How To Boss Instagram

If you are a blogger, you should have Instagram. However utilising it to it’s maximum potential can be stressful and you might not know where to start. In the world of Instagram aesthetics and first impressions matter and having a defined direction can really help boost your followers. It can take practice and patience to get started but here are my tips.

SET GOALS

Think of your Instagram as a behind the scenes look into your blog. What is going to draw readers to your Instagram page and vice versa? Once you have decided what types of things you want to be posting, it will be so much easier to create a strategy around this. 

LIGHTING 

We all know that natural light is the best, but some people aren’t graced with rooms filled with windows etc. I’m lucky as in my new flat I have the brightest white LED ceiling lights, which has improved my ability to take images. The best thing to mimic natural light is an LED ring light, you can buy it here. It’s an add on for a DSLR camera but can work well to brighten up an image if using an iPhone (like me).

EDIT YOUR PHOTOS SIMILARLY 

Although apps like VSCO are amazing to have, sometimes I don’t even use an app for editing images, I tend to lose track and go over board. I like to use the general iPhone settings so I pop up the exposure and brightness and then tune down the colour slightly, so everything looks pastel and clean. 

COMPOSITION

I like to use my wooden floor so most of my photos have a rustic feel, but I also play around with whites and even magazine pages to mix it up. Become a collector and collect little objects to add depth to an image such as white flowers, tea lights or whatever portrays your brand and matches your ‘theme'. But remember, less is more and it’s best to keep it simple.

REMEMBER YOUR GRID

Your grid is your homepage feed and I think it’s the most important factor when people decide to follow you, they want to understand your personal brand, so let them. You need to work out what you post when, for example you shouldn’t have two coffee photos next to each other or two of the same beauty product, so it’s always good to devise a mini plan to keep your followers intrigued. 

GET THE CROP RIGHT

Since learning this little trick I have become obsessed with keeping all my images the same size, which is square with small white border around each photo. If you are taking photos with you iPhone, simply take them with the ‘square’ setting on your camera or crop them afterwards. I then use Squaready to create the white border and use the same settings every time. 

DON’T GO HASHTAG CRAZY

What is the correct number of hashtags to use?! There isn't a right answer here but don’t go overboard with tags e.g. #like4like or #follow4follow - this looks desperate and won’t resonate well with your followers. Aim to use useful hashtags relating to the content of your photo e.g. a new NYX Matte Lipstick - use the hashtag #NYXMatteLipstick so people can find your content. The best thing to do is research which hashtags are being used for what.  

LINK IT UP

I have a job where I have to contact a lot of bloggers for collaborations and opportunities so I always have my eye out for creative talent in and out of work. My pet peeve is when there are no blog links or contact details in an Instagram bio, how is a brand meant to contact you directly! Make the most of that space to introduce yourself and make it easy for people to reach out to you.

I’m still learning and improving my ‘technique’ everyday but have a look at my Instagram page: @keepingupwithkirby 

It’s a work in progress but I always welcome constructive criticism, let me know what you think :) 

Link your Instagram’s below too!