Instagram hardly needs an introduction at this point. With over 2 billion monthly active users, it‘s on track to become the world‘s most ubiquitous social app.
But despite its popularity, many users don‘t realize the platform offers tools to actively invite new followers from outside your current network.
Tucked away in Instagram‘s settings menu are options to generate referral links – personalized invites that can be sent to new contacts to ask them to follow your profile.
This guide will explore everything you need to know to take control of your Instagram presence and growth using these overlooked but powerful options.
A Quick Primer: What Are Follow/Invite Settings
Before we dive into the step-by-step details, let‘s briefly explain what we mean by Instagram‘s "Follow and Invite Friends" settings:
Instagram allows you to create specialized links connected to your profile that can be shared via email, text message, or other apps to ask specific contacts to follow your account.
When one of your connections clicks on the link you share, they will be brought to a page with the option to follow your profile with one tap.
These referral links allow you to easily grow your audience outside of traditional Instagram discovery and recommendations.
You get to personally select and invite people you believe would appreciate your content rather than hoping the algorithm shows it to them.
Navigating to Your Follow & Invite Options
Here is precisely how to access your follow/invite configuration on both iOS and Android devices:
On iPhone/iPad:
- Tap your profile picture
- Select the menu icon (3 horizontal lines)
- Choose Settings
- Tap "Follow and Invite Friends"
On Android Phones:
- Tap your profile picture
- Choose the 3 vertical dotted menu
- Select Settings
- Choose "Follow and Invite Friends"
You should then see the following screen:
[Insert screenshot of follow/invite settings page]From here, you have three options to create invite links…
Creating Invite Links to Grow Your Following
Instagram allows invite links to be shared via:
- SMS Text Message
- Other Apps
Let‘s break down how each option works, including pros and cons:
Email Invites
Selecting "Invite by Email" generates a custom link tied to your profile that you can paste into email messages.
When a contact clicks the link from their email provider, it will open a browser window to display your Instagram profile with the option to tap "Follow."
Pros:
- Lets you reach contacts who may not use IG yet
- Email open rates average around 20%
Cons:
- Requires contacts to open email and click link
- Emails sometimes hit spam or promotions folders
Text Message Invites
Similarly, choosing "Invite by SMS" creates a unique link to share via text message from your mobile phone.
The recipient just has to tap the link in your iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, etc. to open your follow page.
Pros:
- Higher open rates than email
- Easy one tap experience from text apps
Cons:
- Limited to contacts who have your phone number
- Could annoy some contacts if overused
App Invites
The final option is sharing invites through third-party apps like Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter DMs, etc.
When you select this setting, Instagram will display compatible apps where you can paste and share your custom invite link.
Pros:
- Leverage alternative platforms‘ audiences
- Allows hyper-targeting specific groups
Cons:
- Requires extra step of re-sharing link
- Apps have own messaging limitations
As you can see, each approach has certain tradeoffs to consider when asking contacts to follow you.
5 Pro Tips for Generating Follower Invites
Here are some expert recommendations when leveraging Instagram‘s invite features:
1. Personalize Your Message – Don‘t just paste raw links. Customize a text explaining who you are and why they should follow you.
2. Target Relevant Connections – Don‘t spam everyone in your contacts. Be selective and only reach out to those likely to appreciate your content.
3. Spread Out Your Outreach – Inviting hundreds of people all at once can trigger spam filters and annoy contacts. Send in batches.
4. Follow Up Politely – If someone doesn‘t accept your invite at first, consider a friendly reminder message. But don‘t badger them.
5. Monitor Your Results – Pay attention to your analytics after inviting followers. See which platforms drive the most new followers so you can optimize future efforts.
The more personalized and genuine your invites are, the better the response rates you‘ll see. Quality over quantity!
Key Security & Privacy Questions
When leveraging Instagram‘s referral tools, be aware of a few key privacy questions that arise:
Can invite links be revoked? Yes! You can regenerate a new link at any point which invalidates older ones.
Do invite links expire automatically? Currently no – but users can always unfollow later even if they accept originally.
What data can followers access about me? Accepting an invite only gives access to your public profile info and posts – nothing deeper.
Are invite links spam or hack risks? Instagram links are designed to be secure. But as always be cautious about random links from sketchy contacts.
In summary – feel empowered to use Instagram‘s built-in invite features when you want to grow your audience. But pair them with common sense security precautions against potential abuse.
Flexing Your Follower Muscles
Instagram‘s Follow and Invite Friends settings provide easy yet underutilized tools to actively bring targeted followers into your community rather than just hoping your content spreads virally.
Use this guide to start mastering referral links through email, texts, and external apps. Curate personalized invites for accounts you think would genuinel appreciate your aesthetic.
Then sit back and watch your audience grow with new faces that you selectively brought into the fold!
Let me know if you have any other questions on optimizing your Instagram profile.
