Unless you’re a long-time Instagram influencer used to being popular, seeing your likes count climbing is bound to trigger warm and fuzzy feelings. Receiving a lot of likes for content that you’ve spent time and effort to create is both rewarding and gratifying.

Building likes for your Instagram posts isn’t easy, though, particularly if you have a new or small Instagram account. There are two major reasons:

1. People can’t like your content if they haven’t seen it, and getting visibility for posts is extremely difficult.
2. Instagram users see so many posts on their feeds that it’s difficult enough to grab their attention, let alone convince them to hit the “like” button.

You might produce some of the Gram’s best content, but unless you take steps to overcome those two problems, chances are that only your existing followers will see what you’ve created, watch it, and perhaps like it.

People use many old-school growth methods to try and find an audience and accumulate Instagram likes, and they’re usually the same approaches used to attract new followers.

They load their posts with hashtags, hoping to bring in new viewers from the IG search function. They cross-promote their Instagram content on other social media platforms and spam their Instagram profile in the comment sections of popular Insta users. They go hunting for like-minded users in their target audience and try to get those folks to check out their posts.

Those strategies don’t bring in much engagement, though. The app is much too crowded for manual methods of finding new viewers to work very well. The only sensible way to build a high number of likes is to show your photos and videos to large numbers of random Instagram users, and the fast and effective way to do it is to buy Instagram likes.

Purchasing high-quality likes may sound sketchy, but rest assured, it’s not. It’s legal, safe, and a proven method of stimulating organic growth on the Gram. And once you understand how it works, you’ll see why accumulating lots of IG likes is even more important than you might think.

We’ll discuss that growth method first, and then move on to other approaches you can take to increase your likes on Instagram.

Triggering Instagram Growth with Purchased Likes

We’ve briefly mentioned that it’s difficult to have your posts shown widely on the Gram. Let’s explain why.

Instagram has become the third-largest social media platform in the world, with more than 2.5 billion users who upload about 100 million photos and videos every day. That amount of Instagram content can’t possibly be shown equally on users’ feeds; there has to be a system for allocating visibility.

Here’s what happens. The Instagram algorithms give priority to posts from the app’s most popular users and posts that are growing rapidly in popularity. Account popularity is judged by follower count and how quickly a user is adding new fans. Post popularity is judged by like count and a metric called “engagement rate.”

Engagement rate is most important for this discussion. Likes, views, and comments are all Instagram engagements, and likes are arguably the most important component of engagement rate. When you build a high like count for a post, you’re essentially showing Instagram that the content deserves a large, new audience.

Once lots of potential viewers (and potential followers) who aren’t familiar with your content see it appear in their Instagram feeds, they have their first opportunity to watch and like your post, and if they’re impressed with your (hopefully) great content, they’ll hit the “follow” button to see more of what you create. Those organic interactions are the key to powerful Instagram growth.

And that’s not all. As many users in your new audience like your post, the increased engagement tells the algorithms to boost its Instagram exposure even more. Audience for the content continues to grow — and if the like count grows high enough, it could land the post on the Instagram Explore page or even go viral.

Buying likes (and other interactions) is a proven Instagram marketing strategy that’s worked flawlessly for countless power users on the app. It can work for anyone, as long as they’ve paid attention to two important details.

• Purchased engagements won’t help if you haven’t created compelling, high-quality content that earns “likes” from your new viewers.
• Purchased engagements won’t help if you buy them from the wrong vendor.

That first caveat is self-explanatory, and we’ll get into creating a successful Instagram content strategy shortly. The second caution requires a brief explanation.

Most websites that sell Instagram likes are scamming their customers. They generate fake engagements with bots and fake IG accounts, take the money, and run. Fake likes are easy for the algorithms to detect and delete, so they don’t boost your posts’ exposure. Instead, they can get you penalized or banned from the app for violating its terms and conditions.

A small number of reputable social media marketing services, by contrast, sell real Instagram likes that are provided by real people with real Instagram accounts. Since those likes come from real IG users, they aren’t deleted; they drive your post’s engagement rate higher and trigger the audience and engagement growth that takes your Instagram presence to the next level.

It’s not easy to find trustworthy, top-quality service providers. To get you started, here are the five sellers ranked highest by industry publications and power users; all deliver 100% real Instagram likes.

● Twicsy: One of the two original Instagram service providers, with more than a decade of experience and glowing reviews, Twicsy can deliver as many as 10,000 real, high-quality likes instantly. They generate impressive increases in visibility and popularity for IG posts.

● Buzzoid: With just as much experience in the industry as Twicsy, Buzzoid can deliver genuine like packages that are just as robust, delivered just as rapidly, and with all the options and features you’d expect from a veteran provider. Their powerful results are generally on par with Twicsy, too.

● Rushmax: Rushmax is another option that has only about half the experience of Twicsy and Buzzoid, but this provider has quickly built a devoted base of repeat clients because of their high-quality engagements and strong results.

