The first step toward growing your vibrant community online is reaching people who don’t yet follow you. Step two is getting them to follow you.
When you reach someone new and spark their curiosity, they may navigate to your page. This is where your profile becomes a selling point. Build your page to strongly attract the people you want to follow you and repel the ones you don’t.
People will quickly decide to press the follow button or not. They want to know who you are, what you do, and the content to expect from your page within seconds. Make it easy for people to figure these things out through your bio and a prominent display of niche content.
Check your starting point
First, check your ability to convert profile visitors to followers. Look at your analytics and divide the number of follows by the number of profile visits.
(follows/profile visits) x 100 = follower conversion rate
You can do this for an individual post or a specified time period.
Your conversion ratio indicates how enticing your page is. Given you are reaching a desirable audience, you want to increase your conversion ratio. Check out this article to learn more about expanding your reach.
If you can surpass 10, 15, or even 20%, this shows your page is appealing to a decent proportion of visitors, and your follower count will increase much faster!
Thanks to social proof, gaining followers gets easier as your account grows.
Imagine coming across a cool account with 267 followers. If you don’t immediately dismiss the page, you’d probably inspect it thoroughly before deciding to follow. Now, imagine that same account had 1.2 million followers. It’s easier to click follow, simply because a bunch of other people did. Humans are social creatures and most like to follow the crowd.
When you already have a lot of followers, people simply assume you’re relevant or share great content without judging your page as hard.
Going from 1,000-2,000 followers is much harder than going from 20K-21K. Plus, once you gain followers, it makes it easier to reach more people, which further compounds the process.
Getting started can feel daunting, but success builds on success. Stick with it!
6 tips to turn profile visitors into followers
#1: Consider why people may be interested in following you + strengthen that aspect of your page.
Each of your followers are part of your community for a range of reasons.
Use your analytics and intuition to notice which of your content pieces perform the best. See if you notice any patterns.
- What type of posts get the most likes, comments, and shares?
- What type of posts reached the highest number of people?
Use these themes to inform your future posts, and keep this type of content visible toward the top of your page.
Finding long-term success on social media is about striking a winning balance between what you’re excited to create and what your target audience wants to see.
You should post what you want because this will protect your energy in the long run. Being mindful about your favorite content types that resonate best online will help you build your following.
#2: Provide calls to action
This tip is exclusive to video content. On YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, people are likely to watch your videos before they have seen your page. Feel free to ask people to “follow along to see ______” at the end of your video. Sometimes people just need a little reminder!
#3: Keep tabs on your feed
Remember that your most recent posts are the first thing people will notice about your page. Ask yourself if they would help convert visitors to followers.
On Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, you can use the pin feature to handpick the pieces of content that appear at the top of your page. Choose content that might appeal to new visitors, such as…
- content that boosts your credibility
- content people have loved (such as your most viral content)
- content that gives a good sense of what your feed is all about
On YouTube, you have a ton of control over the way your channel appears to new visitors. Keep your YouTube trailer and playlists updated, and make sure your channel is organized. Experiment with your title structure to see what works best.
Don’t ignore video thumbnails
Video thumbnails are super important for sneak peeks. Thumbnails should stand out and prompt people to click. To do this, choose simple thumbnails where your face or body fit nicely into the frame. Add concise and readable cover text to provoke curiosity, describe your video, and invite clicks. Keep your overall style, including your fonts and colors relatively consistent to reinforce your branding and avoid eyeball overwhelm.
Remember, your feed is a selling point for your page, and it should offer a good preview of what people will see when they follow you!
#4: Craft Your Bio
Some people love to get creative with their bios, but this is not an “if you know you know” space. Your bio is a powerful way to get more followers and get more NIL deals!
Use your bio to communicate…
- WHO you are
- WHAT you do
- WHY people should follow you.
You have limited space, so share the most relevant information concisely. Especially when you’re starting out, don’t leave people guessing.
If there is a message you want your social media to convey, include a tid-bit in your bio! It can also be helpful to share your general location, such as the state you live in. This satisfies a common question. Plus, brands may want to know your location for collaborations within a certain region.
If you have sweet credibility stats, don’t be afraid to flaunt them. Add in the teams you’re a part of and share your biggest accomplishments. It will only boost your relevance!
Most importantly, you want to make an instant connection with potential followers. If you’re sharing specific value with people – tell them right away. Some good examples include: “colorful plant-based eats for athletes,” “my journey to marathon #1,” and “shooting hoops and shopping.”
Always ask yourself: would a random person in my target audience understand what my bio means? If not, consider adjusting it.
Be sure to make your bio readable.
- Use simple phrases and nice spacing
- Add line breaks to make it easier to digest
- Consider using emojis as bullet points if they symbolize something relevant
Lastly, include your email address. If you are hoping to land brand deals, be sure to include the email address you want people to contact in your bio. On Instagram, the email button only shows up on the mobile app. Make it easy for agencies and brands to find your contact information from a computer.
#5: Choose your profile picture wisely
Your profile picture is a front-and-center representation of you. But it’s TINY.
It’s typically best to use a photo from the shoulders up, so people can actually put a FACE to your name.
Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms with header images provide an additional opportunity to share your personality, illustrate the type of content you share, or convey a certain vibe. Choose wisely!
#6: Your Name Matters
Most people use their name in the name field.
That’s wonderful.
Stay away from using names that may confuse people or nicknames only your friends know about. You want your page to be searchable, so use your real name or whatever you want people to know you by.
If your account is based around a certain topic, you can add keywords into the name field. This helps with profile discovery through search and instantly tells people what your page is about.
For example: Leah Clapper | Gymnast
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All in all, your social media is a form of self-expression. Show up as YOU and the people who are interested will follow along!
