The Ultimate Guide To Going Viral on Instagram in 2025

With over 2 billion active users every month, Instagram isn’t just another social media app—it’s a massive opportunity to showcase your talent, business, or ideas to the world.

Going viral on Instagram can feel like becoming an overnight internet superstar.

In this guide, we do not promise instant fame, but we will share proven strategies and actionable tips to boost your chances of success.

You’ll learn how Instagram’s algorithm works, how to craft engaging content, and how to schedule posts that people will love, share, and remember.

We’ll also show you how to stand out in a crowded platform and carve out your unique space.

Fun fact: The person with the most Instagram followers today is Cristiano Ronaldo, with over 645 million followers as of December 2024.

Of course, you don’t need millions of followers to start making an impact. By following the tips in this guide, you’ll learn how to go viral on Instagram in 2025 and beyond!

Research Your Audience

The first step to creating content that will go viral on Instagram is to research your audience.

You need to understand who your target audience is and what kind of content they are interested in.

To do this, you can:

• Start with larger marketing personas
• Collect insights
• Use demographics data
• Leverage the Instagram polls

Start with larger marketing personas

When you create personas for your marketing campaigns, don't forget about social media. 

Look at the psychographics of your persona and try to understand what kind of content they would be interested in.

Collect insights

Once you have an idea of who your target audience is, it's time to start collecting insights about them. 

This can be done through social media listening tools, surveys, or even interviews.

Use demographics data

When you're looking at your target audience, it's important to consider their demographics. 

This includes factors like age, gender, location, and interests.

Leverage the Instagram polls

One of the best ways to understand your audience is to ask them directly!

Instagram has a poll feature that allows you to do just that.

Once you know what type of content your audience likes, you can start creating content that appeals to them.

Study Your Competitors

Another important step in creating viral content is to study your competitors.

See what type of content they are posting and how they are engaging with their audience.

You can also learn from their mistakes! If you see that a competitor is not doing well, you can avoid making the same mistakes.

To do this, you can:

• Look for accounts
• Search for hashtags
• Suggested for you
• Collect the data
• Take inspiration

Look for accounts

The first step is to find accounts that are similar to yours. 

You can do this by searching for keywords related to your industry.

Search for hashtags

Another way to find similar accounts is to search for relevant hashtags. 

For example, if you sell cosmetics, you can search for #makeupaddict or #cosmetics:

Suggested for you

Another great way to find similar accounts is to look at the “suggested for you” section on Instagram. 

This is where Instagram shows you accounts that are similar to the ones you already follow.

Collect the data

Once you have a list of competitor accounts, it's time to start collecting data about them.

You can use social media analytics tools to do this, or you can simply manually check their account statistics.

Some of the things you should look at include:

• Engagement rate
• Number of followers
• Number of posts
• Average likes and comments per post

Take inspiration

Once you have a good understanding of what your competitors are doing, you can start taking inspiration from them.

But don't copy them! Instead, use their ideas to create something unique that will appeal to your own audience.

Creating Your Special Voice

After you have researched your audience and studied your competitors, it's time to create your own special voice. This is what will make you stand out from the rest.

Your special voice should be authentic and reflect your brand's personality. Once you have created your special voice, be consistent with it in all your content.

To do this, you should ask yourself:

• What feelings should I invoke?
• How do I want my followers to see me?
• How can I stand out from my competitors?
• How can I blend my brand into each post?

What feelings should I invoke?

The first step is to decide what feelings you want to invoke in your followers.

Some examples of emotions you could evoke are:

• Happiness
• Sadness
• Anger
• Anxiety
• Love

How do I want my followers to see me?

The second step is to decide how you want your followers to see you.

Do you want to be seen as a thought leader in your industry?

Do you want to be seen as a fun and friendly brand?

Think about the image you want to project and make sure all your content reflects that.

How can I stand out from my competitors?

The third step is to find ways to stand out from your competitors.

What can you do that they are not doing?

Think about what makes you unique and use that to your advantage.

How can I blend my brand into each post?

The fourth step is to find ways to blend your brand into each post.

This means using your logo, colors, and branding in all your content.

It also means using the same tone and voice in all your posts.

Work on Your Creativity

Creativity is key when trying to go viral on Instagram. To be creative, you need to think outside the box and come up with new and interesting ideas.

One way to be more creative is to brainstorm with others. You can also look for inspiration in other places, such as art, nature, or books.

Additional practical tips include:

• Thinking about the color palettes you want to use
• Creating behind the scenes posts
• Building "how-to" content
• Being authentic
• Humanizing the posts

Thinking about the color palettes you want to use

What color is your brand? Carry this color throughout your posts by using it in your images, videos, and even the text.

You can also use complementary colors to make your posts more eye-catching.

Creating behind-the-scenes posts - Humanize Your Brand

Behind-the-scenes (BTS) posts offer a unique opportunity to connect with your followers on a personal level. 

People love seeing behind-the-scenes content. It makes them feel closer to you and helps them understand your brand better.

