Happy Tuesday!!
I am so excited to share my best Instagram advice with you! I can’t believe I am being asked by many for my advice because to be honest, I feel like I’m still trying to figure out Instagram and strategies to grow, but I really want to help you at whatever step you are in your Instagram/blog journey to be the best you can be!
Let me start by saying that Instagram is funny. Some people think of it as a platform to share whatever, some people think of it as a potential job and career, and some people just don’t even care about it. I hope that if you are reading this, that you never listen to people who tell you you’re crazy for trying to grow on a social media platform. Yes, it’s a little crazy, but if it gives you joy, a community, and a job at the same time, then why not?
So how does one grow their Instagram? Well, I can only share what I’ve been doing since day one. I want to make it VERY clear that I have never once bought likes or followers. My growth has been 100% organic, and so YES- IT. IS. POSSIBLE. And I promise you, if I can do it from starting with 100 followers, YOU. CAN. TOO.
1. My first and biggest piece of advice is to start engaging. Stop looking at Instagram as just a social media platform, and start thinking of it as a workplace place to network as well as form friendships. Just like a regularjob, Instagram requires hours put in. Spend time engaging- this means finding accounts that you genuinely like (like a friend) and commenting on their photos! Show them that you appreciate their work, you recognize their creativity, and enjoy their photos! Give them a follow!
** At first, you will probably find yourself engaging A TON and getting almost nothing back, but I promise, accounts will start recognizing your consistency, and will likely return the comments and support! AND BAM- you started a friendship!! ** Please be genuine.
Another thing, never think that once you have formed a friendship you can just take for granted that the Instagram friendship will continue. Don’t stop supporting other accounts just because you’ve grown! The accounts that comment on my posts have truly become friends of mine and I mean that! I can honestly say that when I read my comments, I feel like I know the women personally and that is SO cool!! I mean I flew out to California to meet Chelsea all because of supporting each other on Instagram!!
RECAP: search & find accounts you love, give them your genuine love and support, and I promise they’ll return it.
Oh also, DO NOT FOLLOW JUST TO UNFOLLOW- meaning do not follow an account and then once they follow you back, you unfollow them. I’ve heard that being done and it rubs me the wrong way! I have never ever concentrated on the ratio of followers to follows, and I’m not quite sure why some people do. I don’t think it’s genuine or nice to do that! So please don’t!
2. Be consistent with your editing and posting schedule. This doesn’t mean you’re never allowed to change your editing or posting schedule- I have changed my editing multiple times since starting my account, but the main thing is to keep with it for some time! Now, a posting schedule means whatever it means to you! My best advice is to not exceed a 3-4 day break from posting. When I started my account, I posted once every several days (like above) until one day I decided to challenge myself to post every day. Since about June 2017, I have been posting every single day, often multiple times a day. IT. IS. POSSIBLE. Rack up content, use the app Planoly, and do it! All this being said, if you’re not feeling a strong urge to post, or find yourself having anxiety about posting, then DON’T POST that day! Instagram is not worth your physical anxiety. It should be fun and exciting to put out content and engage with accounts!
3. BE PATIENT. Oh my goodness this might actually be my #1 even though it’s at #3. If you don’t buy your likes or followers, growth takes time. I repeat- GROWTH. TAKES. TIME. Nothing that you do organically happens in a blink of an eye. I have put so much relentless hard work and commitment into my Instagram to be where I am today, and I continue to put that in and more with each new day. Yes it’s so common and natural to get down about your growth. Trust me I’ve been there but I’m also where I am today because I was patient, I continued to work hard, and I continued to remember the bigger picture. BE PATIENT. BE PATIENT. BE PATIENT.
4. DO NOT QUIT. Would I be writing this blog post about my Instagram advice if I had quit because a photo didn’t do well and I was bummed about it? NO! (P.S. If you find that certain times are not giving you the greatest engagement, don’t be afraid to change up the posting time in your next post!) You will have many photos that don’t do as well as you’d hope, but that is NO reason to quit. In fact, this should spark a fire under your booty to work harder and to keep posting. I’ve said it many times and I will always continue to say it- you never know when things will click. You truly don’t. Would you drop out of school just because you got a B on a test!? NO. You study and work harder. The same thing with Instagram/ blogging!
5. Fake it till you make it! When I think of the sole reason why I’ve been able to grow like I have, I really believe this statement is it. You don’t need thousands of followers to be titled a “blogger” or “influencer.” When I started I told myself, I’m a blogger, and I’m going to blog my way- whatever I want that to be and that’s it! It took me a while but once I started saying “fake it till you make it” things became easier. I started doing Instagram videos (nervous as hell!) but I did it because WHY NOT. Believe in yourself and others will too! Envision all the things you’d be doing at 100K followers, and do them now!
6. Lastly, don’t spend all your time on Instagram. Yeah I know. It’s hard! I will admit that I am guilty of this, but I try to remind myself to just let it go sometimes!! It should not consume us at all hours of the day! There is so much life out there and one day some of us are going to regret how much time we’ve spent on our phones. I do NOT want to be one of those people, and I hope you don’t either!
I’m sorry if my advice isn’t earth shattering, but I think of myself as a very simple person! It should not be complex and it should not be fake or inauthentic. I have done all the above since day one, and continue to do those things every single time I open up my Instagram!
I thank you SO MUCH for reading this, for supporting me, and for all the sweet messages I receive from you. I truly believe that anything is achievable with a lot of hard work and a good heart. I hope this helped!! If you have any questions whatsoever, please never hesitate to ask me! Comment below!
Have the best week!!
xx,
Viv
