When we think about social media, we immediately think about Instagram. Instagram has experienced massive growth in the past decade, initially being a photo-sharing app and now being the biggest social media platform in the world. There are more than 1 billion active users on Instagram which demonstrates the popularity of this app. This platform has a lot to offer to both regular folks using the app to share intimate moments with their loved ones and to brands and businesses who are using the platform to market and reach their target audience. If you want to join in on the fun, keep reading to learn how you can start your Instagram journey.
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Setting up a profile
The first thing you need to do is set up your profile. Optimizing your profile is a very important step because this is what will attract people to hit the “follow” button. A good profile includes the following:
- Username: This needs to be your name and surname or if you are a business, your business name will do. Avoid using numbers and characters.
- Profile picture: This needs to be a high-resolution headshot of you and if you are a business, you need to use your business logo as your profile picture.
- Bio: This is where you need to provide more information about you, your brand, or your business. Make your bio as informative and interesting as possible and make sure to add any achievements that are worth mentioning. Using emoji is also a great way to make your bio attractive.
- Links: If you have a blog or a website, include your link in your bio. If you are a musician, include the link to your music. Any relevant link works in this space.
Following people
You need to establish your niche on Instagram and once you have done that, you should start following people within that community because this will help you grow. Most celebrities are also on Instagram as well as their friends so if you’re looking for entertainment, following them is a great place to start. At its core, Instagram is a social network so to socialize, you will need to start following people. Utilizing a growth service like Growthoid is a great starting point because these services are designed to get you more Instagram followers in no time. You will likely also find most of your friends and family on social media so take advantage of the fact that this platform allows you to stay in contact with your loved ones.
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Posting content
The whole point of having an Instagram account is to post content so this needs to be a priority. You need to place importance on high-quality content because this generates more engagement. Take note that it is not good enough to only supply content to your feed, you need to utilize Instagram stories as well. The great thing about stories is that you can continuously post content throughout the day and there is less pressure to post high-quality content in your stories because this space is generally more informal than the feed. Use stories to share behind-the-scenes footage and interact with your followers using stickers that allow you to ask questions and host polls. This is a great way to generate engagement while getting to know your audience better.
Instagram Reels
Reels are Instagram’s newest video feature and it was inspired by short-form videos on TikTok. This feature allows you to create a short-form video of 15 seconds and you can attach your favorite sound or song onto the Reel. Many creators are using this feature and you should be using it too because Instagram makes reels more visible and displays them on the discovery page which exposes your content to a wider audience. To record a Reel follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram camera.
- Select “Reels” at the bottom of your screen.
- Swipe up to view your camera roll.
- Choose the video you want to use and select it and trim if needed.
- Edit by adding text, audio, or other effects.
You can record reels in multiple clips or you can record them all at once. This is a great way to express your creativity and reach a much wider audience.
