How To Get Followers on Instagram in Kenya [+3 Proven Strategies to Make Money]

In this article, I will walk through some of the proven strategies you can use now to grow followers on Instagram in Kenya.

To help you do that, here are some of the answers to some of the frequently asked questions

What should you be posting on Instagram in Kenya?

Are you looking for more followers on Instagram in Kenya?

Do you find yourself wondering what to post on social media?

Or you get overwhelmed sometimes trying to figure out what to post that is guaranteed to garner engagements.

If so, listen to this advice.

Understand your target audience

So the first thing that people need to know when they’re creating content is;

Who am I serving?

Who am I trying to help?

This is because when looking for followers on Instagram in Kenya, you’re asking people something super valuable.

You are asking for their time and their energy and attention.

Truth is, we have so little of it to give this is because everybody is screaming at us ‘Pay attention to me.’

Here is the thing;

For them to pay attention and give you their time and energy, you need to give them something more than what they are giving.

You need to educate them in some way.

Teach them something that is of value to them not to yourself but them.

As such, showing pictures of things that interest only you, unless you are like setting trends is really not interesting to people.

And once you internalize that, you will be able to grow an audience

Leverage new features on the platform

The other thing your audience needs to know is that when a platform rolls a new feature, they want you to use those features.

And if you do that, the algorithm starts favoring you. 

For example;

Instagram is trying to get more attention around these 10 slide carousels.

You could teach using this thing, reach more people, get more followers, and make more money.

What to do when starting on Instagram in Kenya today

What is the game plan for starting on Instagram in Kenya today from zero?

Here are a couple of things you need to do;

The first thing is to have the right mindset.

You need to realize that this is a long game.

It is not a game of instant gratification.

And if you are in it for that, you need to STOP.

You can’t expect to post only 3 posts and expect people to follow you.

Keep at the bare minimum of 12 posts.

This brings me to the next tip;

Focus on one topic.

Stop posting stuff your target audience isn’t interested in, especially when you are trying to build an IG account for your business.

This leads us to the next question about Instagram in Kenya;

What the heck am I going to write about?

There are two ways you can solve this problem;

One, write about things that you are passionate about.

As they always say, follow your passions.

It is also true on Instagram in Kenya.

Secondly, imagine you are speaking to your younger self, could be your cousin, a sister, a brother, your mom, or your dad.

Imagine yourself speaking to them.

Try to help them with the problem you are trying to solve.

You have to approach this with the mindset and the spirit of generosity.

This means helping other people without strings attached.

That is, you need to give with no expectations.

Now, if you do that consistently, you are on the right path to gaining more Instagram followers in Kenya.

One more thing;

Pick out say three colors that you are going to use throughout your IG account.

Well, you may not use it all at the same time.

This way, when somebody sees your feed, they get a feeling like, ‘oh there’s some intention behind this.’

Additionally, pick one maybe two fonts to use in all of your posts.

The goal is to make the layout simple.

But most people with no design background find this really daunting.

So they get insecure and start adding a lot of things to the design, thus ruining it. 

Solution?

Follow the advice I have given you here.

The secret formula to growing on Instagram in Kenya

Here is the truth;

There is a higher chance that nobody knows you on Instagram in Kenya.

So, if you really want to grow, you have to create something that a stranger would feel so compelled to share on their timeline.

Whenever I see a post, if it doesn’t really tickle me, I am not going to like it.

For people to go out of their way to hit that share button, it has to be super valuable to them.

Want a secret formula?

Use AIDA.

• Attention
• Interest
• Desire
• Action

It is copywriting formula used by advertisers to drive boatloads of engagement.

First, you need to start with something that grabs people’s attention.

Usually, use something that is of benefit to them.

Here is how;

You promise a result that they are looking for, identify an objection they might have, and then talk about the time it takes to achieve that benefit.

For example;

How to learn Facebook ads (a desirable result) in 7 days (the time it takes), even if you don’t know how to use a computer (objection).

The next thing is to arouse their interest.

