Driving Instagram Growth: The Ultimate Showdown Between Likes and Free Likes

Nearly 200 million people are running their Instagram account to expand their audience reach and gain more popularity. Instagram likes are one of the most important metrics that show user appreciation and act as social proof.

The number of likes shows whether a post should appear in the feeds of more people. Some creators are encouraged to purchase third-party services and boost their likes to show their posts in the feeds of most users and stand out from the crowd.

Keep reading this post to learn what are likes on Instagram, why they matter, what is the difference between likes and free likes, and how to increase your likes count organically.

What does Instagram Post Likes mean and why is it so important?

Gaining likes on Instagram posts is highly important to go viral on this social network. More likes mean improved visibility on the Explore Page as the Instagram algorithm considers several factors including likes to determine which posts will appear to which users. This results in increasing the overall engagement rate as more people will come to see and enjoy the post.

Likes can be the most significant metric for influencers and businesses for measuring the success of their Instagram campaign and content’s impact on the audience. Likes are a way for users to reflect their appreciation for the content. The number of likes can be easily seen by users who view the post. You can also see the likes count on the post itself. 

Consistently gaining lots of likes from real users actively running their Instagram accounts can be challenging. This is why some creators prefer purchasing likes from third-party social media service providers.

This strategy creates the illusion of a solid presence on Instagram by indicating the presence of lots of likes but it doesn’t provide significant results for the long term. Artificial likes come from computer programs or bot accounts rather than real Instagram accounts. So, it can boost the popularity of your account but can harm the authenticity and credibility of your Instagram channel and brand.

What are free likes on Instagram?

On the contrary to artificial likes, free likes are gained from real people and offer a more natural way to improve visibility and grow social presence. Increasing likes count organically contributes towards the growth of a business and positively impacts credibility and reputation. Moreover, it doesn’t have any risk of getting your account banned or post deleted by the algorithm because free likes appear natural to the algorithm.

Free likes also provide real social media engagement from the potential audience you want to reach. You might have meaningful interactions in the comments. Monitoring your Instagram growth also becomes easier as real likes clearly indicate which posts are performing exceptionally and which one needs to focus more.

Since free likes further bring comments, shares, and other follower activity, the algorithm can determine the correct match in all crucial metrics. Real engagement can also improve the opportunities for influencer marketing as brands are interested in collaborating with creators gaining constant user interaction and engagement.

Furthermore, Instagram discourages creators and users from purchasing fake or spammy likes. Any inauthentic activity can be easily identified and might ban your account permanently.

Likes or free likes: which one is best for driving Instagram growth?

The algorithm and users both prioritize Instagram post likes to determine the quality of the content and engagement rate. If you want to quickly increase likes on your content and improve visibility on the Explore Page, focus on getting more likes.

However, if you aim to bring more likes while developing long-term relationships with the target audience and constantly increasing organic engagement, focusing on Instagram free likes is the right choice.

Make sure your focus should be primarily on getting real likes given by genuine Instagram users, not by bots or computer systems. The most effective and safe way to drive Instagram growth is to improve the visibility and popularity of your content while developing genuine connections with the potential audience, influencers, and brands. You must prioritize likes that engage authentically with the audience and don’t involve any type of risk.

How to get genuine likes naturally and safely?

Instagram and the audience know how to differentiate real likes and fake/artificial likes. So, prioritize natural, genuine engagement on your posts using the following strategies.

• Create unique, original, and shareable content that encourages your audience to show more engagement.
• Write compelling, thoughtful captions to describe more about your post to your audience.
• Incorporate visual elements in your content ensuring it is appealing to the viewers and resonates with your content. Add quality photos, videos, memes, live videos, etc. to attract more followers.
• Tag other users in your posts to send them notifications about your posts and bring more potential likes.
• Make interesting and entertaining Instagram reels and stories to drive higher engagement. 
• Use Instagram insights to find the right posting time i.e. when your target audience is highly engaged on the platform. Try to post content off-peak hours when your competitors are not active as it may drive a huge attention to your post.
• Add branded and relevant hashtags to your content to improve searchability.
• Always post content without any break in order to keep your audience engaged and interested. Use the Instagram scheduling tool to plan your content in advance and timely upload it.
• Host a like-to-win contest where the audience is required to like your post as a part of a contest entry.
• Partner with popular influencers within your niche to promote your content to their wider audience and reach new followers.
• Make sure to regularly engage with your audience by being quick to reply to their comments and direct messages. You can also comment on posts of other users and develop connections to strengthen your Instagram presence.

Conclusion

Getting more likes or free likes is the most powerful strategy to get Instagram success. Use natural tips as mentioned above to gain genuine likes and create a sustainable presence.