9 Ways to Boost Your Instagram Selfie Likes

Whenever you snap a selfie and post it to Instagram, wouldn’t it be nice to see those likes roll in? While it isn’t an exact science and the ever-changing algorithm can seem like a mystery to crack, there’s no doubt that there is some strategy involved. So, what are the best tricks to follow to rack up the likes on your next post?

To find out, I spoke with our very own social media editor, Mimi Postigo. She runs the @WhoWhatWear Instagram account and is an expert when it comes to what performs on the social platform this season and why. Ahead, she’s weighing in on exactly why our editors’ most liked selfies performed well. These tricks are takeaways anyone for themselves. Scroll on to see nine ways to boost your Instagram selfie likes, including how to can crop your photo so it outperforms the rest.

"Blue just always gets engagement! The color composition is so great in this one; plus, the tagged brands helped to give it a much higher reach."

"I think the @whowhatwear audience might love a good sweater more than anything else. Every time we post an oversize comfy sweater, our Instagram audience goes crazy and wants to know where to buy it. This one is unique and has a great shape, so naturally, the fashion-obsessed audience is going to engage with it."

"Another great example of a selfie that showcases an outfit and styling in an organic and achievable way. This caters to the follower audience who is really interested in both of these."

"Our audience really loved this swimsuit trend this summer, plus the accessory combination. A great 'summer selfie,' if you will."

"Instagram coverage around award shows are always heavily saturated, but I think participating in the action helps a post to perform. Obviously, the @whowhatwear audience loves red carpet and award coverage, and I think this is a great example of showing some behind-the-scenes action as an editor attending as well."

"This is a great example of knowing one's audience/following on Instagram. Clearly, the audience here is interested in shopping and styling, and this selfie showcases both of them in a really great way. We notice on @whowhatwear that selfies without a face featured tend to overperform compared to those that feature a face. I think it helps the viewer to imagine the look on themselves so they engage with it more!"

"Every time we posted about these gold coin necklaces this summer, our Instagram audience went crazy. The same with shell jewelry, both of which are featured in this photo, with the cult brands tagged. Not surprised this did really well!"

"This is such a quintessential summer photo—I think the timing of this post ahead of the official start of summer was great and helped it to perform. Additionally, Curalate, a social commerce platform, says that photos that are primarily blue perform 24% better than photos that are primarily red, so the blue tones may have helped this to be a high performer."

"Great use of tags to increase reach on the platform—brands, @whowhatwear, and even the hotel geotag location helped to give this a boost in reach."

Next: six winter shopping picks all of our editors agree on.