Need some inspiration for your Instagram account? We searched far and wide to find Instagram accounts that are popular, unique, captivating, and just executed perfectly. These influencers, brands, and fanpages take their daily grams to a level so high you’d be out of breath trying to reach it. If you didn’t make the cut this year, don’t worry. You can still comment your Instagram account link below to potentially be featured in our 2021 edition.
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Selena Gomez might be one of the biggest pop stars today but that’s not the only accomplishment she can sing about. With over 156 million Instagram followers, her account is one of the most popular Instagram accounts out there. How’d she become so popular? It could be due to her down to earth personality. Gomez is a person that most people can relate to. And she’s not afraid to elevate those around her by giving them shout-outs. Her photos are all captivating, too. She shares glimpses of behind the scenes photos and videos with her fans. If you’re trying to build yourself up as an influencer, Selena Gomez is probably the best Instagram account to follow.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo heads the ranking of the most popular Instagram accounts. He’s the most-followed person on Instagram with almost 182 million followers. Instagram’s own account is in first place with more than 312 million followers. Cristiano regularly shares photos of himself and his family, his travel, and football.
3. Humans of NY
Humans of NY was the first of its kind when it first launched. Brandon Stanton would photograph random people in NY and tell their story in the photo caption. It’s one of the rare Instagram accounts where the captions are more powerful than the photos. Followers get an inside look into who individual people are. People they may have passed on the street without a second glance. This Instagram account also does features in different parts of the world like Cairo to give people an inside look into other cultures.The best thing about Human of NY is that it helps humanize the people in photos and get an inside look into people’s lives.
4. Doug the Pug
It’s time for a brief paws on the humans who are crushing it on Instagram to give a shout-out to a four-legged superstar: Doug the Pug. Doug is one of the rare breeds born for the celebrity lifestyle. He’s everything you’d want in a celebrity pug: entertaining, relatable, funny, and just a treat to watch. His iconic videos revolve around reenacting movies and TV shows. So, it’s no wonder his nickname is King of Pop Culture. If you’re building an Instagram account to help make your pet a celebrity, Doug the Pug is a great source of inspiration. But it’s not just about taking pictures or recording videos of your pet. It’s about treating your pet like a brand and giving him or her a consistent personality that is clearly shown with every piece of content you create.
5. Kylie Cosmetics
Kylie Jenner might only be 22 years old but she owns two of the best Instagram accounts: her own and Kylie Cosmetics. While Kylie Cosmetics doesn’t even make up 16% of her personal followers, her brand still made an astounding $900 million in under three years. And while her sales are not all from Instagram, her photos sure do help. Countless posts feature her products in plain view, and occasionally she’ll thrown in a picture of herself, but overall the Kylie Cosmetics Insta account is a product feed for her collection. If you’re an online retailer in the beauty niche, use Kylie Cosmetics as inspiration instead of just winging it.
6. KKW Beauty
Now, we don’t want to start any sibling rivalries so we figured it’d be best to follow up Kylie Jenner with her big sister Kim. Instagram accounts can’t get much more flawless than KKW Beauty’s and Kim Kardashian’s. Considering how the Kardashians use their personal brands to sell products, influencers can learn a few tricks from studying KKW Beauty. Images of models or beauty looks alternate against product photos. Also, traditional beauty brands can learn a lot about inclusivity by checking out this Instagram account. Models used in images are of various races and ethnicities, showing that Kim understands her target market: a global audience.
7. Gary Vaynerchuk
If any businessman should get crowned the King of Instagram it’d be Gary Vaynerchuk. How this man has time to post two to four times a day, no one knows. Especially, since he’s also posting on other social platforms, running a podcast, hustlin’ as an investor and CEO of two brands. If you’re looking to post on social media sites more consistently, you can use a marketing automation tool like Later. However, posting often isn’t his only strength. He’s great at experimenting and evolving too. You’ll notice most of his content is in video form. But he’ll also add text to the top and bottom of his videos to try to get people to watch that specific piece of content and hook ‘em in. His Instagram account is marketing at it’s finest.
