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How to Use Instagram: A Beginner's Guide

Over the past few years, Instagram has seen exponential growth — from one million users at its inception to over one billion in 2022.

If you're interested in getting an Instagram account, or just created one but aren't sure how to use it, you're in luck. Here, we're going to cover all the basics, so you can learn why Instagram is the top social media platform for engagement today.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a social media platform that emphasizes photo and video sharing via its mobile app. You can take, edit, and publish visual content for both followers and non-followers, as long as your account is public. Users can interact with your content via likes, comments, shares, and saves.

It's hard to remember a time before Instagram. At one time, "Do it for the 'gram" was a common saying, which meant, essentially, "Do something so we can take a picture and post it to Instagram."

Since then, Instagram has placed a larger and heavier emphasis on video. So you no longer hear the phrase “Do it for the ‘gram.” I bet, though, that a second version of the phrase will soon follow. (Maybe “Do it for reel?”)

If you're not part of the one billion users on Instagram, you might want to reconsider. The app is a great chance to engage with top brands and stay a part of friends' lives. When I want to see how my college friends are doing, I don't check Facebook, I check Instagram. Plus, you can follow your favorite celebrities or political figures to see candid photos of their everyday lives.

Additionally, it's a phenomenal platform for investigating what other brands are doing — for instance, Nike uses the Instagram Stories' feature to promote inspirational athlete stories you won't find anywhere else.

How to Sign Up for Instagram

To sign up for Instagram, all you need to do is download the Instagram app on your phone and click the 'Sign up' button. You can choose to sign up through Facebook or use your email or phone number. After you choose a username and password, you’re ready to build your profile.

If you're ready to sign up for Instagram, follow these steps below:

  • Go to the Instagram site on your desktop, or download the Instagram app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
  • If you're on desktop, click "Log in with Facebook", or fill in the form with your mobile number or email, name, username, and password. Then click "Sign up".
  • On Android, click "Sign Up With Email or Phone Number".
  • On iPhone, select "Sign Up".
  • Enter your email address or phone number, then click "Next". Alternatively, you can sign up with your Facebook account.
  • Once you've filled out your username and password, you will be instructed to fill out your profile info. Then, tap "Done".
  • If you register with Facebook, you'll need to log into your Facebook account if you're currently logged out.

How Do Instagram Notifications Work?

When your account is created, you'll want to adjust your notifications so you only receive the information you want. For instance, you can choose to receive notifications when you get likes from everyone — but, alternatively, you might decide to only receive notifications when you get a like from someone you follow. Or, you might turn off notifications for likes altogether.

You can adjust notifications to "Off", "From People I Follow", or "From Everyone", for the following categories — Comments, Comment Likes, Likes and Comments on Photos of You, Follower Requests, Accepted Follow Requests, Friends on Instagram, Instagram Direct, Photos of You, Reminders, First Posts and Stories, Product Announcements, View Counts, Support Requests, Live Videos, Mentions in Bio, IGTV Video Updates, and Video Chats.

If you're overwhelmed by that list, I get it — I am, too. If you're unsure what notifications you want to receive, you might start with your notifications on "From Everyone", and if certain notifications begin to annoy you, you can turn them off later.

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To customize which notifications you receive, follow these steps:

1. Open up the Instagram app on your phone.

First up, open up the Instagram app on your mobile device. You can also access Instagram on desktop if you prefer. Then, head to your profile by clicking the image of your profile picture on the bottom right.

2. Access “Settings.”

After you arrive at your profile, click the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner.

A popup menu will appear. Tap “Settings.”

3. Tap “Notifications.”

On the next screen, click "Notifications." 

There, you’ll be able to change the notification settings depending on category. These categories include:

  • Posts, Stories, and Comments
  • Following and Followers
  • Direct Messages and Calls
  • Live and Video
  • Fundraisers
  • From Instagram
  • Email and SMS
  • Shopping

You also have the ability to pause all notifications by toggling the Pause All option up top.

4. Check off the notifications you want to receive.

Access each category individually and choose the notifications you want to receive. Here are the options, for example, for “Posts, Stories, and Comments”:

The options will vary depending on category.

And that's it! Next, let's explore how to connect your other social media accounts to your Instagram, so when you post an image to Instagram, you can share it with your other online audiences, as well.

Can you connect to Instagram to other social accounts?

Yes, you can connect Instagram to Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, but it’s no longer done through Settings, as it used to be.

Now, you do it on a per-post basis.

If you want to share a post to other platforms, you navigate to the actual post you want to cross-publish on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, and then manually share it that way.

