The Real Secret to Winning the Instagram Lottery

Everyone wants to win the lottery. In this day and age winning the lottery can mean many things, one of which is hitting it big on social media. Creating a body of work, an brand image, and a following so massive it creates clout behind your name so high, it is easily seen by everyone as the best in the business. For photographers and creative alike, achieving something like that can easily be seen as difficult, but in reality for some it was outrageously easy and can still be done thanks to Instagram.

The truth behind some of the biggest names on Instagram and how they have built such a following on Instagram is the suggested user list. Some of you may know about this list as its been around for almost as long as Instagram itself. If you want to see the live list of all the suggested users currently, simply follow Instagram and notice who they are following. The list usually floats somewhere between 100 to 250 of mostly top notch photographers and creatives across the globe. I say "mostly" mainly because as of recent times some of those names have been very odd choices to have won such a big ticket to fame.

To explain what it means to be a suggested user I will put it simply, you get a shit ton of followers in a very short amount of time. Where do those followers come from exactly? At the start of Instagram they are brand new users that freshly download the app and see your name at the top of a actual list of people to follow first. The feature usually falls within a two to three week window, and will equal anywhere from 50 to 150+ followers per hour for that duration. 

How to Get on the Instagram Suggested User List

I have to admit, no one knows exactly how to get on the list or else every one and their brother would be doing it every chance they get. Though oddly enough Instagram mentions it on their website directly on how to make it on the list right here. Now as basic as those tips are I have to admit I followed them very closely after the first year or so of using Instagram without even knowing it. The first is simply bringing a creative eye to the community and showcasing your best work from your perspective. The second and third easily go hand in hand as they pertain to engaging with the community, and cultivating an environment for creatives and people to thrive. Examples given my Instagram include hosting your own instameets along with participating in the weekly hashtag project, which personally I love trying to challenge myself each week to hit within a given weekend. 

How and in what capacity in doing all these things get you on the list? Who knows, but I will tell you this I have followed these steps for the better part of four years, and have been lucky enough to be featured twice and gaining almost 70,000 followers. 

The Difference Between the First and Second Time I was Featured

Having not even known about the option to be featured I was simply doing what I thought was best for me and building a community in my own city. It was just under two years into using the app when I was featured the first time. Funny story, I was leaving work and noticed @Instagram followed me thinking it was probably something they did to everyone. By the time I got home from about an hour commute I had gained over 300 followers. I then realized what it meant when Instagram followed you and let the feature begin.

I was floored, honored, and confused. I had spent the first few days not even posting but letting in followers left and right without really understanding what just happened. It took me easily a few weeks before I got back into my daily posting routine but the idea that tens of thousands of people would see my work versus just the few thousand local friends and connections from before was intimidating. It wasn't until the second feature that I knew what to expect and really make a more tactical approach to it all. 

The second feature happened almost two years after the first, and oddly enough the moment I got out of my car, headed to hang with some of the Fstoppers writers that came into town for a meetup. This time I was prepared to handle the onslaught and decided to post the absolute best work I possibly could and at least once a day. I saw a far better return on followers that stuck around and followed me and gained 60% more followers than the previous feature. 

The photos below were both snapped on my walk to meet fellow Fstoppers crew. 

​The Hard Truth About Being Featured

The dirty truth about being featured is the negative connotation that comes with it. Having not built my following the old fashion way left me to not have as large of an organic reach as some other users. I honestly don't care, because overall I am using Instagram exactly the way I want to use it, as a tool to create and share creatively with thousands of people around the world. During a feature by Instagram you will easily see hundreds if not thousands of likes per photo but only for a short time. As I mentioned before, these followers for the majority are brand new users, people that literally just downloaded the app and saw my name on a list. Some of which will hop on and like a handful of photos and then leave. Roughly four months after the onslaught of the first feature, I noticed quite a bit of my followers drop, along with engagement go down. 

The second feature was a bit different as I noticed a big jump in followers, and then an instant drop of two to three thousand followers within a few minutes, followed by an email from Instagram saying they were taking care of spam accounts again. Though I regained a solid amount of the engagment, and continued to watch the number rise slowly as the months went on. 

Community is Still King

If you want simple way into a large following on Instagram, there it is. Becoming a suggested user is the way to do it and do it fast. Now, how do you get on that list is completely subjective, and likely based on an algorithm by the men behind it all, versus when the app first began and it was hand picked by a single community manager. Either way community is still king and the easiest way to building a great following on Instagram. Before hitting that lottery, I was engaging with others in my own community and beyond via comments and real life meet ups called instameets. Heck, you can go way back and check out the very first instameet I hosted with just seven people in the freezing cold of downtown Indianapolis here. 

What would you do if you were featured by Instagram and gained tens of thousand of followers in just a couple weeks? Would you do anything different than already doing?