seven ways to improve your instagram account

i am an avid instagrammer. i was there when the social media first started out, anxiously waiting for it to be released onto android devices. i remember taking pictures with my phone, exporting it to my ipod touch, using the (then) cool instagram filters, and finally sharing it with the world. i didn’t know what i was getting myself into. oh, how utterly clueless i was. needless to say, i’ve acquired a few tips and tricks along the way.

socialize.

it’s a social media for goodness sake. interact with others! what most people forget to do is comment. sometimes, like-ing and following a person isn’t enough. once you take the time to comment on someone’s picture, they’ll probably take the time to comment back, thus the “friend making” process with be faster. i mean, you DO want to make friends, right? (don’t worry; internet people won’t bite. most of the time.)

however, i’d stay clear from simply commenting things like, “love your account! follow mine?” it’ll make it seem like you’re simply commenting for follows, which will probably have the opposite affect of what you’re looking for. be genuine about what you’re commenting about!

captions.

captions are (sometimes) just as important as the picture itself. instead of just writing, “books and tea!” have something more interesting to share. you could change that to, “hot tea and a hottie! the book is my boyfriend, OBVIOUSLY. i’m reading _____ and love these characters! <33” show your personality! i usually end my captions with a related question to create a conversation, making more people eager to comment and interact. another thing people tend to forget: check your spelling and grammar! i immediately judge a person if they mix up “your” and “you’re.” it could be a mistake, but doesn’t mean i won’t judge you.

hashtag.

it may make you look like you’re thirsty for likes and followers, but how ELSE are other people going to find your account? this is, in my opinion, the easiest and fastest way for others to find your account; i often scroll through tags to find accounts to follow! however, make sure you tag things that are relevant to your account. i’m not a huge fan of tags that are: #likeforlike or #follow because those won’t get to your target audience. sure, there may be people who end up following you, but they won’t stay for long because your account may not be something they’re interested in. nothing personal! for my bookstagram account i usually add tags that are along the lines of: #bookstagram, #books, #booklover, etc.

i also suggest adding tags in a separate comment instead of in the caption. this way, if more than x-amount of people comment, people wouldn’t be able to see your tags at first glance; they would need to click “more comments” in order to see them. it also makes you look less like you’re hungry for likes.

schedule your posts.

avoid posting your best pictures in the wee hours of the morning. why? no one will be able to see your picture because they’re probably sleeping! isn’t the whole purpose of sharing your picture, well, sharing? try scheduling your posts when you think people will be able to see it (i.e. morning, after work, noon, etc.). i also try to schedule my posts so i share something at least once a day. some people like to do more than one picture a day, or a picture every few days. just make sure it’s not posting five photos at once, then disappearing for the rest of the week.

quality content.

check every single picture you post. don’t just post something “for the sake of posting,” unless you don’t care much. all those accounts you follow and love? they probably critique and filter their photos repeatedly – i know i do. take multiple shots of what you’re planning on posting and choose your favorite. i suggest editing it with apps like snapseed, vsco cam, and afterlight. there are times when you don’t need a filter, but 9/10 times a filter will make a picture look nicer. also, try to post your picture at the highest quality possible. a nice picture doesn’t come out of thin air or luck; hard work and dedication is put into it.

avoid doing too many shout outs or giveaway posts.

you know what bothers me to no end? when an account i like is constantly doing “shout out for shout out” for more followers, then delete the post after a certain time. sure, it’s alright once in a while; and sure, it does get some exposure to more followers, BUT you will loose some genuine followers in the process – like me. i find these extremely annoying and i won’t hesitate to unfollow you right away; i’m sure i’m not the only who thinks this. it’s fine to do it once in a while, but try not to do it everyday.

don’t be stupid.

this tip seems laughable, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t realize how many people are oblivious online. when i say, “don’t be stupid,” i actually mean, “don’t do stupid things,” like…

• reveal anything too personal, like your home address, phone number, etc.
• start a fight on someone’s picture or hate on their account
• steal another person’s picture without properly crediting or asking. (THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!) you’d be very surprised by how many people (including myself) get enraged when they find their picture on someone else’s account. this is the same as STEALING. please don’t steal.
• these are basic internet rules!

have you checked out the social media? what’s your username? i might give you a follow *wink wink* have you followed my #bookstagram yet? let me know!!