Starting and growing a successful Instagram meme page may seem daunting, but it‘s definitely achievable with the right strategies. In fact, the demand for meme content is only increasing, with Instagram posts containing the hashtag #meme receiving an average of 5.1 million daily likes in 2022 (Statista).
In this ultimate guide, we‘ll break down everything you need to know to take your meme game to the next level and build a thriving community in 2024. As a social media and technology expert, I‘ll share insights into the latest trends, tools, and tactics you can leverage for Insta success. Let‘s dive in!
Choose Your Niche
The foundation of a great meme page is a strong niche or theme. Rather than posting generic memes about everything, focus on a specific topic that you‘re passionate about and that has a dedicated audience. This could be anything from cat memes to fitness jokes to astrology content.
For example, @mytherapistsays has blown up to over 6 million followers by posting memes about mental health and therapy. By carving out a unique niche, you‘ll be able to attract the right followers and keep them coming back for more.
When choosing your niche, consider the following:
- What topics do you genuinely enjoy and know a lot about?
- What meme pages do you personally follow and why?
- What niche hashtags have a lot of posts and engagement?
- What niche has potential for long-term content creation?
Brainstorm some niche ideas and do some research on Instagram to see what‘s popular and where there might be gaps in the market. Use Instagram‘s Explore page and hashtag search to gauge competition and opportunity.
Optimize Your Profile
Once you‘ve nailed down your niche, it‘s time to create an Instagram profile that effectively represents your brand and entices people to hit that follow button. Here are a few key elements to optimize:
Profile Photo
Choose an eye-catching, high-quality image that hints at your niche. If your page is about dogs, for instance, your profile pic could be an adorable close-up of a pup. Make sure the image is clear and recognizable even at small sizes.
Bio
Your bio is prime real estate for clearly conveying what your page is about and what kind of content people can expect. Keep it concise but informative, and don‘t forget to inject some personality.
Use relevant keywords and hashtags in your bio to increase discoverability. You can also include a call-to-action, like telling people to use your branded hashtag or visit a link.
Check out how @daquan uses emojis and a CTA to "shop the memes" in his bio.
Highlights
Leverage Instagram Stories Highlights to showcase your best content and give people a preview of your page. Create highlight covers that align with your overall aesthetic for bonus points.
Organize your highlights by theme or format to make it easy for visitors to explore. For example, you could have separate highlights for "Top Memes", "Video Memes", "Fan Submissions", etc.
Theme
Develop a consistent visual theme for your grid, using similar colors, filters, or graphic styles for a cohesive look. When someone visits your profile, you want to make an amazing first impression.
Notice how @middleclassfancy maintains a clean black and white aesthetic throughout their feed.
Build Your Following
Now comes the hard part – actually getting people to follow your page. When you‘re just starting out, it can be disheartening to post memes that barely get any likes or comments. But don‘t worry, there are strategies to jumpstart your growth:
Follow for Follow
While it may not be a long-term strategy, participating in follow-for-follow threads on Reddit or Facebook groups can be a quick way to gain your first few hundred followers. Just make sure to engage with these new followers to turn them into real fans.
Some examples of follow-for-follow groups include:
Collaborate
Reach out to other meme pages in your niche and see if they‘d be interested in doing a shoutout swap or meme collab. By cross-promoting to each other‘s audiences, you can gain targeted followers.
For instance, @epicfunnypage and @funnyhoodvidz often tag and share each other‘s posts.
Paid Promotion
If you have some budget to spare, consider running an Instagram ad campaign to put your page in front of potential followers. You can target people based on interests, demographics, and behaviors.
According to WebFX, the average cost per click for Instagram ads in 2022 was $0.20 – $2.00. Start with a small budget and test different ad formats and audiences to optimize your results.
Leverage Other Platforms
Promote your Instagram page on your other social media channels, website, email newsletter, and even IRL. You never know where your next follower might come from.
Add an Instagram badge or icon to your website, include your handle in your email signature, and cross-post your best memes on Twitter and Facebook. If you have a personal or business account on other platforms, use them to give your meme page a shoutout.
Post Strategically
Congrats, you‘ve made it to 100 followers! Now it‘s time to focus on keeping them engaged with great content. But how often should you be posting? Here are some guidelines:
Consistency
Aim to post at least once a day to keep your page active and in people‘s feeds. However, don‘t spam your followers with low-quality memes just to meet a quota. Quality over quantity!
In fact, a Tailwind study found that pages that post 1-2 times per day get the highest engagement rates. Posting more frequently than that can actually hurt your reach.
Timing
Do some testing to figure out when your audience is most active and engaged. You can use Instagram Insights to see your followers‘ activity patterns. Generally, weekday evenings and weekends tend to be prime times.
According to HubSpot, the best times to post on Instagram in 2024 are:
- Monday: 6pm
- Tuesday: 4pm
- Wednesday: 3pm
- Thursday: 5am, 11am, and 3-4pm
- Friday: 5am
- Saturday: 11am
- Sunday: 10am-2pm
However, these are just averages across industries. Experiment with different posting times and track your own results to find your page‘s sweet spots.
Variety
Mix up the types of memes you post to keep things fresh. This could include text posts, videos, carousel posts, stories, and reels. Pay attention to what formats resonate most with your audience.
Instagram Insights shows that video posts and reels tend to have higher engagement rates than images. In Q2 2022, brands posted 18% more videos and 220% more reels compared to 2021 (SocialInsider).
Monitor Analytics
Keep an eye on your Instagram Insights to track which posts are performing well and getting the most engagement. You can access basic insights on your page once you hit 100 followers and convert to a Creator or Business account.
Look out for memes that get a lot of likes, comments, and shares relative to your typical posts. Try to understand the elements that made them successful, such as the format, topic, caption, or posting time. Double down on what‘s working and retire the duds.
