The Insta Ding

 

If one is on Instagram they have heard the notifications ding many a time. Or maybe they haven't. Maybe they have them turned off. Maybe they have their phone on mute. Maybe you don't even have Instagram. Let's pretend you do though. That way we can get on with some Instagram tips.

#1 Followers

Followers are easy. Genuine followers not as easy.

There are lots of follow loops, those follow4follow things, or dozens of other ways. But how many are genuine? Very few. Many will follow to unfollow. Many will simply block or ignore you. It is a real crap shoot what you end up with. Although you do usually end up with an increase.

Does it help? In some ways. You meet a few interesting people that way. It will up your numbers and allow you do to certain things. Like Swipe Up on stories once you hit 10K followers. Is it worth the hours of your life it takes to do it? Probably not. You could easily get 500K followers. But maybe 50 of them would interact. Not the greatest click through percentage for anyone. 

Best to follow the below tips unless you are looking for Swipe Up and such.

#2 Content

Stick to familiar content. It is like everything else you do to brand yourself. Don't go off-brand unless you can work it in. The followers you do gain that interact will interact for a reason. If it is for book quotes or pretty tree pictures then stick to such things. You can ignore the rule if you gain an interactive following of a million though. That many people will give you enough to get tons of interactivity on anything. 

Although there are other little tricks. If it is book quotes don't...

Post a random kitten picture.

Post a kitten picture with a book quote in the picture. That way you can double dip and even expand the interactive following you have. 

#3 Hashtags

Do they work? Yes. Do they work as good as they used to? Probably not. But they are still a help and can be easily put in. Research which ones work best for your niche and compile them all. Next post them in the comment section of the picture. Not on the picture itself. Then copy them to the clipboard and now you'll always have them to simply paste in the comment section the next time through. 

Why the comment section? Because then you can easily delete them later on. Plus, they don't overtake any caption that you write to go along with the picture. And another good reason is because sometimes people spam hashtags and they become blacklisted by Instagram. So if you use these hashtags your account will get flagged by their robot as spam.

#4 Return

This one is common knowledge to any blogger that has a successful following, but it is often overlooked. Return comments and likes. Newbie and Experienced alike overlook it. People aren't just going to magically come to you. If you make a movie that grosses a billion dollars you may easily get a following, but other than that the chances are slim. You have to put in the work if you want the return.

Of course never return anything that you don't approve of or the like. Hit the block button. Ignore. Do not engage with spammers or scammers or people looking for an argument. It's not worth it.

#5 Be Genuine

It goes a long way if you don't try to be something you're not. Yeah. You can get away with anything online. At least within reason. But people can tell. People will tell. You can only fake being a vet for so long before people realize you are a dog walker. 

You can also add little touches of you in. Something many can relate to. For instance...

Holidays.

When holidays roll around you can put pictures up that reflect how you celebrate. Does this go against number one? Sorta. But you could easily make them both work with a book quote in there. Although it may not be needed. Your followers like inside looks sometimes too. There is a difference between random and something about you. 

You with your cat thanking everyone for following you and/or telling you about yourself is about you.

A picture of a dead squirrel on the doorstep is rather random. Unless of course that is what your account is about. 

The last thing I'd recommend is to have fun with your account. If you treat it as totally business followers can tell and may become bored. But if you have fun with it then they will have fun with it and hopefully stick around.

Enjoy your instagram voyage and hopefully these tips will bring you more dings. If your phone isn't on mute.

Do you have any instagram author tips? Do you have instagram? Anything you agree with or disagree with? 

Tips for Using Instagram as an Author

 

Do you use Instagram?

We do.

Check out our profile page here: The IWSG on Instagram

A while back, I created a post on using Instagram. I thought I knew so much. I thought I was helpful. Well, I've learned a bit more since then.

Here are my new and revised tips for using Instagram from "how-to" specifics to "what to post" and "how to engage."

How to Create an Instagram Post

Instagram is a Smart-phone based app. On your PC, Instagram can be found online, but it’s impossible to use it fully via computer. 

The specifics:

1. Take a picture with your phone and share it via Instagram. (There are three ways to share. I’ll get into those next.) Note that Instagram likes things in the “square” format so you may have to edit your photo.

2. Create an image with an app on your phone – Canva and Textgram are two that I’ve used. 

3. Create an image (jpg) with a program on your PC. After creating the image, e-mail it to your phone (hoping you have this capability). Then, share it via Instagram.

4. (Use With GREAT Caution). Take a screenshot of an image you would like to re-share – like the IWSG logo! Then, share it to your Instagram feed. Remember to get permission if you are going to share artwork or photography that is personal to an artist or photographer. Be sure to give a shout-out to the original in your post.

Three Ways to Share on Instagram: 

1. Feed – this goes directly to your “wall” of your Instagram feed and shows up on the feed of anyone who follows you. Always share the posts you really want people to see here.

2. Stories – this goes to the Story section at the top of the page. Followers have to poke that button to see your current story. You can share fun posts about your daily life, or follow the New York Public Library's recent example and post actual stories you've written. I've experimented recently with both, although I'm just learning on how to post actual fiction and poetry in the right format.

3. Direct – this goes to only the people you choose like a personal email.

What to Post on Instagram

1. Post what you say you're going to post in your profile. Your profile is your preview.

2. Post about your writing - the day to day, the finish moments, the tough moments, the great moments, the actual books you've written.

3. Post about activities or hobbies you have other than your writing: reading, hiking, guitar playing, your cats and dogs.

4. Post what matters to you. Be authentic. If your faith matters to you, go ahead and post it.

5. Post quotes that motivate you.

6. Post about your fandom or about what inspires your writing. 

7. Post something. (Empty feeds are sometimes a telltale of Instagram stalkers.)

Using Instagram to Engage Followers

1. Go comment and like other people's posts (especially if they have liked yours).

2. Use hashtags. #writingcommunity #amwriting #theiwsg #writingfantasy or #YA are just some of a few hashtags that get used regularly. 

3. Follow hashtags. It can help you find like-minded authors.

4. Have at least one post a week that links to your own content - a blog post, a book review.

5. Share through to Twitter and Facebook. Instagram has buttons for this every time you post. 

Finally, don't be afraid to make mistakes! It's okay. Everyone out there who claims to be an expert started out as a beginner and most of the "experts" are still learning.