Professional wedding and portrait artist Erica Kay knows what she’s talking about when sharing these tips over at Improve Photography.
She’s running three different Instagram accounts (some of them together with other photographers), so she has gathered a lot of information on what works and what doesn’t.
If you want to gain more followers and create an interesting photostream, these tips are all you need.
WHAT TO POST
Figuring out what to post can be one of the biggest challenges photographers face when thinking about the curation of their Instagram profiles. It seems there is a constant battle between personal and professional, cell phone pics and DSLR photos. It’s definitely hard to decide which direction to follow, especially if you’re hoping to only have one Instagram to moderate.
In comparing my three accounts, there is a disparity in the ratio of personal/professional and cell phone/DSLR images.
- The Manini Experience Instagram is 100% professional, 99% DSLR (1% GoPro). All of the photos are representative of my business, which is a travel company that involves cool locations and great photos. Everything on this profile is travel related and taken with a professional level camera. However, although the photos are professional, we make the posts personal in the text we use.
- Erica Kay Photography Instagram is primarily professional and DSLR images with a sprinkle of personal images, cell phone shots, and advertisements.
- UA Creative Instagram is a mix of DSLR and cell phone images and advertisements, all of which are related to our company’s shenanigans.
It seems here that the most appealing profile is one that is primarily professional, with good quality photos, and a bit of personal(ity) sprinkled in through text and a random high-quality personal image. That being said, I think one of the most important things you can do on social media is be genuine and personal, so I encourage you to keep implementing bits and pieces of your life into your photography Instagram.
“THE LOOK”
One thing that really attracts an Instagram crowd is the look of your profile. When someone goes to your page and scrolls through the thumbnails of your images, what do they see? Is there a common theme, in both content and look? Do the images flow well, or are they sporadic in their placement? It’s so important to keep your images consistent in style, appearance, and flow. This is what encourages people to click the “Follow” button more than anything.
Later, an app that lets you plan out your Instagram posts, has been so wonderful in curating the Instagram account for The Manini Experience. Once or twice a month, I sit down and schedule out my posts for the upcoming weeks. I schedule them in a way that allows for a smooth transition from one photo to the next, therefore resulting in an organic flow throughout the profile.
WHEN TO POST
You should consider two aspects of your fan base: where are the majority located and what type of people are they. Both of these things will determine what time is the best time for you to post. In my personal experience, posting around 7:00 am EST is best for me because many of my followers are located on the East coast and many of them work “normal” 9:00-5:00 jobs, which means they’re looking at Instagram around 7:30 am before getting ready for work.
HOW MUCH TO POST
There is a sweet spot in between too many posts and not enough posts. If you swing too far in either direction, you will definitely lose followers. I recommend posting an average of 1 image per day for best results. This allows people to see you every day, but is not too invasive to the point where people are sick and tired of seeing your name on their Instagram feeds.
ENGAGE
I mentioned earlier that although my photos on The Manini Experience Instagram are all professional and travel related. Despite this, I’m able to engage followers with my posts by using engaging text and descriptions.
Check out the suggestions below for ways in which you can increase your post engagement through your text and descriptions.
- Tell a story. Give the background of the photo, describe the scene, share its importance. Tell us about the photo in as much detail as possible.
- Ask a question. This the best way to ensure people comment on your posts.
- Ask for advice. Traveling to a new area, need ideas for new recipes, need some basic life advice? Just ask and watch the engagement for that post grow!
- Talk about yourself. Introduce yourself, give us some fun facts, tell us a little secret. Let your followers into your life so that they know you’re a real, interesting human being.
HASHTAG IT
Take some time to do some research in order to find the best hashtags for you. Be sure to use hashtags that are relevant to your posts, that are popular, and that are going to be seen. Also, be sure to use the max amount of hashtags (30) as often as possible. The more your work spreads, the better your chances of gaining new followers.
Read the full article with even more tips over at Improve Photography.
Source: Improve Photography
