Instagram Starter Pack: The Basics – Tips from a Instagram user of NINE YEARS
Today’s post is all about The Gram. If you’re like me, you spend a ton of time scrolling on Insta whether its for inspiration, business, or pure leisure. If it wasn’t obvious, Instagram and the media have changed a TON over the past decade. It’s now one of our main sources of media intake. The power of social media is extreme and can be a very positive or negative thing – and don’t ever be fooled, we all need a break from it sometimes. I like to use my social media platform in a positive way – a way to inspire others and share my life experiences and interact with the amazing people I have met online. It has made such an impact on my life that I now get to use my platform as a way to earn an income as well. As time has gone on, the logistics of Instagram have become way more intense and it’s getting harder and harder to stand out in a place filled with millions of other people trying to do the same.
I have done my fair share of research and experimenting with Instagram. I am here to share everything I know and have learned over the past nine years to become a successful Instagram user today. As I plan to dabble deeper into the back end – ie. insights and algorithms and post times – today we start with the basics! Below are some tips to follow when posting on Instagram. These will get you into the mindset of maintaining an aesthetic feed and keeping your audience interested.
Instagram Basics:
- Maintain a Common Theme – First things first, you need a theme. Ask yourself what is your niche? It could be things like fashion, travel, fitness, photography, etc. Keep your posts the SAME theme no matter what you’re posting about. You want to pay attention to things like the colors/edits of your pictures, your backgrounds, clothing colors, props, etc. Make sure everything has a common theme. Your profile picture, Highlights, and feed posts should all compliment each other. Visualization is KEY.
- Goal – What is your goal? Are you teaching people things? Selling something? Blogging about your travel spots? Photography page? How will you draw your audience in and keep them hooked? Make this very clear to the audience. Which leads me to step three…
- Write a Clear Bio – Make it short and to the point. Tell your viewers exactly what you are all about, chances are they will see this first.
- Business Profile – Make sure you are switched to a business profile. This way you are able to see all your stats and insights to better learn your audience, post times, and more.
- Clear and Visual Posts – Minimal and simple EVERYTHING is IN right now. Have high quality pictures. A given, but people LIKE things that appeal to the eye. If your picture is blurry or low quality, chances are it’s not going to catch many peoples attention and people are going to scroll right past it. Stay AWAY from collages. Those are so 2010! They can be cute – but will make your feed cluttered and are lot to look at for the viewer. Save those for the stories. You want to have a clear and meaningful message from your photo, not something people have to take time to stare at it. Chances are, people are scrolling very quickly, and your goal is to get them to engage. Clear photos of what you want your audience to focus on is the best way to get your followers engaged. Make sure its grabbing the attention.
- Highlights – Make sure you have these and make them aesthetic. Instagram wants people who use all of their features. The more you use, the more likely they are to push your page. Polls and question boxes are VERY helpful when it comes to getting your followers to engage.
- Plan Your Posts – Take a look at the layout before posting. Does it fit the theme? If you love it but it just doesn’t quite go then consider posting it elsewhere. There are many ways to do this, my favorite is the app Preview. This allows you to see what the next photo will look like on your feed BEFORE you post it.
- Be Consistent – How often do you post? The answer should be EVERYDAY – but this can get overwhelming. The goal is about 3-5 times a week. I know some may think it’s annoying, but posting a lot constantly changes the look of your feed, keeps your page active, and keeps your followers constantly interested and involved.
I hope these beginner tips and tricks help you to get into the groove of being more mindful and organized with your Instagram posts. The best way to put this in motion is to just START. Don’t be worried about anyone thinks or says. If you make your dream you passion, you WILL be successful. If you want this to become your job, treat it like one. Get to money making Queen and stay tuned for more posts on how to effectively grow your page! Happy posting!
Xoxo,
Tay
TAYLOR ONZE 