🚀 Getting Started

How to set up your first Instagram Account

Welcome to Kicksta- Let’s start growing! Setting up your account takes just a few minutes and can be done from any device. 🚀 First thing's first - Your account setup can be completed on your dashboard, so make sure you’re logged into your Kicksta account before reading further. 1. Connect your Instagram account The first and most important step is to connect your Instagram account to our system. You can do this by clicking on the “Connect Account” button on the banner at the top of your screen. This banner will also show up if your account ever gets disconnected from Kicksta. Clicking the button will open up a secure popup to log in your Instagram account and connect it with our system. Since this will be your first time connecting with our servers, you may get a prompt in your Instagram app to confirm if this was really you logging in. Our servers are located in Europe, Belgrade, Serbia. Make sure to click “This was me” on your IG app, and you will be connected in no time. 2. Set up your Targeting Once your account is connected, we're ready to start engaging with your targeted audience, but first we need to know who they are. You can tell us what types of followers you want to get by adding what we call “Targets”. Targets are Accounts and Hashtags that your audience is interested in and likely to engage with. We will use those Targets as a reference when deciding what profiles to follow and unfollow in order to grow your Instagram account. We never unfollow users you were following before signing up. 👍 Start off by adding about 10-15 targets by clicking the Add Target button: Think about what types of accounts have an audience that will be interested in seeing your content, and what hashtags that audience would post on their Instagram. Every profile is unique so make sure you're only adding relevant targets. - Targeting by Account 🔍 : We will target and engage with users that are following that specific account. For best results, consider adding industry influencers and relevant competitors. - Targeting by Hashtag #️⃣ : We will target and engage with users that posted the hashtag you targeted. Consider adding specific hashtags that only your ideal follower would post. Everyone we find based on your targets will also be Filtered out to make sure they’re a high quality account that matches your preferences. Filters let you select what types of targeted accounts we should engage with. This includes their number of Followers, Followings, Posts and whether the accounts should be Public or Private. You can preview and change your filter settings by clicking the Filters button. 📈 3. Monitor your Activity and watch your profile grow! Your dashboard home has all the stats you could ever want. This includes your total growth over time, interactions done by our system, and a lot more. In addition to all the stats on your home page, you can also browse statistics for individual Targets, and preview exactly which accounts are queued up for our system to engage with in the next batch of interactions. And that's it! We hope you’re ready for Instagram greatness, because we plan on getting you there. For any additional questions, you can consult your Onboarding Manager, or contact our support team. Welcome aboard - let’s shoot for the stars! 🚀

Filter your audience

Filters are the best way to narrow down the type of Instagram user you are trying to target. They focus on the more technical aspects of your audience's accounts. Things like their number of posts, follower count etc. Filters come pre-loaded with optimal settings, but you can still change them at any time depending on your preferences and industry. You can access your Filter settings by clicking the "Filters" button in your Targeting section. Magic Filters will return your Filter settings to their optimal default values. Filter Settings - Followers - The number of Followers your audience should have. Keep in mind that profiles with over 2000 followers do not receive notifications that you followed them, so going higher than that has diminishing returns. - Following - The number of accounts your audience Follows. Profiles that follow too many users will not engage with your content, so lowering this number will give you higher engagement at the expense of followbacks. - Media - Number of posts. Increasing this value will focus more on content creators compared to regular posters. 🎨 - Public or private 🔎 - This setting lets you choose if you want to target Private accounts, Public accounts, or both. Private accounts generally have better engagement, but we can't know how many posts they have before we follow them. The Media, Engagement rate and Last post date filters do not apply to Private profiles. - Allowed Content / NSFW toggle - This setting lets you choose if you want to allow your account to engage with 18+ accounts. This is OFF by default.

