8 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Following

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whether you are a photographer or not, instagram is a wonderful place to share your little glimpse of the world through the use of your camera.  i adore instagram because, unlike facebook, it is primarily about sharing your life through photographs and that’s it!  and while many people debate whether instagram should be for cell phone photos only, i say…whatev.  my feed is primarily made up of photos taken with my nikon d61o and nikon d600.  if you are looking to improve your presence on instagram, keep these 8 tips to grow your instagram following in mind.

to see learn more about how to post your dslr photos to instagram, check out my video about how to transfer your dslr photos quickly to instagram.

8 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Following

8 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Following | bethadilly photography

because i prefer the simplicity of instagram over chaos of facebook, i use instagram to share my personal photography with the world.  instagram has introduced me to some of my best photographer friends and helped me develop relationships with great people in the photography world.  last year alone, i more than doubled my instagram following from january 1st to december 31st, getting my name further and further out into the photography world and, in turn, opening doors that have led to great opportunities.

getting instagram to do work for you is simple and starts with building a following that supports you and your photography.  like everything, building your audience and growing your instagram following takes a little effort.  but that effort can be broken down by following these 8 simple tips:

1.  post often…but don’t overdo it!

people click that “follow” button for a reason…because they want to see more of your photography.  knowing this, don’t leave them hanging!  posting often shows others that your instagram is active and worthy of a follow.  but here’s the thing, posting too much can dwindle your following and hurt you more than help you.  to be honest, people overposting is the main reason why i choose to unfollow someone.  i personally like to post once a day, as it shows that i am actively photographing every day, but not so much that i am clogging someone’s feed with my images.  as a general rule of thumb, post at least once but not more than twice per day.

8 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Following | bethadilly photography

2.  tell people about you!

you know that little bio section by your profile picture on your instagram page?  take a second and write a little something about yourself there.  what you write should reflect what you share.  that little bio section should tell a potential follower a little bit about you and what images they should expect to see in your gallery.  for example, mine says:  “photographer.  mama to be.  red wine snob.  luckiest wife.  starbucks lover.  apple product addict.  creator of >>the bethadilly challenge<<.”  when someone sees my bio, they can expect to see a gallery full of professional photographer images, baby bump selfies, my choice of vino {well, before i was preggo}, mushy posts about my hubby, a plethora of starbucks cups and my obsession with apple technology.  should people be interested, they hit the “follow” button.  should those things not interest them, they don’t.

3.  be relatable.  but don’t whine.

people like to follow people who are real.  did your kid just throw a bowl of cherrios on the floor?  take a cute pic of it, add a funny “such is life” caption, and post it!  people love to see that others are just like them, during the messy times or not.  posting pictures of your everyday shows others that you are a true person who has to grocery shop just like everyone else.  and when people can relate to you, the are happy to follow you because they want to stick around and see more about your life.  but here’s the thing…while you are being relatable, but lighthearted about it.  nobody likes to follow someone who whines or complains a lot, so keep it fun and positive…even when it is about your kid crying in the middle of the target aisle.  take a positive and humorous spin on it.  skip the “oh my gosh, my kid is so embarrassing” rant and say, “looks like someone needed their coffee this morning!  :)”  when in doubt, keep it light.  people want to follow you to be inspired, not bummed out.

4.  be apart of something bigger.

a great way of getting to know other instagrammers, and therefore gain some followers, is by joining a community.  many communities connect through the use of hashtags, whether they are all sharing photos of their cats or participating in a 365 photography project.  joining communities connects you with people who have the same interests as you.  there are communities about coffee, crafting, nature…anything you could think of!  so when you stumble upon a community that fits you, be sure to use their hashtags when it fits your photo.  and if you want to join a really fun community full of photographers who are completing a photo a day challenge, join in on #thebethadillychallenge with me on instagram!

8 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Following | bethadilly photography

5.  give a little, to get a little.

remember when your momma told you, “treat people how you want to be treated.”  well, it applies on instagram!  if you want to get some followers, follow some peers who’s photograph you enjoy and actively “like” their photos.  if you relate to them and their photography, chances are they will relate to you too.  sometimes they will follow you back, and sometimes they won’t.  and that’s okay!  not everyone you follow is going to follow you back.  but by actively browsing through the hashtags that you use and liking other people’s photos, you may get some people clicking over to your profile to see what you are all about!

