One of the best ways to get additional Instagram followers is by using models. Your “models” can help take your Instagram account to the next level of growth, regardless of how big or small you are today.
Get a friend to pose in some pictures for you. Once you’ve built up a reputation as a great photographer on Instagram, you can start networking to work with other Instagram users. You can shoot images, and you upload some to your account and let the model upload some to her account.
You can help “shout out” each other, and both of you will get new followers. You also will be assisting a model in growing his or her Instagram account by providing high-quality images, and the model will be helping you out by also working for free in exchange for some photos and a shoutout.
Cross targeting niches is one of the best methods to gain additional followers. As an example of this, let’s say you are primarily a landscape photographer and your Instagram is heavily focused on just scenic landscapes. People follow your Instagram because they like seeing the spectacular landscape photos you shoot and upload. To appeal to a broader audience and get more followers, you cross target. You find a model and photograph her doing yoga poses with a scenic landscape as the backdrop.
When you upload the image to Instagram, you will have the ability to get more followers, likes, and comments from new people. Your landscape photo will also attract the Instagram users that are interested in Yoga.
Will you alienate some of your current followers? Maybe, but the benefits generally will outweigh any concern. You usually will get more followers than people who will unfollow you.
You do need to ensure you are using hashtags that target the landscape, as well as the yoga model posing.
Street portraits with strangers is an underutilized method of using models to grow your Instagram. Street portraits are merely asking strangers on the street if you can take their photo. Many will say no, but you will get enough yes’s to make it worth it. Once you get confident with approaching strangers for portraits, you can get multiple new images to upload every time you head out in public to shoot. Instead of 100 selfies of yourself, you can get 100 unique people to photograph.
By expanding your repertoire and incorporating models into your workflow, you will likely grow your Instagram account much faster than without using them. A model doesn’t have to be a professional for you to get quality images to use.