26 Best eCommerce Instagram Organic Growth Strategies (2025)

💬 We all know the benefits and key reasons to post on Instagram organic regularly - it's one thing to post and create content, but it's another thing all together to scale organically that can drive results, in terms of follower/view and engagement growth that can drive new acquisition, high-quality content production and build a loyal community.

I'm sharing through these checklist points some of the top content types, examples and tactics used by top fast-growing brands (which I've also seen work first-hand from over the years).

Examples and insights on tactics/strategies for growing organically on Instagram (to help with various objectives across the funnel)

💬 In addition to examples I share below, I made sure to highlight brands who do an amazing job on the channel - plus, some tool recommendations worth checking out which can help with some of the below tactical points.

Something I also do personally, and advise clients/brands on, is being organised when it comes to researching and doing “auditing” of competitors and brands they like - this is especially the case when it comes to taking notes across various different Instagram profiles you want to learn from. 

There are quite a few elements and things to look out for that brands do when it comes to IG growth, and you want to make note of as much as you can. Here are some element areas you should be looking out for:

• What do they mention in their profile? How is it laid out? Is there a CTA at all within the bio?
• Do they have a link in bio or a direct link to a particular product or landing page? If they have a link in bio, what products or pages are they pushing?
• Most will have story icons and highlights at the top - what categories of content are they sharing? How are the highlight icons designed?
• Do they have pinned posts at the top? How many and what are the nature of the posts - Reels, static image or carousels? What’s the nature of the content and what’s the hypothesis around why they have content pinned? (i.e. is is a sale campaign, a video that’s gone viral in terms of views and engagement, etc).
• Big one to factor and breakdown - what’s the content they typically share on the feed - both in terms of content type, and also the topics they share?
• On the Reels tab, what sort of video content do they post? First-person from the company, or influencers/creators they work with?
• How do they do their captions? Are there patterns in terms of formats, style of copy, etc?

The point is, there’s a bit to take down and get inspiration from - and this isn’t even the full list of elements and items to look out for/take note of for learnings. 

Story highlights are your best opportunity to showcase your best content, and direct audiences (especially if they’re new) to the content you want them to see. 

In fact, it’s a big factor that new visitors will see when you run Instagram placement ads and they land on your profile. 

In particular if you’re running a sale or particular campaigns, you can use highlights to make people more aware - it does stand out to followers/audiences. 

Another key reason of why you should be using highlights is that it increases the lifespan of the content - as in, stories normally last 24 hours, but with highlights, they last indefinitely - which is great for various reasons and top ‘evergreen’ type content you share. 

Plus, a big factor too is around polish and design - you want to make sure they look awesome.

Here are some brands with awesome highlight categories and icons:

• Like the simplicity of these highlights in terms of icons and the categories chosen from UltraViolette.

• Frank Body has many story highlight categories as you scroll along - incl. content focuses, product ingredients, before/after, etc
• Like the use of the icons which look branded to Frank Body

• Love these highlights from Tooletries, with a focus on key product items and educational categories (i.e. routines, beards, etc).

• Another great example is from Heybud Skincare (who do amazing Instagram marketing both organically and through ads)
• Great icon designs, and good mix of categories across product features, content, Q&A, behind the scenes, etc.

A great tactical initiative to increase followers, engagement and even sales (plus referrals from friends who already follow the page) are social UGC competitions. 

There are numerous types you can potentially run, but two main ones from brands I see incl: 

• Hashtag UGC contests
• Comment to win (and 2x tag friends)

Recommendation: social UGC comps can work well, especially with the right prize, and even better when doing a joint campaign with a complementary partner brand.

Quality and original content should be the aim in most cases for your social content strategy, but it can be tough to produce consistently (and not to mention costly - which isn’t ideal for brands on a smaller budget or in the early-stages of growth). 

That’s why you need to focus on creating templates when producing informational based content for the likes of Reels, carousels, and even static creative. 

In fact, many brands have this approach, especially brands who follow a certain design pattern when it comes to types of content or want to make their feed consistent.

What about software/tools that can help with this process?

Ultimately, process does matter and not just the software itself, but one of the best providers available to help with templated workflows has to be Canva - it’s so, so good. 