Here’s how:

1. Open up the Instagram app.

2. Navigate to your profile.

3. Tap on the post you’d like to cross-post.

4. Click the three dots on the top right-hand corner of the post.

5. On the pop-up menu, click “Share.”

Note: Don’t click “Share to,” which will give you an option to AirDrop or share the post to your contacts.

6. Toggle the accounts you’d like to share the post to. If you’re not already signed in, you’ll need to do so right within the Instagram app.

Once you’ve connected your accounts for one post, you can then toggle the sharing options for any new posts without needing to sign in again.

If you connect Instagram to Facebook, you can share your Stories across both accounts. We talk more about how to do that below.

How to Connect Instagram to Facebook

Since Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company, Meta, you can connect the two accounts for a more seamless experience. Connecting your Instagram and Facebook accounts allows you to:

  • Share Stories across both Instagram and Facebook
  • Login with Facebook into Instagram
  • Sync your profile name and picture across both profiles
  • Use Facebook Pay on both platforms
  • Access your shopping activity on both accounts

If you’re a frequent Facebook user, then connecting your account to your new Instagram profile is highly recommended. Here’s how:

1. Open up your Instagram app.

2. Click on your profile picture on the bottom right-hand corner.

3. Click the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner.

4. Tap “Settings.”

5. Under the Meta logo, tap “Accounts Center.”

6. Tap “Set up Accounts Center.”

7. Follow the prompts to log in into Facebook.

Done! Your two accounts are now connected. Here's how it'll look like once you're finished: 

In the next section, I'll show you when a linked account comes in handy.

Upload, Edit, and Post an Image

Now, for the most important part of Instagram — how to upload and post an image.

Instagram is an entirely visual platform. Unlike Facebook, which relies on both text and pictures, or Twitter, which relies on text alone, Instagram's sole purpose is to enable users to share images or videos with their audience.

On Facebook, you might choose to post 100 photos on an album. On Instagram, you need to be choosier about which photos you post. There are a few reasons for this — first, you don't want to post more than once a day (typically). And you don't want to post too many similar photos.

For instance, it would be odd for you to post fifty photos from the same beach vacation on your Instagram profile. Instead, you might choose five or six, and place them all within the same post.

(These are called carousel posts, and they allow you to share multiple photos in one post only. Carousel posts are awesome for posting similar pictures in one package while keeping your overall profile aesthetic diverse.)

Curious about creating an aesthetic? To learn more about Instagram account themes and get inspiration, take a look at these Instagram themes. Additionally, if you want to embark on a deep-dive, you can take HubSpot's Instagram Marketing Course.

Now that we've covered that, let's explore how to upload, edit, and post an image.

1. Click the "+" icon at the top-right hand corner.

When you tap the “+” icon, you’ll be prompted to choose the type of post you want to share. Since we want to publish a post directly on our profile feed, tap “Post.”

2. Choose your media file.

Here, you have three options. You can look through your Photos library on your phone, you can take a new picture from right within Instagram, or you can take a new video. For our purposes, I looked through my Photos library and found a picture of Boston I wanted to use. Then, I clicked "Next" in the top right.

3. Add filters if desired.

There are two categories you can use to edit your image — "Filter" and "Edit". Instagram automatically shows you filters first. You can scroll through the carousel and click any of the filters to apply it to your image.

Additionally, if you want to use a filter but you want to tone it down, double tap the filter and move the cursor to the left to lessen the intensity of the filter.

4. Edit your image if desired.

Next, click "Edit". Here, you can adjust contrast, brightness, structure, warmth, and more. When you're happy with your edited image, or if you don't want to edit it at all, click "Next" in the top right.

5. Write a caption and toggle sharing settings.

Now, you can add a caption, tag people (you can only tag someone if they also have an Instagram account), and add a location. Additionally, click the button beside Facebook or another linked social media account to share your image on that platform, as well. When you're ready to publish, click "Share" in the top right.

If you don’t want to use your app to post on Instagram, you can also do so from your computer. Learn how to post to Instagram from a Mac or PC here.

Upload an Image or Video to Your Stories

Instagram Stories is a feature that allows you to post videos or images that disappear after 24-hours. Instagram's Stories feature is similar to Snapchat in terms of content — users often post more casual and candid videos and images, offering glimpses into their every day lives.

For instance, on your normal feed, you might post a heavily-edited picture of yourself and friends at a baseball game. But you might post a more candid video to your Story of the stadium singing "Sweet Caroline".