Now that you have their attention, your next step is to make them keep reading.

The next step is desire.

This is where you have to deliver the promise.

Make sure it is valuable, otherwise they will hate you for wasting their time and energy, and you won’t get that follow!

The last one in action.

What do you want them to do next?

Give them a call-to-action (CTA).

Tell them what you’d like them to do.

Do you want them to like the post, share, or check the link in your bio?

Avoid too many CTAs.

Only one is enough!

4 Additional tips to growing on Instagram in Kenya

Here is a tip on how not to get overwhelmed;

Heads and tails game

I understand how hard it is to create content, but there is a way around it.

And I am going to use the Instagram carousels strategy as an example.

There is this game called heads or tails.

Here, you flip a coin;

If it is heading, write 10 headlines.

AND then you build the rest of the carousel (or whatever type of content you are using) to deliver on that headline. 

Flip the coin again, IF it is tails, focus on the key takeaways.

Think of the nuggets of wisdom or gold.

Make it personal and meaningful, otherwise, no one is going to like your content.

Learn how to use hashtags

The next tip has to learn how to use hashtags.

Here is something you don’t know;

Hashtags teach the algorithm what YOUR post is all about.

And there are a lot of strategies on how to do this.

But the simplest one is to just Google and you will find some hashtag strategies.

Guest posting

Once you have met the minimum of posting 12 pieces of content consistently about one topic or on one subject, write a guest post.

Here is how to do that;

Find somebody that you look up to in your space and spend your time creating a super valuable piece of content.

Design the heck out of it.

Give them your best posts ever and if they like it, they will post it on their feed for free.

This may send perhaps hundreds or even thousands of followers to your account.

But for this to work, your account MUST already be in good shape.

Shoutouts

You can also pay for shout-outs.

This is something that happens and luckily, it doesn’t cost that much.

All you have to do is look at people who post other people’s content.

Slide into their DMs and say;

“Look, how much do you charge for a shout-out? I will write the content and design it in a way that is consistent with your account.”

Does Instagram pay in Kenya? If yes, how much?

Many of those aspiring to make money wonder if Instagram pays in Kenya.

The amount of money you will earn on Instagram in Kenya depends on two things; the number of followers and the engagement rate.

This means that the more followers you have, the higher your chances of making more money.

Now, other studies show a different picture.

For instance, a study conducted back in 2019 by a UK-based firm showed that Instagram influencers earn between KES 13,000 and KES 100,000 per sponsored post.

Now, these numbers vary depending on the number of followers and engagement rate.

For example;

If you have between 10K and 100K followers on Instagram in Kenya, expect to earn upwards of KES 2K per post.

As you can guess, there is no exact number to say, this is how much Instagram pays in Kenya.

How to make money on Instagram in Kenya 

Here, I will teach you three proven strategies you can implement now and be on your way to earning your first shilling on Instagram in Kenya.

Remember, these are just strategies, they don’t work if you don’t.

So, I expect you to be a self-motivated person (i mean, you are here right? You should know a thing or two about taking initiative).

Strategy 1: Post Sponsored Content

When you hear IG, I bet the first thing on your mind is ‘Instagram influencers in Kenya.’

Yes, you can make money on Instagram by posting sponsored content.

Here, brands approach you to post or endorse their products on your account. 

And in return, they compensate you for the ‘little’ work you did. I mean, you’ve been using Instagram, right?

Have you been posting?

What is so hard or special about this that you can’t give it a try?

Well, not so fast cowboy!

First, for this to work, you have to be a good marketer.

In other words, this strategy is for you if you’re good at making strangers on the internet like and trust you.

How do you get started?

