How to Get More Likes on Your Instagram Photos

Last Updated: August 4, 2021 Approved

Instagram is a brilliant way to share memories and favorite moments with friends, family, and random followers. If you're posting a lot of photos but not receiving as many likes as you want, follow these simple steps to get more likes.

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:
Use Hashtags

1
Use hashtags to categorize photos with keywords. Hashtags help you to get discovered by other users and your photos are more likely to get liked. Using a lot of hashtags increases the likelihood that your photos will be viewed and shared.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.}
2
Use as many hashtags as possible for each photo. For example, if you have a picture of your wiener dog, possible hashtags you can use are #wienerdog, #dog, and #pet.
3
Use the most popular hashtags. Some of the most popular hashtags are #love, #me, #cute, #friday and #coffee.
4
Search the list of trending hashtags and use one of them. Keep in mind that using a popular hashtag can also make your photo more likely to be lost.
- Also, you can go to #likeforlike or #like4like and like a lot of photos. Not everyone likes back, but at least you get some likes.

Method 2

Method 2 of 6:
Applying Filters

1
Apply filters to your photos. This means using apps to edit and filter your pictures. Early-bird, X-Proll, Aviary, and Valencia are popular filters that give photos a unique look.
2
Use the apps on your phone to make photos appealing and special. Camera+, Pro HDR, Snap-seed, and Pixlr-o-matic are excellent apps.

Method 3

Method 3 of 6:
Finding Photos People Want To See

1
Post the right photos. Often, people will post anything, such as their lunch, their cat, or empty beer bottles. If you want more likes, think of Instagram as your art gallery. Its purpose is to display only the best, high-quality pictures. High-quality pictures are apt to get the most likes on Instagram. These types of photos attract the most people:
- Never post three similar photos in a row. Choose the best one to display.
2
Post the best personal photos that show you with your significant other, friends, and family members.
3
Post photos of unique views. People like unique photos of things they've never seen before.
4
Post photos of a pet. Only the best photos of your dog or kitty are guaranteed to get likes. Make sure your pet is doing something unique in the photo.
5
Don't post excessive pictures of your food. Everyone does this, so only post spectacular food photos.
6
Combine multiple photos into one shot by using an app like Diptic. This way, you will be more likely to receive likes. You can place four similar images into one frame. Or show different parts of the same trip or occasion.

Method 4

Method 4 of 6:
Be Community Minded

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Be an active member of the Instagram community to receive likes and comments. Take time to comment on a friend's photo, or to like photos. If you do this, others will reciprocate.^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Expert Interview. 23 April 2021.} If you never acknowledge your followers' photos, then they won't acknowledge you.^{[3]
X
Research source}
2
Start liking the photos of random people to get more likes back.
3
Go to other people's accounts (ones with more "following" than "followers"). Like 15-20 of their pictures. If they notice you, they may like your pictures and follow you!

Method 5

Method 5 of 6:
Be Time Conscious

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Post photos at the right time. You can post the most fantastic photos in the world, but no one will like them in the middle of the night. Most activity with your photo will happen in the first few hours, so make those hours count. Here's when you should post your photos:
- Post in the middle of the day when people are likely to be bored at work and surfing the web. Don't post too early in the morning, or at five or six o'clock, because most people are too busy commuting to notice your photos.
- Post your photos a little after dinner time. People browse the web when they're tired in the evening.
- Post your photos during special occasions. Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day are good times to post. Although some are too busy celebrating to notice your photos, they may actually be more likely to check them out.
2
Don't post photos on Friday or Saturday night. People may see them, but they may not want to admit that they have nothing better to do on a weekend than to look at instagram photos.
3
After you post your photos, comment on a friend's photo. Like a few photos to get your friends' attention.

Method 6

Method 6 of 6:
Making Links

1
Link your Instagram account with your Facebook account. This only takes a minute and it will expose your photos to a wider audience.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I get more people to see my posts?

Melissa Rodriguez
Marketing & Advertising Specialist
Melissa Rodriguez is a Marketing and Advertising Specialist and the Founder of Social Media Relations out of Los Angeles, California. With over 5 years of experience, she specializes in branding, content production, social media marketing, and public relations. Melissa holds BS degrees in Global Perspectives and Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University.

Melissa Rodriguez

Marketing & Advertising Specialist

Expert Answer

You really want to make sure that you're using hashtags correctly and that you're selecting hashtags that are very likely to pop up in searches. I'd recommend looking at a recent list of trending hashtags, or drawing on inspiration from popular posters to see how they use the tags.
Question

What do I do if I post at a peak hour and still don't get a lot of likes?

Community Answer

Don't worry, be patient! That's kind of a big rule with Instagram- as you gain more followers over the long-term, you'll begin to see more likes.
Question

What should I do if I need ideas?

Community Answer

Check out what celebrities are posting, see what's trending and popular on the main page. Try selfies, throwbacks, shoe pics, etc.
Question

What type of images should I be posting to get the most likes?

Community Answer

People really like selfies right now, or pictures with your friends. Another benefit of posting pictures with your friends is that if you tag them, then maybe their other friends or family will see it and then like it too.
Question

What should I do if I'm a private account but still want more likes (considering I want to stay private)?

Community Answer

Look up people you know and see if they have Instagram or just ask. You will follow each other and normally new followers are more interested. Or, you could make new accounts like fan pages and like it yourself. If anyone asks, say it's a friend's account and don't be too excessive with this though, as people can get suspicious.
Question

How do I get more followers and likes even though I'm private and would like to stay private?

Community Answer

When you post, go to the accounts who already follow you and like their pictures. They might notice and like back. Search for more people you know so they can follow you.
Question

What if I want to seem popular but not too needy? I don't want to beg people to follow me.

Community Answer

Post nice selfies and use filters that are trending. Post unique photos, like the ocean, and use lots of hashtags.
Question

How do I get more likes on Instagram?

Community Answer

You can get more likes by liking other people's posts, and asking them to like your posts in return.
Question

I'm not popular, so that's why I think I don't get as many likes -- what should I do?

Community Answer

Use hashtags like #like4like or #follow4follow. Try posting pictures of nature too. And finally make sure to choose a theme and stick to it (nature, anime, etc.), as people like to see consistency.
Question

How can I have a Tumblr theme on Instagram?

Community Answer

Use high quality photos and of the same theme.

Warnings

Keep selfies and food images to a minimum.

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Do not post inappropriate pictures.

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Do not bully anyone, because followers may see and unfollow you.

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