8. ToyShades
Instagram accounts like ToyShades show that you can literally show off your product in every picture without being too shady. Their Instagram pictures show customers wearing their sunglasses out and about. While each picture is distinct they’re still unified by a common visual consistency. All their photos have an urban feel to them. ToyShades even has some pretty popular influencers wearing their products. So if you’re looking for a spec-tacular Instagram account to follow, ToyShades’ future on Instagram shines bright. Want influencers to help market your products? Refersion helps you track sales and pay influencers for sponsored posts.
9. Dumped Wife’s Revenge
Sometimes the best Instagram accounts find inspiration from the most unexpected situations. Dianne Laurance might’ve been dumped by her husband for a younger woman, but boy does she have the last laugh. How does she get her revenge? By living her fabulous life. Her Instagram captions always share a positive message about taking care of yourself, being the best version of yourself, or just having fun goofing around. Her inspirational videos are sassy and remind you that you can still have a massive impact regardless of what obstacles get thrown your way. Laurance shows that you don’t need a brand to build a successful Instagram account, all you need to tell is a great story.
10. So Worth Loving
There’s nothing greater than the power of love. So it’s pretty heartwarming that So Worth Loving’s Instagram account made its way to this list. While they’re pretty open about showing off their inspiring t-shirts and store products, the real love from this Instagram account comes from their inspiring quote posts. Everyone has bad days so it’s great to see a brand spread more positivity in the world. From posts that share messages like “You are not a burden” to t-shirts that read “love you love people,” it’s pretty clear that this brand loves harder than most. If you check out the comments, you’ll see that they still respond to comments despite having over 59.1k followers. The real lesson to learn from this Instagram account is to spread positivity in the world and build strong relationships with your customers.
11. National Geographic Travel
You might never get the chance to travel the world, but with National Geographic Travel you sure do get to see a lot of it. Have you ever looked at a photo and been completely and utterly captivated by its magnificent beauty? Because that’s exactly what National Geographic does on Instagram. They help you escape your everyday life and see the world’s greatest wonders while scrolling through your phone. Each photo gets hundreds of thousands of likes. If you don’t have the photography skills to take your own photos, you can use Repost, an app that allows you to repost other people’s photographs and credit the source as long as you have permission.
12. Ayr
While it may be tempting to have square photos, Ayr clearly likes setting themselves apart from the pack. Their photos alternate between landscape and vertical views. When scrolling through your feed, you’ll instantly recognize an Ayr photo. You can create vertical photos by clicking the icon with two arrows in the app. Creating photos this way is a simple way to differentiate your photos from competitors in your niche. And with all the extra white space around your photos, emphasis is added on the products within your picture.
13. Doctor Mike
Doctor Mike will remind you to check-up on your Instagram strategy. His Instagram account isn’t only about him being a doctor. He shows that you can totally have a consistent brand while also showing off other parts of who you really are. He also posts men’s fashion and fitness pictures. And he constantly teaches his fans to face their biggest fears by facing them himself. He’ll steal your heart with his down to earth posts. So remember, you don’t need to be a model, businessperson, or celebrity to build a massive Instagram following. All you need to be is yourself.
14. Semi Sweet Mike
Instagram accounts don’t get much sweeter than Semi Sweet Mike. His unique Instagram photos include cookie designs in the same consistent style. His online store sells cookie cutters. However, instead of showing the product he shares a finished batch of delectable cookies. The baked-in lesson from this Instagram account is that you should share what your product is capable of. Anyone can post a picture of a cookie cutter, but it’s far more impressive to showcase the finished design to entice people into buying.
15. Casetify
There’s nothing phoney about Casetify. With vibrant colors, unique video concepts, and stunning influencer photos, Casetify is in a whole other galaxy when it comes to visual quality. To showcase their phone cases’ durability they created a video of a hammer smashing their phone yet leaving it unscathed. When it comes to creativity, each Instagram post is packed with it. From phones falling into cereal bowls to slime being used to protect your phone, there’s a never-ending flow of creative juices from their social team. If you’re looking for outside of the box ideas, this Instagram account should be your first choice.
