How I Grew My Instagram Account by Getting Hyper-Local With My Engagement Strategy
Growing an Instagram account takes consistency, creativity, and a bit of trial and error. I started off doing all the classic things people recommend to grow: posting regularly, using the right hashtags, and making sure my photos looked good. But the thing that really moved the needle for me? Getting super intentional about how I engaged — especially with local Victoria-based accounts and the food community.
Feb 2024 → July 2025
If you’re trying to grow your Instagram presence in an authentic way, here’s exactly what I did.
1. Starting With the Basics
Before I got strategic about my outreach, I made sure the fundamentals were in place:
- I posted consistently. Sometimes a few times a week, but I always showed up through posts and stories.
- I focused on sharing quality content , especially with food, visuals really matter.
- I used hashtags that made sense for my niche, including a mix of broader food tags and more specific local ones.
- I replied to comments, DMs, and showed love to those who supported me.
These steps laid the foundation, but real growth came when I started to engage with intention.
2. My Local Engagement Strategy
One of the best decisions I made was to focus on the Victoria community. I realized that instead of trying to reach “everyone,” I needed to focus on the people who were most likely to resonate with my content, locals, foodies, chefs, tourists, and people who love exploring the area.
Here’s how I went about it:
Searching Local Location Tags
I regularly searched for location tags like:
- Victoria
- Esquimalt
- Sidney
- James Bay
From there, I scrolled through the latest posts and interacted with ones that aligned with my content, people posting food photos, sharing shots of their day out in town, or travelers visiting the area. I liked their posts, left thoughtful comments, and if their page really connected with me, I gave them a follow too.
Exploring Hashtags
I also searched through hashtags, both ones I personally use and ones I hadn’t used yet, including:
- #YYJEats
- #YYJFoodie
- #VictoriaBC
- #YYJDrinks
- #VictoriaBreakfast
- #VictoriaBCHoliday
This helped me find like-minded accounts in the area and engage with a broader range of people who love local food and the Victoria lifestyle.
Engaging With Tagged Posts at Local Restaurants
I spent time going through the tagged photos at some of my favorite restaurants. This is such a great hack because you instantly find people who:
- Are local or visiting the area
- Are already posting about food and experiences
- Are likely to enjoy the kind of content I post
Again, I liked their photos, left genuine comments, and followed people whose content felt aligned with mine.
3. I Engage Daily, But I Space It Out
I dedicate about 45 minutes to an hour every day to engagement. This is time I set aside pretty intentionally, because it’s such a key part of growing my account and building my community.
That said, I don’t do it all at once.
I’ve learned the hard way that if you like, comment, and follow too many people in a short period of time, Instagram might temporarily block you from taking actions — kind of like a mini “Instagram jail.” To avoid this, I space my engagement out throughout the day. It might be 15 minutes in the morning, a few more over lunch, and some time in the evening.
This keeps things natural and keeps my account safe.
4. I Only Follow People Who Genuinely Inspire Me
Even though part of my growth strategy involves following new accounts, I don’t just follow randomly.
I make it a point to only follow people and pages that genuinely resonate with me and my content. That includes:
- Local lifestyle influencers in Victoria
- Tourists who regularly visit the area
- Other foodies and home cooks
- Chefs, food trucks, and restaurants I love
- People who post about cooking with local ingredients
- Farmers market vendors and producers
Not only does this keep my feed inspiring, but it also builds a community around shared values and interests.
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to grow your Instagram account, especially in a niche like food or lifestyle, remember that engagement is more than just a task — it’s your chance to actually connect with your future followers.
For me, spending time each day interacting with local creators and food lovers in Victoria has made all the difference. It’s helped me build not just a following, but a community of people who love what I love.
This process does take time, it’s not an overnight growth hack. But it’s so incredibly worth it. You end up attracting the right people, building real connections, and gaining followers who truly care about what you share.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to break through a plateau, getting intentional and local with your engagement can go a long way.