Wednesday 10 February 2016

Let's chat about Instagram

Oh Instragram you are a conundrum.
I have spent the last three months obsessing over instagram, I have probably read every post ever written on instragram tips and I've even completely renovated my account. My followers are very very very (one more very) slowly rising and although this isn't the be all and end all as a blogger, which you probably are, you want to have your hard work recognised, right? 

Here is what I have picked up so far: 
1. It's a good idea to have a theme - I know I know when it comes to Instagram 'theme' can be considered a dirty word. But you know what? I love a theme, it is aesthetically pleasing and it is more likely I will follow you if you have one. I had a bit of a awkward stage when trying to create a theme, like a puberty for instagrammers. I had heard someone say you needed to use the same filter for every photo, which can work. However the filter I had chosen made my skin in selfies look somewhat grey, not ideal for a blogger who does a makeup of the month series. So I stopped that and now I don't use a filter at all. I adjust the brightness of my photos instead in an attempt to make them pop. 

2. The amount of people you follow doesn't make much difference - The wonderful Jemma (strong name too) mentioned this in a post and a little lightbulb went ping inside my noggin because she is so right. By cutting back on who you follow you get to only see posts that will inspire you, I had a big old clean out and you know what happened to my follower numbers .... nothing. 

3. Be smart about hashtags - I downloaded the tagsforlikesapp which Frankie Winter told me about here it has made me think a bit outside of the box when it comes to what hashtags I use however, if you are posting a photo of a lipstick DON'T tag it #eyeliner #primer #foundation because that's not what it is is it cheeky? And if I am looking for a #eyeliner #primer #foundation photo and your lipstick picture turns up all you are going to do is piss me off!

Here are some you may not have thought of #tnchustler #abmlifeiscolourful #flashesofdeligh #thatsdarling #blogsociety #blogbffs #livethelittlethings #thehappynow #nothingisordinary #instagood #igers #instalike #fashioninsta #fashionstyle #fashionaddict #outfitinspiration #styleoftheday #styledbyme #asseenonme #streetstyle #instabeauty #monochrome #noir

4. Leave proper comments - Like with anything social media related interacting is going to be key. Like photos of a similar theme to yours, and interact with the followers of accounts you aspire to be like. However it really grinds my gears when I get a notification for a comment on instragram and it is something like 'Cool' it leaves me feeling pretty meh. Please don't just comment for the sake of it, say something inspired, make an observation, ask a question. And if you comment S4S or F4F or L4L on any of my photos that is the quickest way to stop me from checking out your account.

5. Take stock photos - It is a good idea to post often on instagram, not too much between 1 - 3 times per day is apparently the right amount. I guarantee you not everyone who posts a photo of a lovely coffee cup is actually drinking that coffee at time of posting. I didn't do this at first and it does obviously take something away from the authenticity, however if it is important for you to grow your account regular uploads are a must. Take more photos and save them for a rainy day when you have nothing particularly instagrammable around you. Trouble is I get too excited and just want to post 80 photos in a row, I must learn to control myself!

Try not to get too frustrated with it, which is totally hypocritical of me to say as it's driven me a little mad over the last couple of months. Follower counts on Instagram tend to yo yo and even my beautiful blogger pal MillyDayDreams who has a kick ass instagram said this is the same for her (so there is hope for us yet)

If you want to go and have a laugh at my instagram journey so far as I have left it all up (even the grey skinned selfies) please pop over to @acrossthispage and say hello!
SHARE:

18 comments

  1. I can relate so much! I'm trying to improve my Insta at the moment but it does feel like a never ending battle! I will get 2 new followers and then 3 people unfollow and it just keeps darting backwards and forwards! Nightmare! I definitely need to start taking the time to write comments and I'm trying to take stock images now as well to keep my feed regularly updated! Lovely post Gem :) xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Emily, mine does exactly the same gain 5 loose 7 gain 2 loose 3 so frustrating! I appreciate you taking the time to comment XX

      Delete
  2. Thank you so much for these amazing tips! Been waiting to see a post like this for ages. Great tips - I absolutely agree with a theme which I'm working on now. Also just downloaded the tags app!!

    Megan X

    www.lifewithmcm.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Megan, like I said just be careful with the tags app because sometimes it throws some really irrelevant ones at you! X

      Delete
  3. Totally relate to this post! I've decided to Make a real effort with Instagram the more I've developed a love for photography. Great post and great tips too, didn't know about the hashtag app- need to try that out.

    Chrissy X
    Chaptersevern.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Chrissy, it can be doing for finding new hashtags! Also adding hashtags to old photos doesn't work anymore they only get arranged by date, something to note xx

      Delete
  4. Love these tips! Insta is hands down my favorite social media site, but I can sometimes get lazy about it. Thanks so much for the reminders. Love your page, by the way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank You Sydney, I am not sure that they are tips to be honest because my Instagram is no way good enough for me to give advise! But I needed to rant a bit haha XX

      Delete
  5. Love this! Instagram is so tricky but these tips where so good and I'll definantly be taking your advice! Thanks love!! MWAH xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha don't you take my advice your instagram is loads better than mine haha!! Mwah xx

      Delete
  6. Great post Gemma! Instagram is definitely one of my slowest platform (along with bloglovin'). I have often thought about a "theme" but I'm just not sure I could stick to it! Not everything I will want to photograph, can I stick a white background behind to keep it clean :( I do try to keep to "tidy" photos, nothing too cluttered; but then I think, the whole point of Instagram is to upload a picture of something amazing you might happen to see while you're out and about no matter how busy it may look? I dunno maybe that's where I'm going wrong? I seem to get around 30-60 likes per photo, just maybe around 3 "proper" followers per week lol!
    #picoftheday #photooftheday #picoftheday are also great tags

    Love Hannah xx

    HannahHawes.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely a marmite type thing with the whole theme thing, I would say there isn't really any rules it's your instagram do what you want to do with it! Sometimes I think its crazy a picture I think is amazing will get 10 likes and a picture of a cup will get 100 its an odd world! XX

      Delete
  7. Thanks for the mention, lovely! I can't stress enough how much scheduling posts helped me. It's everything x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course! Your tips have helped me out loads :) XX

      Delete
  8. This is a great post! I have a love/hate relationship with instagram but loving it at the moment. I need to start taking stock photos, there's so many times I just don't have anything to post whereas if I've already got something in my gallery would be easier! Great post love :)

    Hana | www.hanarosella.blogspot.co.uk ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it I have a love/hate with it too xx

      Delete
  9. I always take photos is bulk for instagram so I always have something to post, I keep a folder with edited photos on my phone. When it comes to themes, there are mixed opinions, some people hate them, some love them. I personally love themes and I feel so proud when I look at my instagram and see the theme. Yeah, I know I'm weird haha. Lovely post :)

    Valentina from Valentina from FASHION with VALENTINA.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No I am the same I sit and look at my theme and think ahh yes!! Haha :) X

      Delete

© Across This Page. All rights reserved.
MINIMAL BLOGGER TEMPLATES BY pipdig