We love Instagram, and we know you do too.
Thanks to Insta, you can now share your selfies, salivate over captivating food images, and check out remote destinations for your travels. It’s no wonder this social media site has more than one billion monthly active users.
If you’re wondering how to start an Insta blog or how to get more followers on Instagram using your already existing blog, we’ve got just the right tips for you.
Blogging on Instagram is easy compared to regular website blogging.
For starters, Instagram has a 2200 character limit when it comes to captions, so you won’t have to write long posts like you would on your website blog. Not to mention that blogging on Insta is absolutely free. This means you don’t need to pay for website design or hosting. Besides, Instagram is a visual site, meaning with a few quality photos, you can captivate and tell a story to your audience.
So, how do you start an Instagram blog and make it stand out?
Read on!
1. Sign Up For a Creator Account
To start blogging on Instagram, you’ll need to sign up for an account.
Currently, Instagram has three accounts- personal, business, and creator account. While you can always use a personal or a business account for blogging, the creator account was created specifically for bloggers and influencers.
A creator account has some benefits for you as a blogger compared to the other accounts because:
· You get access
· You can promote your posts just like you boost posts on Facebook
· A creator account has a contact button where you give a direct link to your email
· This account has a swap up button that allows your followers to link up to your Instagram stories
To sign up for an Instagram creator account, download the Insta app and sign up with your phone number, email address, or Facebook account. Ensure you create a unique username and password and change your profile to public. Once you have signed up for your personal Instagram account, click on the hamburger icon found on your profile page top right corner. Click on Switch to professional account and select creator account.
2. Complete Your Bio and Select a Niche
You’ll need to fill your bio after signing up for your Instagram account.
You shouldn’t leave parts of your bio blank. You should also make every word of your bio count as users will look at this page before they decide if they want to follow you or not. Use a unique username, a clear profile picture, and a niche tailored description.
If you already have an established blog, you can choose the same username for consistency purposes. But if you don’t, choose a name that is unique and catchy. Your username also needs to relate to your blogging niche, which brings us to the selection of a niche.
When selecting a niche, consider your interests. Are you into travel, food, photography, music, or architecture? Pick a niche and stick to it, as changing it often can confuse your followers.
3. Source Captivating Images and Pair Them with Great Captions
On Instagram, visuals rule.
To get the attention of your audience, use quality and captivating photos or videos. Get a good camera to capture high-resolution photos. You can also use your smartphone if it has a good camera or source free quality images online.
Pair your visuals with a story at the caption area to make them even more interesting. Most people overlook the importance of captions on their images. A caption makes your photo stand out and can also be used to prompt your followers to take action. You can also use it to describe to your audience the inspiration behind your image or video.
Many Instagram users use hashtags to find content on the platform.
As a blogger, Insta gives you 30 hashtags to use on your post, but you don’t have to use all of them. However, you must include some hashtags on your caption as it has been shown that content with ten or more hashtags has higher engagement.
Besides, when you use hashtags, even people who don’t follow you but are looking for content related to your hashtags will find you. This enables you to grow your following with minimal effort.
In closing, we hope you’ll implement the above tips to help you grow your Instagram blog. You should also know that on Instagram, you can’t make it if you’re a loner. So, in addition to our tips above, follow other Instagram users and like, share, or comment on their posts. And don’t forget to create content that will keep your audience yearning for more. To elevate your engagement, you may also try to buy Instagram shares on The Small Business Blog.