How to find followers in social media platforms as a photographer?

When you are trying to build your online brand, how do you find followers in social media platforms as a photographer?

Don't be fooled...  many people pay for followers - bots/fake or duplicate accounts that make it appear they have so many followers.  I've been approached on IG to pay $10 and I would be featured on their account that has 100,000 followers.  or to pay $xx.xx to get so many guaranteed new followers.  Be careful while building a social media presence (unless you want to take this route).

I would say your best bet is networking.  When shooting for clients ask them to add you.  When speaking with other photographers exchange info and follow them and they can follow you.  If you present your work anywhere or try to sell your work advertise your online presence (Social media, website, store, etc).  Use hashtags on your photos so others can see your posts.  I would also search hashtags and look at other people's work.  You can follow them.  Often people will follow someone who follows them.  I would also engage other photographers through their social media.  If you like a photo of theirs let them know and ask questions that encourage them by sending a PM/DM.  Others may have more (and better) advice, but this is what comes to my mind.

I think the most important factor is quality photographs.  

I'll preface this by saying that I don't actually have many followers (nor have I tried to get any), but I follow a lot of photographers so I have a good idea what they do.

The first thing is that obviously hashtags are your friends. Most photographers trying to get a following will tag the subject matter (all possible variations), then the location, the camera, the lens, etc. It's not unusual to see over 20 hashtags on a photo. It's particularly good if you're able to jump on any popular hashtags at the time they're popular. Not that I'm recommending it, but it's not a coincidence that Youtube is full of coronavirus videos right now.

On a similar note, look out for challenges that really popular photographers set up. Someone like Peter McKinnon will occasionally do a video where he demonstrates a technique and then encourages people to use a particular hashtag to share their pictures with the rest of the community. I've discovered quite a few photographers this way.

One thing I noticed is that whenever I follow a successful or popular photographer, pretty soon afterwards, I'll get follow requests from a few other photographers who are obviously hoping I'll click on their profile and like what I see. My Instagram is private, so it's obvious they're just spamming, but presumably it works sometimes. Probably not a good way to go about things though (might even be some dodgy automated thing).

Perhaps a better technique is to reach out to other photographers who have similar numbers of followers and offer to promote each other in your stories. Models are actually much better than photographers at doing this in my experience. Better still, actually do a project with each other where you both go on the same shoot and share the results on each other's profiles.

Make sure you're getting an Instagram link on any work you do for anyone else's profile (models, clients, etc).

Push content out on regular basis that your target audience would be interested in seeing.  You'll need to promote your content to get further reach too.  Partner with like businesses and use your social handle for others to find you. 

+1 good advice.  Especially working with other companies in your space and town. 

Well, no one has stated the obvious yet....

There is lots of advice out there on gaining followers. Go google it. Most of it is pretty consistent in suggested procedures. And it has nothing to do with you being a photographer. It has to do with gaming the system.

Secondly, why are followers important? I get approached by folks wanting me to pay them to get me followers, and I always respond with, "what is the quantifiable return? What value does your service have?"

Know what I get back? That's right... crickets.

The net: "likes" don't pay the bills, becoming an "influencer" is really hard work, but completely antithetical to who one really is (IMHO). And it's really hard work. As in, takes a lot of time. I don't have two hours a day to waste on IG posts.

In any event. good luck.

Shift into paparazzi mode. Post lots of your shots of celebrities.

simpleminds

KCook wrote: Shift into paparazzi mode. Post lots of your shots of celebrities.

simpleminds

Best idea in the lot.....