Career
12 Ways to Kick Ass on Instagram
12 super-effective methods to help you grow your following and build credibility using Instagram.
Ok – you can admit it. Like most of us, you can’t go an hour without checking your Instagram feed; am I right, or am I right? From those incredible travel pics your friend just posted, to your favorite blogger’s new outfit, there’s always something juicy to look at.
Got an Etsy shop or your own blog on the side? Instagram is arguably the best way to connect with other women, and a great way to build a following for your business. It’s an addictive form of image-based social media, that should not be ignored by anyone wanting to market to women.
Here are 10 tried-and-true tips to help you build an engaged Instagram following, from the basics to the more advanced:
@Urbanette on Instagram
Give your feed flow.
Don’t just post whatever photo you like individually, but instead think of each potential photo post as part of a whole. Similar to when you pick out an outfit to wear, you consider how each item works and compliments you in relation to the other items on your body. Do the same with photos. They should flow from one to the next, creating an overall feel and look for your feed. That said, don’t post tons of super-similar photos. You don’t want to flood your feed with six different angles of the same outfit. While more photos may mean more likes, the last thing you want to do is annoy your followers.
Take professional-looking photos on a real camera.
Sometimes you can get away with a cellphone snapshot if you run it through an image editing app, but your feed will end up looking much more impressive if you take high-res photos on a decent camera.
Make the images POP.
Import the photos into a photo-editing tool (we love Pixlr and Polarr) and play with them until they match the look you’re going for. Use filters to make the images look good together. You can also try adding text or an inspirational saying.
All of our images flow together like a story, including our quote pics
People love quotes.
On days where you don’t have an image you love ready to post, find a great quote and type it out in a nice font. You can use PicLab for this, or create something cool in Canva or Crello.
Elza Olsen
Food pictures with filters, Black and white photos, random boob shots. There is so much more easy ways to raise IG followers.
Crystal Reagan
FILTERS! always go with the filters. Don’t overpopulate your posts with hashtags and just trust the filters! And if it helps, You can never go wrong with BNW. It looks elegant on serious photos and also looks good on wacky shots.
Tee R. Sebastien
What a helpful and inspiring post! Thank you, Hilary!
Megan Phillips
A picture is worth a thousand words…Instagram proves that. Your advice teaches how it can be worth a million! I don’t yet have a brand to promote but your advice certainly gives me a lot of food for thought. My favorite tips are about having a congruent theme to tie the pictures together and asking my followers questions. You mentioned that we should put the hashtags in the first comment. Whats the logic behind that? Great article and I appreciate you sharing your secrets with us :-).
Frances Seifert
You’re a brilliant woman, Hilary! You never run out of great ideas!
Hilary Rowland
Awww thanks so much! I read a TON, so that helps. I feel like I’m never not working and thinking about the next article…
Nicky Bryan
Thank you for the advice and tips. I’m so motivated to start an Instagram account for my Etsy store. 😀
Hilary Rowland
Oh – you definitely should! It would help with sales and be a good way for fans to follow and remember your shop.
Catherine White
Those are some geniues ideas, can be applied by just anyone! I love how simple yet effictive they are. Big thanks!
Emma Blackwood
???? this is one of the most helpful aritlces you’ve ever published. i’m so excited to try it all out. ?
Monika Zajac
Influencers is just what I need for blog / Instagram. I’ll search for some and contact them. Thanks for the great ideas.
Evelyn Sandler
Great advice, especially for beginners. I’ll share this article on my Facebook timeline. 🙂
Hilary Rowland
Thank you!