As a food blogger, it makes a lot of sense to grow a big Instagram following. It is trendy and, according to the current numbers, the hottest platform. When it comes to social media, marketing and promotion are directly related to the “follower” numbers. With over 800 million active users on Instagram, we can safely assume that the better part of the global population is on the platform. This means that there is a terrific opportunity for marketing your brand and increase the visibility of your food blog.

As of now, you must be thinking that indeed a post about food blogs on Instagram must deal with photography tips, tricks on using the light, and the angles. However, we are going to talk about the marketing side of the matter. We will talk about how to grow your handle into a popular one with thousands of followers, user interactions through likes, and comments.

So, let’s look at the top tips to make your food blog grow big on Instagram without further ado.

The hashtag campaigns

If you take a long and hard look at Instagram, you will find that the posts’ most common element is the hashtags. When it comes to marketing, hashtags are crucial. When you tag your food photos with the right hashtags, you increase the image’s chances of appearing for potential users interested in the relevant content. Keep in mind it is not just about using the unique hashtags but also about expanding the visibility by leveraging the popular ones. The right strategy is to mix popular and niche hashtags.

Here is a comprehensive hashtag strategy for you.

1. Popular tags

Even if hashtags like #dessert or #pizza are incredibly commonplace, they are insanely popular. Sure, there is heavy competition, since most will be using the same tags, it is still worth the effort.

2. Niche tags

Go for some of the less common hashtags like the #tastingtable or the #foodblogeats. It will make sure that your posts are categorized under a particular theme. That is the best way to ensure your entry into a more exclusive club of Instagram.

3. Unique tags

As the name suggests, these are the particular tags that will develop a following. For example, suppose you are a food blogger who posts consistently on different themes. In that case, it makes sense to classify your posts accordingly so that users can navigate easily when looking through your profile.

Keep in mind that Instagram might allow for 30 hashtags per post, but if you want to keep it purposeful and professional, stick closer to a 10-per post.

Partnerships increase visibility

Large companies and brands have a lot of economic clout and connections to spread the word, boost popularity, and run simultaneous marketing campaigns all over the virtual world. However, in the independent blogger’s case, making sure that Instagram handles gains, the required traction is a tough ask. Therefore, the first topic of discussion in this regard is accumulating a high number of followers. These days, through reputable third-party agencies, you can buy Instagram followers to maximize your social media growth.

Once you have reached a certain number of followers, the best approach towards taking the next leap is through partnerships. Partnerships do not come easy in independent bloggers, so you should ideally look into co-marketing. Here you can partner with other Instagrammers with the same number of following to cross-promote each other. Here are some of the tips for cross-promoting.

• The first step is to find the right promotional partner
• Find a brand/Instagrammer targeting the same demographic as yours.
• Go for a profile that has a similar number of followers.
• Request shout-out and mentions from these Instagram accounts in exchange for similar actions from your side.
• Keep measuring the effectiveness of your campaign to partner up with bigger and better co-marketing partners.

Call to action promotion

The strategies mentioned above will allow your Instagram handle to grow, but if you are running a different blog site, then you need visitors in that domain as well. This is where CTA or Call-to-Action promotion comes into play. Food bloggers usually do not use this technique, but you can find CTAs on most of the top photography Instagram handles.

Simply put, the CTA is a hyperlink that allows the user to follow the link from Instagram to your blog site directly. This will enable you to divert traffic to your blog site, thereby increasing the UX for all your domains. You can use a URL shortener or go with the native link, but keep in mind that Instagram doesn’t allow links within posts, so it has to be on the profile. As a food blogger, you can use CTAs to link the recipe from the food pictures on Instagram.

Keep in mind that people these days are even preferring to eat food that is “Instagram worthy.” So, make sure you are putting in the effort to develop your food blog Insta profile the right way.