How to Instagram Like a Pro

Instagram is one of my absolute favorite social media platforms, and with over 300 million Instagrammers in action, it’s bound to be one of yours too.

There’s an art to Instagramming like a pro, and my top tips will help you create better content, grow your following and promote your business!

Have a strategy: Before posting your photo, think about what you’re using Instagram for. Are you promoting your business or a new line of products? Do you want to market your personal brand? You’ll need to have a clear strategy to achieve these goals.

Create a content strategy detailing the number of posts you’ll share a week, when you’ll post, and importantly what they will display. Establishing Content Pillars will help you easily drive your content and help establish some consistency that your followers can rely on.

Who to follow: Following other people is a big part of the fun! Look at some of the most popular Instagram users in your industry as well as targeting key influencers, target customers and competitors. Don’t be shy!  And be sure to engage with their content by liking and commenting on their posts. This is the biggest surefire way to grow your own reach on Instagram.

Be creative: Focus on your imaginative side when Instagramming. Play around with interesting angles, colors, lighting and compositions to get that perfect shot. Use the gridlines tool as a helping hand for balancing your image and making it Instagram-worthy! And treat your entire Instagram feed like a magazine, and focus on giving all of your content a consistent theme and editorial feel.

Experiment with filters: Instagram has a great range of filters that can totally transform your images. The apps five newest filters (Slumber, Crema, Ludwig, Aden and Perpetua) can be used to soften and shift colors, but you may want to play around with one of the most popular filters called Mayfair, which gives images a soft pink hue that seems to get the most engagement. Don’t forget to also test out frames on your images- these can add definition and a totally new look!

Strong captions: While the image is the centerpiece, it’s important not to forget the words. A strong caption can sell the image and the story behind it – try using quotes, a play on words or your personal experience when sharing the image with your followers.

Hot hashtags: Like on Twitter, hashtags are essential for getting your images to a wider audience. Hashtags can be used to tell the story behind your image, as well as common items or themes that appear. Create brand specific hashtags as part of a campaign or to raise awareness. (Have you checked out our #JENERAT10N hash tag celebrating our Decade Anniversary?)

Don’t forget to geotag your images using the ‘Name Your Location’ function. Select where your image has been taken or create your own if it’s not on the list. You can also use this feature to create a custom geotag for your brand's website, which will then appear at the top of the image you post. 

Be friendly: Share the love and tag others in your photos! Whether it is a fan, brand ambassador or collaborator, tagging is a great way to encourage new followers and collaboration. Don’t forget to reply to any comments that followers leave on your images and always repay the favor.

Track your performance: Like other social media networks, tracking your performance is an important part of measuring your impact. Sites such as Simply Measured, Minter and SocialRank all provide detailed ways of measuring metrics. 

Let us know if you’re using Instagram- we’d love to see your posts! And be sure to follow us there @jenerationpr for a behind the scenes look at Jeneration PR, Social Media & PR Pro Tips and more!