Top Tips | Instagram

I'm not an expert in the field of good old Instagram, but I have some tips for those of you who either want to start using Instagram, or simply improve or revamp their existing profile. I hope you enjoy this post. Please remember, Instagram is just a bit of fun, its a hobby for most people, so just take what you want from this post depending on how seriously you want to take it.

PROFILE

I think your profile picture is an important aspect of the overall look of your profile. Some people can have a logo or some text as their profile photo, but personally, I find this can detach the followers from the person doing the posting. Personally, I like to see the face of the person I'm following, or contemplating following when I look over a new gallery I've discovered. I find having a photo of yourself makes your account seem more genuine and somewhat more welcoming to your potential followers, so keep this in mind when creating a profile or if you're ready to change yours up a bit.
 

In the bio section, write something about yourself. You could put your first name in there if you aren't comfortable using your full name, you could add your age, possibly your occupation or your educational status (i.e. are you an A Level student? What are you doing a degree in? That kind of thing). I have a little quote in my bio, together with my age and the degree I' doing. I also have an emoji in there too. Don't leave your bio blank and don't be too obscure, people would be less likely to follow you if there isn't a lot in there, but don't over do it either :)

Links are important. If you have a blog page, a YouTube channel, your Twitter or Pinterest page, put the link on your page too. Don't copy and paste the link to your bio though because others won't be able to click on it, there's a seperate bit for links which can allow others to open the webpage. I have photos below which should hopefully illistarate to you what I mean.

(Click on 'Edit your Profile' on your Instagram gallery, and paste your link next to the 'webpage' icon which is underneath where you enter your username, but above where you write your bio)

YOUR GALLERY

You can do whatever you want with your gallery, you can take photos of whatever you want. I try to be a bit more consistant with my photos by using the same filters etc. I don't really have a theme, but I do try and make them look similar in some way. You don't have to do this, but I love doing it this way. You can have a theme if you like, some people theme by colour, or genre, but again, that really isn't my thing either. Just the photos your mark, make them individual to you. This step isn't all that important. Just make your gallery original, people like that.

TAKING THE PHOTOS

Firstly, you'll need to find something to take a photo of. Think about how you want your gallery to look collectively and if you're happy to take a photo of whatever it is you have your eye on, then do so. I always take into account the amount of natural light there is and which angle to take the photo from. It can make all the difference, especially if you love flat lays which are very popular on Instagram. I always use the 'square' option on the iPhone because I already know it's going to be the exact same size as the images you can take via the Instagram app. It means you don't have to be using or connected to the internet to take a photo and you don't have to post them striaght away, it also means you can take several photos of the same thing that are still different in some way, and you can then decide which one you want to post later without rushing it. So take this into account as well. 

I hate that Instagram have now made it possible to post photos which can be different sizes, because this can affect how your gallery looks as a whole. I suggest you stick to the traditional square photo guys, I find it can look more polished when put together with the rest of your photos.

EDITING THE PHOTOS

 Don't over edit. There are loads of different editing apps you can download, but personally, I think Instagram already have all the editing options anyone could really need. I don't like to use boarders and all by photos are the same size, I just think it looks a lot more polished, especially when you look at the gallery collectively. I always opt for brighter filters, not dark or rustic looking ones, but if that's your thing, by all means use them. I have actually done a blog post about how I edit my Instagram photos which I will leave a link to here.

I would also say, don't use loads of hashtags, add some more general ones if you like, and don't add tags which are too obscure, because they can simply be a waste of space when it comes to the photo description. The more general the hashtag, the more people will see your photo, like it and potentially visit your profile, and if they like what they see, you have a new follower. Tad dar ;)

POSTING THE PHOTO

Think about the kinds of people that already follow you, how old are they? Do you have more male or female followers? This can determine what themed photo you upload and at what time to get the most photo views. If most of your followers are in school, perhaps post at around 4pm or the early evening, because if you post in the middle of the day, they may ot see it till later, and by then, your photo wouldn't be as high up in their feed and they may not even see it. Timing can be everything when posting to Instagram, so post at reasonable times, that way, more and more people will see and like your photo.

GROWING YOUR PROFILE

This depends on how bothered you are about gaining more followers and acheiving more likes. If this is something on your agenda, then there's one thing you can do which will help this. Get involved in the community. By that I mean like other people's photos, comment on them, let them know how much you like it and that you post photos that are similar. Get yourself noticed. You won't if you don't get involved more. Also, share a link to your profile on your other social media platforms. Share it on Twitter and Facebook etc. You're bound to grow your audience :)

PEOPLE WHO I LOVE TO FOLLOW

I follow all kinds of different people, from friends, to celebraties, to animal lovers and lifestyle bloggers, theres something out there for everyone on Instagram. I've linked three accounts below to profiles that I follow, check them out and see if they float your boat too :)



@mimiikonn
@hilaryrushford
@ciderwithrosieblog 

 I hope you enjoyed this post. I will be back as normal on Sunday with my usual schedule. There's something very excting happening on Monday, and I want to share it with you all! So look out for that post which will be out Wednesday 23rd March. Until then guys :)

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