16. Beardbrand
Beardbrand is one of those Instagram accounts that just keeps growing on you. Beard aficionados will love Beardbrand’s balance between beard and product photos. Their photos are often credited to the same photographer, which helps maintain a consistent style that keeps men coming back to their page. Beardbrand’s product photo ‘stache is kept fresh too. With consistent themes of patterns, color contrasts, and visual balance, all the rules of photography are perfectly executed.
17. Tattly
Tattly’s popularity definitely isn’t as temporary as their tattoos. Their fake tattoos, designed by real artists, aren’t just scattered in images on their social media. Nope, they showcase their products on hands, apply them to products as decoration, and show behind the scenes looks. With 100k followers on Instagram, it’s pretty safe to say you won’t regret following Tattly, unlike that permanent tattoo you got about your ex. The biggest lesson to learn from this brand is that by highlighting all practical (and quirky) uses of your products, you can build a brand that goes beyond cliches of tatted up rockers.
18. Penguin Random House
If there’s one Instagram account you won’t skim through, it’s Penguin Random House. They showcase their books in different settings – on table tops, at picnics, and on bookshelves. Their Instagram captions sometimes tell the stories of their own adventures and travels while giving a subtle nod to the book in the picture. Other times, they’ll give a synopsis of what the book is about. Penguin Random House is a great example of how to style your photos. They don’t merely place their book on the table, they also introduce other elements into the picture like snacks, coffee, or people to make the picture look more natural and visually appealing.
19. Leesa
Looking for Instagram accounts to follow? Well, they don’t get much bedder than mattress company Leesa. Nobody wants to see an endless wave of mattress pictures on Instagram. However, Leesa doesn’t make the mattress the focal point of their pictures. Often their mattresses are display in a well decorated room making it more of a home decor picture. They’ll show pictures of couples in bed, adorable baby pictures, and a ton of pictures of dogs resting on a comfy Leesa mattress. So when it comes to their photos, engagement comes from these other elements. That keeps potential customers following along with your page, but also keeps your brand top of mind when they’re finally ready to spring into action and buy.
20. Ana Marques
When you think of a great Instagram account, you might think of a vibrant brand that stands out while you scroll. However, Ana Marques proves that even subtle, quiet, tranquil, and minimalistic photos can be more captivating than how most approach the social app. Her photos maintain a consistent feel to them and often only offer a glimpse of an object – a trademark of her minimalist style. The biggest lesson from Instagram accounts like this is that less is more.
21. Bremont
Most watch companies showcase their watches on arms stretched out in landscapes around the world. But Bremont isn’t like most watch companies. Their watches are geared to a specific type of audience – namely military folks – and they build their Instagram account to cater to them. Most of their photos include airplanes and the mechanics behind the watches. By emphasizing the durability of their products Bremont shows us that the secret to building a great brand is to cater directly to your audience instead of copying what everyone else is doing.
22. Sand Cloud
Sand Cloud is one of the best Instagram accounts to follow if you’re looking for a mission-driven brand. Their content goes beyond product posts and dives deep into oceanography. Why? Well, they donate a portion of sales to marine life, or as they say #savethefishies. Beyond that, they regularly share pictures from brand ambassadors. They even promote their ambassador program in their Instagram profile. By having an ambassador program, you can potentially gain more followers and increase your store’s sales.
23. Adele
Adele might have one of the most powerful voices in music but she shows off a different side of herself on her Instagram account. For her birthday celebration, she dressed up as Kate Winslet – life jacket and all – showing off her love of Titanic. She’ll post pictures of her wearing ridiculous makeup looks, including some epic old lady pics. Her posts tend to be playful and positive. She’s built up her friends by promoting their work. But also opens dialogues about serious issues like postpartum psychosis. Adele reminds everyone not to take yourself too seriously and to be a positive force in a world of negativity.
