibility
- Utilize carousel documents and polls
- Engage through DMs (not pitches, actual convos)
Twitter/X
- Tweet 3–5 times per day to remain relevant
- Respond to news and trending topics
- Design threads with actionable advice
- Retweet with comment
YouTube
- Title and thumbnail optimization
- Drive traffic to the long videos using Shorts
- End with an ask to subscribe each video
- Develop playlists for optimal binge-watching
Consistency Builds Credibility
Though you post the ideal reel or the wisest thread, if you vanish next week, nobody will follow.
Treat your content like a show—people should know when to tune in and what to expect.
Show up. Be present. Evolve with feedback.
Conclusion: Build Followers By Building Trust
Growing your social media following isn’t about vanity metrics—it’s about building digital relationships.
There’s no shortcut that replaces value-driven content, authentic engagement, and consistent effort.
Focus on people, not platforms. Focus on connection, not just content.
And never forget—growth through followers happens as a result of purposeful action.
