Another year of typing “how to grow on Instagram in 2025” into your Google Search bar. This is consistently the most common search for aspiring creators year after year. With over 2 billion monthly active users and a rapidly evolving algorithm, standing out requires more than just posting pretty pictures. And growing on Instagram in 2025 (organically) is entirely possible – if you know how to lay down the foundation to support exponential growth. Growing a cult following on Instagram demands a strategic approach to branding that resonates with your audience and fosters a loyal community.

In this blog post, we’ll delve into 5 branding essentials that are crucial for building a cult following on Instagram. This is important because building a hyper-engaged following of 10k is more valuable than a passive audience of 100k followers. Whether you’re an aspiring content creator or an experienced influencer, these actionable strategies will help you elevate your presence and achieve sustainable growth.

1. Define Your Personal Brand

Your personal brand is the foundation of your Instagram presence. It’s what sets you apart and makes you memorable. A strong personal brand is the difference between standing out in a saturated industry versus getting lost in the sea of same. There are 4 elements that every strong personal brand has that attract a cult following on Instagram:

• Your Niche: This is the specific area where you provide value. While you might be tired of hearing about how important niche is, finding your niche is fundamental if you’re wondering how to grow on Instagram. I’d challenge you to go deep in finding your niche, so instead of travel, get specific to a certain type of travel niche, like solo female travel. Or if you’re in fitness, maybe your niche can be gentle workouts for expecting moms.
  
• Brand values: What do you stand for? What matters most to you? What core principles guide your niche? Your brand values show up in the way you present yourself. It also shows up throughout your content. These brand values will serve as your compass throughout your journey, even helping you determine whether a brand is a good fit for you, your reputation, and your audience.
  
• Your unique edge: Authenticity is a buzzword that’s as common as “niche” when you’re searching for methods on how to grow your Instagram following. But how do you actually show up authentically? Don’t overthink it. Instead, your unique edge is what makes you uniquely you. More likely than not, your edge turns out to be the things that you feel don’t fit neatly into the “content creator” or “influencer” title. For me, I’m nervous about my accent and English not being my first language. But I leaned into it and am able to attract like-minded people who also struggle with this insecurity.
  
• Your why: Why do you do what you do? The content creators who build cult followings who are incredibly engaged all have a mission in mind. Your why doesn’t just give your followers a message and mission to rally behind, it powers you through your journey. This will serve as the backbone to your storytelling and perspective throughout your content.
  

2. Define Your Target Audience

If you want to grow on Instagram, you need to know who you’re trying to reach. Defining your target audience will inform your content strategy. Before you create content, you need to know exactly who you’re creating it for. Getting clear on who your target audience is is one of the most overlooked yet crucial steps when learning how to grow on Instagram. Without clarity on your audience, your content risks falling flat, no matter how aesthetically pleasing or well-edited it is.

There’s an old marketing adage that says “If you speak to everyone, you speak to no one.” Here are 4 helpful tips to help you define your target audience and speak to them: 

• Create an Audience Persona: Think of your ideal follower as a real person. How old are they? What do they do for work? What challenges are they facing right now, both in regard to your niche and in their day-to-day lives? What inspires or entertains them? Give them a name if it helps! The more specific you get, the better your content will resonate.
  
• Analyze Existing Followers: If you aren’t brand new, use your Instagram Insights to study your current followers—look at their age range, location, gender, and active hours. This data helps you double down on what’s working and adjust what’s not.
  
• Study Your Competitors: Find successful creators in your niche and look at who engages with their content. What topics spark the most conversation? What reels are being saved or shared? Use this information to refine your targeting strategy.
  
• Tailor Your Messaging: Once you understand who your ideal follower is, craft your captions, calls-to-action, and even your hashtags in a way that speaks directly to them. Make your audience feel seen and understood—this is the fastest way to build loyalty and engagement.
  

One of the fastest ways to grow on Instagram is by getting hyper-specific. When your content speaks directly to your audience’s desires, struggles, and goals, it becomes irresistible. And that’s exactly how you start building a cult-like following.

3. Create Solid Content Pillars

Now that you know your personal brand and who you’re reaching, it’s time to communicate that to them. Content pillars are the core themes that guide your content strategy. They ensure consistency and help your audience understand what to expect from your account. To create solid content pillars:

• Identify Key Themes: Choose around 3 topics that align with your brand and audience interests. This blog post dives deeper into how you can establish solid content pillars.
  
• Plan Your Content: Develop a content calendar that rotates through your pillars to maintain variety and consistency.
  
• Repurpose Content: Adapt your content pillars across different formats (e.g., posts, Stories, Reels) to maximize reach and engagement.
  
• Analyze Performance: Use Instagram Insights to track which pillars resonate most with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.
  

Implementing content pillars streamlines your content creation process and ensures that your messaging remains focused and effective. Your content pillars will guide your content strategy, which is the key to attracting a cult-like following organically.

If you need a proven content strategy to grow your following on Instagram in 2025, I share my tried-and-true content framework to help you grow, nurture, monetize, and establish undeniable authority in my free workshop.

You can save your spot here!

4. Define Your Visual Language

A cohesive visual aesthetic is crucial for capturing attention and conveying your brand identity. Think about the first touchpoint you have with a potential follower. Viewers see your content before hearing what you have to say, reading your caption, or continuing to watch a Reel. To define your visual language:

• Choose a Color Palette: These colors will show up in many ways throughout your content. Whether you’re designing carousels on Canva, tailoring your mediakit or portfolio, these colors are a visual representation of your brand. This will also make an appearance in your photo and video editing style. Select colors and tones that reflect your brand personality and use them consistently across your content. 
• Select Fonts and Graphics: Use consistent typography and design elements to create a recognizable style. This shows up in your Carousels, as well as the captioning in Reels and Stories.
• Edit Consistently: Apply similar filters, presets, or editing techniques to your photos and videos to maintain a uniform look.
• Design Templates: Create templates for recurring content types (e.g., Carousels, Stories) to streamline your workflow and reinforce your brand.
  

A strong visual language not only enhances your profile’s appeal but also helps in building brand recognition and trust among your followers.

5. Find Your Brand Voice

Your brand voice is how you communicate with your audience. It’s the personality and tone that make your content relatable and engaging. It might not be obvious right now, but you can start by identify personality traits or feelings you want to communicate to your audience. To find your brand voice:

• Define Your Tone: Decide whether your communication style is formal, casual, humorous, inspirational, etc., and stick to it.
  
• Be Authentic: Speak in a way that reflects your true self. Authenticity fosters trust and deeper connections with your audience. Don’t try to be something you’re not.
  
• Engage in Conversations: Respond to comments and messages in a manner consistent with your brand voice to reinforce your identity.
  
• Choose your emojis: While this may seem silly, getting as granular as picking which emojis align with your brand and which ones don’t can help you create more consistent branding across the board.
  

A distinct and consistent brand voice helps in humanizing your brand, making your content more relatable, and encouraging audience engagement.

Wrapping Up

By focusing on these 5 branding essentials—defining your personal brand, finding your target audience, creating solid content pillars, defining your visual language, and finding your brand voice—you’ll be well-equipped to grow your Instagram following and build a loyal community around your content.

Remember, growing on Instagram is not just about numbers; it’s about creating meaningful connections and delivering value to your audience. Stay true to your brand, be consistent, and keep engaging authentically with your community.