How to Get More Likes on Instagram

When you look at the list of the most-liked Instagram posts of all time, some themes start to emerge. Soccer players show up a lot. So do Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez (often together, even though they broke up literally a decade ago).

How do you get more likes on Instagram?

To get more likes on Instagram, post high-quality photos and Reels consistently, reply to comments quickly, use 3–5 relevant hashtags, post when your audience is most active, and collaborate with creators and complementary brands. Likes follow engagement: the more interactions a post earns early on, the more people Instagram shows it to.

One thing you don’t see much of on the “most-liked post” list is small businesses. Weird, right? Here’s the thing, though: you don’t need Messi-sized numbers. What you need is stronger engagement from the right audience, and that’s a goal within reach.

So what if Lionel Messi got more than 74 million likes on his post about winning the World Cup, and your posts about sales and new products average, well, six. Dream big or don’t dream at all, am I right?

Social media is crowded, and small businesses rarely win by shouting louder. The 12 strategies below will help your posts cut through the noise and build a loyal community around your brand.

Are Instagram likes important?

You might be wondering if likes still hold the same weight they once did, especially since Instagram started hiding them on some posts. Yes, likes still matter in 2026 — and they should be part of your social media strategy.

Instagram began experimenting with hiding like counts in 2019, starting with a test in Canada.

Today, hidden likes are a standard setting, not an experiment. Per Instagram’s Help Center, you can hide like counts on all the posts in your feed, and show or hide the count on any post you share — before or after publishing. Either way, you always see the full like data for your own posts in Instagram Insights.

Even though likes may not always be visible to the public, they still play a crucial role in Instagram’s algorithm. Here’s how:

• Posts with higher engagement (likes, comments, shares, and saves) are more likely to appear at the top of your followers’ feeds.
• Popular posts have a better chance of being featured on the Explore page, reaching users who don’t yet follow you.
• Likes still serve as validation, signaling to others that your content is valuable and worth their time.

Plus, some posts still do have visible likes. That means when users can see them, they offer the same benefits they always have. Humans are inherently social creatures who often look to others for cues on how to behave. When users see a post with a high number of likes, they’re more inclined to view it favorably and engage with it themselves. This phenomenon, known as social proof, can amplify your content’s reach and impact.

Understanding Instagram’s algorithm in 2026

To outsmart the algorithm, you first need to understand how it works. Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed in January 2025 that three signals matter most for reach — watch time, likes, and sends — on top of the relationship and interest signals Instagram has always weighed:

• Watch time: How long people stick with your post or Reel before scrolling on.
• Likes: Likes relative to how many people saw the post — the strongest signal from your existing followers.
• Sends: How often people share your post with friends relative to reach — the biggest lever for reaching non-followers.
• Relationships: Content from accounts that a user interacts with frequently is more likely to appear in their feed.
• Relevance: The algorithm predicts how much a user will care about a post based on past behavior.

By creating content that fosters engagement and building strong relationships with your audience, you increase the likelihood of your posts being seen and liked.

Instagram metrics that really matter

Likes matter, but they’re only one measure of how your digital storefront is doing. Let’s explore other critical metrics that help give you a holistic view of your Instagram performance:

Engagement rate

Engagement rate measures the level of interaction your content receives relative to your follower count. It’s a key indicator of how well your content resonates with your audience.

How to calculate it:

Example: If your post has 200 likes and 50 comments, and you have 5,000 followers:

Engagement rate = ((200 + 50) / 5,000) x 100 = 5%

Is 5% good? It’s outstanding. Socialinsider’s Q2 2026 benchmarks put the average Instagram engagement rate for brands at about 0.45%, and Sprout Social calls 1% or higher a good rate — a threshold that already puts you in the top 25% of brand accounts, per Rival IQ. So don’t panic if your posts earn a fraction of the likes a mega-account gets; measure yourself against these baselines instead.

Follower growth rate

A steady increase in followers indicates growing brand awareness and potential reach.

