Tips On How To Grow Your Instagram Account In 2020

I decided to share these tips because more and more I get asked how did I do it. Firstly, I want to point out that I dedicate a lot of time to my account, and I plan my feed based on seasons and holidays. I always try to take photos no matter where I am, as even a random picture of my shoe can fit into the feed if I plan it accordingly.

I have a high interest in Instagram as it brings a lot of visualizations from my travels, and that's the reason why I invest time in doing research and trying different things to see what works best for me.

I want to share with you some of my findings, but also to point out that not all that works for me will work for each and every one of you.

You Have To Like Instagram And The Idea Behind The Platform

I know a lot of people that use Instagram only to edit the photos they have with the filters the app offers, and then they go and post those pictures on Facebook. That's great, but if you are serious about growing your account on Instagram, you need to like Instagram for everything it has to offer, not only the filters.

I wrote about the app you should use for editing photos.

DO NOT FILTER! Edit. Yes. I like to use filters inside of A Color Story and in VSCOCAM. Still, I use them sparingly and put most of my effort into actually editing my photos (brightness, clarity, sharpness, saturation, and curves.) Don't be deceived by all the filters. The real Instagram marketing experts know that no filter is typically the best way to go. Colors like green, yellow, and blue get better engagement, as do a bit longer Instagram captions and captions that include questions.

Take High-Quality Photos And #Instagramable

Nowadays, more and more people use Instagram to follow a selective number of accounts (I do the same); therefore, your photos need to be unique, high quality and to say something important in the context of today. In general, your photo should inspire and offer a mood. Very appreciated nowadays are the #details or #flatlay type of pictures, where different objects are arranged in a certain way to inspire.

If you are just used to make a model stand, that will not be great for growing your account. For travel accounts, mainly, it works wonders if you don't look at the camera, and it seems like an instant photo, as you are surprised someone is taking that photo. Actually, if you think about it, the name of the platform says it all – INSTA-gram!

Another great pose is from the back, but Instagram is saturated about this type of picture, so try to spice it up a bit!

To have the most #instagramable photos, you need to take advantage of every beautiful corner of nature our planet has to offer and to observe every single detail in a building before you plan your feed. You don't have to be in all your photos, but try to look at the architecture of the buildings in a city, the view of an empty street, the landscapes, but don't forget about the food – that will offer perfect #flatlay.

If you don't often travel, just try to create things on your own in your house – buy some small props and take as many angles as possible until you find the right one for you. For this type of photo, you need creativity, inspiration but mostly dedication.

Create A Theme Create A Thematic Concerning The Setting/Aspect Of Your Pictures

Until almost two years ago I would have just posted a random photo, just because I like it. While getting more engaged in the community and talking to more and more bloggers and content creators, I realized that if I want a positive impact on my feed, I need to post my photos in a specific theme. And that is something you can pick on your own. The big secret is that the images need to match each other, color-wise, but also content-wise.

EXTRA TIP

You can either use a line of 3 or chest type. This means either you post three photos in a row with the same chromatic, or you can do it alternating.

If you find this difficult, just find one specific filter you love and stick to it and then just play around with the content itself – if you are a travel creator – post one photo of you and one of a landscape or post three pictures of you and three photos of a landscape. If you have multiple niches like me – you can play even more with your photos, and to do so, there is a broad range of apps to help you out – PREVIEW, LATER, PLANOLY, and so on. (just google it and find the one you like the most!)

Post Regular

Just like a relationship, you have to look after Instagram continually. This is not to exaggerate with the posts, but to form a schedule for posting. For example, this year, I decided to try to post two pictures every day, one in the morning and one in the evening. This way, I am sure I get to reach out to more people. Instagram loves when users are active, and your photos might end up on the explorer page. A critical aspect of this is to make sure you post daily; otherwise, it will not work. If you are not consistent, the platform will think that you are not really interested much in getting business out there.

Be Active: Comment, Like, Follow!

This is the best way to get organic followers and likes on Instagram and make your account as popular as possible. For a start, it is good to start with your friends and close friends. Give them a like, comment on their pictures, and follow them, if you haven't already followed them (as you do on Facebook).

Then look for accounts that have the same interests as you. For example, I am looking for the most accounts that are posted by food and travel niche because I am very interested in finding out hidden gems locations or beautiful new restaurants that opened recently. Once I found them, I start to engage with those accounts, I follow them, comment, and like regularly and also watch stories and videos from IGTV. Commenting on the pictures of these accounts that are similar to yours brings a chance for those people to respond positively back, and so your Instagram account will grow. If you want your images to get more likes or comments, you need to start engaging with other users. Before you do, you need to understand that people do more liking than commenting. Every second, people create 575 new likes versus 81 comments.

So, if you take the time to comment on someone else's profile, that person is more likely to come back to yours. People will not only comment on your photo if you comment on theirs, but they are 401% more likely to follow you in this case.

Your BIO Is The Most Important: Make It Unique!

If the pictures represent your portfolio, then the bio represents your identity. Use that little space to your advantage and write a few words about yourself, in a unique form, but that will represent you. Practically, briefly, and objectively. If you also have a website, don't forget to add your link and Instagram to your business model, so that people will be more comfortable to contact, and you will see the statistics and impact of your posts.

