Hey everyone!
Thank you so much for returning to my blog.
Today's blog is all about what you should and shouldn't do on Instagram.
I have had Instagram for over 4 years and I have been using my blog for a few months. By now, I know almost everything that should and shouldn't be done on Instagram. So I thought that I would share this blog so that you can all grow your accounts and change how you are using them!
THE DO'S:
USE UP TO 30 HASHTAGS IN EACH POST (POPULAR ONES):
Although hashtags do not look nice in the caption, they do mean that lots of accounts will find your posts. If you do not want to put your hashtags into the caption, then you can always put them into the comments. You should make sure to use up to 30 if you want people to discover your post, however, do make sure that they are popular hashtags! Why use a hashtag that has 15 posts on it? Not many people will see what you are posting! If you want to use more than 30 hashtags, well then I am afraid it is almost impossible. Instagram limits the amount of hashtags you use to stop spam accounts. I have tried before to post with more than 30 hashtags and I had expected some likes from accounts which did not follow me. I only then realised that it had not worked, due to using too many hashtags. Consequently, when you go over the limit, none of the hashtags work. Or, if you post your hashtags in the comments section, then it will simply not post.
SHARE EXCITING AND INTERESTING POSTS TO KEEP FOLLOWERS:
Share exciting things that are happening in your life. Your followers will be interested and keen to comment about exciting posts, or share your account with other followers of theirs if they like your content. It is important to post different things and vary what you share with your followers, to see what they prefer the most.
FIND OTHER ACCOUNTS SIMILAR TO YOURSELF:
Be active and like other people's posts and find people who are similar to yourself! These people will engage on your posts and want to find out more about your account!
USE INSIGHTS:
If you are a business account then you will have insights. Use these insights to see which posts are favoured by your followers and also to find out what certain people follow you and where they are from! This is really important in growing your account as well. Realising what the mode age range is can be really helpful in planning your posts, as well as all of the amazing other insights this feature offers!
DO QOTD/ HOLD POLLS ON YOUR STORY:
QOTD stands for 'question of the day.' By asking a question in the caption every time you post, you are encouraging people to comment. This means you can share questions related to yourself to find out more about your followers. You can put the QOTD on your posts on your story! As well, holding polls on your story is a great way to engage followers and find out about them! You should also share on your story about your new posts, if you are keen to maximize how many people see them.
EXPERIMENT WITH POSTING TIMES:
Try and post your photos at different times to see when the best engagement times are for you. So you could start with posting sometimes in the morning and then in the afternoon. Then maybe in the evening another day.
THE DONT'S:
POST PICTURES AT THE SAME TIME:
Please don't post all your pictures at the same time, it can be so annoying for your followers to have to see! It means that your engagement will go down as most people don't enjoy liking and commenting on ten pictures all from the same account. You should try and post your pictures a few days apart, or every day if you have a lot.
DON'T COPY OTHER PEOPLE'S ACCOUNTS:
I have had this recently from another account and it is just so horrible to see. If people want to use your pictures then they should definitely ask you beforehand because like otherwise it is technically copyright and you should report or block them to Instagram. Additionally, for me, another blogger has been copying all my original content on my account which is really upsetting. Don't be that person who just copies other people to gain followers, because it will not work! Sooner or later, people will realise and your engagement will go down.
AND LAST ONE....
DON'T DO SPAM ('FFF')
This one is one that could be discussed for days! I mean I have done 'fff' before as well and do still do it a little bit. I find commenting 'fff' does usually work and so I wouldn't say don't do it because of that! If you do want to gain a large amount of followers quickly then it would probably work, but for me and others, these followers will unfollow in the long-term because they may not actually like your account, but were only tempted to follow because they knew they would get an extra follow.
People will follow and then unfollow because they aren't actually interested in your account. Additionally, another negative of 'fff' is that some people will send you hate messages back about how you should not do it and how it is just desperate and against Instagram rules. Believe me when I say that, because I have had messages like this so many times! Some people argue that while trying to grow their account this is the method they use, but it really will not help with growing your account and in the long-term, these followers probably will not be interested in your account.
Thank you for checking out this blog! I hope you found it helpful and have found some new ideas to use to grow your account. If you would like to learn how to gain followers the right way then you can read my two other blogs to help you:
How to gain followers - please click here to read.
How to gain the right followers for your account - please click here to read.If you enjoyed reading this post then please like it or share it on one of the social medias below! Thank you once again.
Beth Lucy