10 Ways To Improve Your Instagram

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10 Ways To Improve Your Instagram

It's fair to say that Instagram has become a significant player in social media. Having a beautiful, engaging, and unique Instagram account can enhance your business, or as a content creator, just like me, it can create fantastic opportunities. So how do you get Instagram to stand out from the crowd? It's not an easy thing to do, but I decided today to share ten tips that have worked for me, and that helped me grow my Instagram account over time.

1. Choose A Style

One thing that worked for me over the last few years was developing more of a unique style to my Instagram feed. Before this, I wasn't much of a selective photographer, au contraire, I used to post absolutely every picture I took, and I liked. At that time, I did not have a comprehensive overview of how my grid looked or felt; I wasn't thinking about the whole picture of the network. I know you might think that some people, don't care about this, and that's not entirely wrong, mainly because they are only looking at the individual image as it appears in their feed, but trust me: when you are portraying a brand, whether it's for yourself as a content creator or for a business, it's essential to think about the overall vibe you want to create with your Instagram grid.

Some people take this very seriously and only post specific photos that represent their style and work on their grid (they think about colors, angles, mood). I fall into it loosely. I want my feed to look and feel cohesive and beautiful, but I don't like to be too harsh on myself because it might stop me from being authentic and spontaneous. I want to edit only with a handful of filters (more about it later). I also like to have a mix of promotional things, plus a combination of personal things that I love.

2. Have Lots To Choose From

One thing that I've learned over the past few years of using Instagram is that having a lot of photos to choose from can be so helpful. It can be a tad annoying when you're out and about to snap things, but it pays off in the end. It allows you to see things from different angles, and it gives you more options when playing with the image in your overall feed. For example, what I do is take about 5 to 10 pictures of the same thing: object/landscape, etc.; the images look just slightly different. Remember to erase any photo that you do not plan to use, or you will end up with that annoying alert on your phone saying that the "storage is full." Currently, I have 16301 photos on my phone, so please don't do it like me!

3. Edit Your Photos

This is something that has become an art. Having a beautiful image is one thing, but editing it is what makes the image POP! First, you will need apps that can help you. My favorites are Afterlight, VSCO, and A Color Story. Here's why:

Afterlight:

This is where I typically start. I like to use Afterlight for cropping, adding brightness, contrast and sometimes sharpening and playing with shadows. You can use the other apps for these things too, but I happen to like Afterlight the most for it. Once I am done with this one, I will use the other two for more editing.

A Color Story:

I love A Color Story for the fantastic color ranges it has for editing photos. My favorite filters are the "EVELYN," "CASSIDY," and "VALERIE."

VSCO:

VSCO is also a fantastic app for editing the color of your photos. I love "A4" and "A6." I also love VSCO for planning out my pictures in the grid. See below:

4. Plan Your Photos

This is something I only started doing a year ago, and it's great if you're looking to create a more curated grid. I blame my photographer friends for getting me addicted to planning out my next few photos—it's an obsession. However, as I mentioned before, sometimes I am trying to allow myself not to be so picky about it so I can still be real and genuine and not too artsy. I don't bother me seeing something "too artsy" on other people's feed, I, in fact, love it, but for myself, I'd instead go for a mix. VSCO is great for uploading your photos and seeing them in a grid format. I also use Later; it helps me to both plans my grid and schedule when photos should go up on Instagram. Why is this awesome? Because I don't have to worry about it while I am at work in a meeting and trust me, that's the best time to post, based on my analysis.

When planning out photos in your grid, look for what appeals to your eye. For me, it's never repeating the same style photo too close to one another. I also make sure the grid doesn't look too busy. For example, if you have a picture of flowers, maybe you should wait until it's out of sight before you post another one. Also, if the next one you pick looks very different from the other one and you think it won't matter, think twice, I always strive for this when possible. This can be tricky when you have to post something for work or really want to post something that is time-sensitive. Instagram is still meant to be fun, so don't sweat it too much. Just post it. You can always delete it later if you want.

5. Engagement Is the Key

If you're looking to really grow your Instagram following, the engagement is critical...especially now that the algorithm is in place. People want to feel like they're part of your community. They want to feel like they know you and that you know them and you acknowledge their voice. That means that you should reply to comments, like other people's photos, comment on other people's photos. This will not only help you create a closer relationship with your followers, but it also means they will see a higher reach for you as more of your photos. This is something I really struggle with. I want to be connected to my audience, but I don't want to feel glued to my phone. So, it's a work in progress for me.

Timing is a significant component now. There are ideal moments for your specific audience, and you need to be aware of this. That's when you need to post things if you want more engagement in your photo. Also, call things to action with your audience. Ask them questions. Be involved. Have them comment on your posts or tag people. These can all help you grow your engagement and audience in a fun way.

6. Take Photos In The Camera App

I don't like snapping photos in the Instagram app or using Instagram filters (however, I'm sure they have vastly improved). I want to use the camera app on my phone. I also make sure that I get the very best lighting I can. Natural light is better for my preferred style—I never use the flash. It's also great to remember to use the tools in the camera app, like focusing and adding or removing the light from the shot by tapping on the photo.

7. Stay Consistent

I think that posting consistently and around the same time is going to help you improve your engagement. It can vary from person to person, but personally, it has been proven to me that posting every day is essential if you want to stay in your audience's view. That way they don't have to check out your profile to see if you've posted something new. I also think that posting 1 to 3 times a day is ideal for personal branding and maybe more if you're the type of brand that implies a lot of content. Just make sure not to post all at once and give your audience a bit of time between your posts.

8. Follow Content You Love

I'm working on cleaning up my list of who I follow. It's not a personal thing; it's just that it's getting harder and harder to see photos that I really want to see. So, it's essential to clean up my list in favor of people's pictures that really inspire me. It also helps to drown out a lot of noise and makes Instagram more enjoyable for me.

9. Use Hashtags

I have a love/hate relationship with hashtags, but they do really work. If done correctly, it helps to showcase your photos to a more specific audience, and it gives you the chance to get your photo featured by a more significant Instagram account. This can help grow your followers. And since we got here, don't forget to use my hashtags #iamfoodietraveler and #take12tripsin1year. I always click the like button on your photo, add a little comment, and from time to time, if I like the picture a lot, I even feature it on my stories.

10. Don't Follow Rules

I know this makes no sense after I just listed a bunch of "rules" for you to follow, but after all, Instagram is meant to be fun. If you turn it into a tool made to help you gain followers and you only go by these strict guidelines, it will lose its magic. I try to maintain a balance between using strategies and guidelines to improve and grow my account and being genuine, having fun, and feeling inspired. In the end, those are the things that will really help improve your Instagram.

Don't forget to follow me @IamFoodieTraveler