For years, businesses and creators have asked a simple question: can you use Instagram ads to get followers? The short answer is yes, you can. But the real question is how to do it effectively. Simply boosting a post with the goal of “more profile visits” often leads to disappointing results and a wasted ad budget.
This guide will show you how to leverage Instagram ads for followers in a strategic way, focusing on quality over quantity. We’ll cover the right campaign objectives, the best ad creative, and the crucial steps to ensure the followers you gain are genuinely interested in your content.
The Truth About Gaining Followers with Ads:
It’s important to understand that Meta Ads Manager (the platform you use to run Instagram ads) doesn’t have a specific campaign objective called “follower growth.” Instead, you must use other objectives to achieve this goal indirectly. The key is to shift your mindset from a direct “follow” action to a broader strategy of driving high-quality, relevant traffic to your profile.
The Goal:
Drive traffic to your profile of people who are most likely to follow you.
The Mistake to Avoid:
Don’t just boost a post from your profile and hope for the best. This approach is often too broad and fails to target the right audience.
Strategy: Traffic Campaigns to Your Profile
The most effective way to use Instagram ads for followers is by setting up a campaign with the “Traffic” objective. However, instead of sending people to your website, you’ll set the destination to your Instagram profile. This tells Instagram’s algorithm to find users who are most likely to click through to your profile page.
Step-by-Step Campaign Setup:
Objective:
Drive traffic to your profile of people who are most likely to follow you.
Destination:
At the ad set level, select “Instagram Profile” as the destination. This is a crucial step that directly influences the algorithm’s targeting.
Audience:
Create a highly targeted audience. This is where you can make or break your campaign. Instead of a broad audience, target people based on:
Detailed Interests:
Be specific. If you’re a sustainable fashion brand, target people interested in “eco-friendly clothing,” “ethical fashion,” and “conscious consumerism.”
Custom Audiences:
Use retargeting to show ads to people who have already engaged with your account but haven’t followed you yet.
Lookalike Audiences:
Create an audience of people who are similar to your current followers. This is one of the most powerful tools for finding high-quality new followers.
Budget & Schedule:
Start with a small daily budget (e.g., $5-$10) to test your creative and targeting. Run the campaign for at least 5-7 days to give the algorithm enough time to optimize.
The Mistake to Avoid:
Don’t just boost a post from your profile and hope for the best. This approach is often too broad and fails to target the right audience.
The Secret Sauce: Ad Creative and Your Profile
Your ad creative is what will convince someone to click on your profile and then follow you. A boring ad will get clicks, but not the right kind of clicks, and those people won’t convert into followers.
Hook Them Instantly:
The first 3 seconds of your ad are everything. Use a dynamic video or a carousel ad that features your best-performing organic content.
Show Value:
Your ad needs to clearly communicate what value the user will get by following you. Use a text overlay or a strong voiceover with phrases like:
“Follow for daily marketing tips.”
“Follow for new recipes every week.”
“Follow for inspiration and behind-the-scenes content.”
Clear Call to Action:
Your ad copy and creative should have a strong, clear call to action to “Follow.” Tell them exactly what you want them to do.
Optimize Your Profile:
Your ad is the first impression, but your profile is the second. Make sure your Instagram bio is clear, your grid is visually appealing, and you have recent, high-quality content. Your pinned posts are a great opportunity to showcase your best work and give new visitors a reason to stick around.
Keeping Your New Followers Engaged:
Getting new followers is just the first step. To ensure they stay and become a part of your community, you must have a solid organic content strategy in place.
Post Consistently:
Don’t let your new followers come to a barren profile. Post high-quality content regularly.
Engage with Your Audience:
Reply to comments, respond to DMs, and interact with your community. This builds a genuine relationship and makes them feel valued.
Continue to Provide Value:
The promise you made in your ad needs to be delivered in your content. If you promised daily tips, make sure you’re posting them.
The Bottom Line: Instagram Ads for Followers
Using Instagram ads for followers isn’t about a quick fix or a magic button. It’s a strategic process that involves smart campaign setup, compelling creative, and a strong organic presence. By focusing on driving high-quality traffic to an optimized profile, you can effectively use paid advertising to grow a community of engaged, loyal followers who will become your biggest fans and customers.
