- Small accounts (1-5K) increase their followers by 22% annually, while posting 3-5 times a week accelerates growth.
- Reels bring the highest reach to new audiences, while carousels keep users on the profile longer.
- Buying fake followers reduces engagement and forces Instagram to hide your posts.
A hair salon in Kalamaria opens an account and the owner’s first thought is how to get more followers on Instagram quickly. In 2026, the answer does not lie in apps promising thousands of accounts from other countries. According to DataReportal research, 62.3% of active adult users use the social network to find products and businesses.
Socialinsider’s 2025 data shows that general engagement dropped by 24% and follower growth slowed down compared to 2024. Competition for user attention increased. A tavern in Naxos or an e-shop in Patras needs steady growth and people who view, save, and send posts to friends to fill tables or shopping carts.
What is considered satisfactory growth for a small account
Many small businesses get discouraged because they compare themselves to large content creators. Socialinsider’s 2026 report, which analyzed 35 million posts, shows that small accounts grow faster proportionally. The average annual growth rate for accounts with 1,000 to 5,000 followers in 2025 was 22%. For accounts from 5,000 to 10,000 followers, the rate was 20.29%, while for those with 100,000 to 1 million it dropped to 11.25%.
Average annual follower growth rate in 2025, by account size.
If a gym in Heraklion starts the year with 2,000 followers and gains about 1.5% per month, it is exactly on average. Growth slowed generally in 2025, as the rate for small accounts reached 38% in 2024. Retaining the existing audience and engagement now carry more weight than simply adding new numbers to the profile.
How often should you post content
Posting frequency plays a crucial role in organic growth. According to a Buffer study, those who post 3-5 times a week increase their followers almost twice as fast as those who post 1-2 times, while securing 12% more reach per post. Scheduling Instagram posts helps maintain this pace without interrupting your work.
The same study shows that with 6-9 posts a week, growth is 3.7 times higher, while with 10+ posts it reaches 5.5 times, although with diminishing returns. Conversely, weeks without any posts lead to stagnation or loss of followers.
«Increasing posting frequency is like buying more lottery tickets»
Julian Winternheimer, data scientist at Buffer
Dash Social’s study suggests 2-3 feed posts a week to maintain a high engagement rate. Combining these data points shows that the ideal pace for a small business is 3-5 posts in total, distributed across different content types.
«there’s no perfect number»
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram
Reels for new audiences, Carousels for engagement
Content type determines who sees the post. Buffer data shows that Reels offer 36% more reach than other post types (Metricool estimates it at +29%). In Socialinsider’s 2025 report, Reels from accounts with fewer than 5,000 followers had a 20% view rate and an average of 300 views per video.
Carousels (posts with multiple images) bring 12% more engagement, according to Buffer. Socialinsider measured an average engagement rate for 2025 of 0.55% for carousels, 0.52% for Reels, and 0.37% for static images.
How different post types perform based on data from millions of posts in 2025.
| Reels | Carousels | Images | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement rate | 0.52% | 0.55% | 0.37% |
| Main advantage | +36% reach | +12% engagement | Lowest performance |
| Ideal for | New audience | Retention & saves | Consistent presence |
In January 2025, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri mentioned the top three ranking signals for the algorithm: watch time, likes per reach, and sends per reach. Likes matter slightly more for existing followers, while sends play a decisive role for those who do not follow you. In practice, Reels for businesses are the tool for new users to find you, while carousels keep them on your profile.
How to test Trial Reels
In December 2024, Meta announced the Trial Reels feature. These are videos that appear first to people who do not follow you, allowing you to test content without cluttering your existing customers’ feed.
- Start making a reel as usual (Create → Reel).
- Before tapping Share, turn on the “Trial” toggle. The reel will appear first to people who do not follow you.
- After the trial, if you like the result, choose to share it with your followers with a single tap, or set it to share automatically if it performs well.
- Note: requirements (public account, minimum 200 or 1,000 followers) vary by source. Check the Help Center before relying on this.
Show your Reels to non-followers first to see how they perform before sharing them with your audience.
1Start making a new video by selecting Reel.
2Before tapping Share, turn on the Trial toggle.
3If it performs well, share it with your followers with a single tap.
Swipe for the next steps →
The Trial toggle is in the final settings before publishing. If the video performs well with the new audience, sharing it with existing followers gives its reach a second boost.
How to get more followers on Instagram using Collab posts
Collaborations are a direct way to grow your audience. A Collab post appears simultaneously on both profiles, sharing likes and comments. Sources state you can add from 3 (Sprout Social) to 5 (Sked Social) collaborators in a single post.
- Create a photo, carousel, or Reel and write the caption.
- Before sharing, tap “Tag people” and then “Invite collaborator”. Search for the collaborator’s account and select it. When they accept, the post also appears on their profile.
- If you forgot a collaborator, open the post, tap the three dots, then “Edit” and “Tag people” to invite them.
Why buying followers destroys your profile
Buying followers often seems like an easy solution. Mailchimp notes that this practice is not illegal, but it violates the platform’s rules. Fake profiles are usually bots or inactive accounts. The result is having 10,000 followers and very few likes, plummeting your engagement rate.
«You shouldn’t use apps that offer likes and followers.»
Instagram Help Center
The Instagram Help Center warns that these apps ask for access to your account and messages. The platform removes fake engagement and imposes restrictions on accounts that continue this practice. According to a HowSociable analysis, the punishment escalates in three steps: removing engagement, usage restrictions, and, ultimately, account deactivation.
The algorithm itself explains the damage. When Instagram measures watch time and sends to evaluate a post, fake accounts offer neither. The algorithm sees that your audience ignores your content and stops showing it even to your real customers.
Practices that bring organic growth and mistakes that can lead to restrictions.
- Post 3-5 times a week for faster growth.
- Use keywords in the caption and bio.
- Focus on watch time and sends.
- Do not buy followers (risk of removal and restriction).
- Do not expect reach solely from hashtags.
- Do not go weeks without posting (stagnation).
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on Instagram?
Sprout Social suggests weekdays from Monday to Thursday, between 10:00 and 15:00. However, the same research reminds us that content quality plays a bigger role than posting time.
How many Instagram users are there in Greece?
In December 2025, NapoleonCat recorded 5,053,600 Instagram users in Greece, a number corresponding to 46.4% of the population. 52.3% are women, with the largest age group being between 25 and 34 years old.
Do hashtags help you get more followers on Instagram?
Not directly. The head of Instagram has stated that hashtags do not increase reach, but function mainly for categorization. Discovering new content now relies on the keywords you write in the caption, the bio, the alt text, and on the video itself.
Consistent presence requires time, which most professionals lack. InstaBot reads your business’s website and Instagram, learns your tone, and creates posts, carousels, and reels automatically. You can review the posts before they are published or enable Autopilot to upload them automatically to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
Sources
- Socialinsider – 2026 Instagram Organic Benchmarks
- Socialinsider – 2025 Instagram Benchmarks
- Buffer – How to Get More Followers on Instagram in 2026
- Professional Beauty – New research by Buffer reveals how often you should post on Instagram
- Instagram Help Center – Why you should not use apps that offer likes and followers
- Meta Newsroom – Test Content With Non-Followers Using Trial Reels
- DataReportal – Digital 2025: Greece
- NapoleonCat – Social media users in Greece, 2025
