How to Grow a Private Account on Instagram: A Step-By-Step Guide

As a social media marketing guru with over 10 years of experience boosting Instagram growth, I‘m often asked:

"What‘s the best way to grow a private Instagram account?"

It‘s a fair question. Going private prevents random spam followers. But it can also limit your growth potential if you rely solely on public visibility.

Through extensive testing and optimization for clients, I‘ve dialed in a methodology for accelerating private account growth safely and sustainably.

In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll discover my proven blueprint based on decades of aggregated Instagram expertise.

Let‘s dive in!

Why Have A Private Account in the First Place?

Before getting into growth tactics, we need to cover the rationale behind private accounts. Unlike public profiles, private ones limit visibility of your posts and stories to your approved followers list only.

You retain full control over who gets access. So why lock things down given the growth challenges it introduces?

There are 5 core benefits:

1. Improved Targeting

Private accounts let you hyper-target content to your ideal audience rather than posting for maximum vanity metrics. Public profiles often resort to mass appeal clickbait which waters down engagement.

2. Added Exclusivity

Following a private account feels like an exclusive club. Humans assign more value to things harder to obtain according to the scarcity principle. Making access exclusive boosts followers‘ sense of privilege.

3. Enhanced Privacy

For personal branding, privacy is a frequent concern. Private settings provide control over who views your family pics, friend hangouts or other sensitive content.

4. Less Spam

Public figures often attract spammy followers, commenters and DMs. Private accounts provide barriers preventing engagement from low-quality strangers.

5. Higher Engagement Rates

With every follow approval, you handpick fans more likely to engage your niche content rather than accumulating vanity followers. Smaller, targeted audiences post higher comment and like rates on average.

For individuals, small businesses and exclusive brands, the benefits of locked down access often outweigh the slower follower growth.

But strategic growth is still essential. Without growth, who sees your amazing content?

That‘s where these proven tactics shine…

Step 1: Profile Foundation

Instagram profiles tell a story. Is yours equipped to hook visitors fast and convert them into loyal, engaged followers?

With a private lock on your actual posts, nailing your profile is critical for growth. This section breaks down what high-converting profiles have in common.

Profile Picture

Your profile pic gets prime real estate at the top of your page. Use a clear headshot if personal or quality logo if a business to align with visitors‘ first impressions.

Check out how fashion empire Fendi attracts followers with a sleek logo profile pic:

Logos boost credibility for exclusive brands. Clean headshots feel more approachable if promoting yourself individually.

Name

Keep your name clear and consistent with other networks. For personal brands, use your real first and last name. Businesses should match their registered company name or formal DBA filing.

Bio

With limited characters, what story does your bio tell followers? Do you establish credibility and trust rapidly? Compelling bios always include:

► Descriptions: Share your niche, passions or brand purpose. Help people instantly understand your focus.

► Personality: Let a bit of your real self shine through. But remain professional if representing a company.

► Calls-to-Action: Promote your best content and links to drive traffic. Treat your link like digital real estate to guide their next click.

Review bios of influencer accounts or brands you admire in your industry. Model what top players focus on while infusing your unique personal flair.

External Links

Your narrow link allows one external redirect to anywhere: website, linktree, sales page, etc. This space is prime real estate with visitors‘ attention locked in. Send them where you want next.

For even more tapping additional links (IG Stories, email collect list, etc.), try Linkin.bio. Just stay cautious about external tools getting your main account banned.

Contact Button

Add an email address, phone number or direct messaging link so fans can follow up. Make contacting you frictionless.

With your full profile primed for growth beyond your content alone, let’s get found.

Step 2: Follow People You Know

Seems obvious right? But this remains the most direct way to tap existing connections from other sites and real-world contacts.

Notify your current friends, colleagues and relatives that you’re now on Instagram. Be sure to follow them first to ease reciprocity.

This kickstarts word-of-mouth growth atop the trust of established relationships.

You can also search their follower/following lists for ideas on related people to follow.

Turn Cold Contacts Warm

What about quasi-contacts like past coworkers, previous classmates, casual acquaintances? Even if you lack an active relationship presently, following them on Instagram may open doors.

The key lies in your follow-up. Don‘t just follow and bail. After connecting, find something in their recent posts to personally compliment or ask about:

"Hey Molly! We worked at Acme Co. together in 2018. Found you on here randomly and this Hawaii trip looks awesome! How was the snorkeling?"

Comments show you took time to engage. If the convo flows, take it to DMs to establish a warmer social rapport.

Network expansion works even for pseudo-strangers. Just demonstrate genuine interest in their lives and content rather than expecting a passive follow back.

Share Your Instagram On Other Sites

Drop your shiny new Instagram handle on your other social networks too:

Facebook: Announce your Instagram arrival via an update post on your Timeline or to Groups whose members might follow you.

Twitter: Tweet out your handle for existing followers to find you on Instagram too.

YouTube: Add your IG link to video descriptions and channel art to connect YouTube viewers to daily stories.

This raises awareness to tap cross-network traffic, enriching early momentum.