Hashtags are a powerful tool for expanding your reach and attracting new followers who are interested in your niche. Here‘s how to use them effectively:
Relevance
Only use hashtags that are relevant to your niche and the specific content of each post. Irrelevant hashtags can actually hurt your engagement by attracting the wrong audience or coming across as spammy.
For example, if you post a meme about working from home, you could use hashtags like #WFH, #remotework, #workfromhomelife, etc. Avoid generic hashtags like #funny or #meme unless they‘re directly related to the post.
Mix
Include a mix of popular and niche hashtags to cover your bases. According to Later, the ideal hashtag mix includes:
- 1-2 extremely popular hashtags (1M+ posts)
- 3-5 very popular hashtags (100K-1M posts)
- 3-5 moderately popular hashtags (10K-100K posts)
- 1-2 niche hashtags (<10K posts)
This combo will help you reach a wider audience while still being discoverable in your specific niche.
Placement
Put your hashtags in the first comment of your post instead of the caption. This keeps your caption looking clean while still getting the benefits of hashtags.
Check out how @fuckjerry hides their hashtags in the comments on most posts.
Avoid using any hashtags that have been banned by Instagram, as this can result in reduced reach or even shadowbanning. Do a quick search before using a new hashtag to make sure it‘s safe.
Some examples of banned hashtags include #like4like, #snapchat, and #elevator. Instagram tends to ban hashtags that encourage spam or are associated with inappropriate content.
Engage, Engage, Engage
If you want to build a loyal community around your meme page, engagement is non-negotiable. Dedicate time every day to connecting with followers and other pages in your niche.
Respond to Comments
When someone takes the time to leave a comment on your post, make sure to reply, even if it‘s just a simple "thank you." This shows that you value your followers and encourages further engagement.
@fuckjerry is known for replying to tons of comments on each post, often with witty responses that get even more likes.
Like & Comment
Engage with other meme pages in your niche by liking and commenting on their posts. Not only will this put you on their radar, but their followers might discover your page too.
Leave thoughtful comments that add to the conversation or compliment the meme. Avoid generic comments like "great post" or "lol" that come across as insincere.
DMs
If someone sends you a direct message, try to respond in a timely manner. Building one-on-one relationships with your followers can turn them into superfans and even lead to collaborations.
You can also use DMs to network with other pages in your niche. Introduce yourself, compliment their content, and look for ways to support each other.
Encourage Sharing
Include calls-to-action in your captions, encouraging people to tag a friend, share to their story, or save the post. The more shares and saves you get, the more the Instagram algorithm will favor your content.
For example, you could caption a relatable meme with "Tag someone who needs to see this!" or "Share if you agree!"
Advanced Growth Strategies
Once you‘ve mastered the basics of running an Instagram meme page, you can try these advanced growth and monetization strategies to take your page to the next level:
Instagram SEO
Use keywords related to your niche in your name, bio, and post captions to optimize your page for Instagram search. This will help potential followers discover your page when searching for related topics.
For example, @ladbible includes "Viral Videos" in their name to show up in relevant searches.
Reels, Guides & More
Take advantage of Instagram‘s latest features to reach new audiences and showcase your content in different ways.
Reels, Instagram‘s short-form video format, has been exploding in popularity, with views up 220% in 2022 (HubSpot). Jump on trending sounds and filters to boost your Reels‘ discoverability.
Guides are another new Instagram format that lets you curate feed posts, products, or places into a scrollable catalog. Use Guides to round up your best memes by topic or create gift guides featuring your merch.
User-Generated Content
Encourage your followers to submit their own memes for a chance to be featured on your page. This is a win-win – you get free content, and they get exposure to your audience.
@daquan regularly posts fan-made memes and credits the creators in the caption.
Influencer Collabs
Partner with influencers or brands in your niche for sponsored meme content or account takeovers. This can help you reach new audiences and monetize your page.
According to MediaKix, 78% of businesses say Instagram helps them make money. Influencer rates vary based on follower count and engagement rate, but you can typically charge at least $10 per 1,000 followers.
Merch & More
Once you‘ve built a strong brand and loyal following, consider launching your own merch store to sell branded products like t-shirts, stickers, and phone cases. You can use a print-on-demand service like Printful or Teespring to handle production and fulfillment.
@mytherapistsays sells a variety of merch, from mugs to tote bags, featuring their most popular memes and characters.
Final Tips & Tools
Here are a few final tips and tools to help you manage and grow your Instagram meme empire:
Scheduling Tools: Use a social media scheduling tool like Later, Hootsuite, or Buffer to plan and automate your posts in advance. This will save you time and help you maintain a consistent posting schedule.
Analytics Tools: In addition to Instagram Insights, use third-party analytics tools like Iconosquare or Sprout Social for more detailed data on your page‘s performance. Track your follower growth, engagement rate, and top posts to refine your strategy over time.
Design Tools: Upgrade your meme design skills with user-friendly tools like Canva or Adobe Spark. These tools offer templates, graphics, and fonts to help you create professional-looking memes in minutes.
Reposting Tools: Use a reposting app like Repost for Instagram or Regram to easily share user-generated content on your page. Just make sure to credit the original creator in your caption.
Networking: Join Instagram pods or engagement groups to network with other pages in your niche and boost each other‘s engagement. You can find pods through Facebook groups or Telegram channels.
Growing a successful Instagram meme page takes time, dedication, and experimentation. But by defining your niche, optimizing your profile, posting great content, and engaging with your audience, you‘ll be well on your way to meme domination.
As you continue to grow, stay on top of the latest trends and best practices in social media and technology. Follow industry blogs and experts, attend virtual conferences, and never stop learning. With the right knowledge and tools, there‘s no limit to what you can achieve. Happy posting!
