How to set up your first Instagram Account

🚀 Welcome to Flock Social – Let’s Start Growing!

Getting started takes just a few minutes, and everything you need is already inside your dashboard. Log in and follow along.

🔗 1. Connect Your Instagram Account

The first thing to do is link your Instagram account. This lets Flock start doing what it’s built to do.

You’ll see a red banner across the top of your dashboard.
Hit the “Connect Account” button and log into Instagram through the secure popup.

Instagram will most likely ask you to confirm the login — that’s just a standard safety check since our servers run through Europe. Tap “This Was Me” and you’re all set.

Once you’re back in the dashboard, your account is officially connected.

🎯 2. Set Up Your Targeting

Once you’re connected, we need a bit of direction. You’ll do that by adding Targets — accounts or hashtags that attract the kind of people you want following you.

Click the “Add Target” button to get started.
Add at least 10 to 15 targets to begin.

Think about what types of accounts have an audience that would be interested in your content, and what hashtags that audience would actually use.

Here’s how it works:

Account Targeting: Flock Social interacts with people following a specific account. This works best when you target creators, brands, or competitors in your space.
Hashtag Targeting: Flock Social finds users posting with that hashtag and engages with them directly. Choose tags that actually match your audience, not just what’s trending.

💡 Need help figuring out what works best? Check out the deeper dive into setting up targeting.

⚙️ 3. Set Up Your Filters

Filters let you shape the kind of people Flock connects with. In other words: no need to reach everyone — just the right ones.

To adjust them, open the “Filters” tab in your dashboard.

You can set preferences like:

How many followers a user has
Whether their account is public or private
Minimum post count
And whether to include adult content (off by default)

📖 Want to see how filters can clean up your growth? Here’s a guide that breaks it down.

📊 4. Keep an Eye on the Dashboard

Once Flock Social starts working, you’ll be able to track everything inside the Home tab.

Here’s what you’ll see:

Follower growth over time
Performance per target
A live queue showing who’s next

Not every target will work perfectly, and that’s okay. Your dashboard helps you test and adjust without guessing.

If you want a full walkthrough, we’ve got you covered here.

✅ And that’s it — that’s all it takes! Welcome aboard! 🚀

What actions does Flock Social perform on your account?

Growth Pods vs Targeted Growth

The Follow/Unfollow method

What impacts your growth on Instagram

How different Instagram accounts work with Flock Social