#Discussion: Posting on Instagram // #Instagram101

There have been a lot of articles written about the pros and cons of Instagram, how to "hack" the new Instagram algorithm, and anything else you can think of regarding the largest photo sharing social media platform. Whether you're using Instagram for business or personal, here are some tips for creating a feed that everyone wants to follow - and have "post notifications" for.

We've discussed planning out your feed and your photos! Today we are focusing on determining when and what to post on Instagram.

Read the whole series to upgrade and maintain your Instagram feed by clicking on the different links below!

Planning Your Feed | Taking The "Perfect" Pictures | Posting On Instagram | Caption Writing 101

Timing

If you have an Instagram Business Account (as you should since you are an Influencer), you can see the hours your audience is most active on each day. You can try to post during these hours or post consistently at a specific time. I post consistently at the same times every day (9:30am and 2:00pm).

It's up to you to choose what you want to do! 

Photo

Now that you took the perfect photo, you need to post it! That's key to Instagram. But you could also use a handmade graphic (maybe from Canva) that discusses a new feature, an event that you're going to, or anything else you need words for or that you want your audience to read.

Caption

Sometimes people don't read captions - just see the photo, like it, and move on. But it is important to have the caption for the people (like me!) that read every single caption. Describe the scene, explain whatever the object your featuring is, say where to get it (maybe there is a link in your bio!), and then ask a question to engage your audience. This one is essential - you need to action your audience to interact with them.

We will go into more detail about caption writing in next week's post!

Hashtags

There are so many "rules" to Instagram hashtags but the most important one is that you can't have more than 30 per post or else Instagram won't recognize them (and delete your entire caption/comment). Find the hashtags that work for you and run with those. If they aren't getting you the type of engagement you want, then change up your hashtags. See what other people in your niche are using and go with those, explore other tags, and generally use ones that describe the picture.

Instagram now has some new rules where you can't mesh together "Instagram" or "Facebook" with other words. For example, you can't use "bookstagram," "booksofinstagram," etc. in your pictures or you will be "softblocked." I know Instagram said it wasn't a thing, but it 100% is.

Next time...learn about writing captions that people want to read!