Ten Ways to Grow Your Instagram Account
Hooray! You took a leap of faith and started an Instagram account, but now what? This is what I asked myself after my first post and I have had a lot of people reaching out to me lately to ask me what to do. I thought I could write a blog post about it since it seems to be a topic a lot of people want to discuss.
It is funny how there is so much that goes into Instagram that I had no clue about until I actually started this journey on more of a business side. I mean I used to think “What the heck are all these people doing with their thirty hashtags? Why are they posting every single day?” I get it now everyone, I understand :) While the algorithm has changed quite a bit and still keeps us on our toes daily. Here are ten tips to keep in mind when starting an account.
Engage Daily
You have to think of this as a job. If you don’t show up, nothing is going to happen. You need to post 5-7 times a week. A lot of people like to take the weekends off which is great, they tend to be the two least engaging days of the week. You need to comment on other people’s posts. I spend about thirty minutes before I post and thirty minutes after I post commenting on others pages. I always respond when someone leaves a comment on my page. I like them to know I appreciate them taking the time to comment. I also (if I have the time) try to go to their page and leave a comment as well. DM people, get to know them, ask questions. This is such a supportive community!
2. Use Instagram Stories.
People want to see the face behind the pictures. This is also a great opportunity to show them real life. My home RARELY looks like my posts and I like people to see that in stories. Don’t be afraid to get behind the camera and be you. It is really awkward at first, I look back at some of my first stories and cringe but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Start by just talking about something but not showing your face and work towards showing your face. Show DIY projects, new additions, take people shopping with you and just show them your family. It is a great tool for followers to connect with you.
3. Hashtag It Up
You are allowed to use thirty hashtags so why not use them? Hashtags are some of the best ways that I gain exposure on a post. You need to find the right hashtags for whatever you are about to post and you don’t want to use hashtags that have over one million, you will get lost by the bigger accounts. Typically 10,000-500,000 is a good range of pictures for a hashtag and you want to mix it up and have some big ones with some smaller ones. Also, change your hashtags up daily. You can follow hashtags now so once you follow one it recommends similar ones to you. A great way to find new ones to follow and use!
4. Have a Cohesive Feed
A lot of people don’t realize what a big part this plays. Choose a filter and stick with it. Some of my favorite places to go for editing are Light Room, Snap Seed and Color Story. That is where I have all of my presets. A cohesive feed draws people in, the second I started applying the same filter to all of my pictures, I started gaining more followers. Also, just a quick tip but people prefer whole room shots as opposed to vignettes. They always do better on my posts.
5. Have a Call to Action in Your Caption
You want your followers to engage right? Well if you don’t have a question they have nothing to answer. Make sure you encourage them to be interactive on your post. Ask a question that they can answer or ask them to leave a fun fact about themselves so you can get to know them. Give them a reason to leave that comment. This will tell the algorithm that people are liking your posts and help more people see your post.
6. Tag Away
In your post be sure to tag a location. Posts that tag a location always do better and it allows people who are local to see your images as well. In addition, tag big accounts that you want to see your photo if you are trying to be featured on their page. For instance, if you use Apartment Therapy’s hashtag, tag them in your picture.
7. Picture Quality
This sounds like a no brainer but it is huge. Make sure your post is quality content. You want bright well lit pictures that aren’t blurry. Make sure you are using a good I Phone and editing with the apps I mentioned before, or using a nice camera. I do a combination of both, depending on how lazy I am :)
8. Switch to a Business Account
Business accounts allow you to view analytics so you can see where your pictures are being seen the most. This allows you to see if the hashtags you are using are working or if you should switch them up. It also allows you to see your most popular content and figure out what it is your followers want to see.
9. Don’t Over post
Once a day may seem like over posting if you are new to Instagram ha but don’t do more than that. Your followers want to see your content but they don’t want to be spammed by your account. 5-7 days a week is a good rule of thumb for consistency.
10. Be You!
This is the most important piece. Be authentic, be you! Don’t worry about what other people may think or say. If you do you, you will find your tribe and like minded individuals. This is an awesome community full of such supportive people, I can’t wait for you to begin your journey.
That’s all for now, what is your favorite tip? Leave it in the comments below I am curious :)
Cheers!
Janelle
