Instagram likes are one of many high three alerts the Instagram algorithm makes use of to advertise or hinder your publish’s attain. Put merely, extra likes = extra attain.
However must you purchase Instagram likes? Does it matter should you conceal likes or not? How do likes assist develop your Instagram account? Do in style hashtags matter?
All of the solutions and methods to get extra likes on Instagram forward.
Key takeaways
Instagram likes are nonetheless an enormous deal. They’re one of many high three components Instagram’s algorithm makes use of to resolve how far your publish will go. Extra likes = extra attain.
Don’t purchase Instagram likes (critically, don’t). Instagram’s algorithm can spot pretend engagement, and accounts flagged for scammy exercise might by no means totally get better. Deal with actual engagement methods as an alternative.
Simple methods to get extra likes? Share posts to Tales, work with creators, use Collab posts, and monitor efficiency to see what works (then, do extra of it).
Are Instagram likes nonetheless an necessary metric?
When your publish or Reel receives likes, it alerts to Instagram two issues:
1) individuals like this content material (a.ok.a. “We must always present it to extra individuals.”)
2) which kinds of individuals prefer it (a.ok.a. “Who we should always present it to.”)
Instagram takes that info, together with different rating components, and makes use of it to broaden the attain of your publish.
Adam Mosseri explains why Instagram likes matter in 2025 in a latest video:
“The highest three alerts that matter most for rating are watch time, likes and sends. So should you’re making an attempt to know why one Reel did higher than one other, have a look at […] common watch time, likes per attain, and sends per attain.”
He additional defined that Instagram has two kinds of rating:
Related attain (individuals who observe you)
Unconnected attain (individuals who don’t observe you)
Whereas Instagram likes are necessary for each, they really matter extra for “related attain,” in different phrases: getting a wider viewers to see your content material.
There are 4 teams of Instagram rating components, together with curiosity, publish recognition, poster info, and interplay historical past. Instagram likes fall into the recognition class, together with feedback, shares, and saves.
And whereas they’re not an important factor to develop, Instagram likes nonetheless matter as a result of they’re straightforward in your viewers to do, in order that they do it extra usually.
It’s simpler to get an Instagram like than a remark or share. The typical publish acquired 513 likes in 2024, however solely 19 saves and 15 feedback.
Supply: Statista
Since likes are simpler to get and sooner in your viewers to do, getting lots of likes as shortly as doable after posting could be a huge sign to the Instagram algorithm that your publish is high-quality content material—growing attain and rising your account.
What are the dangers concerned in shopping for Instagram likes?
Since Instagram likes are so highly effective, wouldn’t shopping for them assist much more? No.
NO.
Say no to bots. Instagram has been capable of determine accounts who buy pretend likes, feedback, or Instagram followers since at the very least 2018 and actively penalizes those that use bots. Shopping for Instagram likes violates the Neighborhood Pointers and Phrases of Use and Instagram is at all times creating new AI instruments to weed out unhealthy conduct. In 2024, Instagram confirmed they hold monitor of accounts partaking in “probably scammy actions.”
Since “scammy” labels are robotically utilized, there’s actually no telling if that label is ever eliminated out of your Instagram account. Any potential improve in attain or new followers you get can be non permanent, however the penalties of shopping for likes may be everlasting.
Find out how to get Instagram likes from actual viewers engagement
1. Share new posts and Reels to your Story
Easy and efficient. Whether or not you’ve posted a photograph, carousel, or Reel, share it out of your profile to your Story.
Supply: @colbertlateshow on Instagram
Do that technique:
2. Use Instagram Collab posts
Reaching new individuals has by no means been simpler on Instagram because of new collab posts. As a substitute of solely with the ability to tag different accounts in your posts, now the identical publish can exist on as much as three Instagram profiles by including others as collaborators.
Apart from immediately tripling your potential attain, all engagements on the collab publish profit every collaborator. It’s an engagement occasion, and for as soon as, you’re invited.
Do that technique:
Nonetheless searching for your social soulmate(s)? Tips about who to collab with:
3. Publish carousels
Instagram Reels are nonetheless nice, however don’t sleep on the facility of plain ol’ Instagram pictures posts and carousels.
Our knowledge from This fall of 2024 exhibits that carousels outperform Reels by 26% in the case of engagement.
Do that technique:
Bonus: Get 5 free, customizable Instagram carousel templates and begin creating superbly designed content material in your feed now.
4. Monitor what works
As Hootsuite’s personal Trish Riswick notes, getting extra likes means understanding what your viewers desires, with out guessing:
“With out analytics stories, we might have guessed [which social media platforms different types of videos performed best on], however we wouldn’t have identified for positive or been capable of measure the distinction making an attempt new methods made.”