Step 3: Send Targeted Follow Requests

Once you‘ve tapped your immediate network, cast your net wider. But rather than follow spamming mass audiences, there‘s a smarter approach…

Engage Related Hashtags

Seek out popular hashtags aligned to your niche or location. Like and thoughtfully comment on photos and videos tied to each hashtag daily.

I recommend picking 10-20 top hashtags to monitor closely. This keeps you laser focused on the conversations that matter most to your brand.

For example, a Nashville vintage clothes shop could monitor tags like:

#nashvillefashion    #vintagecouture    
#retrostyle         #musiccityvintage
#fashionhistory     #vintageedeals
#secondhandstyle    #reworkedretro

As you provide value via relevant hashtag engagement, curious visitors will click over to your profile. Seeing a private account with interest-aligned activity drives follow requests from ideal potential customers.

Follow Similar Private Accounts

Check who influencers in your industry follow or who engages them often. Look for private accounts posting content related to your niche.

Follow each one and monitor their engagement in return. Highly engaged prospects are more likely to approve and actively follow you back long term.

This taps into Instagram‘s data on their interests while leveraging other profiles as a credibility shortcut based on social proof theory.

Step 4: Run Follow Campaigns

Implement the steps above diligently at first before assessing whether organic growth alone meets your needs long term.

For most business accounts and personal brands actively monetizing, investing in formal Instagram follow campaigns makes sense to sustain momentum.

But rather than buying fake bot followers, there are several legitimate acceleration strategies.

Email Follow Sequences

If you have an email list already, this is the most direct legal growth tactic with bigger long term payoff.

Send a series of 3-5 emails over a week exclusively to your list announcing your Instagram arrival. Consider offering "sneak peek" images or video clips not on Instagram yet to sweeten the deal.

This builds FOMO around your exclusive content while mobilizing current fans on a new channel.

Hashtag Contests

Contests and user-generated content campaigns align perfectly for private profile growth. Design a branded hashtag unique to you:

#LouisvilleFoodieFinds

Then ask followers to create and share images or videos related to the theme on Instagram using your branded hashtag. Repost contest entries through your Instagram Stories which shows the creator‘s handle driving them followers and engagement.

Everyone wins.

Influencer Partnerships

Research influencers in your niche with exceptionally high engagement rates. Reach out asking about the possibility of cross-promoting Instagram accounts.

Even microinfluencers with just ~1k truly engaged followers can pay dividends. Offer to reshare their content or collaborate on giveaways benefiting both accounts.

When they announce you as a recommended follow to their loyal audience, expect a wave of follow requests from qualified prospects already passionate about your shared niche.

Paid Ads

Once you‘ve built initial momentum the old fashioned way, paid ads act as rocket fuel. But to retain an authentic community long term, never rely on ads alone.

Geo/interest targeting unlocks followers precisely matching your customer avatar worldwide. Retarget past email sign ups or website visitors who recognize you, converting them into Instagram subscribers.

Mastering Facebook/Instagram Ads alone warrants its own post. But deploying paid growth intelligently expands your organic efforts. Just maintain reasonable costs per follow acquired.

Review precise follower demographics using analytics before spending. Set a target cost per follower adding genuine value – then track ROI over time to justify future ad investments.

Advanced Growth Tactics

If you‘ve made it this far, pat yourself on the back! You‘re already miles ahead of amateur Instagram marketers. But a few rarely discussed tactics can elevate your success even higher.

Tap Lookalike Audiences

Facebook‘s algorithm gets smarter over time. As you gain legitimate followers, their tech can find "lookalikes" worldwide matching similar demographics and interests.

Use lookalike targeting for laser-focused paid ads and influencer partnerships. Outsmart the platform to handpick engaged members of your ideal audience, even in unexpected locations.

Schedule Engagement

Rather than manually engaging relevant hashtags, accounts and followers daily, use tools like SkedSocial or Hootsuite to auto-schedule:

• hashtag engagement
• following new related accounts
• immediately liking follow backers

This sustains growth momentum without becoming a full time job.

Make Following You Frictionless

Despite having an inherently private account now, you can still appear in hashtag searches, places and more.

Help prospects easily follow you once they find your profile:

• Add your handle @YourName prominently in captions to catch their eye while browsing posts.

• List easy step-by-step instructions for sending a request in your bio. Many mobile users struggle to navigate Instagram‘s UX. Hold their hand through following, boosting conversion rates.

Eliminate any lingering friction surrounding your exclusivity. Follow campaigns widen reach – but removing blockers helps line the path for new arrivals to join your private world faster.

Key Takeaways

Growing a private Instagram account profitably relies on two fundamentals:

1. Attract Legitimate Followers: Blend smart organic community building with advanced paid acquisition strategies promoting your handle to those who will genuinely engage.

2. Drive Consistent Engagement: Create niche content tailored to your new audience rather than the general public. Obsess over quality and consistency, not vanity metrics.

While public pages show quicker initial growth, genuine engagement matters far more over the long run. Start thinking of your account more like an intimate community rather than a random content feed.

Let your ideal audience discover they belong inside your circle through an irresistible gravity only your brand emits.

Then leverage these insider tips to sustain private account growth for good.

Suddenly, faster yet profitable Instagram expansion feels within reach. Now get out there and build your exclusive empire!