And if you can't find the exact type of template designs that you're looking for, then I recommend checking out template marketplaces, such as the likes of Creative Market which has files made for Canva.

Now the editing workflow for videos is a large topic in itself which I won’t be going into - but I wanted to have here to emphasise its importance, especially when it comes to repurposing video content from influencers to then turn into other valuable assets (for both organic and paid acquisition efforts).

There are many ways to repurpose 1 piece of influencer video creative into other formats, including: 

• Specific campaign mashups with similar product callouts
• Product-specific mashups from various creators/influencers talking about a product (and/or even the likes of certain features)

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As part of social proof and CRO, it’s worth experimenting with IG feed embeds for certain product items of key conversion pages. 

It’s another great trust-building element for audiences in the decision-making process (especially for potential first-time buyers).

Additionally, something I’ve seen a lot in the likes of the startup world (in particular with SaaS and product-based companies) are “Wall of Love” pages - in other words, dedicated pages full of testimonials, UGC and happy customers sharing their thoughts. 

And these pages can be great too for overall CRO on the site, as well as using part of remarketing ad campaigns.

In terms of software that can help with IG feed/shopping embeds, I recommend checking out Embed Social or Flocker.

It’s quite easy to create this content and one of the best types of social proof content as part of an IG content mix that you can have. 

They’re effective because it highlights legitimate reviews and thoughts from happy customers.

Here are some examples I found which are great:

First is from Glossier (find post here).

Here are a couple from Blume which are awesome - one being a great email, and example creative from a customer review roundup post (which they do a few of for various products - and they're really good for social proof).

Another great example of a simple video with a roundup of comments from IG is from Rocc Naturals (see post here).

Now with the examples I shared above, this sort of creative can work quite well for remarketing ads I've found from campaigns I've done - it's 'authentic' and audiences can see that the UI of screenshots and know the platform/app of where it comes from (i.e. not seen as 'fake').

A “no brainer” for many eCommerce brands to adopt if you drive audience and traffic through socials. 

Instagram shop is pretty straight-forward to setup, and assuming most of the readers here are using Shopify as their CMS, then there’s an integration available with awesome features. 

Seen some great results with IG Shop with brands/clients I’ve advised, and it’s due to these reasons in my view: 

• Seamless ‘native’ UX, which reduces friction for those on the platform
• Get found through discovery feed
• Easy recommendation and referral engine - it’s so easy for users to share via DM’s to their friends
• Great experience when combined with ads

If you want to get faster follower growth, then you have to find a way to get distribution - and one of the most effective ways to do this is partnering with complementary brands who are in the same niche, but aren’t direct competitors to your offerings. 

It’s a great strategic initiative to do, especially for brands in the early-stages of audience growth on Instagram. 

And there are numerous ways you can partner on content and campaigns to help each other with growth, such as:

• Giveaways through social UGC competitions - or even the likes of teaming up for a ‘viral competition’
• Do product bundles together - utilise FOMO/scarcity techniques, such as “limited time offer” or max. amount available
• Collab with influencers to show products in action, unboxings, etc
• Create an educational carousel series, or the likes of a newsletter series, and then cross-promote on the feed, stories and Reels
• Do Instagram Live collabs promoting seasonal or limited-time/exclusive offers

An example of a brand that has done awesome collabs is Allbirds (check out their IG profile to see others), and below are collabs they did with the likes of Selfridges and Uber Eats.

Having worked with a few creators and influencers over the years, I’ve had a lot of learnings - and one of the biggest learnings I’ve found is the amount of time and investment it takes when it comes to researching and outreach to them to try work together - all the back and forth, negotiating rates, etc. 

If there’s one recommendation I have for eCommerce founders/marketing manager (or anyone on the team managing relationships with influencers), it’s worth the time and investment to make an existing relationship work first, before you decide to find someone else. 

For instance, if you’ve started a working arrangement with a creator/influencer, and you like the style of video production/creative they do, then stick with them - do what it takes to make it work. 

I can tell you, the opportunity cost of time and effort to find new people, you could be doing instead to double down and find ways to make it work.