Hootsuite Analytics makes it straightforward to trace social efficiency throughout all social platforms in a single place. Plus, save time with customizable stories, customized tagging, and clever instruments like benchmarking, aggressive evaluation, and extra.
Do that technique:
Monitor analytics at the very least month-to-month to see what’s working (and what’s not).
Run a full audit of your social media advertising and marketing technique with our free social media audit template.
5. Use the best hashtags
You’ll get extra Instagram likes and different engagement by sticking to 3 to 5 hashtags per publish. Something greater than that may look spammy and confuse the algorithm.
Select related hashtags that mirror the viewers you’re making an attempt to achieve and the content material you’re posting. Easy is greatest! They don’t should be presently trending hashtags, they simply must precisely describe the kind of content material you’re sharing.
Supply: @methodk9 on Instagram
Do that technique:
Examine our checklist of high Instagram hashtags by trade for inspiration.
Get Instagram likes on straightforward mode with our free AI Instagram hashtag generator.
Put hashtags within the first remark as an alternative of the principle Instagram caption for much less muddle. You’ll be able to schedule a primary remark on the similar time you schedule and publish content material with Hootsuite.
6. Use interactive Tales
Tales are a goldmine for Instagram engagement, together with likes. Apart from solely sticking round for twenty-four hours—encouraging quick motion—Tales characteristic many interactive parts your viewers can reply to, and you may study worthwhile insights from.
Supply: @grelhadosrestaurant on Instagram
Do that technique:
7. Accomplice with UGC creators
Partnering with big-name influencers nonetheless has many advantages, however is out of funds for many small companies.
Consumer-generated content material (UGC) campaigns embrace natural content material your actual prospects share on social media, or content material made by skilled creators so that you can publish by yourself channels.
This usually less-polished content material seems extra genuine and builds belief. 86% of customers say they belief manufacturers who share UGC content material.
Do that technique:
Determine natural UGC content material your prospects have already shared about you and enhance these as adverts. You’ll want the creator’s permission and advertiser permissions first.
8. Hearken to your viewers
Listening to your viewers is necessary for all types of causes however one is that it plain makes your life simpler. Undecided what new merchandise to make? Simply ask!
Social listening takes it additional, uncovering precisely what your viewers desires, plus present tendencies, predictions, aggressive intelligence, and alerts about your model.
The world’s greatest social listening instruments are included in each Hootsuite plan so you may collect intelligence and develop your social accounts all in the identical place.
Do that technique:
Strive Hootsuite without cost and get the social listening knowledge you could inform your content material technique, safe budgets, and show social ROI to your boss—with automated, customizable stories.
9. Reply to feedback and DMs
Instagram counts interplay historical past as a rating issue within the algorithm. The extra you reply to feedback and DMs, the extra seemingly it’s they’ll see future posts of their Instagram feed.
Plus, replying to each remark will double your publish’s engagement charge for feedback, despite the fact that it’s you doing the replying. Not replying is leaving engagement on the desk.
Extra engagement = additional potential attain, which equals extra potential Instagram followers and likes, too.
Do that technique:
Use Hootsuite Inbox to streamline replying to all of your feedback and DMs from a number of social media platforms from one dashboard.
10. Strive a giveaway
Individuals are at all times going to love the potential of profitable free stuff, particularly if all it prices is a number of seconds to love and touch upon a giveaway publish.
Do that technique:
Ask individuals to love your publish and tag a pal to enter. Embody the required disclaimers and knowledge in your caption to abide by Instagram’s promotion guidelines.
Bonus: Run a giveaway as a collab publish for much more Instagram like potential.
11. Embrace creativity
The boldest manufacturers who take leaps of creativity are reaping rewards.
Our Social Tendencies 2025 report discovered 43% of manufacturers tried out a brand new tone of voice or character on social media during the last yr. It pays off: entrepreneurs who publish inventive content material extra usually report optimistic ROI from social media.
Supply: Hootsuite Social Tendencies 2025
Do that technique:
Seize our free Social Tendencies 2025 report to find what’s shifting the needle in social media advertising and marketing this yr, then check out the concepts for your self.
12. Tag different accounts
If you happen to’re not posting an official collab, you may nonetheless tag different accounts in your posts or captions. This sends them a notification in order that they’re more likely to see your publish and, probably, share it to their followers’ feeds—leading to extra Instagram likes for you.
Supply: @bezartshub on Instagram
Do that technique:
Use one thing from an organization whose merchandise complement yours (just like the PB to your J)? Tag ‘em!
13. Use location tags
Location tags are nice for constructing relationships with close by companies and establishing your self with new audiences in a neighborhood space. For geographic-based tags, like cities or public areas, your publish can present up when Instagram customers seek for that location within the Discover web page or faucet the tag in another person’s publish.