● iDigic: iDigic doesn’t have as long a history delivering real likes, but their quality, service, and support are terrific and growth in customers’ post visibility is almost as strong as you’ll see from either of the two top-ranked services.

● MegaFamous: The newest Instagram service on this list is rapidly becoming a go-to choice for many of the app’s power users, thanks to their powerful, authentic likes that deliver a strong boost for audiences and post popularity.

Real Instagram likes are surprisingly inexpensive to buy, so there’s no reason to be satisfied with slow, manual growth methods that only bring in small numbers of organic likes. However, some readers may want to try the “free” methods first — and even those who’ve decided to purchase likes can benefit greatly from some of the first few techniques we’ll discuss next.

Increasing Like Counts with Great Content

We’ve mentioned the importance of having a smart Instagram content strategy, and it’s a crucial factor whether you’re buying interactions or trying to build likes manually.

Here’s why. When you post content that’s meant to satisfy your friends or family, it’s unlikely that random surfers will be interested in it. Photos from your visit to the town’s newest restaurant, a cool meme you saw, or a video of your kids playing at the beach aren’t the type of content that will get people who don’t know you to double-tap on your posts.

Instead, devote your account to a single topic that a target audience of like-minded users will appreciate. They’re the ones who will want to watch and like your videos, and many will ideally become new Instagram followers who hit the “like” button on all of the similar content you create going forward.

Just as importantly, be sure all of your photos and videos are shot with the highest possible quality; no one’s going to like content that’s out of focus, shaky, or poorly lit. Spend time planning what you plan to shoot, too, since a rambling or disjointed video isn’t going to keep anyone watching for very long.

Research has shown that content that’s bright and contains faces is more likely to get people to keep watching and double-tap, while over-editing and the use of distracting filters lowers their interest in videos. While content should stay on-topic, varying the type and look of your content keeps visitors and followers interested in the posts you produce.

A content strategy also addresses important details. For example, post on a regular schedule at times when your existing followers are most likely to see your posts. You can determine the right time to upload by checking Instagram analytics to learn when most of your fans use Instagram.

We’ll address more details in the next section.

Boosting Likes by Optimizing Instagram Posts

When your content appears on users’ feeds, they aren’t going to automatically watch it. Most surfers will ordinarily scroll right by — unless you make your posts eye-catching enough to make them stop and watch. The best way to do that is by crafting engaging captions.

You’re allowed 2,200 characters in your caption, but users on their phones will only see about 125 of them before the “see more” prompt appears. Make those 125 characters count by tempting surfers with something funny, hard-to-believe, informative, or thought-provoking. A call-to-action (“Share your favorites!”) can also induce them to stop and watch,

A great caption increases the chances that potential viewers will want to check out the videos you’ve spent so much time creating and promoting, whether you’ve “purchased” a larger audience or gone out on your own to find them.

When you’re seeking viewers and likes manually, be sure to use hashtags in your captions. (It’s smart to do that if you’re buying likes as well; every new visitor helps!) Instagram hashtags are often misused, though; you’re allowed to include as many as 30 of them, but most won’t help. Using the right hashtags will boost your visibility.

• Relevant hashtags: These connect directly to the type of content you create, allowing people in your target audience to find your posts by using the Instagram search function.
• Trending or popular hashtags: Find trending topics on your Explore page or by using a separate tool, and use popular hashtags that also relate to your content. That can bring in additional searchers who wouldn’t see your posts otherwise.

One other suggestion on captions: tag a friend if they’re shown in your content or would be interested in it. That’s almost a guaranteed like. Two other Instagram features have also been shown to boost viewership and likes; adding stickers and location tags to your posts can bring in new traffic and encourage viewers to interact.

More Strategies to Boost Like Counts

There are many more ways to “drag” IG users to your account so they can watch and like your posts. Quite a few are regularly suggested by digital marketing experts for people who want to boost their Instagram follower counts, but increased likes are often a welcome byproduct.

1. Optimize your Instagram bio: Here’s another Instagram SEO tip. If you make sure every element of your bio and profile highlights the topic of your content, you’ll increase the chances that people will find you via the search function.
2. Use carousels: Carousels (the IG posts that show multiple pieces of content) have been shown to attract the most attention from surfers, leading to more likes.
3. Cross-promote your content: Take excerpts from your videos and post them to Instagram Stories and Instagram Reels, two highly-trafficked sections of the Gram. Do the same with your social accounts on TikTok and other apps (always with links to your Instagram pages). That can bring in new visitors who don’t know about your Insta account.
4. Engage with others: Always respond to comments and DMs, to make visitors and followers feel more connected to your account and more likely to engage with your content. You can try running promotions or giveaways to encourage the submission of user-generated content that not only gives you more material to post, but also boosts interaction with users. Also explore collaborations and partnerships with more powerful accounts or influencers, to extend your visibility and reach.

Just remember that all of those approaches, while potentially valuable sources of likes and new followers, aren’t going to build your like count and account importance as quickly or effectively as buying likes from a reputable Instagram service. There’s nothing wrong with trying them, though!