How to calculate it: Track the percentage increase in followers over a specific period.

Example: If you had 1,000 followers last month and have 1,100 this month:

Follower growth rate = ((1,100 – 1,000) / 1,000) x 100 = 10%

Comments and shares

Comments and shares signal deeper engagement, showing that your content sparks conversations and is worth sharing with others.

How to measure it: Monitor the average number of comments and shares per post, and look for trends over time.

Example: A spike in comments on a particular post may indicate that the content resonated strongly with your audience.

Reach and views

Reach refers to the number of unique users who see your content, while views count the total number of times your content is viewed or played. Views replaced impressions as Instagram’s primary distribution metric in April 2025, so views is the number you’ll see in the app today.

How to measure it: Use Instagram Insights to track these metrics for each post.

Example: High views but low reach might mean your content is being viewed multiple times by the same users, indicating strong interest.

Story and Reel metrics

Stories and Reels offer additional avenues to engage your audience. Key metrics include:

• Views: Number of times your Story or Reel has been watched
• Replies and reactions: Direct feedback from your audience
• Completion rate: Percentage of viewers who watched your Story or Reel from start to finish

Example: A high completion rate on a Story suggests that your content is captivating and holds viewers’ attention.

How to get more likes on Instagram: 12 proven strategies

Here are 12 practical ways to earn more likes without buying them or chasing every trend.

1. Perfect your profile

Your profile is your digital storefront. It’s often the first impression new visitors have of your brand.

Start by adding a high-quality profile picture. Choose a high-resolution logo or a professional headshot that represents your brand, and make sure your profile picture is consistent across all social media platforms for better brand recognition.

Then, optimize your bio text. Craft a compelling bio that conveys your brand’s mission and values. Incorporate keywords that describe your business to improve discoverability. And encourage visitors to take action, such as visiting your website or checking out your latest product.

2. Create high-quality content

If your profile is the storefront, your content is the window display. High-quality posts are what make people stop scrolling and follow.

Use these professional photography tips:

• Natural light often yields the best results.
• Use the rule of thirds to create balanced and engaging images with professional composition.
• Use editing apps to enhance your photos, but avoid overdoing it. One 2020 study found that filtered selfies actually earned fewer likes than unfiltered ones, so keep edits light.

When it comes to your grid, create a consistent aesthetic by posting photos with color schemes that represent your brand. Decide on a visual theme (e.g., minimalist, vibrant, or vintage) and maintain it across your posts. For example, a bakery might use warm tones and close-up shots of their pastries to create an inviting, mouthwatering feed. And if writing captions slows you down, AI tools can help you draft ideas and hashtag options — just edit the results into your own brand voice so your posts don’t read machine-written.

3. Use Instagram features effectively

Using Instagram features like Reels, Stories, and longer feed videos can increase your content’s visibility.

• Reels are the place for short, engaging videos. Instagram expanded Reels to 3 minutes in January 2025, but shorter clips that entertain or educate your audience still tend to hold attention best. Use popular sounds and filters, like trending songs, to increase their reach.
• Stories are a great place for sharing things like behind-the-scenes content. Post glimpses of your daily operations to humanize your brand, and use polls, quizzes, and question boxes to engage followers.
• Longer feed videos replaced IGTV, which Instagram retired back in 2021. Post videos longer than a minute to dive deeper into topics, and create episodic content to keep viewers coming back.

4. Engage with your audience

A good storefront needs someone behind the counter. Building relationships with your followers encourages loyalty and boosts engagement.

Encourage more engagement, including likes on your posts, by responding to comments. Aim to respond within 24 hours to show you value people’s input, and personalize your responses with the user’s name and by addressing specific points they mention.

Sweets brand Milk Bar nails it when it comes to chatting with fans.

There are also other ways to boost engagement. End captions with open-ended questions to prompt comments, or use a call-to-action to encourage followers to tag friends or share their thoughts.

