As a photographer you’ll probably be using Instagram on a regular basis, and if not then now’s the time to get started! Instagram now has over 300 million active users and more than 75 million of these use the app every day…that’s a lot of people to be showcasing your work to.
So whether you’re a newby to Instagram or you’re a regular grammer, we’ve got some great tips on how to grow your following and increase engagement on your snaps.
1.Make Use of Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to get your photos seen by a new audience, and Instagram has a handy tool that makes some suggestions for you as you start typing. Taken a photo of a delicious looking breakfast? In the comments section simply use the hashtag #breakfast and you’ll be given a bunch of other great suggestions (#breakfastinspiration, #breakfastinspo, #breakfastlover, #breakfastinbed to name a few). This works with any category of photos you might be uploading and will push your content out to thousands of likeminded people. Remember not to go overboard though! Instagram only lets you use 30 hashtags in one post and if you go over by one it will delete them all.
2. Post Regularly – but not too often!
Try to stick to one or two quality posts a day, posting too often could clog up your follower’s feeds and might cause them to unfollow.
3. Have Two Accounts
If you’re using Instagram purely to showcase your photography, then your followers will expect to see clean, bright images. Your family and friends will no doubt want to see the more personal photos (children, dogs, what you’ve been up to), so we’d suggest creating one professional account and a separate personal one for your nearest and dearest to follow. This will reduce the amount of follows/unfollows to your profile!
4. Engage!
Why not scroll through the hashtags that interest you and leave a comment on your favourite photos? Try not to be too generic with phrases like “great photo!” or “love this!” as they can appear a bit spammy. But a comment that shows you appreciate the photo will no doubt make the owner check out your profile too – and probably follow.
5. Use The Filters
The best thing about Instagram is the amount of filters available to transform your photos. We’ve done a bit of research and found out that filtered photos are 21% more likely to be viewed and 45% more likely to be commented on than unfiltered ones. There’s even data on which filters work best! Apparently you’ll get more likes from using a higher exposure, a warm temperature, and a higher contrast.