It is important to remember that your Instagram feed is yours…so make it all about you! Of course, you don’t have to be uploading selfies for every picture, but be sure to post an occasional picture of just you. Along with this note, your profile picture should be of you, and ONLY you. Most likely, even if your account is on public, your profile picture is the first aspect of your Instagram that potential followers will witness. You want to ensure that your followers know who you are immediately, as your social media is and should be personal to your individual life.
Going off of the individuality of your Instagram, post personal little life updates occasionally to inform your followers of what you are up to. Although you might not be a professional Instagrammer and think what you have to post may not be as important, your followers do want to see your life through social media. After all, that is why they followed you in the first place. Along with this, if you are hoping to become a famous Instagrammer one day, this will keep followers invested by rooting for you to achieve your goals and congratulating you on big life wins. On a more personal note, social media is a digital scrapbook and can be something to look back on. Do not hesitate to post pictures to share with your future self when you scroll down to the bottom of your own feed later in life.
Along with your profile picture, your bio on Instagram is the first personal excerpt that your followers get to see. If you are private, this may have a large impact on whether or not people follow you. Be sure to include any important information about yourself that helps define you and your feed. For example, many people put what college they attend, what state or general area they live in, or some things they like. Try to spice up your bio and make it unique and individualized. If you like the TV show “The Office,” put your favorite Michael Scott quote in your bio or something similar that is quirky and specific to you.
In order to make your collective feed look pleasing as a whole, attempt to post photos that have similar color tones. For example, if you tend to post sunsets that have lots of pinks and purples, a photo of you in a similar colored shirt would blend well on your overall feed. Since it can be difficult to have a consistent look throughout each individual photo, editing and layout apps can help give off this monochrome look. You can edit each picture to bring out similar color hues through apps such as VSCO and then lay out a possible feed on apps such as UNUM. These are useful tools to help you visualize what your feed will look like when all the photos are posted.
On Instagram, and any social media platform for that matter, it can be easy to confine yourself to a type. Whether it be soft girl, e girl, VSCO girl, or anything in-between, do not fall into social media personality types, and instead make your Instagram entirely you. This will not only make your feed more personal but will engage your followers in your life. This is what sets apart famous Instagram influencers from regular accounts. No matter what your profile is entirely yours, so make it all about you!
While you want to stay consistent with being yourself on Instagram, it is important to have a variety of different posts. In 2017, Instagram updated, allowing users to now post up to 10 pictures of videos in one post “slide,” or as Instagram references it – a media carousel. Series are a good way to interact with your followers or post multiple photos when you simply can’t decide on which one to take to Instagram.
Another recent update on Instagram is story highlights which allow users to save pictures from their Instagram story into a small bubble that appears below their bio on their profile. Highlights are a good way to personalize your page and shine a light on the most important or interesting aspects of your life. Examples of highlights include ones that contain only you and your friends, or you in college, or you on a specific vacation. Be sure to make your highlights meaningful. If you are going to add more content to your profile, don’t hesitate to personalize it.
Your captions are an important aspect of personalizing your Instagram feed. Some people choose to post pictures with serious captions, while others come from a more comedic standpoint. Captions are your opportunity to explain to people who you are and what you like. While you want to make each photo caption blend with the post itself, be sure to personalize your words as well. Another good tip is to keep your captions concise. This will help keep your followers interested in what you have to say and how it relates to your posted image or video.
Do not hesitate to post pictures of objects, views, places, and other people, along with yourself. Although everyone loves a good selfie every once in a while, seeing where you went on vacation or that beautiful sunset you and your friends watched last night can be just as intriguing to your followers. Nearly everything in life is Instagrammable as long as it’s personal to you!
Social media can be fun but sadly can also foster negativity. There is no need to hold yourself to social media standards that are societally expected, or self-inflicted. You can post whatever and whenever you want. If you are trying to become an Instagram influencer, defying these social standards can actually help your chances. Looking towards famous social media standouts such as Emma Chamberlain or David Dobrik, they post content that they find funny and meaningful. People should be fall in love with your personality from your Instagram page, not just your pictures.
Going along with the theme of personalizing your Instagram feed to you individually, only edit your photos slightly if you are going to at all. This will give off a more natural look on your feed, which will impress and engage with your followers. Natural means genuine and by editing in a realistic way, you are not changing who you are, but rather enhancing your post’s quality.
Instagram is a pretty diverse social media platform. You can find content ranging from cute dog videos to talented musicians debuting their voices. This being said take the opportunity to use Instagram as a platform. Express what you enjoy and what you are good at to your followers. Social media gives you the chance to show off who you are online, so take that and run with it.
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