5. Use hashtags strategically

Hashtags won’t boost your reach on their own. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has said since mid-2024 that, “contrary to popular belief, hashtags are not a way to get more reach.” What they still do is help Instagram categorize your content and surface it in search. Start by doing your research. The goal is to find hashtags relevant to your business, but look for niche tags. Targeted hashtags have less competition and attract a more engaged audience. Then, on your posts, use a mix of broad, popular (#SmallBusiness) and specific (#OrganicSkincareTips) hashtags to get the best of both worlds.

When using hashtags, be sure to stay up-to-date. Regularly check lists of banned hashtags, as using them can limit your post’s reach. And focus on quality over quantity: Meta officially recommends 3–5 relevant hashtags per post, and Instagram’s interface now nudges you toward a 5-tag cap.

6. Collaborate with others

Partnerships can expose your brand to new audiences. Seek out influencers and cross-promotion opportunities to expand your reach and gain new likes.

When working with influencers, choose partners that make sense for your business. Collaborate with influencers whose followers align with your target market, and make sure the partnership feels genuine to maintain trust with both audiences.

The same goes for cross-promotions. Team up with brands that offer complementary products or services. The right giveaway or event can introduce both brands to a wider audience, though the new followers may be less interested than your existing ones.

Here’s an example of Instagram influencer @jacimariesmith promoting some of @primallypure’s skincare line.

7. Run contests and giveaways

Everyone loves freebies! Contests encourage likes, comments, shares, and other engagement, which gives your brand a big, natural boost across platforms. And if you run a contest that requires participants to tag friends or share the post, it can increase your brand’s visibility and expand your reach. Win-win!

Just remember that if you’re going to run a contest or giveaway, use these tips to make sure it goes smoothly:

• Set clear rules: Outline how to enter and what the prizes are.
• Make sure you comply with Instagram’s policies: Follow Instagram’s promotion guidelines to avoid penalties.

For example, “Like this post, follow our account, and tag two friends for a chance to win a $50 gift card!” You may get a short-term engagement bump, but judge the contest by qualified followers, email signups, or sales — not likes alone.

8. Post at the right times

Timing can significantly impact any social media post’s performance. You can use Instagram Insights to analyze when your audience is most active. You can also test different times by posting and seeing what gets the most engagement.

While optimal times can vary by industry, location, and other factors, Sprout Social’s 2026 analysis found that midweek afternoons drive the highest engagement — think Mondays 2–4 p.m., Tuesdays 1–7 p.m., and Wednesdays 12–9 p.m.

9. Use user-generated content (UGC)

UGC showcases real customers enjoying your products or services. This can be effective because it builds trust. Authentic content from customers serves as social proof and encourages your followers to build a community. By involving your followers in this way, you make them a part of your brand, which can help them feel like part of something bigger than themselves.

To implement this strategy, create a brand hashtag and encourage your followers to tag their posts showing themselves using your products. Let them know that any posts using the hashtag may be used on your feed. Then, feature UGC on your brand’s Instagram account, making sure to credit the original creator.

In the example below, @hitechsurf is tagging GoPro using the hashtag they created to spread the word about a new product.

10. Tell compelling stories

Stories captivate and connect with your audience on a deeper level, and your Instagram captions are a great place to tell them. Be authentic in your posts, sharing your brand’s journey, challenges, and victories. When possible, use emotional triggers to evoke feelings that align with your brand’s message.

You may also experiment with different storytelling formats, like carousel posts (Instagram posts that use multiple images or videos to tell a sequential story) or video content. Visual storytelling can be more engaging than text alone.

11. Use calls to action

Guiding your audience on what to do next can be a straightforward way to increase engagement. Here are some examples of calls to action that may be effective on Instagram:

• “Double-tap if you agree!”
• “Tag a friend who needs to see this.”
• “Share your thoughts in the comments below.”

This works because it increases interaction by giving your followers a direct prompt that encourages the next action they should take. It can also help boost your posts’ visibility. As more followers see the CTA and do what it says, that increase in engagement signals to the algorithm that your content is valuable, and in turn, Instagram puts it in front of more users.

