Six easy ways to get more likes on Instagram

How to win likes and influence people

(Style by Emily Henderson)

There are over 700 million active Instagram users in the world, which is an awful lot of people posting selfies and snaps of avocado on toast. Or perhaps just lurking.

So how do you stand out? Whether you’re trying to develop your personal brand and increase your employment prospects or impress potential suitors who click through to your account from your dating app profile, the majority of us would welcome more followers.

Who doesn’t get a rush at watching that little number go up?

And one of the social network’s top influencers has now revealed how you can up your Insta game and get more likes and followers.

Stylist, blogger, TV personality and author Emily Henderson has over 573,000 followers on Instagram so is certainly well-placed to reveal what makes a winning snap.

Whilst some of us may occasionally post pictures where the likes don’t even reach double figures (which of course we then hastily delete), each of Henderson’s posts earns her thousands of little hearts.

The social network is constantly evolving, as is the kind of content which gets the most likes.

“Every day and month is different and it changes as we innovate and social media grows,”Henderson told Refinery 29. “Flexibility and innovation are key.”

Here are her top six ways to get more likes on Instagram:

1. People always love flowers

Regardless of how they’re arranged, blooms will always win you sweet, sweet likes. Henderson’s recommendation? Snap from above with a white background.

2. Be yourself

People like to see personality, not a picture-perfect, unrelatable version of yourself. “People don't want to see a mess in interiors, but they want to see a little bit of a mess in your personal life,” Henderson says.

3. Make your pictures light and bright

“I'd rather have a photo that's blown out and loses detail to create a better mood than one that's dark,” she reveals. When editing her photos, Henderson tends to increase the highlights and brighten more than usual.

4. Keep ‘in process’ shots for your Instagram story

The shots you actually post should be your best ones, rather than the ones that show the story behind them. “People are spoiled by beautiful interiors photos on Instagram - I am, too - and only want to see those,” Henderson explains.

5. Ask questions

If you want to increase engagement from your followers, simply ask a question in your caption - whether that’s for advice or just about their lives. Henderson also believes captions should be short and sweet rather than paragraphs long: “You have to walk this tricky balance of celebrating your happiness, but also being slightly self-deprecating,” she says.

6. Make basic edits

Henderson’s tricks include using editing apps Afterlight or Colorstory, as well as always brightening, straightening and increasing the contrast and saturation on her photos. She also tends to take her pictures from low down: “Shooting from lower makes you feel like you're actually in the space,” she explains.