I have been working as a social media strategist for over two years now with clients in photography, art, blogging, skincare, parenting, and more. I've made mistakes, I've experimented with strategies, and I've seen firsthand what really works and what really doesn't when it comes to that social media beast called Instagram.
Instagram can seem overwhelming when you're first starting out, so here are the basics you need to know to start growing your ideal audience organically:
1. Have a clear visual brand
Instagram is first and foremost a visual platform. You don't need to have fancy, professional-quality photography to succeed, you just need to have a clear visual brand. One of my favorite examples of this is my friend Zach's account, Dreamer Boy Blue - he doesn't always post perfect, curated imagery, but his photos all tell a clear story and have that same vintage vibe. Another way you can do this - especially as a social media strategist like SocialSam or virtual assistant - is with graphics designed with your unique branded fonts and colors to create a consistent look. My VA buddy Courtney Woodward has a really clever "VA Tea" series where she uses stock tea photos and adds a little text curving around the tea cup - it's very her and looks great in her grid!
2. Consistency over Quantity
You don't need to post twice a day every day. You don't even need to post every day. It's more important to create quality posts and post them on a consistent pattern than it is to post a ton of things.
Use a scheduler like Planoly or SmarterQueue to spread out your posts and plan them at specific times. For example, I like to post three times per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8:30am - the more I'm consistent about this, the happier Instagram is with me, and the more organic reach I get. Instagram basically goes, "Oh, it's Monday at 9am! Hannah's going to post soon! I should give her a little boost in the newsfeed." And boom. More people see it, more people like it, and I'm growing.
3. Tell a Continuous Story (with Stories)
You probably know how important Stories are. They're the little ever-changing things at the top of your Instagram homepage that are much more raw and real-lifey than the typical curated Instagram feed post. However, you shouldn't just post photos and videos of your dog to Instagram all day (unless it's your dog's influencer account).
Use stories to continue telling your story and sharing why you're on Instagram. If you're a product-based brand, share behind the scenes moments creating a new product or packaging orders. If you're an influencer, share swipe ups of your latest Amazon favorites, or a new blog post you just launched. If you're a business expert, share quick tips and tricks.
Again, consistency is key here. Try to post 2-3 Stories a day at regular intervals. It's also good to experiment with engagement opportunities in Stories. Try Polls or asking questions - the more your followers take these extra engagement steps in your Stories, the more Instagram will put their content in front of you.
4. Use hashtags
Hashtags ARE NOT DEAD. DON'T GIVE UP ON THEM. Even if a hashtag list only gives you 10 more views on a post, that's 10 people who otherwise wouldn't have seen you. Every little bit counts, and the more you experiment and research hashtags, the better your lists will get.
Make sure your hashtags are 1. relevant to your content, 2. the kinds of things your ideal audience would search for or use, and 3. a good balance of niched and popular. I love Sarah Smile Scott's 7/7/7 strategy for creating a strong hashtag list. Check out her Facebook Group for all kinds of amazing hashtag advice!
5. Brand spankin' new? Use Reels!
Reels are the latest Instagram function, and therefore the most important - especially for newer and smaller accounts!! Instagram wants people exploring their new features, so they will naturally promote content that uses these new functions more than content that doesn't.
A few quick Reels tips, learned from my mistakes:
Record your video(s) separate from the Instagram app and the splice them together in Reels when you're ready to upload (unless you need to use Reels functions within the video itself, like filters). I've recorded videos within Instagram before and lost them completely, because Reels are still fairly new and can be buggy.
Try to avoid pre-recording and saving videos in drafts. Again, the app can be buggy and this may result in your video getting messed up in some way when you are ready to upload. I've had videos lose their audio, I've had my text overlays get messed up, and most recently, I've had the actual video completely disappear and just become a black screen with some audio. Fun, right?
As I explained in my blacked out video linked in the previous tip, DON'T upload Tiktoks to Instagram. If you want to do the same video on both platforms, record it on your phone and then build it out separately on each platform, or just record two separate videos of the same concept. I know this seems like a lot of extra work, but Instagram and Tiktok are competitors, and Instagram knows when a video comes from Tiktok. Your reach will be restricted simply because you used Tiktok to create the video. My two Reels before this one got over 1,000 views, but then my Tiktok-made one got less than 200 views. Notice the little Tiktok icon on the left side of the video? Yeah. So did Instagram, apparently.
Whatever strategies you try or methods you use, the most important thing is to just be authentic. Don't try to "hack the system" or be someone your not. Don't try unethical hacks like follow/unfollow or buying followers. Just focus on consistent strategies that get your message out there and present you/your brand as you are. Your people will find you!
