Instagram: 5 tips for blogging newbies

This is the third part in these series. I’ve written before about Pinterest and Goodreads. But since I think Instagram can be a fun social media platform when you’re a blogger. It’s great to post some fun photos connected to your blog or just some fun pics that you like to share with your followers.

Since I haven’t used Instagram before, I had to go through some tutorials and the data from the help center from Instagram to get to know this social media platform.

Recently, I’ve placed my first photos on Instagram, so I’m making progress. Let’s see what I’ve learned so far. ^_^

1.      Follow people in your niche

Try to follow interesting people within your niche and interact with them, when they post something you like. If you're into books, follow lots of bookstagrammers or when you like fashion follow famous fashionistas. Try to follow reachable influencers too, as you’ll probably will get more reactions from other followers when you react to a post from someone with 50.000 followers, then when they’ve got around 2 million followers. You can try ‘though…:p

2.      Don’t spam

Spamming is never a good idea. It’s annoying for most people. But this mostly is about reacting to other instagrammers. Engaging is fun, but engage with thoughtful questions or reactions. Don’t just say ‘I wrote about that but better’. You’ve got a bigger chance of someone clicking on your account when you’re being respectful and if you add value . Spamming with your own posts is possible too, when you constantly post ads. Don't do this ofcourse. Try to add value and post fun engaging photos.

3.      Create a schedule

If Instagram is an important social media platform for your blog, then it’s a good idea to post frequently. Try to see when your followers are most active and try to post around that time. If you don’t have many followers yet you can see at when the people you follow get the most reaction or when people are generally most active on Instagram. 

4.      Add good photos

You don’t need the latest camera to post great photos. Most smartphones are equipped with a good camera. When you take your photo, try to place your subject nicely centered. Most photos on Instagram are square shaped and that way you don’t lose too much of your photo. You can add a filter if you like.

5.      Adding a fun description.

It’s important to add a good description with your photo. Use a good question or add a small and fun text. Limit your text to something short and/or catchy. Use the right hashtags, as it’s easier for your followers to share your posts that way.

I hope this was helpful. I’m going to try and use this platform more frequently in the future.