Who has the highest followers in Instagram?

Find out who has the highest followers in Instagram! 🤩 Which are the top brands to follow this year?

Who has the highest followers in Instagram? Top 15 Brand Ranking

For many businesses, Instagram is a powerful and highly engaging social platform that allows them to gain many followers. 🌟

Here’s the list of accounts with the most subscribers in January 2024: ⏬

1. Instagram (1ᵉʳ of the global ranking) = 667 million.
2. Nike (11ᵉ of the global ranking) = 306 million.
3. National Geographic (14ᵉ of the global ranking) = 284 million.
4. Real Madrid (29ᵉ of the global ranking) = 152 million.
5. FC Barcelona (33ᵉ of the global ranking) = 126 million.
6. UEFA Champions League (34ᵉ of the global ranking) = 113 million.
7. NASA (40ᵉ of the global ranking) = 97 million.
8. NBA (46ᵉ of the global ranking) = 86 million.
9. Victoria’s Secret = 76 million.
10. Marvel = 67 million.
11. Zara = 61 million.
12. Chanel = 60 million.
13. 9GAG = 57 million.
14. Louis Vuitton = 55 million.
15. Disney = 37 million.

(Source: Wikipedia.org).

In comparison, here are the Instagram rankings in July 2023: ⏬

(Source: Statista.com).

While Instagram was originally known as a free platform where you could share photos and videos with friends. 📸

Over the years, it has become a powerful marketing machine that can connect you with brands and influencers. 📣

Currently, the platform’s aim is to develop its e-commerce (with the new “Instagram Shopping” feature).

They want all the items seen in publications to be available for purchase. 🛒

This offers more monetization avenues for businesses and content creators! 🤑

Best Brands on Instagram: Top 5 Best Engagement Rate

In order to capitalize on this opportunity and grow your brand, you’ll need to learn from the best. 🤓

Some brands have done such a good job building their presence on Instagram that they’ve gained hundreds of millions of followers.

Which means a huge engagement rate! 👀

Below, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 best brands on Instagram based on follower count and content marketing strategy.

As well as the key takeaways for each. 👇

1. Instagram = 667 million Followers

Instagram isn’t afraid to lead by example, and ranks first among brands with the most followers. 👏

The account republishes a wide variety of content from creators, often highlighting those who push boundaries and social norms. 🌈

Find out how to repost a story on Instagram, here! 👈

This account seeks to showcase power users who inspire others to interact with the platform and create their own content. 🎯

The message Instagram conveys through its account aims to show its subscribers that they can make this platform their own. 🥰

For example, their bio simply consists of the hashtag #YoursToMake.

This strategy is effective, as their publications don’t come across as advertising for the platform. 🖼️

Instead, they resemble a work of journalistic art, resonating with their 667 million followers.

1.1. Instagram’s Engagement Rate

This image shows an engagement rate analysis report for the Instagram account created by HypeAuditor. An audience analysis and social media tracking tool. 📣

The report shows an engagement rate of 0.02%, which the tool considers average. 🚥

In this case, the account has a huge audience of 668.2 million followers. Yet, it averages just 154,400 likes and 6.9,000 comments per publication. Which translates into a relatively low engagement rate. 😬

This analysis shows that the number of followers does not always reflect high engagement.

Some strategies to improve engagement would be, for example, to create more targeted and interactive content, optimize posts and use more effective call to actions on Instagram! 🎯

2. Nike = 306 million Subscribers

Just like Nike’s Instagram bio says (“Spotlight on athletes and their stories”). 👟 Their “storytelling” or narrative revolves around championing athletes and their stories.

Nike’s feed consists of visually stunning photos and videos of athletes, paired with inspiring stories that captivate their subscribers. 🧨

This brand stays true to its famous catchphrase “Just Do It” and every one of its posts conveys this message.

