Instagram. I’m obsessed (find and follow me @rebeccacoleman). You’re obsessed. 400 Million of us are obsessed.
If you, like me, spend your days planning and shooting, then this blog post is for you. I’ve come across a ton of boss content on Instagram mastery these days, so I decide to pull it all together for you into a handy listsicle. Mmmm… listsicle.
Pretty pictures.Kids, I can’t really help you with internet articles on this one. I am, however, taking photography lessons, and I would highly recommend that you do that, too. Simply put, Instagram is a photographer’s medium. The better your photos, the more successful you will be.
Develop your own sense of style. It’s taken me ages to really get this one, but I’m finally there. Taking photography classes has helped. All I can say is this: troll Instagram. Look at lots of photos. Decide which styles you like best, and then riff on that, and make it your own. Don’t try to be someone else. I adore, and I mean really adore The Food Gays and their style, but it’s not my style, and it was incredibly liberating to figure that out!
How often?? I post about once a day. Sometimes 2 if I’m on vacation or if I have posts that are related to each other (ie: the other day I posted two photos from Cartems: one of the donut box unopened, and one of the box open showing the donuts).
When? My sweet spot is late. Posting before 8 pm is usually a waste of time for me. Play around with your times and see what works best for you.
Tools. I use Iconosquare for analytics, and I like Followers + to figure out if I have people I’m following that never interact with me. I recently used it to tweak my feed, and it’s much better now. I also love Pablo by Buffer for creating Instagram-worthy quotes.
Now, here are the 5 Best Instagram Resources for Likes and Follows:
Followers: we all want more. Even if you have a million (I wish!), you want more. Check out this great article called What I Learned On The Way to 100,000 Instagram Followers. There are tons of great tips in here, including: tag people and locations as much and as often as you can. (h/t: @pinkchai)
Likes: again, we’re addicted! When I have a post that gets less than 30 these days, it’s cause for major depression. Okay, not really, because as Scarlett O’Hara said, “After all, tomorrow is another day.” Hey–I should Instagram that! One way to get found and increase both followers and likes is to play with hashtags that will get you reposted on popular accounts. Here’s a list of those, and a second list as well.
Productivity: how can you streamline your Instagram marketing plan, so you get the best bang for you buck? This awesome post from Hoostsuite breaks it down: from planning to editing and posting, to engaging: How to Mange Your Instagram in 20 Minutes a Day.
“Most Popular:” speaking of planning, if you’re a food blogger like me, you might want to check out what the top 5 most posted foods are on Instagram. And then plan to take some photos of them! For non-food bloggers, check out The 25 Top Hashtags on Instagram,
Hashtags are what really make your posts soar on Instagram. Here’s a comprehensive guide to figuring out what are the best Instagram hashtags for you.
What’s your favourite Instagram tip? Share in the comments below!