How to set your Targeting

Your "Targeting" tells the system what types of followers you want get using our service. 🎯 The Targeting Tab lets you select, filter and optimize the type of audience you want to attract and engage with. In short - it's the most important place on your dashboard. 💪 You must set your targeting in order for your growth to start. Click the "Add Target" button to add your first target. When adding a target, you can choose between Accounts and Hashtags. Add a good mix of both for best results. Target Types Accounts - When you add an account, our system will find and follow users that are following that account! If your account is in the same niche, those users will have a very high chance of following you back and engaging with your content! 💹 Hashtags - Adding a Hashtag tells our system to find and engage with users that have included that hashtag in their posts. For example, adding trending hashtags related to your industry or competitors is a great way to target engaged users that will want to check out your profile. 👀 Best Practices While the most important thing is to make sure your targets match your profile and audience, there's a few other important things to keep in mind: - Your Targets should not be too large, or too small. Smaller targets will be spent too quickly, and larger ones have a tendency to give you a lower quality audience. - Try to find targets that range between 20k and 250k followers. - Regularly monitor your Followback %. This is the number of users from that target that decided to follow you. While this stat takes some time to calculate, it's incredibly important. You should aim for 10% or higher on all sources. - Update your targets regularly, remove underperforming ones and add fresh targets that better align with your audience. - And of course – don’t forget to set your Filters! Archiving Targets To pause a target without removing it entirely, click on the target and select “Archive.” This action stops the system from engaging with that source while keeping all existing performance data intact. Archiving can be useful for testing different targets or simply temporarily rotating sources without losing any metrics. You can restore any of the archived targets at any time by accessing the Archived Targets list and clicking “Restore.”

Prepare your Instagram for organic growth with Kicksta

Kicksta is a great way to grow your Instagram organically, but before you dive in, it’s worth taking a few steps to set yourself up for success. If your profile looks great and feels active, people are way more likely to follow—and Instagram is less likely to give you a hard time. Nobody wants to grow an account only to run into issues later. So before you start with Kicksta, here’s how to get your account ready for real, lasting growth. 1. Engage Manually Before Using Kicksta Newly created accounts are highly sensitive to automation. If an account engages in a high volume of activity too quickly, Instagram may flag, restrict, or even temporarily disable it. To avoid these issues, spend the first few weeks manually engaging with other users before activating Kicksta. What You Should Do: - Like and comment on posts within your niche to build initial engagement. - Follow relevant accounts gradually to establish credibility. - Respond to comments and direct messages to show that your account is active and authentic. This initial engagement signals to Instagram that your account is real and valuable, reducing the risk of being flagged when you start using Kicksta. 2. Post High-Quality Content Consistently A profile with engaging content attracts more followers and keeps new visitors interested. Without strong content, even the best growth strategies will struggle to convert visitors into followers. How to Improve Your Content: - Share clear, high-quality photos and videos to make your posts more appealing. - Write captions that spark interest and encourage people to interact. - Experiment with different formats (Reels, carousel posts, and Stories) to boost engagement. Bonus Tip: Before you start using Kicksta, make sure your feed isn’t empty. Aim for at least 9-12 solid posts so that anyone who visits your profile has something to explore—and a reason to follow. 3. Optimize Your Instagram Profile A well-optimized profile grabs attention right away and makes it way more likely that visitors will hit that follow button. How to Optimize Your Profile: - Pick a profile pic that clearly represents you or your brand—something clean, professional, and easy to recognize. - Write a bio that gets straight to the point. Let others know what you’re all about and maybe sprinkle in a few keywords to help with discoverability. - Got a website, shop, or anything else worth sharing? Add a link in your bio (Linktree is great if you’ve got multiple). - Use Highlights to showcase testimonials, product details, or behind-the-scenes moments that make people want to stick around. 4. Stay Active & Consistent Instagram prioritizes active accounts that consistently engage with their audience. Posting sporadically can slow down your growth and reduce visibility. Best Practices for Consistency: - Post at least 3 times per week to maintain a presence. - Interact with your audience by replying to comments and DMs daily. - Leverage Instagram Stories daily to keep engagement levels high. Being consistent before starting Kicksta ensures that new followers have fresh content to engage with! 5. Start Slow with Kicksta Once your account is well-prepared, you can integrate Kicksta to enhance your organic reach. However, it’s crucial to start increasing activity slowly to avoid Instagram’s spam detection. Best Way to Start with Kicksta: - Monitor your growth and engagement in the first few weeks. - Gradually increase activity if your account is responding well. - Continue posting and engaging manually alongside Kicksta to maintain authenticity. Disclaimer: All new Kicksta clients start with moderate settings, with activity gradually increasing over time. If your account requires extra caution, our support team can adjust the setup to ensure Kicksta operates even more safely during the initial weeks. In Conclusion: Preparing your Instagram account before using Kicksta sets you up for steady, safe, and effective growth. These simple steps will help Kicksta work even more effectively, making it easier to attract real followers who stick around. 👉 Want to learn more about the factors that impact your Kicksta growth? Check out our detailed guide here. 🚀