Nike understands the highly lucrative value of building relationships and communities on social networks. 🤑

This brand has built a global community of athletes on Instagram who have become product and brand ambassadors. 🏃

They also take the time to activate their community by frequently publishing posts that spark conversation and encourage people to comment or share the publication. 👄

2.1. Nike’s Engagement Rate

The image here details the engagement rate of Nike’s Instagram account. ⚡ Nike’s engagement rate is 0.08%, which is average for an account of this size with 306.8 million followers.

The engagement rate is calculated by dividing total interactions (here the sum of likes and comments per publication) by the total number of followers and multiplying by 100 to obtain the percentage. 🥸

For Nike, this means an average of 237.6 thousand likes and 636 comments per publication. 🤌

This shows how important it is to engage with your audience on social networks, even for a globally recognized brand like Nike. 🌐

Here are some tips for increasing engagement, including optimizing hashtags, publishing content at strategic times and increasing the frequency of your interactions with your followers, etc.

3. National Geographic = 284 million Followers

National Geographic is one of the most widely read magazines of all time, thanks in large part to its award-winning photojournalism. 📸

This brand has stayed true to its roots; 🌱 its wildly successful Instagram account showcases the work of its photographers, which revolves around nature and celebrates the beauty of our earth.

However, their stunning photography isn’t the only reason their story has been so successful. 👂

Their ads look so natural, they don’t feel like ads at all, and blend seamlessly into users’ news feeds. 🤫

National Geographic also uses Instagram to champion social causes such as climate change and poaching laws. 🐘

This resonates with their followers and contributes to the feeling that their publications are not advertisements, but credible journalistic articles. 🙌

3.1. Engagement Rate National Geographic

This report shows analysis of the National Geographic Instagram account (usually abbreviated to “Natgeo”). 🦒

They have 284.2 million followers, with an engagement rate of 0.01%, which the tool considers average.

National Geographic has a relatively low engagement rate compared to its large number of subscribers. With an average of 27.5,000 likes and 140 comments per publication.

This may indicate that even if your content reaches a large audience, only a small portion of that audience actively interacts with your publications. 🙊

4. Real Madrid = 152 million Subscribers

This account is the official profile of Spanish professional soccer club Real Madrid C.F. ⚽

Real Madrid keeps it simple on their profile; their publications revolve mainly around updating their huge fan base on games, highlights, and players. ⛹️‍♂️

Real Madrid is the most followed soccer account, 🤯 largely because it gives its fans a glimpse into the lives of the players…

Posting behind-the-scenes photos and videos of moments such as private training sessions and team trips. ✈️

This strategy is effective, as it gives their 152+ million followers the feeling of being in touch with the players and the brand on a personal level. 🤗

4.1. Real Madrid Engagement Rate

According to the report, Real Madrid’s engagement rate on Instagram is 0.20%, which is considered average. ❤️‍🔥

The account, which has 152.3 million followers, receives an average of 299,200 likes and 681 comments per post.

Some might argue that Real Madrid’s engagement is moderate despite its huge fan base, suggesting that quantity doesn’t necessarily translate into quality engagement. 💁

Here are some strategies for increasing engagement: segment content according to different fan bases, interact directly with subscribers, or integrate interactive campaigns to increase fan engagement. 👋

5. NASA = 97 million Followers

NASA is a widely known and respected organization that offers original content highlighting the natural beauty of our solar system. 🌌

By browsing NASA’s feed, their subscribers will discover extraordinary images and videos that will transport them to the depths of space. 🧑‍🚀

This brand has mastered the art of publishing educational content that also entertains and captivates its followers, whether they’re space junkies or not. 🌜

NASA’s “Community Manager”, Jason Townsend, gave some advice to other digital content creators and shared the most important things he learned while working there: 👇

• Tell your own news. 👍 Be in the driver’s seat when it comes to communication.
• News, good or bad, doesn’t get better with time. ⌚ It’s important to act quickly.
• If you don’t tell your stories, 🤐 someone else will.

5.1. NASA Engagement Rate

This account has an engagement rate of 0.83% and an average engagement for an audience of 97.2 million followers. 🪐 NASA receives an average of 810.8k likes and 2.3k comments per publication.

