As of September 2017, Instagram had over 800 million users. Today, that number continues to grow at a rapid pace as more and more people are using this platform for business and personal reasons. Not to mention, the recent launch of IGTV has added to the buzz that this cool, trendy app already had.

Everyone wants to be Insta-famous. They want to take the most Insta-worthy pictures and accumulate likes like it’s nothing. They want people to watch their stories, comment on their posts, and of course, add to the followers an account already has.

A key detail that many people overlook, though, is figuring out who follows who on Instagram. When you start to pay attention to the interests of your audience and the influencers they’ve already connected with, you get a much better idea of how to make your own profile stronger.

Here’s everything you need to know about understanding users’ interested and getting them to follow and engage with your profile.

Figuring Out Who Follows Who on Instagram

Instagram has changed a few things ever since it was bought by Facebook. The algorithms are different, the profile data is more advanced, and the user experience has truly transformed.

It’s much harder for an account to get spammed or to buy likes even if they wanted to. Now, the best way to gain followers is by getting their attention the old fashioned way – no gimmicks or shortcuts.

You have to be smart about the research you do and the impressions you make. If you’re trying to figure out who follows who and why they follow certain accounts, use the steps below.

Go the Direct Route

The easiest way to figure out who follows who is to go to an account’s profile and click on their followers. This will give you access to the complete list of who’s following them. But, there’s no rhyme or reason to it.

If you’re looking to see whether a certain person/business follows an account, you have to type their account handle in the search bar while on the followers list. This can be time-consuming, and you also have to keep in mind it raises the views and impressions on the account whose followers you’re looking at.

Get a Little Sneaky

Although accounts can’t see who’s been looking at their profile, they can check how many views and interactions they’ve had each week. If you don’t want to risk watching a certain account’s story or accidentally liking a picture, you may want to get a little sneaky when looking at their followers.

If you’re doing research for your business account, do so from your personal page – and vice versa. You won’t be able to get around raising an account’s views, but you will be able to cover your tracks a little better.

Pay Attention to Who Starts Following You

Here’s another way to figure out who follows who. Have you ever noticed that you get a bunch of similar accounts following you at once? This happens when people crawl the likes and comments on posts from accounts similar to theirs.

For example, if you just commented on a food blogger’s post, don’t be surprised if other food bloggers start engaging with your account. These people run in the same digital circles; they figure since you’re interested in what a similar account has to offer, you may want to check out their content, too.

As more and more of the same kind of account start to follow you, you should begin to notice a pattern. Either they’re all researching one another’s pages, they’re working together, or, they may actually be run by the same person!

Becoming a Profile Everyone Wants to Follow

If you’re so interested in who follows who on Instagram, it’s probably because you’re trying to boost the amount of followers you have. Research is only the first step.

Once you get a better understanding of how followers flock to certain accounts, you need to set your profile apart as an account people have to follow.

Here’s how you can accomplish this.

Create Valuable Content

It doesn’t matter how many insights you have about your audience if your content doesn’t connect with them.

Think beyond getting followers for a second and consider how you plan to keep people hooked. The only way to do this is to consistently publish visual and written content that they care about.

This applies to everything you put on your profile. Your pictures and videos need to be interesting; the kind of visuals that make people stop scrolling and pay attention. You captions should be thought-provoking regardless of if you’re trying to be entertaining or informative.

Don’t overlook the value of Instagram stories, either.

Give Your Profile a Consistent Look

As you work to create more great content, try to make sure all of your posts blend together. Many of the top profiles on Instagram have a certain aesthetic to them; the people who run these accounts stick to 2-3 presets and filters in order to create a theme on their page.

Some people will use multiple images to create one photo across an entire row or section. Others will transition from different color schemes every once in a while.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure your “look” is clearly identified and stick with it for a bit before shifting to something else.

Put in the Work

Keep in mind you can lose followers even quicker than you gained them. As such, it’s on you to put in the work to keep them hooked, which goes beyond having a creative content calendar.

Take the time to follow back some of the accounts that follow you. Go to their pages and like or comment on some posts. Respond to people’s stories and most importantly, reply when they reach out to you.

Oh, and check to see how many accounts you have blocked! It’s reasonable to block a few people if they’ve been spamming or harrassing you. But, the last thing you want is to realize you need to figure out how to unblock on Instagram if you have a lot of accounts on this list.

Using Instagram to Expand Your Business

The Instagram craze is not going anywhere anytime soon.

People are going to continue trying to get the best shot for their personal profiles, and they’re definitely not going to stop engaging with well-known bloggers and business pages. You have to figure out how to rank among such pages, and do so quickly.

Begin by learning who follows who on Instagram and why. Then, identify what’s going to set your profile apart. For more insights on building a large following, click here.