24. Blake Lively (& Ryan Reynolds)
While Hollywood couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds both have some of the best Instagram accounts to follow, it’s their interaction with each other that’s quite powerful. The power couple regularly troll each other on Instagram and it always makes headlines because it’s just hilarious to watch. The real lesson here is that it’s not just about what you post on your Instagram account, but how you engage with other people. So don’t be afraid to poke fun at other Instagram accounts, but remember to be playful and light-hearted. You don’t want to go around making enemies.
25. National Portrait Gallery
Now, let me draw your attention to National Portrait Gallery’s Instagram account. As the art gallery with the most portraits, their Instagram account has countless portrait pictures shared with the world. Beyond great images, they sometimes have the artist share a story detailing how the painting came to life. But it’s done in an Instagram-friendly documentary kind of way. So it’s short and sweet but also very descriptive. Their Instagram captions also tell mini stories about the person in the portrait to give you the full picture about the portrait.
26. Master Dynamic
Instagram is more than just pictures and well-written captions. Master Dynamic, a sound tools brand, gives audiophiles soundbites on their Instagram account too. Their videos all include sounds, as well as movement of floating objects near their products. This gives followers a sense of how powerful their speakers are. . Kind of makes you want to buy their product and find out for yourself. Don’t be afraid to experiment with audio when creating videos for your Instagram account. Master Dynamic shows us just how effective sound can really be.
27. GoldieBlox
Instagram isn’t only for adults, it’s for kids too! With a minimum age of 13 to sign up for Instagram, GoldieBlox promotes their engineering toys on Instagram. While it’s pretty cool seeing engineering toys geared to young girls, it’s spectacular that each Instagram post is also catered to a younger audience. GoldieBlox’s posts are positive, playful, gamified, and colorful pictures. Their Instagram captions use puns, emojis, hashtags, and quizzes to create a fun vibe that matches the vibrancy of their photos. If you’re looking to attract a younger audience on Instagram, GoldieBlox can teach you how to be hip with the cool kids.
28. Luxy Hair
Hair we are at one of the best Instagram accounts to follow: Luxy Hair. Their hair extensions are shown in every picture, but they’re not showcased as product photos. Instead, their hair products are shown out in the wild – in front of the Eiffel Tower, at the beach, strolling through the country. The reality is most product photos won’t look great on Instagram. However, showing customers using your products can really help you build a massive Instagram following. Every picture highlights the long flowing hair of the customer. Most pictures don’t show the customers’ faces so you can imagine yourself with the hair instead. Brilliant!
29. Flavnt Streetwear
The best thing about Flavnt Streetwear’s Instagram account is how real the people are. From sticking-out-your_tongue photos to people flashing peace signs to pictures from real customers, Flavnt Streetwear represents authenticity at its finest. Most brands focus on sharing influencer photos. But a great brand spreads the love to the people they care about most: their customers. Flavnt has amassed tens of thousands of followers by staying true to their fanbase. So when building up your Instagram account always remember who helped your brand get to where you are.
30. Gymshark
They’re lean, mean, Instagramming machines. Aside from pumping iron, Gymshark also pumps out some pretty great Instagram posts. To help promote their clothing line, they partner with influencers (the most muscular influencers you’ll ever find) who basically help remind you that it’s time to get off Instagram and go workout. If you love looking at pictures of professional athletes for #fitspo, Gymshark is often celebrating big wins on their page. From Olympia to UFC, top athletes are rocking Gymshark wear (and they look pretty darn good in it). Gymshark teaches us that when it comes to standing out in a crowded marketplace, it’s all about partnering with the right people who’ll represent your brand well.
31. Kawaii Pen Shop
Who’s got the cutest Instagram account? Kawaii Pen Shop will proudly take the title. Their products? Adorable. Their inspirational posts? Just as cute. From messages of positivity to cute graphics to their kawaii products, this brand knows how to succeed on Instagram. Their posts all maintain a consistent pastel tone to help make them more recognizable in their feed. While product photos can often come across as salesy, Kawaii products are naturally Instagram-ready making it the greatest place to market this brand. What can you learn from Kawaii Pen Shop? Market your products on the right platform and you could skyrocket your success.