The engagement rate is an important measure in social media, as it reflects the audience’s interest and interaction with the content shared! 🤩

Here, we see that the space agency NASA maintains significant interactions with their audience. 💘

Engagement rates like these are remarkable for institutional accounts and demonstrate an effective content strategy that includes captivating space imagery, mission updates and educational astronomy information that captivates their followers. 🌞

To conclude: Who has the most followers on Instagram?

It’s more important to have engagement than followers! 😜

This top 5 shows us, that many followers doesn’t mean a high rate of engagement. 📉

Ultimately, NASA is powerful evidence of brands’ ability to combine passion and curiosity to create deeper, more meaningful engagement with their audience.

What matters most is the customer relationship you cultivate with your audience. 💐

Get your first customers this week

Take advantage of the power of Waalaxy to generate leads every day. Start prospecting for free, today.

Try for free

Most followed Instagram accounts: 5 Tips to follow

After looking at the top brands on Instagram, there are a few key points to remember! 🧠

Here’s what every marketer should keep in mind when using social media:

1. Make your ads fluid with your brand’s content to appeal to your followers and avoid disrupting their “Feeds”.
2. Build relationships and communities with your followers on social networks by encouraging your subscribers to interact with your page. 🗣️
3. Understand what your audience consumes and how they spend time on your page so you can offer content that works best for your brand image. 😎
4. Harness the power of influencers who can drive subscribers to your page.
5. Be sure to use all your resources on Instagram (Reels, Stories, Polls, etc.) 📣 to create engaging content that encourages your followers to interact with your page.

Use social networks to create a community and attract potential customers. 🏹

However, don’t forget to share the “company culture” side, as this is often what your subscribers want to know… 👁️

They’re interested not only in what you sell, but even more in who you are! 😉

We often hear that “people buy from those they like, appreciate and trust”. 💕

Recap: Who has the highest followers in Instagram?

The social network Instagram (bought by Facebook and the famous Mark Zuckerberg) is one of the largest and most widely used social networks in the world. 🌍

These millions of users and subscribers boost your company’s digital communications. 👉 They’ll also help you gain more “followers”, providing you with an impressive panel of prospects.

Being present on a network like “Insta” can increase your company reputation, build your e-reputation, gain popularity and increase your influence on social networks 😉

These social media are an ideal way to increase engagement rates, raise visibility and further develop your employer branding.

So don’t hesitate to use them for your business! 👏

FAQ: Most followed brands on Instagram

Who has the most followers on Insta?

The official Instagram account is the most followed account, with over 667 million followers in 2024. 💥

How to get more followers on Instagram?

Here are 15 tips for getting more followers on Insta: 👇

1. Define a good strategy,
2. Optimize your profile,
3. Follow other accounts,
4. Interact with the community,
5. Publish regularly,
6. Use templates for Instagram Stories and posts,
7. Pay attention to what you post,
8. Carefully caption your images and photos,
9. Choose hashtags that are relevant to your followers,
10. Organize a contest,
11. Get more followers with influencer marketing,
12. Share your Instagram account on all social networks,
13. Use advertising to gain more subscribers,
14. Include a call to action in your posts,
15. Get real on Instagram. 🪙

Plus, check out our tips on the best time to post on Instagram! ✍️

Who to follow on Instagram (for B2b)?

You can follow, for example, people like Neil Patel (@neilpatel), owner of Ubersuggest. ⚡ He provides valuable content marketing advice to his followers via his Instagram account.

But, also, advice on SEO, artificial intelligence, SEA, B2B or B2C strategy… the list of topics covered is long! 😀

This influencer has around 500 K followers on this social network.

You can also follow pro accounts like @Canva. 🎨 This is a well-known app for creating social media posts, advertising campaigns, surveys, and mockups.

Canva’s Instagram accounts are packed with templates, tutorials, and visuals for digital professionals. 🪄

The app’s latest features are also featured in regular posts on the brand’s account.

Now you know who has the highest followers in Instagram. 😉