Wondering how to grow your Instagram in 2026? It’s still one of the best ways to drive traffic and grow your brand in 2026. With over 1 billion active accounts, the potential is huge.
Here are 11 Instagram growth strategies for 2026 that you can use to grow your account fast and start driving traffic and sales.
1. Create more video content
Video is king on Instagram right now. And with the introduction of Reels, Instagram’s answer to TikTok, that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
Instagram has said that it’s currently prioritizing video over other types of content. So, if you want to grow your account, you should be doing the same.
But, that doesn’t mean you have to post a perfectly polished video every day. In fact, you shouldn’t. You can post short, casual Reels or Stories to mix things up.
The point is to make video a regular part of your Instagram content strategy. You can use an AI video agent to create targeted and brand specific videos like explainer videos, how-to videos, etc.
2. Collaborate with other brands
One of the best ways to grow your Instagram account is to get in front of new audiences. And one of the best ways to do that is through brand collaborations.
When you collaborate with other brands (big or small), you can get your content in front of their followers. This is a great way to grow your account and build brand awareness.
But how do you get started with brand collaborations? There are a few different ways you can go about it:
• You can reach out to brands directly and ask if they’d be interested in collaborating.
• You can join an influencer marketing platform, where brands will reach out to you if they’re interested in a collaboration.
• You can participate in shoutouts and other types of collaborations with other Instagram accounts.
However you decide to go about it, brand collaborations can be a great way to grow your account on Instagram.
3. Use Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels are short, entertaining videos set to music that are perfect for showing off your brand’s personality. They’re a great way to get more reach and engagement on your Instagram account.
Reels appear in the Explore section of Instagram, so they’re a great way to get your content in front of new people. If your Reel gets a lot of engagement, Instagram will also show it to more of your followers.
If you want to grow your Instagram account in 2026, you need to be using Reels. In fact, Instagram has been putting a lot of emphasis on Reels lately, so if you’re not using them, you’re missing out on a lot of potential reach and engagement.
4. Create an Instagram shop
If you’re a product-based business, you can create an Instagram shop to make it easy for your followers to purchase your products directly from your profile.
This is a great way to increase sales and drive traffic to your website. Plus, it makes it easy for your followers to see what products you have available and learn more about them.
You can tag your products in your posts and stories, and you can also add a shop tab to your profile. This tab will show all of the products you have available, and your followers can click on the products to learn more and make a purchase.
5. Use Instagram Stories to sell
Instagram Stories has over 500 million daily active users. The feature has become so popular that, for many users, it has replaced the main feed as the first thing they look at when they open the app.
This is a huge opportunity for businesses. If you want to increase your sales on Instagram, you need to be using Stories.
There are a few different ways you can use Stories to sell. One of the most popular is to create a story that showcases your products and links to your website or a specific product page.
You can also use Stories to run flash sales, promote limited-time offers, or announce new products. Stories are a great way to create a sense of urgency and get your followers to take action.
6. Create an Instagram challenge
Instagram challenges are a fun way to encourage your followers to engage with your content and help you generate more UGC.
For example, if you’re a fitness influencer, you could create a 30-day fitness challenge and encourage your followers to join you.
When you create an Instagram challenge, you’ll want to make sure that you set clear guidelines, provide a hashtag that your followers can use, and create a landing page on your website where they can learn more and sign up.
You can also encourage your followers to tag their friends and family and invite them to participate, too.
7. Use user-generated content
User-generated content (UGC) is content created by your customers and shared on their own social media profiles. It’s a powerful tool for growing your Instagram account and boosting engagement.
When you share UGC on your profile, you’re showing your followers that you appreciate and value your customers. This can help to build trust and loyalty, and it can also help to humanize your brand.
Plus, UGC can help you to fill in the gaps in your content calendar. If you’re struggling to come up with new ideas for posts, UGC is a great way to keep your feed fresh and interesting.
8. Partner with influencers
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to get in front of new audiences and grow your brand. But, with an influencer marketing strategy, you don’t have to worry about paying for sponsored posts.
Instead, you can partner with influencers in your niche to create content and share it on your own account. This can help you get in front of new audiences and grow your following.
When you work with influencers, you can also leverage their expertise and creativity to come up with new content ideas. This can help you keep your feed fresh and exciting for your audience.
9. Use Instagram Live
Instagram Live is a feature that allows you to connect with your followers in real-time. When you start a live video, your followers will receive a notification so they can tune in.
Instagram Live is a great way to increase your reach and engagement on the platform. When you go live, your video will be pushed to the front of your followers’ Instagram Stories feed.
In addition, your video may be featured on the Explore page, which will help you reach new potential followers.
You can use Instagram Live to host Q&A sessions, share behind-the-scenes looks at your business, interview experts in your industry, and more.
After your live video has ended, you can share a replay of the video to your Instagram Stories for the next 24 hours. You can also save the video to your camera roll and upload it to other platforms, like YouTube, Facebook, or your website.
10. Use Instagram Guides
Instagram Guides are a great way to share multiple pieces of content in a single post. You can use them to create a curated list of products, a how-to guide, a travel itinerary, a list of your favorite places, and more.
Guides can include your own content, as well as content from other users. This is a great way to collaborate with other brands and influencers on Instagram and to showcase their content to your followers.
11. Use Instagram Insights to track your growth
Last but not least, you need to be tracking your growth on Instagram.
If you’re not, how will you know what’s working and what’s not?
Instagram Insights is a free analytics tool built into the Instagram app that allows you to track your growth, engagement, and more.
You can use it to see how many followers you’re gaining (or losing) each week, what type of content is performing the best, and more.
This data will help you make more informed decisions and continue to grow on Instagram.
12. Activate referrals and affiliates directly from Instagram
One of the most effective Instagram growth strategies in 2026 is turning your existing followers into promoters.
Your most engaged followers already like your brand—they just need a reason to share it. By promoting referral or affiliate programs through Instagram posts, Stories, Reels, and link-in-bio tools, you can encourage followers to recommend your product to their audience in exchange for rewards.
Tools like ReferralCandy make this easy by generating shareable referral links, tracking conversions, and automatically rewarding advocates. You can highlight referral incentives in Stories, pin them to your profile, or include them in creator collaborations to turn organic engagement into measurable growth.
As organic reach becomes more competitive, referral-driven growth helps brands scale on Instagram through trust, authenticity, and word-of-mouth—without relying solely on ads.
Conclusion
To get started, check out our guide to Instagram Stories for tips and examples.
We hope you feel more prepared to take on Instagram and its many opportunities for your business. To help you get started, we have a roundup of the best Instagram marketing tools and a guide to creating a successful Instagram strategy.