32. Hacienda Montaecristo
Hacienda Montaecristo’s Instagram account is a work of art. The clothing line’s pictures use grayscale and antique filters to create a consistent tone among all their pictures. And once you see one of their pictures, it’s instantly recognizable. However, they take advantage of grids as well. You can use a tool like 9square, an Instagram app that’ll cut your picture into a grid, and post the entire grid to Instagram. While the grids can look weird in the Newsfeed, they look pretty cool while you scroll through someone’s Instagram profile. Another cool thing about this Instagram account is that they maintain their Mexican heritage throughout their branding. Where their products are made is just as much a part of their brand story as their products themselves.
33. Sweet Daze Dessert Bar
If there’s one Instagram account that’ll make your mouth water it’s Sweet Daze Dessert Bar. They’ve been on Instagram for just over a year and have already amassed a massive 120k+ following. It’s not just that they create awesome desserts, it’s that they take photos that literally make you salivate. Now, that’s some good photography! They might not post new photos every day, but their photos still get thousands of likes. What can you learn from Sweet Daze Dessert Bar? Your photos should make it impossible for someone to resist temptation. When they see your photos, make them want whatever you’re selling right now on Instagram. It’s all about mastering the angle.
34. Letterfolk
With witty letter board sayings and well-designed Instagram photos, Letterfolk will have you LOLing while helping you reach your creative peak. They regularly repost their customers’ photos. This helps build a relationship with their customers, and it also helps offset the amount of content they need to create themselves. The biggest lesson you’ll learn from Letterfolk is how to visually display your product in your Instagram pictures.
35. Mizzen + Main
Mizzen + Main showcases their menswear line with a thoughtful approach. Their bio clearly states what they offer – “the best damn dress shirt” – which piques your curiosity as to why it’s the best damn dress shirt but also tells you that you should probably continue to check them out. Some of their Instagram posts even tie into this one sentence. They’ll show a before picture of a person sweating in a competitor’s dress shirt. And follow it up with an after picture that shows a person looking sharp in their fitted and sweat-proof dress shirt. And if you’re wondering if the shirt actually works, I’ve bought it before for my partner and he wears it all the time. So yeah, it’s the best damn dress shirt and a damn good Instagram account too.
36. Ivory and Deene
Clean, crisp, and white. It’s a style popularized by many Instagrammers but it’s especially effective when done by Ivory and Deene. From white houses to white walls, the bright white colors create a clean look and luxurious look. Their photos often include a touch of greenery, which helps bring the photo to life. As Ivory and Deene sells luxury home decor products, their photos help maintain a consistent brand image. Often times, especially in home decor, the color white helps create a more polished photo. So don’t be afraid to use neutral color palettes to add a pop of color with plants or flowers.
37. Idafrosk
While Ida Skivenes doesn’t post regularly, you’ll still find a whole bunch of delectable food art on her Instagram account. Each Instagram post uses food to create cute kid-friendly designs. Her 260k+ followers are treated to pictures that showcase her stellar creativity and are completely different than anything else you’d fine online in the food space. Each post is completely original so it’s not just another copycat of another picture online. The secret recipe to building a successful Instagram account is to create unique content using your imagination and take your creativity to the next level.
38. James Charles
James Charles is one of the greatest makeup artists of this generation. With over 15.9 million followers, it’s clear that James’ followers think so too. You’ll find a never-ending stream of stunning makeup art on James’ Instagram account. From vibrant eye looks to colorful face art, the level of creativity on this page will leave you in awe. Photoshop couldn’t do it better. James’ Instagram account shows that to succeed on Instagram all you need to do is play to your strengths. By showcasing what you do best, you can help inspire a world of people.
39. Loving Not Working
If you’re looking to break away from your 9 to 5, your biggest source of inspiration can come from none other than Loving Not Working. Her quotes are relatable. Her Instagram captions are the brutal, honest truth about exactly what entrepreneurs face. What’s the secret formula for the success of this Instagram account? The advice is practical, the emotions pinpoint your exact feelings, and the images help encourage you go after something beyond what you already have. I mean wouldn’t you rather be on a beach right now rather than at your 9 to 5 job right now?
