Why Your Photography Isn’t Growing on Instagram?

You see photographers gaining thousands of followers in just a few months on Instagram. This photography growth on Instagram is enviable. But why does your own account seem to be stuck or even losing followers? You share your best photos, ones you know are amazing, but the likes come in slowly, mainly from your mom and that one friend who still checks the app.

Photographer Evan Ranft knows this struggle too. He recently discussed how one of his accounts is growing slowly, while the other, which has the majority of his followers, is experiencing a decline in engagement, despite once being successful. This situation led him to explore what’s wrong with the photography growth on Instagram.

After spending months examining his own work and studying the methods of other successful creators, Evan believes that the way to achieve success has shifted dramatically. He even raises an important question: should artists really focus on getting the most growth possible?

Are You Still Stuck in the 2015 Instagram Photography Mindset?

Think back ten years. A fantastic picture shared online was still a fresh idea. You can add a hashtag like # FujifilmX100 to your post, and it will naturally reach thousands of new followers through the Explore Page. Evan believes that was enough for growth.

Today, that’s not the case.

According to Evan, many photographers don’t realize there are three key intentions behind creating content. If you want to grow your audience, you need to understand these three intentions:

1. Reach: Content aimed at introducing yourself or your work to a new audience. This helps you gain new followers.
2. Nurture: Content shared with your current followers to strengthen their interest and deepen your connection. This keeps your followers engaged.
3. Sell: Content focused on promoting a product (which Evan says he won’t cover).

When you post your best photos now, they will mostly be seen by your existing followers. They will definitely appreciate it. It’s great for nurturing your audience, but it won’t attract new viewers. Evan states that your beautiful photo gets lost in the crowd, and your follower count stays the same.

The Essential Two-Pronged Approach for Photography Growth

According to Evan, you need to employ two different strategies: one type of content to attract new followers and another to engage with your existing audience.

For example, you could make a fun Instagram Reel called “Fujifilm Cameras Are the Best: Here Are Five Reasons Why.” This video is designed to grab the attention of a large number of potential followers and encourage them to visit your profile. This is your content designed to reach new audiences.

After they arrive on your page, they can look through your feed and enjoy all the beautiful photos and art you’ve created. This is your content for nurturing your audience. It’s essential to create content that attracts newcomers, so they become fans of your work. If you rely solely on your art to attract strangers, Evan warns that it may take a long time for them to notice you.

Why Creating Consistent Value is Harder for Photographers

Evan highlights a harsh truth: different photography genres present specific challenges when it comes to producing a large volume of content that drives growth.

Consider other fields, such as politics or journalism. They host daily events that are often controversial and grab attention, resulting in quick media coverage and lively discussions. In contrast, photography topics, such as new camera launches, happen less frequently, making it hard to create the regular media that algorithms prefer.

To stand out from the constant stream of current events, shift your focus towards content that offers genuine value. Evan suggests focusing on content that is:

• Very Educational
• Very Entertaining
• Very Inspirational

This means going beyond just showing a photo. Start sharing the reasons behind it or the process involved. Share what you’ve learned, make people laugh, or motivate them to explore photography themselves. That’s the type of content that resonates and reaches new audiences.

It appears that an increasing number of photographers are beginning to understand the importance of a professional presentation for their work. Evan has chosen Squarespace for his website, explaining that he uses it to sell products and offer free courses. He appreciates the platform’s easy-to-use drag-and-drop templates, which make it simple to create an attractive, professional site for a creative business. As a creator, having a central place for your work is essential, and I believe that a neat, professional website can help establish your brand’s credibility with new followers who discover you through your content.

The Reels Snowball: You Can’t Turn Off the Faucet

Evan points out that a common mistake many photographers make is not fully understanding how Instagram Reels function. He warns that if you’re unaware of the platform’s guidelines, you might be hindering your own photography growth on Instagram

Evan compares Reels to a “faucet”. Once you start sharing them, it’s hard to stop. He also likens them to a “snowball.” When someone watches one of your Reels, the algorithm is likely to show them your next one, which helps your page gain significant traction. If you post Reels only occasionally, you’re missing out on the chance to build that momentum.

To really kickstart this growth, he recommends a challenging yet practical approach: start with a big “content push” (such as 30 Reels in 50 days). Why so many?

This large volume of content serves as a way to understand what resonates with your audience. It reveals which styles, topics, and formats get the most interaction from viewers and the algorithm. Once you identify what works best, a particular type of video that people enjoy, you can continue to share similar content regularly, perhaps once or twice a week, to keep the algorithm engaged.

Don’t Let Misaligned Content Sabotage Your Photography Account

Evan points out a major mistake that many photographers make when trying to go viral: content misalignment.

It’s tempting to post something wildly different from your usual work, like a landscape photographer sharing a funny video of their cat. That could easily attract millions of views. While he notes that you might gain followers from that video, those followers likely won’t be interested in your landscape photography.

This leads to a tricky situation. When you go back to posting your usual content, the cat enthusiasts may unfollow you. Instagram notices this drop in followers after they see your photography, which sends a message to the algorithm that your main content isn’t appealing, resulting in even less growth in your photography on Instagram.

Evan shares that he faced this challenge himself with a video series two years ago. He gained 25,000 followers, but when he shifted back to his photography, most of those new followers left. This caused his account’s growth to stall, creating the negative impact he’s still managing today. It’s essential to attract followers who appreciate your main photography style. Otherwise, you risk future disappointment.

Hacking Algorithmic Familiarity for Your Art

Another vital point that he brings up is algorithmic familiarity. This refers to how well the algorithm can identify your content and determine the most effective way to distribute it.

One easy way to achieve this is by featuring yourself in every Reel. However, this isn’t always feasible, especially when you want to showcase a stunning photograph. He acknowledges that it can be tough because you can’t post the same type of artwork every day.

To help the algorithm recognize and sort your work, Evan recommends categorizing your photography within a broad category (such as street photography or portraits) and maintaining a consistent editing style. To make it easier for the algorithm to connect his photos to his brand, he includes a picture of himself at the beginning of a photo series — this simple, steady approach helps create a recognizable signal.

Is Maximum Growth Even Worth It?

Ultimately, Evan discusses what he refers to as the ultimate, yet not-so-great, growth strategy: algorithmic frequency. This means posting a lot of simple, easily copied, and potentially controversial content multiple times a day in the hope of going viral with one post. He points out that many photographers, who are artists at heart, aren’t interested in doing this. After all, you didn’t choose photography to become a source of polarizing content.

Personally, I think having a small, engaged audience that genuinely interacts with your work is far more valuable than a large following that doesn’t care. As a photographer, your main goal should be to create art. Don’t let the desire for more followers turn your passion into something you dislike. Focus on what brings you happiness, share that with others, and the right people will naturally contribute to your photography growth on Instagram.

[Why 99% of Photographers are Failing on Instagram… Myself Included I Evan Ranft; Image credits: Envato]

---