For native companies, it’s best to particularly use location tags in Tales—and encourage your viewers to as nicely—as a result of all tagged Tales are added to Instagram’s in-app map.
Supply: @sem.art2 and @wavescoffee on Instagram
Do that technique:
Holding a gathering at a restaurant or restaurant? Use their enterprise as your location in an Instagram publish, or use the placement tag sticker in Tales to provide them a shoutout.
You probably have a bodily location, tag it in all of your posts.
14. Run an Instagram likes ballot
Top-of-the-line methods to encourage engagement, together with for Instagram likes, is to ask your target market questions. In fact there’s the precise ballot characteristic for each posts and Tales, however it is a intelligent means of getting likes and feedback.
Do that technique:
Tease an upcoming occasion or launch by saying you’ll reveal extra info when a publish reaches a sure variety of likes. (Hold it achievable!)
Publish memes and ask followers to double-tap the publish if they’ll relate.
15. Use Instagram promoting
A reach-focused advert marketing campaign can assist you get extra new followers, likes, and model consciousness. Reaching extra individuals will increase the chance of extra likes.
The best technique to check out adverts is to spice up an present natural publish. Or, experiment with creating easy photograph, carousel, Instagram Reels, or Tales adverts.
Supply: @designmehair on Instagram
Do that technique:
What’s the greatest time to publish on Instagram for likes?
One of the best occasions to publish on Instagram 1-3 PM on Sundays and 7-9 PM on Mondays.
(Really, that’s the general greatest time to publish. Try the most effective time to publish on Instagram for 11 industries primarily based on our in depth analysis.)
However is that your personalised greatest time to publish? Nope.
The suitable time to publish on Instagram for likes is the time when nearly all of your present and target market are on-line, able to see and work together together with your content material.
Very like a metaphorical tree falling in a abandoned forest, Instagram likes received’t occur in case your viewers by no means sees your publish.
Fortunately, you could have entry to a secret weapon in opposition to the Instagram algorithm (and philosophy majors): Hootsuite’s personalised greatest time to publish characteristic.
Hootsuite makes use of your analytics from the final 30 days to find out the best time to publish for Instagram likes primarily based in your target market’s actual exercise patterns.
Going even additional, Hootsuite identifies your private greatest time to publish relying in your progress aim. Select from:
Extending attain
Constructing consciousness
Rising engagement charge
Driving visitors
Your greatest time to publish is calculated out of your precise social media efficiency, primarily based on metrics particular to every aim, not trade benchmarks or random account samples.
With Hootsuite greatest time to publish, you may:
Schedule posts for the most effective occasions with one click on throughout Instagram, Fb, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Superb-tune your content material technique with actual knowledge, not guesswork.
Effortlessly replace your posting technique with recent greatest time to publish suggestions each 30 days.
Appear like a freakin’ genius to your boss when your efficiency stories carry on bangin’, simply saying.
Discover ways to maximize your Instagram likes with Hootsuite in just some minutes:
What’s the most-liked Instagram publish ever?
From January 2019 to December 2022, this egg was probably the most preferred Instagram publish of all time with 56 million likes.
In 2022, the egg was dethroned by this photograph of footballer Lionel Messi hoisting the FIFA World Cup trophy, which now has over 74 million Instagram likes and continues to be the most-liked Instagram publish ever.
Rounding out the highest three is one other publish by Messi, shared two days after the one above, of him taking a lil’ snooze with the trophy. It has 54.5 million Instagram likes.
Enjoyable truth: Lionel Messi has 5 of the highest 10 most-liked Instagram posts of all time.
Supply: Statista
Bonus: Find out how to conceal likes on Instagram
There are two areas you may conceal Instagram likes:
Conceal the like rely of posts and Reels from accounts you observe (so that you don’t see them)
Conceal the like rely of your personal posts and Reels from others (however you may nonetheless see them)
Some entrepreneurs say hiding likes in your posts can improve engagement by as much as 500%:
Supply: r/InstagramMarketing on Reddit
Different entrepreneurs say hiding Instagram likes makes you look untrustworthy:
Supply: @itscandidsocial on Instagram
Okay, however what about how hiding Instagram likes impacts you, the human being hooked up to these thumbs behind the display screen? Some Instagram customers say they conceal likes to make creating Instagram content material and looking extra fulfilling:
Supply: r/InstagramMarketing on Reddit
Neither choice formally impacts rating within the algorithm—hidden Instagram likes nonetheless rely as likes to the app—so the selection to cover or not is as much as you.
Handle and develop your Instagram account with Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts, analyze outcomes, and interact your viewers multi function place, for all of your social media profiles. Strive Hootsuite free at present.
