The Instagram Tips panel took place on Saturday at Summer in the City 2018, on the Fashion and Beauty Stage. It featured Linda Blacker, Kate Elisabeth, India Grace, Amber Doig-Thorne and Salih’s World.
Instagram can be complicated, whether you’re just looking to gain a few more followers, have a cohesive feed that represents your personality, or to promote your photography or brand. The art of getting your followers to engage (especially in the age of Instagram’s non-chronological timeline) can feel overwhelming. But don’t worry, TenEighty have you covered. Here are the top five things we learnt from the Instagram Tips panel at SitC 2018.
1. To theme or not to theme…
Whether you to choose to have an Instagram colour scheme or not, be consistent! The panellists agreed that even in the case of not sticking to a specific theme, using completely random filters with no similarities to each other is a bad idea as it shows a lack of consistency. Unless your theme is having a lack of consistency we suppose… According to the panel, it can be fun to switch things up sometimes. It’s good to try and find your own niche.
2. When and how often you post doesn’t matter as much as you thought
There was some debate among the panellists about whether having a specific posting schedule mattered. Linda pointed out that she only posted when she had something to share, but the other panellists shared that they posted up to three times a day. It was suggested that you can use an app to schedule uploads for overall consistency. There was also a discussion about Instagram’s new algorithm, with the consensus being that it is based mostly on engagement. As Salih put it: “It’s more important than ever to create new and engaging content.”
3. Don’t post from photo editing apps
Another hot tip was to not post directly from photo editing apps, as Instagram apparently favours content uploaded from their own app. Who knew? We’ll be using this one for sure. The way to get around this is to edit your photo in an app then save it to your camera roll then upload from your camera roll to Instagram.
4. Stories are important
According to the panel, stories are crucial to increasing engagement. It seems that the more people engage with your stories the higher they will appear on your followers’ timelines. Also, Instagram seems to favour stories (and regular posts) with faces in – and they are also what more people stop for, in Kate’s opinion. So get running polls, asking questions and sharing selfies!
5. Engage with similar sized accounts
The panellists debunked the idea of following people and then unfollowing them when they don’t follow back, viewing it as a waste of time and something that will mess with which accounts Instagram suggests to you. Instead, they recommended engaging with similar-sized accounts. Being active and responding to people on your own account and others will drive more engagement to your posts and more clicks to your profile. You will be able to absorb their audience by association. And it’s a great way to make friends!
Featured photo by AJ Brinnand.
Want more from Summer in the City 2018?
Check out our Summer in the City tag, where you’ll find all of our coverage.
You might also be interested in:
- Summer in the City 2018 Awards Round-Up
- Our Favourite Moments from Baking With Layton Live at Summer in the City 2018
- Creator Ethics & Responsibilities Panel at Summer in the City 2018
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