A few really common questions I get asked on Instagram is, "How do I get more followers?", "How do I grow my account?", "How do I get better engagement?" and these are absolutely valid questions! I googled these too when I started my Instagram 2 years ago! I put together a list of 10 things I did that I found really helped me hit that milestone.
1. Found a niche: Disney. Clearly, my Instagram is Disney-focused. There are many other niches on Instagram besides just Disney. But, before you start, figure out what your goal is and what you're trying to be a part of with your account. This helped me figure out what pictures to post, how to phrase my captions, what hashtags to use, etc.
2. Edited my pictures. When I first started my instagram, @happilyeverdanielle... it looked like this:
Then I realized, everything I'm posting is all about the Disney magic, how happy it makes me, and that edit was not conveying the right message. So I changed it up, added some saturation, increased the brightness, and BAM, it makes me so much happier just looking at the pictures! Having a consistent edit on your feed that flows & matches what you're trying to get across in your Instagram can help so much!
P.S. I'm selling the presets I use to edit all of my pictures so click here to check them out!
3. Posted consistently. I've found that my posts do the best and I gain more and more followers when I post at the same times. Whether I post every day at 5:30pm, or every other day at 7:45pm, I make sure to keep it consistent. Sometimes I do like to switch it up though to reach a different audience in my followers and just to see if posting at a different time works better. But I try my best to keep it consistent.
4. Used hashtags. I like to use about 30 on each post and I make sure I only use the hashtags that are relevant to my instagram/the post itself. You will never see me hashtag "foodblogger" because that isn't what my account is and I want people to find my account for the right reasons!
5. Posted stories daily. I LOVE posting on my stories. It's so much fun for me to share what I'm doing and an easier way to actually talk to my followers than with my actual posts. Not to mention, the gif's are so fun to use :)
6. Responded to DM's weekly/daily. Ever since I started actively engaging with the people I follow and the people that follow me, I have noticed I get LOTS more DM's. It can be overwhelming but it's another super fun way to talk to people. As busy as my life is, I will take time to respond to DM's because that really shows how much someone cares if they take the time to private message me!
7. Followed accounts in my niche. You'll see that I follow a lot of other Disney Instagrammers, Disney bloggers, etc. That's because those are the people in the Disney community! We post similar things and I like seeing what they do because we're so similar.
8. Interacted with those accounts in my niche. You can't just expect your followers to give you crazy amounts of likes and hundred of comments if you don't give anything back. That's just selfish, hahaha. I love going through my feed and liking others pictures, commenting on their posts and also looking through their stories. I'm following these people for a reason so it would be crazy to not send the love back!
9. Responded to the comments on my posts. I try to always ask a question in my caption that somehow relates to my post. Instead of just ignoring what people comment back to my question, I answer them! I'm still trying to get better at this because comments truly never end and people can keep commenting forever! So, this one can be tricky but it helps form those relationships and feel closer with the people who follow you.
10. Had fun with it!! I tried not to take my account too seriously because, after all, it is supposed to be fun! A lot of these tips can be super overwhelming but take a step back every once in a while. Remember why you started in the first place. It is just a fun, creative, social media outlet!
I hope these 10 tips help you with your Instagram too! Please remember, growing your account doesn't happen overnight. It takes time and lots of patience. If you ever have any questions, please reach out to me! I wish you the very best of luck with your Instagram :)
See ya real soon,
Danielle
