How to Hit 20 Million Followers on Instagram

Building your brand on Instagram takes time and effort. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which encourage brands to run paid ads, the majority of Instagram users are forced to grow their pages organically.

Because of this, you’re probably wondering how one can hit milestone markers such as 10k, 100k, or 1 million followers without the help of Instagram ads. Unfortunately, that’s a story for another day. I’m here to talk about how one hits heights reached by an exclusive group of twelve. I’m here to talk about the twelve accounts that fascinate users on a daily basis in order to draw a definitive conclusion on how you can join the 20 Million Club.

1) Instagram- 66 Million Followers

Instagram is the king of the castle and, unlike Tom from MySpace*, the company doesn’t even force you to follow them. It’s a page that simply takes content from its users and showcases them on a larger platform. If you’re lucky enough to get a picture on the @Instagram feed, you’re going to gain thousands of followers almost immediately. It’s not quite 20 million, or 66 million, but it’s pretty substantial nonetheless.

One other interesting piece of info is that @Instagram is the only non-human being to cross 20 million followers. The fact that it’s #1 is even more impressive. However, once advertising on Instagram becomes a thing that all users can use at a reasonable price, you can expect to see plenty more companies hitting the highs that are traditionally held for the Kardashian-Jenner family.

2) Beyonce– 31 Million Followers

If Instagram is the King, than Beyonce is the Queen B. Fitting right? In addition to being one of the most iconic entertainers of the 21st century and the second biggest Instagram user, Ms. Carter has also been accused of Instagram Photoshop!!! The lesson to be learned from this “controversy” is that Instagram has filters for a reason. Don’t Photoshop.

3-6) The Female Spawn of Kris Jenner

Kim Kardashian– 31 Million Followers

Kendall Jenner– 25 Million Followers

Kylie Jenner– 22 Million Followers

Khloe Kardashian– 21 Million FollowersDon’t worry Kourtney*, you’ll get there someday. Just don’t let Caitlyn catch you!**

*Currently at 16 Million Followers

**Currently at 2.3 Million Followers

7) Ariana Grande- 30 Million Followers

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8) Selena Gomez- 29 Million Followers

Ms. Grande is the perfect example of how you can blow up on Instagram quickly and with a young following. After catering to tweens on Nickelodeon, one of the youngest members of the 20 Million Club blew up in 2014 after releasing her sophomore album. Since if you’re reading this you’re likely too old to become a star on Nickelodeon, just have faith that you can someday live vicariously through your children and potentially watch them be one of the most famous Instagrammers (or whatever the popular social media platform is at the time) in only a few years.

And if everything mentioned above sounds appealing, but you picture yourself more of a Disney Channel parent, settle for your kid being Selena Gomez famous!

9) Taylor Swift– 29 Million Followers

One thing you may notice about the 20 Million Club is that it’s filled with musicians. In fact, half of the list is famous for their musical talents.* Also, ¾ of the list is populated by women. Based on those two facts, if you are a female with any musical talent, you are robbing yourself of potential Instagram fame if you don’t attempt singing in public. As for Taylor Swift and her placement in the 20 Million Club, let’s hear from the Ms. Swift herself…

10) Justin Bieber– 26 Million Followers

Instagram is kind of like high school due to its young fan base who aspire to be like the cool entertainers at the top of this list. To complete that analogy, Mr. Bieber is the kid who we all know will have peaked in high school. You better savor this moment, Justin. #BoomRoasted

11) Nicki Minaj– 21 Million Followers

The first lady of hip hop has won over the hearts of Instagram users with a collection of photos that would likely be classified as NSFW. Nicki’s taken a different route to success than the wholesome one Taylor Swift took, but she’s proof that there is no one right way to use Instagram.

12) Neymar– 20 Million Followers

The newest member of the 20 Million Club plays soccer and is proof that Instagram is an international phenomenon. How is that proof you ask? Because America only cares about soccer once every four years.In conclusion, if you want to hit 20 Million Followers on Instagram, you better be famous or have the ability to get famous by singing, acting, playing sports, or simply existing*.

*Seriously, what do the Kardashian-Jenner sisters even do?

Gave up on the 20 million followers already, but still looking to use Instagram for your business? Check out out blog 4 Insta-Ways to Solidify Your Instagram Presence.