Instagram can be a tricky beast to master, especially for those who are new to the platform. If expanding your reach and growing your follower count are among your goals, it’s helpful to turn to the pros for Instagram tips and guidance.
Since the app first graced our iPhones back in 2010, its rise in popularity has been so massive that it’s created an entirely new job title for creatives looking to share their work — the influencer. While it’s a running joke in pop culture to nail down precisely what it is that influencers get paid to do, their continued success has proven that creating content can be a legitimate career.
Whether or not you’re looking to make Instagram your primary source of income, the fact remains that influencers have indeed cracked the code on what it takes to make it on this app. In this guide, we’re giving you all their secrets, hacks, and tips so you can post like a pro.
Struggling to grow your follower count? Try implementing one of these Instagram tips into your social media strategy.
Instagram is all about engagement, and the current algorithm favors accounts that are actively using the platform. Go beyond replying to comments on your own posts, and make it a point to regularly engage with your favorite accounts by setting up post notifications.
Here’s how to do that:
That’s it! Now, whenever that account publishes a new post, you’ll receive a direct notification.
One great way to get your content in front of more people is to get published on a feature account. These are profiles that round up and curate content from other profiles based on a specific hashtag or niche. They often have many followers and high engagement rates, so it can be great exposure for accounts with smaller audiences.
Find feature accounts that represent your niche and follow them. Turn on post notifications so you can comment, like, and reshare their content regularly. Many of these accounts will request that you direct message them if you’d like to be featured or that you use their account’s hashtag.
This is a simple trick that can yield great results — so long as you narrow down your niche.
Rather than using your given name as your Instagram profile name, use it as an opportunity to expand your reach by adding a keyword. So instead of “Joe Smith,” you could use “Joe Smith, New York Portrait Photographer,” or “Joe Smith Travel Photos.” You only have 30 characters, so use your keywords wisely. Here’s how to change your Instagram name to optimize it for search.
A lot of people discover accounts to follow through Instagram’s Suggested for You feature. To earn a coveted spot in this section, you must follow accounts that are relatable to yours in terms of location, niche, and content.
For example, if you’re a wedding photographer in Los Angeles, you’ll want to follow (and interact with) other wedding photography accounts in Los Angeles.
As many of the pros are aware, Instagram’s algorithm loves to see accounts interacting on the platform within the first half-hour of publishing a new post. Many influencers have “hacked” this crucial time by engaging with other posts 15 minutes before they publish and 15 minutes after.
Avoid using this Instagram tip in a spammy way, though. Only interact with accounts that are relatable to your content or content your followers might like. Like posts, follow accounts, and leave thoughtful, intentional comments. Instagram will see right through accounts that comment “cool!” on a bunch of posts before publishing.
Stories have given influencers an entirely new way to show off their personalities and give their followers a more in-depth look into their lives. Because Stories can be so popular, it makes sense to grab a few ideas from the influencer’s Story playbook.
Have you ever struggled to zoom in on your subject while shooting a video via the Instagram Stories Camera? Struggle no more with this time-saving zoom hack:
And that’s it! Thanks to this hack, you can say goodbye to the awkward two-finger pinch method.
A true Instagram pro isn’t limited by the default color palette provided in the Story editor tool. Follow the steps below to hack into the entire color wheel:
The first row of colors will give you a vibrant, full-rainbow range of shades, the second will provide you with more muted tones, and the third will reveal a larger grayscale to choose from.
Hashtags are just as important in your Stories as they are in your posts. And even though you may not see them, influencers are using them all the time — they’ve just gotten really good at hiding them.
Follow these steps below to hide your Story hashtags:
And voila! The hashtag will blend into the color and be invisible to your viewers while still expanding your reach.
Ever wished you could share multiple photos in a single Story? This hack will allow you to do so without having to use a third-party layout app. Here’s how:
You can use this hack to display as many of your photos as you’d like or to create an artsy collage effect. The result is up to you.
Just as you aren’t limited to a standard color wheel in your Story texts and drawings, you’re actually able to use whatever background color you’d like.
Here’s how to change your Story background color:
Following those steps will change the entire background of your Story to the color of your choice.
Posting consistent, professional, and aesthetically pleasing content is the golden rule of Instagram. However, there are some extra strategies you can use to beef up your posts and your profile to attract more followers.
Got a few filters you love (or a few you could live without)? This tip will show you how to manage your Instagram filters so that the ones you use most often are front and center:
From there, you can drag and move the filters into whatever order you like. You can also press the checkmark on the right to remove or add filters from your list.
Most Instagram users know to save their hashtags (or the additional hashtags they wish to use) for the comment section of their post. But did you know that you can actually hide them from your viewers altogether?
Here’s how:
Doing this will place your hashtags within the overflow area that Instagram uses to hide extra characters in comments and captions. A viewer can still press the […] symbol to see all of the hashtags, but at least it removes them from appearing directly under your post.
Instagram limits captions to 2,200 characters — and sometimes that isn’t enough.
Many influencers use the comments section to extend their captions. The problem is that the additional text may get lost in a sea of other comments. Keep this text front and center by pinning your comment to ensure that it appears above all the others. Here’s how:
You can pin up to three comments on your photo. Instagram allows 300 characters per comment, so that’s an extra 900 characters for you to use.
You already know how important it is to tag relevant accounts in your photos. But to prevent them from looking less messy, do as the influencers do and keep all of your tags in a single corner of your image. This gives a cleaner, more professional look for your followers to see.
Line breaks rank high among the underutilized features that separate the amateurs from the pros. Lately, Instagram seems to have allowed line breaks in post captions without any additional efforts. But if you’re still unable to add them, follow these steps:
While influencers with 500K followers and brand deals might seem to have the whole social media thing figured out, the truth is that it’s anyone’s game. As long as you’re consistent, active, and authentic in the way you grow your audience, your chances of “making it” are just as good as anyone else’s. Try the Instagram tips above, be creative about your content, and followers will follow.