Instagram is the social media where text, the king of communication, has been succeeded by image. Images are easy to take, we all have camera phones after all, but the trick to master Instagram is to get away from selfies and start creating your own, unique, high-quality content.
Quality content is anything that your audience perceives as meaningful and relevant.
It doesn’t have to be something specific. It can be anything you want, from landscapes to food photography.
When it comes to choosing, the world is your oyster.
Having said that, there are some tips that could help you achieve flawless results every time.
1. Have a story to tell
When you know where you want to go, you can’t go wrong. Well, that’s an exaggeration but you get the point. You can’t start posting photos without the slightest connection between them. Images may be able to capture your audiences’ attention but the background, always evolving story is what will keep them coming back.
2. Think about your subject
When you have decided what your story is going to be, you have to find out what you’re going to post about. To decide, all you have to do is think what intrigues you. Is it landscapes, portraits, food, architecture? Experiment with the composition and the edit until you are satisfied with the final result.
3. Be consistent
Did you know that Instagram has a list of accounts that follows back? This list is called The Suggested Users. If you become suggested by Instagram, you will gain 200–300 new followers per hour. Unfortunately, it’s a well kept secret how anyone could be part of this list.
However, one thing is for sure: the majority of accounts that manage to get in that list post photos with similar aesthetics, similar editing and in specific days. In other words, they are consistent.
4. Use the best camera you can
In 2016 that is relatively easy. The majority of cellphones have an above the average camera so even if you belong to the photography-only-by-cellphone type of people you should be ok. If you prefer shooting from a professional camera that’s even better. It will take you a couple more minutes to transfer your photos, but their quality will be fantastic and it will help you maximize the effects of the next step.
5. Edit your photos
Editing can help a good photo become great.
Once you open your eyes to the possibilities you will never be able to go back. With editing, you can make colors pop, imperfections disappear, lines straighten and much more. And there are a lot of apps out there that grant you this control. Besides Instagram itself, you can try VSCOcam, Afterlight, and Snapseed.
6. But please, don’t overdo it
To avoid overdoing it, just follow this simple trick:
Every time you edit a photo, take a step back, do something else and then return to it after 15 minutes.
Does it still looks appealing? Weirdly so, you will see many more things that need correction and that’s ok.
7. Be unique
Acropolis, in downtown Athens, is waiting for you to photograph it. There are 444.427 photos on instagram tagged with #Acropolis. What will make your photo, #444.428, stand out?
Point-and-shoot photographs are the worst kind of inspiration killers.
They don’t let you see or think the possibilities you could frame a photo. If you want to be ahead of the curve, upload pictures that depict your feelings. It won’t be easy but it will make a difference. After all, you have to compete with almost half a million other photos before you.
You are doing all these things but people do not see your photos, do not recognize your talent and your engagement is low. How can you solve these problems and, ultimately, find your road to the “Popularity street”?
1. Try different Captions
Each of your photos is a story.
Sometimes the image itself isn’t enough to describe your feelings. What you felt though when you captured that photo is what will differentiate your photo from all other similar photos. Words are the best way to guide your audience’s emotions. And to quote the great Maya Angelou “…people will never forget how you made them feel.”
2. Hashtags & Location
Hashtags are an ambiguous topic. Some people believe that you seem desperate if you use them, while others believe they can help your photos. The truth is that hashtags are just a tool that can help you gain exposure and be seen by similar accounts, which under different circumstances would never even know your existence.
Hashtags not only help you gain more likes and/or followers but also let you discover extremely talented people that will inspire you. Just use them correctly. You can use as hashtag the app in which you edited your photo e.g #vsco, but you should avoid #writing #sentences #with #hashtags. Do your research and discover the hashtags that are related to your photo. But don’t overdo it; 7–8 hashtags per photo are more than enough. After all, hashtags will help you play the long game and get you discovered from time to time by other users, they are not an instant winner.
Location, similar to hashtags, are here for the long game. You will get discovered when people are interested on the area that you shoot and when they will be browsing for more stunning photos of this place.
Moreover, location will help you to discover other photographers and see what else did they shoot in the surrounding area. It’s a win / win situation if you use it right. After all, photos with location have an increased engagement rate.
3. Get Active
So what if people don’t engage with your content?
Be the man, be the one who makes the first move.
Like their photos and even comment if you like what you see. It’s bound to make some of the people, to check out your profile. Then, let your photos charm them…
4. Post Regularly
People like to see stories unfold in front of their eyes. Keep them hooked by providing them with new chapters of your instagram book. If you are posting once per month, you can’t expect your followers to be hooked and engage with you.
Prove your commitment. Constantly create new, top-quality content.
On Instagram your photo is forgotten as long as the next one appears in the timeline. Having said that, you don’t want to post more that twice a day, because then you will become annoying and that’s even worse than being forgettable.
5. Quality over Quantity
Yes, you have to post regularly but you must not post for the sake of posting. Upload new photos only if you have something remarkable to share.
People want to see photos from your vacation or that great coffee shop you visited yesterday. It all comes down to the quality of your content.
So, that was some of our suggestions in order for you to make your Instagram account to flourish. You can follow the above as guidelines and then create and add some new “rules” of your own as you advance in the game. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get the results you want. Give it time and enjoy the journey. It’s where the fun hides. And of course, if you disagree with everything we said, throw it all away and be yourself!
Who knows? You might actually be the next trendsetter. And if that happens, please don’t forget us!
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