There’s no doubt that IG wants more people to go on live video, and naturally, they prioritise this in terms of notifications (if users have them on) and having Instagram Live as one of the top story icons when a brand/person decides to go live.

This can be a big opportunity for brands, because not many people do it - and you can even grow faster by doing Live videos with other complementary brands (which I mentioned a couple of checklist points above). 

It is harder to execute and do well, and there a few elements involved in terms of prep, but the pay off could potentially be big. 

Even the likes of larger brands adopt IG live as part of their strategy - and they’re clever with the type of content they’re sharing, for instance the brand Cosmetic Benefits hosted an IG live to build some hype for an early-bird sale (reference post here).

To really spur up engagement with your followers, use stickers as part of your IG stories strategy, such as polls and questions. 

They’re a great method to encourage participation, and also create new content opportunities. You can run polls/questions for the likes of: 

• Comparisons - This or that 
• Informational type content - like quiz questions related to your products
• Lifestyle content polls/questions
• Product-specific polls - which X variant do you prefer?
• Seasonal polls/questions
• Upcoming products
• And many more…

There are countless of ideas you can come up with (and you can use AI to come up with various ideas for you). 

And then when it comes to the question feature, you can have a lot of fun with this - you can do ask your followers to answer questions on whatever (either fun or product/brand-specific topics), and then re-share those answers on your stories to show the audience. 

Many brands adopt this and it’s a great way to encourage more participation.

In relation to the above, using the sticker feature for questions to encourage product feedback can be a really effective strategy for data collection, instead of just replying on post-purchase surveys, or surveys in general you want to run.

It’s a more seamless way to get feedback faster, especially with a good mix between quantitative and qualitative approaches. 

So if you’re wanting faster feedback (which can be quality feedback), then this is something worth considering doing. 

And to be clear from my end, the other survey automations are still critical - I’m just saying using the question feature in stories is another great touchpoint to get data and feedback (brand and product-related). 

You know what the sticker questions look like, but in terms of creatives that you can do for FAQs, I like what Blueland has done on their profile (see highlights section).

Whenever you get tagged via stories from happy customers, or the likes of influencers sharing reviews via their stories, in my view you should be sharing as much as you can. 

It’s incredible social proof for followers to see (trust/credibility), plus it’s authentic content - and it’s great for the likes of existing and new audiences who are yet to purchase. 

For instance - high-level examples:

• Existing customers - can act as upsell and cross-sell opportunities
• New visitors (who can become potential customers) - it can help with their decision-making process and create a sense of FOMO (and encourage them to purchase and try out the product). 

Especially when celebrating existing customers or recent new purchasers, it’s a great way to show appreciation and build loyalty with the customer (they’ll remember). 

Plus, you could find some amazing customers who could serve as ambassadors or great referrers.

Another method worth testing to great more distribution for further visibility/eyeballs, is contributing content on IG profiles that share relevant content within your niche/industry. 

For instance if you have products in interior design, there are 'interior design inspiration' type pages which aren't brands, but rather just sharing inspo - work out away to reach out to the owner to do a deal, or potentially do product placement photos with your product(s).

This has been a tactic I’ve seen quite a few brands do on Snapchat over the years, and I’ve seen quite a few brands on IG do this as well. 

It can be an effective tactic to drum up engagement and excite followers - of course, this is dependant on who’s doing the takeover, their audience size, etc.

What to take note of

There can be risks, and you need to set clear brand guidelines of what people can say/can’t say. 

Tip: something you could do if you want to avoid doing “live” style AMA’s or takeovers, are doing pre-recorded videos from questions that were submitted prior. 

A brand that does the likes of "Takeovers" are from UltraViolette, which I mentioned earlier in this guide - check out their story highlights to see their "takeovers" content examples.

Who doesn’t love a good meme, am I right? I absolutely love memes, and they can work really well for brands organically (and even through ads too). 

Audiences on Instagram are there to be entertained, whether that’s to learn, watch cat videos, etc. 

And most audiences love humour - especially when it comes to topics they engage with, and feel they can relate to on a personal level. 

Of course, for this strategy to work, you have to ensure memes are tasteful, and avoid sensitive topics. 