12. Analyze and adapt

Our last strategy is to evaluate how your methods are working and stay agile, ready to shift strategies when needed. After all, continuous improvement is key to long-term success.

Instagram Insights offers several metrics to keep an eye on. You can:

• Identify your top-performing posts: See which content types get the most likes and engagement.
• Understand your audience: Analyze your follower demographics to tailor your content better.
• Set goals: Define what you want to achieve (e.g., increase likes by 20% in three months).
• Experiment: Don’t be afraid to try new content formats or topics.
• Monitor results: Regularly review performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.

What to avoid on Instagram

While knowing what to do on Instagram is crucial, understanding what not to do is equally important. Avoiding common pitfalls can protect your brand’s reputation, maintain your engagement levels, and foster genuine connections with your audience. Below are some practices that can harm your Instagram presence.

Buying likes or followers

In the quest for rapid growth, purchasing likes or followers is a tempting shortcut. After all, a higher follower count can give the impression of popularity and success. However, that’s all it is — an impression, and this practice can backfire in significant ways.

Purchased likes and followers are often from bots or inactive accounts. These fake profiles don’t comment, share, or make purchases. This lack of genuine interaction skews your engagement metrics, making it difficult to assess your real audience’s preferences and behaviors.

Instagram’s systems are built to catch this. In November 2018, Instagram announced machine-learning tools that identify and remove inauthentic likes, follows, and comments generated by third-party apps — and it warned that accounts that keep using those services face additional consequences. That covers the “free 50 likes” trial packages, too: those likes come from bot and throwaway accounts, so when Instagram purges them, your numbers drop right back down. And if the platform identifies a sudden spike in followers or likes that doesn’t align with typical engagement patterns, it may reduce your content’s visibility or, in severe cases, suspend your account.

Plus, savvy users can spot inflated numbers. When a profile has thousands of followers but minimal engagement on posts, it raises red flags. This discrepancy can erode trust, making potential customers skeptical of your brand’s authenticity.

Instead, focus on building your follower base organically. Engage with your target audience through meaningful interactions, collaborations, and high-quality content. While it may take more time, this strategy leads to a loyal and active community that genuinely supports your brand.

Ignoring engagement

Nobody enjoys a store where the staff won’t talk to them. While it’s essential to post compelling content, it’s equally important to engage with your audience. Ignoring comments, messages, or mentions can have detrimental effects on your relationship with followers.

When followers take the time to comment on your posts or send you messages, they’re initiating a conversation. By not responding, you miss valuable opportunities to build relationships, answer questions, and receive feedback. This engagement can lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Ignoring your audience makes your brand seem unapproachable or uninterested. Over time, this lack of interaction can make followers feel unappreciated, leading them to disengage or even unfollow.

Instagram’s algorithm favors accounts with higher engagement rates. By failing to interact with your audience, you may inadvertently decrease your content’s visibility on followers’ feeds.

Dedicate time each day to respond to comments and messages. Even simple acknowledgments like a “thank you” or a smiley face can make followers feel valued. Encourage discussions by asking open-ended questions and fostering a community around your brand.

Overusing or misusing hashtags

Hashtags help Instagram categorize your content and surface it in search, but misusing them can actively work against you. Excessive or irrelevant hashtags can lead to decreased visibility. Instagram may flag your content as spammy, resulting in a “shadowban” where your posts don’t appear in hashtag searches.

Overloading captions with too many hashtags can deter users. It can make your posts look cluttered and unprofessional, potentially turning away potential followers. Additionally, some hashtags are banned or restricted due to inappropriate content associated with them. Using these can harm your account’s standing.

Use hashtags strategically. Research and select relevant, popular, and niche hashtags that align with your content. Limit your hashtags to 3–5 per post to maintain a clean appearance. Regularly update your hashtag lists and avoid copying and pasting the same ones every time.