40. Hot Dudes with Dogs
One of the recurring themes among the Instagram accounts on this list is consistency. It gives a reason for people to follow you as there’s an expectation that you’ll continue to deliver the same type of content. Hot Dudes with Dogs delivers a daily dose of pictures of… yup, hot dudes with dogs. The really clever thing about this Instagram account is that it’s one of the rare ideas that are absolutely made to go viral. The dogs add the aww factor and the good-looking dudes bring the heat, creating a viral element that helped bring this page over 470k followers.
41. Jessica Walsh
Jessica Walsh carefully designs her Instagram account with just as much creativity as she does her design work. It’s not surprising that a professional designer would end up on this list. She’ll use her work to tell a story about the happenings in her life. She recently posted a picture of toast burning up in flames in a toaster that read “Burnt Out.” Her caption detailed a relatable story about her struggles with exhaustion. And with over 270+ comments, it was clear that people could relate to her story. When building your own Instagram account, use your caption to tell the story beyond what the picture tells. It helps give your audience an inside look into who you or your brand is.
42. Common Deer
Balance and symmetry. You don’t realize your Instagram photos need them until you see a photo that masters it flawlessly. After browsing a few of Common Deer’s photos, you’ll find visual patterns throughout most of their photos proving that their photographers know exactly what they’re doing. If you’re just getting started with Instagram, you can learn a lot about how to take Instagram photos just by browsing the ones on Common Deer’s page.
43. Fashion Dads
Fashion Dads is an Instagram account you can’t miss. It’s full of cute pictures of dads being dads, while trying to be trendy and fashionable.
44. Baddie Winkle
Meet Baddie Winkle. As her profile states, she’s been “stealing your man since 1928”. She’s fun, she’s full of color, and she’s got us hooked. Go check her profile out!
45. This Old Shirt
If you’re into vintage t-shirts, This Old Shirt is the right place for you to be. Go check the profile out. And keep scrolling.
46. My Day With Leo
My Day With Leo is an Instagram profile like no other. Joel Strong has a special talent to merge 2D with 3D. He cuts out pictures of famous people’s heads and photographs them in various different locations, on a live person’s body. He makes it look so effortless. Go check out this Instagram profile. It’s exploding with creativity.
47. 70s Babes
Feeling nostalgic for the 70s? 70s Babes has all that you’re craving for with these beautiful snaps from the 1970s.
48. Beige Cardigan
The Beige Cardigan Instagram account is guaranteed to give you a chuckle. It’s managed to gather over 3 million followers.
49. The Sartorialist
The Sartorialist is the Instagram profile of blogger and photographer Scott Schuman. If you’re interested in runway or sidewalk fashion, check out his profile for inspiration from the striking photographs he takes.
50. Dogs of Instagram
There can never be enough dog pictures. That’s why Dogs of Instagram exists. Follow this Instagram profile, if you want to see dogs relaxing, eating, playing, sleeping, and everything else you can think of!
51. Sara Shakeel
This original crystal artist fulfils all our glittery cravings. Sara Shakeel conveys emotion through shiny crystals, rainbows, flowers, and many other pretty patterns. Go check out her unique style.
52. Oberlo
What’s the best Instagram account to follow? Oberlo, of course! We constantly ship out random dropshipping facts, inspirational quotes, and incredible success stories on our Instagram page. We regularly ask fun questions that’ll help you level up your online stores. Plus, you can learn a lot from the answers of other successful entrepreneurs experts who join us for our Instagram Live Q&A’s.
Conclusion
The best Instagram accounts to follow tend to speak directly to their target audience. They’re not afraid to be different and stand out in a crowd. They tend to be positive, playful, and poke fun at themselves. But ultimately, it’s about being true to yourself and your brand. By being authentic you can build an Instagram account with a massive following no matter what you post about. There’s someone out there who wants you to share your products, your ideas, your quirkiness, and that one thing about you they can relate to.
