Okay, so I’m not even sure how I’m going to break this down, but it is, by far, my most requested topic. How do you grow your Instagram following. Let me start by saying that I am in no means a social media guru. I write a blog and microblog on Instagram, as well as working as a content media strategist. I’m not a person with 100k followers or tons and tons of sponsored posts.
So to break this down as easily as I can, there’s 6 topics I’m gonna cover.
Content: Quality > Quantity
Schedule & Timing
Aesthetic/Theme
Buying Followers/Likes
Sponsored Posts
Personal vs. Professional
Content: Quality > Quantity
We’ve all seen those accounts, you know, the one that posts 5+ times a day. They drown your feed in content and ads and you click that unfollow button without a second thought. You do not want to be that person. The optimum Instagrams post one to two posts a day, but I personally don’t follow that. I like to make sure I have at least one post every two to three days. I’m not saying don’t double post, it’s your account, have fun with it! Just be conscious of how much you post, as you don’t want to over saturate your followers’ feeds.
Schedule & Timing
There are a few times and days that are the best to post on/during because they’ll get optimum exposure. Instagrams algorithm is a tricky one to figure out and optimize, but it is possible.
These are the best times to post for each day of the week.
Sunday 5 pm
Monday 7 pm, 10 pm
Tuesday 3 am, 10 pm
Wednesday 5 pm
Thursday 7 am, 11 pm
Friday 1 am, 8 pm
Saturday 12 am, 2 am
For me, these times are tried and true, but you should definitely experiment! See what other people from your niche are doing, what times work best, etc.
Aesthetic/Theme
This is kind of the most difficult to explain. Pick what you do well, and run with it. Wanna blog about makeup? Do it! OOTDs your jam? Fashion blogger it is. I generally say that my blog and Instagram fall under the category of a lifestyle blogger, but that term is definitely subjective. When you pick a niche and stick with it, you’ll find yourself immersed in a community of like-minded people, and you’ll make friends!
Something that I’ve been doing recently (probably about three or four months now) is using the same editing for photos. I like bright, airy photos, with the same VSCO filter over each of them at 4.5 strength. This created a consistency to my Instagram feed that’s really pleasing to look at, and the flow makes it easy to scroll and enjoy it.
You definitely don’t need to do the editing/filter thing, but I cannot recommend enough taking the time to explore the different niches and find what you truly enjoy doing. Don’t pick one because you think it’s a way to get tons of followers, because the best accounts are always the ones run by people who are passionate about the content that they’re creating.
Buying Followers/Likes
Just don’t. Everyone can tell when your followers aren’t real. It puts you at risk of having your account shut down and you banned from the site.
It isn’t worth it.
Sponsored Posts
Working with different brands and businesses is super cool. Those collaborations are probably my favorite part of the job. Notice I say the word job, when you work, you get paid. Don’t offer to work with a brand for free, in exchange for the publicity. You’re devaluing your work, my work, and everyone else’s. There are so many brands and companies that will pay bloggers for exposure. I also personally don’t recommend approaching brands, it’s better to let them come to you.
Don’t let every post on your feed be a #sponsored post either. Your followers will notice your walking billboard and will unfollow in a blink. It’s just not a good look. Personally, I try to only do a couple sponsored posts a month to remain authentic and true to myself, and my followers. I also will not advertise for a brand that I personally would not use. Don’t be a sellout for a garbage product
Personal vs. Professional
This is my biggest struggle. I love to share the photos that are shot on a professional camera and edited on the computer that just look so classy and well down. I also love to share the iPhone picture I snapped on a road trip or in a bookstore. So many people lose their identities behind their accounts. They publish a perfectly polished post and the likes and comments come rolling in, but people who know them personally see right through it. Don’t let your fantasy block your reality. I am all for living in the moment, so sometimes that means snapping a quick pic that may not be perfect, but seeing it warms my heart with the memory. Professional photos are great, just don’t lose your authenticity behind them. My bet is people are following you for you, not for a fake reality.
That’s all I’ve got for now, I hope this will be helpful to those of you that have asked!
If you have any questions or tips I’d love to hear them!
xo