6.  be consistent.

people will start following you because they like your photography and can relate to your style.  knowing that, give them what they are there for.  be consistent about what you choose to post and be true to your audience.  if your bio and images say you love to photograph nature, maybe don’t go overboard on posting about interior design.  i mean, you can always do that if you want…but just know that some people will decide to unfollow you because they don’t relate to your interests.  so decide what you want your niche to be, and do it!  for me, my instagram is full of images of my everyday and my followers stick around because they want to see more of my day to day.  do i get unfollowed?  oh yeah, every day!  and that is okay!  with every person that unfollows, i gain someone who does follow.  don’t get bummed when people unfollow you.  it’s not personal, it’s just the way it is.

7.  be responsive.

if someone asks you a question, try to respond.  if someone gives you a compliment, try to say thank you.  now, can you do this every single day?  of course not.  but from time to time, try your best to respond to your followers who leave comments on your images.  it shows them that there is someone behind the photography you are posting and that you appreciate them.  even better, try and comment on other people’s photos from time to time and show your appreciation for their photography, too!

8.  track your stats!

at the beginning of every month, i write down how many followers i have, tracking my follower growth from month to month.  on the months where i have a big spike in followers, i reflect on what i did differently to be successful in followings.  what kinds of images was i posting that gained attention?  there are also going to be the months where your following just plateaus a bit and that’s okay!  but look back on that month and try and decipher why.  after two years of posting once a day to my instagram, last fall i barely posted once a week when i found out i was pregnant.  why?  well, i basically slept through my first trimester.  😉  when i look back on the stats for those months, i wasn’t losing followers, but i wasn’t gaining them at the same rate i normally do.  seeing that, i know that my followers like my daily posts and daily interaction with them.  it’s all a learning process, and your stats say it all!

and there you go!  easy peasy, right?  by consistently posting, being aware of your audience, engaging in communities and watching how you present yourself on social media, you can start building your instagram following!

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8 Tips To Grow Your Instagram Following | bethadilly photography

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  • lisa - great tip about tracking the stats. not something i’ve thought about. I do miss your daily posts, but I love the bump-dates 😉 congrats!ReplyCancel

    • {beth} a-dilly - tracking your stats can be so insightful! i am back to posting daily again…well, at least until this little one arrives!ReplyCancel

  • Tracey - Perfect timing!! I just stared my 365, using your prompts to inspire me! I did (most) of a 365 year before last; I desperately wanted to be part of a community, but it didn’t work out as I had hoped. I found you and I am inspired to try again! I saw how you use IG and how rich it can be – wow! it is much simpler than doing a blog (I used your IG post flow), and the folks I’ve met so far are just wonderful and talented. Thanks so much for sharing! I am so excited for you on your new family adventure!ReplyCancel

    • {beth} a-dilly - you are so very welcome and i am happy that you are joining us in the challenge! i am even happier that you are enjoying our community, and i am most proud that #thebethadillychallenge community is so kind and supportive! best of luck with your 365! you are going to rock it this year!ReplyCancel

  • Suzanne - glad to see you posting more again. i missed seeing your light, airy photos. can’t wait to see pics of the little one once he/she arrives 🙂ReplyCancel

  • the bethadilly challenge | february 2016 prompt list » beth a-dilly - […] to learn a little more about how to be successful with instagram, check out my post of 8 tips to grow your instagram following. […]ReplyCancel

  • 5 Ways Pinterest Can Grow Your Photography Business » beth a-dilly - […] do you want to grow your presence on instagram?  check out my 8 tips to grow your instagram following! […]ReplyCancel

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  • Favourite Articles on Instagram – The Techno Maid - […] 8 Tips to Grow your Instagram Following by Beth Deschamp Want to share your photos with more people? This article will help you. It has a lot of advice on how you improve your chances of people following you. […]ReplyCancel

  • 5 Mistakes That Make You Lose Instagram Followers » bethadilly - […] are you trying to improve your following on instagram?  check out my 8 tips to grow your instagram following. […]ReplyCancel

  • Jules Corry - There are a lot of nice ways to market your product. But the method that i use and it works 100% of the time is to create a social media account for the product and then buy a couple of followers to start off and other people will start following the account, leading to more sales for whatever it is I’m marketing. There are a couple of website out there that sells instagram and twitter followers. http://www.fansboost.net is the one i usually use but you can google for other websites.ReplyCancel

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  • 5 Mindful Ways To Protect Your Kids on Social Media » bethadilly - […] are you trying to build up a following on social media?  here are 8 tips to grow your instagram following. […]ReplyCancel

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