Posting inconsistently

In the fast-paced world of social media, out of sight often means out of mind. Posting sporadically can hinder your ability to build a loyal following and diminish your brand’s presence on Instagram.

Instagram’s algorithm favors accounts that post regularly. Inconsistent posting can result in your content being shown less frequently, reducing engagement. Plus, irregular updates make it hard for followers to stay connected. They may forget about your brand or assume the account is inactive.

Try using a content calendar to plan and schedule your posts. Aim to post at times when your audience is most active. Scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite can also help maintain consistency, even during busy periods.

Posting poor-quality content

Instagram is a visual platform where aesthetics matter. Posting low-quality images or videos can significantly detract from your brand’s appeal. Blurry images, poor lighting, or sloppy editing can turn off followers. Users are less likely to engage with content that doesn’t meet their visual expectations. And low-quality content reflects poorly on your professionalism. It can make your brand appear careless or amateurish, which may deter potential customers.

Invest in quality content creation. Use good lighting, compose your shots thoughtfully, and edit images to enhance their appeal. If photography isn’t your strength, consider hiring a professional or using high-quality stock images that align with your brand’s aesthetic.

Ignoring Instagram guidelines

Instagram has clear community guidelines that all users must adhere to. Violating these can have serious consequences for your account: Posts can be removed by Instagram, disrupting your content strategy and reducing visibility, and repeated violations may lead to temporary bans or permanent deactivation, causing significant setbacks for your brand. Sharing copyrighted material without permission or engaging in deceptive practices can even result in legal action.

Familiarize yourself with Instagram’s Community Guidelines and make sure all your content complies. This includes respecting intellectual property rights, avoiding prohibited content, and being transparent in promotions or partnerships. When in doubt, err on the side of caution or seek legal advice.

FAQs about Instagram likes

Should you buy Instagram likes?

No. Purchased likes come from bots and inactive accounts, and Instagram has identified and removed inauthentic likes and follows since 2018. A bought spike can reduce your reach or, in severe cases, get your account suspended — and it never turns into real customers.

How do you get more likes on Instagram for free?

Post high-quality photos and Reels consistently, reply to comments within 24 hours, use 3–5 relevant hashtags, post when your audience is most active, and collaborate with creators or complementary brands. Engagement compounds: the more interaction a post earns early on, the more people Instagram shows it to.

Do likes still matter now that Instagram can hide them?

Yes. Like counts can be hidden from public view, but likes still feed Instagram’s ranking signals, and you always see the full like data for your own posts in Instagram Insights. More likes relative to reach means more distribution — visible or not.

How many hashtags should you use per post?

Meta officially recommends 3–5 highly relevant hashtags per post or Reel, and Instagram’s interface now nudges you toward a 5-tag cap. Choose specific, niche tags over mega-tags: hashtags today categorize your content for search rather than boosting reach.

Complete your online presence with DreamHost

An essential part of increasing your Instagram likes is expanding your overall online presence. Social platforms can help you reach people, but your website is the one storefront you actually own.

Building and maintaining a website takes work, but a suitable hosting provider can handle some of the technical overhead. DreamHost offers:

• Reliable hosting: Enjoy fast, secure, and stable hosting services that keep your site running smoothly.
• 24/7 support: Access award-winning, expert assistance whenever you need it.
• Free WordPress migration: Easily move your existing site to DreamHost without hassle.
• AI website builder: Create a stunning website quickly with Remixer, DreamHost’s AI website builder.
• Affordable pricing: DreamHost web hosting plans are built for small businesses on a budget — see current pricing on the plan page.

Your online presence is more than just social media. It also includes your website, email list, and other channels you control. By unifying these elements, you create a stronger brand and more opportunities for engagement.

To be clear, a website won’t earn you Instagram likes by itself. What it gives you is a destination you own for the followers your posts win over: a place to turn likes into email subscribers and sales. If you need somewhere to host it, DreamHost’s hosting plans are a solid place to start.