Which brands do memes well? Gotta give hats off to the social team at Who Gives A Crap (see profile) - they do an awesome job with their memes (whilst staying on brand and a good balance of not doing too many, and being relevant) - in fact, their content game overall is very good.

I’ve talked about comparison ads (“before and after” and “vs) in my Facebook and Instagram ads checklists (coming soon) with their roles within ad strategies, and they also have their role in organic content too. 

To be honest, you can use the same creative that you do on ads, and also upload to the feed/stories. 

It’s good to have readily there too as people can come from different pathways/sources when they come across your profile, so it’s good to have their for audiences that are researching, and there to keep reminding existing customers how your brand/products are different. 

Plus, they are so good for standing out in the feeds and to communicate visually with more cut-through.

There are numerous (in fact there are many) comparison types you can post, including the likes of:

• You can do styling and usage - for e.g. before vs after transformations (which you see from health/beauty brands), different styling options for a product, multiple ways to wear/use a product item, etc
• Can do product-based comparisons - for e.g. sustainable vs standard materials (and outlining their impact of both), budget vs premium versions of your bestsellers, size comparisons, colour variations, etc
• Environmental impact posts - e.g. recycled vs new materials, carbon footprint between options, energy efficiency ratings, packaging waste comparisons, etc

And then you've got the likes of doing comparison posts for the likes of lifestyle (like indoor vs outdoor usage), user demographics, value props, time-based, and feature-based... point is that there are a lot of ideas/combos I'm sure yo can com up with.

Whilst there are lots of different examples out there, hats off again for Who Gives A Crap for the creativity of doing comparison content as part of their organic social content.

And it's so clever too as it's entertaining content and also focuses on one of their core features of their new garbage bags range (love the creative thought into this).

This is more of an ads tactic to help grow your followers - and this is an initiative that can help create a flywheel effect and provide another touchpoint for subscribers and those who are yet to make a purchase (which can lead to more sales). 

In many ways, your IG profile is your “2nd website” - reality is, many audiences do their research and will judge/check what you post on your profile. 

More Instagram users each day are researching different services via the likes of location searching, and Instagram also focuses a lot on getting users to use the ‘discovery’ features within the app. 

And naturally, if people are researching for services/products in that area, you want increase your chances of being discovered. 

So, make sure to add your location to posts and Reels. 

A strategic consideration if you’re wanting to focus on getting more IG followers, you have to do initiatives focused on encouraging a follow, and one of the best segments to focus on at first are your existing subscribers and customers. 

And naturally, when they follow, there’s a chance that they will then share your brand/profile with their friends via IG (such as through DMs). 

So, you need to brainstorm offers/incentives and give them legitimate reasons for them to follow the page. 

I like these types of posts a lot to produce as they're great for addressing common misconceptions head-on and helps builds trust faster (particularly with new audiences/followers). Plus, it also helps position your brand as an industry expert/educator (which is part of trust building) - this also helps with people more inclined to recommend/share content too.

A brand that does a great job highlighting current events, whilst also providing some context "did you know?" style content is Blueland - one of the best eCommerce brands I know doing educational posts like this.

I've seen many info-based carousels perform pretty well over the years from brands organically - and whilst there are a few variables involved in terms of why they can perform well (e.g. follower/audience size and of course the nature of the content/topic), but the format can work well as it breaks down into key info digestible takeaways.

Street talk/vox-pop can work quite well, especially for achieving cut-through with audiences on the socials - this format captures genuine emotional responses to products/services, and shows real, unscripted opinions and reactions - and this is what viewers/audiences love (of course, depending on the topic).

However, doing vox-pop content without a campaign strategy or some sort of 'theme' won't achieve desired results.

An example of vox-pop content with a campaign is from Heybud Skincare, where they produced during the Taylor Swift tour - smart campaign as it involves chatting with their target audience.

Scroll down the feed to find this content.

You typically see a lot of these sorts of USP callout creatives via ads, but why not incorporate as part of your organic IG strategy too? It's a great way to remind followers, existing customers, and of course new audiences (who may be shopping/researching around other alternatives), the primary benefits and USPs of your products.

A couple of great examples below from Blueland and Rocc.