Are you a visual person? If so, there is probably a good change you have Instagram installed on your mobile.
It gives you and other photography enthusiasts a platform where you can admire shots taken by people we respect.
Whether it is by your best friend or favorite travel blogger, you have access to an endless variety of pics of delicious dishes, exotic tropical beaches, and more.
If you want to progress beyond mindlessly scrolling through this app, though, you’ll have to put in the work to become a content creator on Instagram.
Many have succeeded in turning this platform into a self-sustaining business. Michael Briese is among them, as he now uses this platform to give his followers a look inside the life of a stock broker.
Want to do the same? Below, we’ll discuss how to use this app like a pro.
1) Pick a niche and embrace it
If you want to have thousands of followers on Instagram, you need to figure out who you are before you start posting pictures and video en masse.
Consider yourself a digital nomad? Posting travel photos is obviously fine, but don’t neglect to give your followers a look at how you make your work/travel lifestyle happen. Think cafe shots with the laptop, gear bag posts, and footage from digital nomad gatherings you attend.
By doing this, you’ll magnetically attract fellow tribe mates – just don’t make the mistake of muddying the waters with pics/video which aren’t congruent with your theme.
Don’t follow guru advice word for word – read between the lines and apply the essence of what they saying to your specific situation.
2) Keep at it
Want devoted fans who eagerly await your latest updates? To achieve this goal, you need to get used to posting content every single day.
Even if you scale back to once every other day, you need to hit the ground running to get Instagram’s algorithm to notice you.
Posting regularly also gives you more chances to accumulate likes and shares, which also plays a role in where Instagram positions your content in follower feeds.
3) Don’t go too crazy with hashtags
We know why you do it. You post a variety of hashtags in the description box to help convert users from outside your warm network (family and friends) into followers. Hashtagging terms related to your interests is a great way to achieve this goal, and we do encourage this practice.
However, it is important to not go overboard, as listing dozens of terms can wear down the patience of followers, leading some of them to eventually leave.
Experts say seven hashtags is the most you should attach to any given post, as surveys say that more than this amount risks annoying your users.
4) Get on board with Instagram stories
Instagram recently added a feature known as Stories. Very similar to what Snapchat offers its users, it gives you the option of posting short videos and pictures in whichever order you like.
Like Snapchat, the content vanishes in 24 hours, preserving privacy, and encouraging followers to tune in to avoid missing your posts.
As a result of the latter feature, you have a tool at your disposal that will make it easier to build a bond with your followers.