How Can You Get More Social Media Followers in 2025?

In today’s digital era, social media has become one of the most powerful tools for businesses, influencers, and individuals looking to expand their reach. With platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn dominating the online world, the need to attract followers is crucial for success. Building a loyal and engaged following takes time and effort, but with the right strategies, you can see significant growth.

As we step into 2025, the social media landscape is evolving rapidly. New trends, tools, and features are continually shaping how users interact with content. Whether you’re a business looking to improve your online presence, an influencer seeking a larger audience, or an individual working to grow your personal brand, this article will provide you with practical and proven strategies to increase your social media followers in 2025.

Craft a Purpose-Driven Brand Identity

The foundation of any successful social media strategy starts with a clear and purposeful brand identity. Your brand identity should reflect your core values and resonate with your target audience. This identity must be evident in everything you post, from visuals to captions.

For businesses, a well-crafted brand identity is key to standing out in a crowded digital space. For example, brands like Everlane have gained loyal followings by consistently focusing on sustainability and transparency. They share behind-the-scenes content and highlight their supply chain, building trust with their audience. Similarly, for businesses in India, aligning your brand with local values like sustainability, craftsmanship, or innovation can resonate well with your audience.

Creating a consistent voice and tone across all platforms helps create a connection with your followers. Avoid sounding too sales-focused. Instead, connect emotionally with your audience by sharing your mission and the reasons behind what you do.

Deliver Value Through Exceptional Content

Content is king on social media, and creating high-quality, valuable content is essential for growing your following. Rather than focusing solely on promoting products or services, aim to offer real value to your audience. Whether it’s educational, entertaining, or problem-solving content, your posts should add value to your followers’ lives.

To keep your feed interesting, diversify your content types. Some ideas include:

• Short videos (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok).
  
• Carousels and infographics.
  
• User-generated content.
  
• Polls and quizzes.
  
• Blog posts and articles.
  
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses.
  
• Influencer interviews and collaborations.
  

For example, Canva shares relatable behind-the-scenes content and quizzes on Instagram, sparking lengthy discussions among its followers. On the other hand, Notion uses memes and reels to subtly promote its product while keeping its content fresh and engaging.

Repurposing content across platforms can help you extend your reach. A blog post on LinkedIn can be summarised as a tweet on Twitter, or a YouTube video can be broken down into smaller bite-sized clips for Instagram Reels.

Be Consistent

Consistency is one of the most important factors in growing your social media following. If you’re inconsistent with your posting schedule, your audience may lose interest and forget about you. To build a strong following, create a content calendar that ensures you are consistently posting relevant content.

The ideal posting frequency can vary depending on the platform, but it’s important to post regularly. Use analytics to determine when your audience is most active and adjust your posting schedule accordingly. Tools like Hootsuite and Buffer can help you plan and automate your posts, ensuring you remain consistent without sacrificing quality.

Being consistent also means engaging with your audience. Respond to comments, ask questions, and acknowledge your followers to keep the conversation going. Social media is not just about posting content; it’s about building relationships.

Engage Proactively With Your Community

Social media is a two-way communication channel. Posting content alone will not help you grow your followers. To build a strong community, you need to engage with your audience. Take time every day to respond to comments and questions. Acknowledge your followers by thanking them for their support or engaging in conversations that show your expertise.

Additionally, join discussions in industry groups or forums where your target audience is active. By offering valuable insights or answering questions, you can position yourself as a thought leader. This not only helps you gain followers but also builds trust and loyalty.

For example, Wise (formerly TransferWise) has a robust online community because they actively engage with their followers. Their team responds to every comment, addresses complaints, and shows appreciation, creating a sense of community and trust.

Embrace Short-Form Video

Short-form video content has taken over social media in recent years, and it shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, short-form videos (15 to 60 seconds) are now 2.5 times more likely to receive engagement than traditional posts. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have made video content more accessible, allowing users to showcase their creativity.

Short-form videos can include:

• Quick tutorials or how-tos.
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses
• Product demos.
• User-generated content.
• Influencer collaborations.
  

The key to successful short-form videos is storytelling. You must grab attention quickly and deliver your message before the viewer scrolls past. Use creative features like text overlays, voiceovers, and trending music to make your video stand out.

Brands like West Elm, a home decor retailer, often post short videos with styling tips that provide value to their audience while subtly showcasing their products. This creates engagement without pushing for hard sales.

Optimise for Search & Discoverability

With social media becoming more competitive, optimising your content for discoverability is essential. Just as SEO helps your website rank higher on Google, social media SEO (social SEO) can improve your visibility across platforms.

To improve discoverability, use relevant keywords in your captions, posts, and hashtags. For example, if you are a clothing brand, use popular hashtags like #Fashion, #OOTD, #Style, or niche-specific ones like #EthicalFashion or #IndianCrafts.

On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where visuals play a huge role, include alt text in your images, which helps your content appear in search results. Additionally, use location tags and link your social profiles to your website to enhance SEO.

Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content (UGC) is an invaluable tool for growing your social media following. UGC refers to content created by your customers or followers rather than your brand. This could be images, videos, reviews, or social media posts featuring your product or service.

UGC acts as social proof and helps build trust among potential followers. When people see that others are using and recommending your brand, they are more likely to follow you.

To encourage UGC, you can:

• Create a branded hashtag.
• Run a contest encouraging users to share photos or videos of your products.
• Repost UGC on your social media channels.
• Partner with influencers to create UGC.
  

For example, Airbnb encourages users to share their unique experiences using the hashtag #AirbnbExperiences. They then repost this content on their social media profiles, providing inspiration to new customers.

Collaborate With Aligned Partners

Partnering with influencers, creators, or brands that align with your values can help you reach a larger audience. Collaborations allow you to tap into the followers of others who are already interested in similar products or services.

Choose partners whose followers align with your target audience. For instance, a natural skincare brand could collaborate with a wellness influencer to reach health-conscious individuals.

The collaboration can take many forms, such as:

• Product giveaways.
• Sponsored content.
• Co-branded content (e.g., a video series or Instagram takeover).
• Affiliate marketing.
  

For example, Nykaa, a leading Indian beauty brand, often collaborates with beauty influencers to promote new product launches, driving traffic and engagement.

Offer Exclusive Value To Followers

Offering exclusive benefits to your social media followers can incentivise them to follow you and stay engaged. This could be special discounts, early access to new products, or exclusive content that they cannot find anywhere else.

Some ideas for exclusive value include:

• Discount codes for followers only.
• Early product releases or sneak peeks.
• Access to VIP groups or webinars.
• Contest or giveaway entries.
  

For instance, Slack shares updates and exclusive content with its LinkedIn followers, giving them a sense of being part of an exclusive community.

Incorporate Social Media Advertising

While organic growth strategies are vital, social media advertising can help speed up the process. With paid ads, you can reach a larger audience beyond your current followers. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer a variety of ad types designed to increase brand awareness and drive engagement.

Social media platforms prioritise video content, and ads in the form of videos tend to generate more engagement. Use Facebook Ads or Instagram Story Ads to promote your best-performing content or run follower acquisition campaigns.

Conclusion

Growing your social media followers in 2025 requires a combination of authentic branding, engaging content, consistent interaction, and strategic use of both organic and paid strategies. Focus on providing real value to your audience, be patient, and stay consistent. As you implement these strategies, you’ll build an engaged community that not only follows you but also actively supports and promotes your brand.