But basically, this is what you need to do;

How to get started

• Pick a niche. A niche is a specific market or that special group of people you will be talking to. For example; if you love fashion, you can focus on building an account on kids’ fashion. Why? Because that is how to grow fast and earn more, more on this later
• You need sizable followers on Instagram. Yes, no one will even look at you with your 100 followers. You need at least 5K followers for this to work.
• Once you have the followers, the next thing is working on engagement. It is weird having 10K followers and only getting 10 comments and likes. You need engagements to make money on Instagram in Kenya (and this is the secret, continue reading to find out more).
• Approach brands to sponsor your account. This should be easy if you have a targeted audience. For example; you go to Kids’ brands and present to them your numbers. And if they are good, there is no way they going to pass your proposal. Sometimes if you are really good, they will come to you.

Now, there are a couple of things I want you to know;

First, you need a niche.

Make sure you pick the perfect market.

The secret is to go with a market that consists of people who spend money. A good example is the babies market. Mothers are always looking for the best products.

Also, brands are always coming up with new products and new entrants into the industry. This means that the competition is high, thus needs to spend more on capturing the market.

Secondly, build your engagement.

With competitive engagement rates, you don’t need thousands of followers on Instagram to make money in Kenya.

Strategy 2: Be an affiliate marketer

If you are still interested in learning how to make money on Instagram in Kenya, this is another strategy.

Unlike being an IG influencer, this strategy is less about spreading awareness and more about making sales. 

Why?

Because you only make money when your followers actually buy the product. 

On the positive side, as an affiliate marketer, you don’t need to worry about producing that product or fulfilling orders.

All you have to do is promote the product on your account and wait for commissions to roll in.

Is that easy?

Well, not exactly.

I wish it was that easy to make money as an affiliate in Kenya. But there are some things you can do to make it easier.

What comes into your mind when you hear ‘affiliate marketing in Kenya?’

Scammers! 

Promising you 7K-10K per week and a life full of champagne and classic cars.

Well, I don’t blame you. 

Affiliate marketing in Kenya has received a bad rap.

But if you take time to learn it, you will figure it is one of the most promising ways of marketing online.

All you have to do is recommend your favorite phones, or mascara, or shoes, and provide either a link to buy the product or get a promo code with a small discount. 

Here, both the link and promo code are unique to you, so the seller (owner of the product) can track sales back to your efforts. You earn a fee or percentage for every sale (commission).

How to get started

• Just like being an influencer on IG in Kenya, you need to pick a niche. But unlike it, here, you can focus more on the material needs of the audience. For example, you can go in running shoes for men. You are more of a product reviewer.
• Look for sellers within your niche. If you have created an account targeting dog lovers, look for affiliate programs under this niche. 
• Start posting about the product. It is a good practice to let people know that you are an affiliate.

What I see most people do in Kenya is go to places like Jumia, sign up as affiliates, and start promoting products.

All you have to do is pick a product category, for example; you can start an IG account about ladies’ accessories.

Strategy 3: Selling your own products

This is another one of the best ways to make money on Instagram in Kenya.

The strategy goes beyond just marketing on Instagram in Kenya.

It involves more of eCommerce in Kenya, which means you will need an online store.

How do get started

First, you need to decide on the product.

Two things here;

• Yours 
• Source

You can either create/manufacture your own product. Here, you first have to figure out what type of product you’d wish to sell.

And then get down to creating it.

Alternatively, just find an already existing product, source it, and sell it on Instagram in Kenya.

Look at @Size8Reborn.

She started her hair business in Kenya.

And I bet it’s working really well for her.

Why?

She already got followers, so it should be easy for her gaining customers.

Once you have identified the product, what is next?

• Pick a platform – this is where customers can order your product. If you are selling physical products, go ahead and open an online store. You can either create a website, or use marketplaces like Jumia.
• Start promoting your product on your accounts
• Fulfill orders and handle customer service very well.

A good example of a business you can start on Instagram in Kenya is sourcing products from Alibaba.com.

For example;

You can start importing ladies’ handbags.

You can pay KES 500 per piece and get 100 pieces. That is 50K and logistics, say you end up paying KES 80K.

Now, come and sell the same at KES 2500. Do the math.

Wrapping up making money on Instagram in Kenya

These are the best ways to make money on IG in Kenya.

Pick the one you like and run away with it.