Try to create at least one behind-the-scenes post for each product or service you offer.

They reveal the people, processes, and culture behind your brand, creating an authentic bond with your customers.

Building "how-to" content

How-to posts are a great way to show off your expertise while also providing value to your followers.

These posts can be in the form of text, images, or even videos.:

Being authentic

It's important to be authentic on social media. This means being true to who you are and what your brand represents.

People can tell when you're being fake, so don't try to copy someone else or pretend to be something you're not.

Humanizing the posts

People want to see that there are real people behind your brand. One way to do this is by humanizing your posts.

This can be done by adding personal touches, such as using first-person pronouns or sharing personal stories.

Creating a Posting Schedule

Another important tip for going viral on Instagram is to create a posting schedule. This will help you stay consistent with your content and make sure that you are posting regularly.

When creating your posting schedule, be sure to consider the following points:

• Optimize and edit
• Post at the best time
• Don't push too much

Optimize and edit

Before you hit publish, make sure that your post is optimized for the best possible engagement. This means using high-quality images and videos, as well as catchy captions and hashtags.  

Post at the best time

It's also important to post at the right time. This means finding out when your target audience is most active, and making sure to experiment with different posting times to see what works best for you.

Don't push too much

Lastly, don't try to push your products or services too much. Yes, you want to promote your brand, but you also don't want to come across as sales.

A good rule of thumb is to be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day ,and neither is a successful Instagram following. It takes time to grow an engaged audience.

Be Active and Engage With Users

Being active on Instagram is important if you want to go viral. Make sure to like and comment on other users' posts. This will help you get noticed and build relationships with other users.

You should also respond to comments on your own posts. This will show your audience that you are engaged and interested in what they have to say.

Some other effective methods to increase engagement are:

• Use stories stickers
• Create memes
• Share carousel posts

Use stories stickers

Spice up your stories by using fun stickers. This will help you stand out from other users and make your stories more engaging:

Create memes

Who doesn't love a good meme? Memes are a great way to show off your sense of humor and connect with your audience.

Share carousel posts

Try using carousel posts. They are a series of images or videos that users can swipe through and can help increase engagement with their followers.

Leverage Influencers Marketing

Influencer marketing is a great way to reach new audiences and get people talking about your brand. You can work with influencers who have large followings on Instagram.

They will promote your brand to their followers and help you get more exposure.

Here are some tips to follow:

• Carefully research your influencers
• Choose quality over quantity
• Build relationships with them

Carefully research your influencers

Before starting to work with any influencer, be sure to carefully research analytics to see which one can fit your brand. This will give you an idea of who their audience is and what type of content they engage with.

Also, be sure to check for fake followers or strange comments under their posts.

Choose quality over quantity

It's also important to choose quality over quantity. It's better to work with a few well-known influencers than with a large number of lesser-known ones.

Build relationships with them

Try building relationships with your influencers.  This will help you create long-term partnerships and get the most out of your marketing campaigns.

Take a look at how GymShark leveraged influencer partnerships and gained a broad reach for its posts. Its influencers often share personal stories and fitness routines that resonate well with its followers, driving significant engagement and brand loyalty.

Use Instagram Contests

Instagram contests are a great way to engage with your audience and get people talking about your brand. To run a contest, simply ask users to post a photo using your hashtag and tag you in the photo.

Then, choose a winner and announce it on your Instagram story. Be sure to promote your contest ahead of time so that people know how to enter.

Here are some tips to increase the chances of creating a successful contest:

• Use the perfect hashtag
• Define a theme
• Choose an attractive prize
• Push and promote it

Use the perfect hashtag

An important part of any contest is choosing the perfect hashtag. This will be what people use to search for your contest and enter it.

Your hashtag should be short, catchy, and easy to remember. It should also be relevant to your brand or contest theme.

Define a theme

When defining the theme of your contest, think of something that aligns with your brand, industry, or product. Examples could be:

• Best travel photo
• Funniest pet photo
• Most creative use of our product

Choose an attractive prize

When choosing a prize, make sure it's something that your target audience would want. It should also be relevant to your brand.

For example, if you're a beauty brand, the prize could be a beauty hamper.

Push and promote it

Once you've created your contest, be sure to push and promote it via different channels, including paid ads.

Analyze and Repeat

The last step in going viral on Instagram is to analyze your results and repeat what works. 

Keep track of the types of content that get the most engagement and focus on creating more of that type of content.

Also, be sure to keep an eye on your competitor's posts so that you can learn from their successes and avoid their mistakes!

Some practical tips include to:

• Analyze followers' demographics and behavior
• Check insights for your posts
• Evaluate stories data

Finally, don’t forget to have fun and be creative!

The most important thing is to create content that your audience will enjoy. If you do that, you're sure to see success.

Final Words

Going viral on Instagram is not an easy task, but it is possible.

By following the tips mentioned in this guide, you will be well on your way to creating viral content that will help you build your brand and reach new audiences. Thanks for reading!

Do you have any other tips for going viral on Instagram? Let us know in the comments below!

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