Be Present In Pictures And Accounts Of Other People

Whether you meet friends and pose, or meet new people, it helps if those people take pictures of you and tag you. This way, you will have exposure to all their followers. You can do the same for them, as well as propose them to make an exchange of exposure. Make sure you post photos that represent you. That means you don't need glamorous, picture-perfect pictures. We're curious about how other people live, especially if we want to live that way ourselves. This is good news since we can often feel overwhelmed to get the best shot.

Connect Your Instagram To Other Socialization Networks (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, Etc.)

After you post a picture on Instagram, distribute this picture on your Facebook account (Twitter or whatever), or the page, if you have one. That way, you can bring new followers, who may not have discovered you before, or maybe they knew you, but this time they saw a picture that surprised them and decided to follow you. Any action, no matter how small, helps you build your Instagram account as trustworthy as possible.

Tag All Relevant Brands

If you are visiting a newly opened restaurant or you wonder in a different city, you should always tag the brand, no matter if that is a restaurant, a tourism board, a museum, or a clothing brand. Maybe they will like the picture so much that they will post it, and then you will receive exposure and automatically new followers.

Add Hashtags

For now, you are allowed to put up to 30 hashtags on Instagram, but it is important how you use them, and I also believe that the number of hashtags is not essential but their quality. It's relevant to use hashtags that are related to your picture (e.g., a photo with an outfit) and post some trendy hashtags (e.g., #fashion #outfit) and some hashtags on the same topic, but not as popular, as when someone is looking to appear as long as the popular ones (e.g., #fashiontoday #ootd).

Personal hashtags are crucial, that is, the ones you only have and nobody else. For example, I always use #iamfoodietraveler and #take12tripsin1year (so you can click on that hashtag and only see the pictures I took for my account). Lately, these two hashtags have become pretty popular and more and more people are using it; therefore a new strategy that works very well for travel is #gabrielainamsterdam. These hashtags give you uniqueness unless someone with the same name as you decides to use it.

So as a conclusion, your goal is to use the most relevant and highest traffic hashtags. I suggest doing hashtag research. I do this by looking at a tag I love, say #traveltheworld, then seeing what other people tag that also use that hashtag as well.

Add The Location Where The Picture Is Taken (Geo Tags)

Let's say you go to a known local restaurant in the city or an event and you take a picture, you need to add the place where the picture is taken, and in this way, you will see the image and other people who are interested in that place. If they like your photo, you will definitely receive a like and maybe even a follow-up.

Instagram Stories

Yes, of course, I will discuss this topic; it's one of the most traffic driven options from Instagram. As with the feed, you need to be consistent with your stories. Spread the stories out over the time span of a full day. Since Instagram loves consistency, this action will be perfect for your account. Use the extra time you have at home to do some research and find new coll apps for original content on your stories.

Account Tagging

Instagram allows us to tag 20 accounts when posting a photo, so make it count. If you post food-related images, find food magazines, or healthy lifestyle accounts, some editorials might repost your photos as well. Always make sure to tag yourself in the middle of the picture and put the other tags randomly. I noticed some put all 19 ones in one corner, one on top of the other, but I don't think accounts that want to repost your pictures will be pleased about it, so just make sure your account is visible centrated and add the rest around it.

Very important to mention:

- I do not encourage follower applications because you have nothing to gain from it! Maybe yes, you get some likes and followers, but those followers also follow the same thing, only to receive followers. It is essential to have as many followers in your area, with the same interests as you, that they engage in your posts and interact with you.

- also, you do not gain anything if you have followers, but your photos are not high quality with a good engagement #justsayin.'

- this one might not be THAT surprising, but it's still exciting and worth noting. Doing a giveaway is a GREAT way to gain followers. YES. I know. You probably already know that! But it can be an excellent boost. Make sure you run the contest yourself or in a group of close friends in order to be sure it is a successful contest! Otherwise, if you just participate in the mas giveaways on the platform, these will bring a lot of fake followers, and Instagram will penalize you.

These are my tips. I hope I didn't miss anything, but if I did, please email me at iamfoodietraveler@gmail.com, and I will update this document every few months.

It is definitely not easy to set up an Instagram account. Still, it is definitely helpful if you like this application, and if you are passionate about everything, that means photos and quality content! Even more so, if your Instagram is also a way to promote yourself or your business! Of all the social networks, I invest the most time and energy on Instagram!

Don't forget, wherever you go, whatever you see, whatever you discover, picture, picture, and picture! Sometimes it takes maybe 50 photos to get a successful image; it is essential not to leave; try from several angles until the successful picture comes out. You will see that over time, you will realize what perspectives go best in the picture, whether it is a selfie or you put up a building. Don't forget to edit the images. You can edit the photos very well only with Instagram, but besides the Filters, you also go to the next step, to Edit and walk to Brightness, Contrast, Structure, Temperature, Clarity, and what's more there. It all matters, play with them until you like the end result. There is much to discuss editing pictures. Maybe I'll do a post on how to edit images for Instagram, but also, I will need a whole day, because it's a lot of work.

I hope this post is useful and let me know if you want me to share more insights.

I wanted to give you a foundation for growth and unlock some of your potential on Instagram. You can find me on Instagram @iamfoodietraveler or email: iamfoodietraveler@gmail.com

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