To learn how to upload an image or video to your Stories, follow these steps:

1.

Tap your profile picture in the upper left-hand corner.

Alternatively, swipe right on your feed or tap the “+” button in the top navigation bar.

2. Capture or add your media.

Once you're within the Stories feature, you can take a picture or video right from within the app. Alternatively, if you have an image saved to your phone that you'd like to use, you can choose it from your media library.

3. Add stickers or filters.

On the left-hand side, you have a few different editing features.

The “Create” button lets you add a location, hashtag, time, date, and other fun images or emojis to your picture.

The “Boomerang” option allows you to create a looping video. And the "Aa" icon is your text button. Once you click "Aa", you have the option to change your font.

If you click the smiley face icon, you'll see the following screen. Simply click on one of the icons to add them to your image. If you don't like it, drag it to the bottom, and a trash can will appear so you can delete it.

For instance, I clicked the smiley face icon to add a poll to my image. You can also swipe to the left or right to add filters to your photo or video.

4. Publish your Story.

Once you're happy with your content, you can either click the white arrow icon in the bottom right, which allows you to share your Story with everyone who follows you, or select “Close Friends” first, so that only your close friends see it.

Then you’re done! Your Story is immediately live.

How to Follow on Instagram

It's incredibly easy to find and follow users. Using Instagram's search feature, you can find celebrities, brands, and friends. Additionally, you can search "Tags" or "Places". "Tags" is particularly useful if you know what type of content you want to find, but you're not sure who posts about it.

For instance, you might search "#familyrecipes" under tags — your results will include any images with that hashtag. As you peruse, you might find someone who posts content you really like, and you can choose to follow them so their content appears on your feed.

To follow someone, follow these three easy steps.

1. Click on the search icon at the bottom of your screen.

It looks like a magnifying glass and will be right next to the “Home” button.

2. Next, type in a person, topic, or brand.

For this example, I searched "architecture.”

Instagram allows you to either search all posts that contain the word “architecture,” or “See all results” and see tags and places.

3. Tap the account you’re interested in following.

Once you're on someone else's account, you'll see a blue "Follow" button at the top. For public profiles, you can click and immediately begin following that account. However, if the profile is private, you may need to wait for them to accept you first.

And that's it! You're on your way to becoming a pro. To take your account to the next level, plan out your next posts using an array of content ideas and templates.

Using Instagram is Key for Growing Your Personal Brand

If you want to grow both professionally and personally, then using Instagram is more important than ever. You can start by observing first, then begin posting as you learn your way around the user interface. With over one billion users, Instagram is an extremely worthwhile social media platform to join — and it’s only set to keep growing as time goes on.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

Topics: Instagram Marketing

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What Is Instagram and How to Use It: a Beginner's Guide

  • Instagram is a free social media platform for sharing photos and videos with your followers.
  • It's become an especially popular way to connect with brands, celebrities, and friends.
  • Instagram has an array of features, from short-form videos to live streaming and private messaging.

One could argue that Instagram is a social media network like no other. The popular user base platform is built almost entirely around sharing images and videos. This visual twist is why Instagram is the cultural powerhouse it is today — "Instagramming" is officially a verb now.

With over a billion registered accounts, from small businesses to large institutions, news organizations to cultural hubs, celebrities, photographers, musicians, and not to mention the cottage industry of influencers — it's hard to remember a time when Instagram didn't exist.

So, if you've found yourself out of the Instagram loop, then read on. We'll give you a crash course on how the app works, how to get started, and eventually, how to get 'gramming like a pro. 

To help you get started, let's walk through some of the basics: 

How to download Instagram

First things first: You'll need to download Instagram to use the app. It's available for free on iOS, Android, and Windows devices. While there isn't an app fully optimized for iPads, you can still enjoy the full IG experience on your iPad by changing your App Store settings to find the app.

How to create an Instagram account

Upon opening the app for the first time, you'll be prompted to create a new account, or log in with your Facebook account. 

If you choose to make a new account, the process is straightforward: you'll be asked for your phone number or email address, full name, desired username, and password.

Once you create an account, it's worth noting that you can create — and switch between — multiple Instagram accounts without logging out, a very useful feature if you wish to run separate accounts for personal and professional use.

Even though Instagram is designed primarily for smartphones, the desktop experience — once very limited — has steadily improved over the years. 

Today, you can get on Instagram from your computer and use a web browser to edit your profile, view your feed, like and comment on posts, and send and receive direct messages. You can even post photos and videos from the desktop app, thanks to a relatively recent update.

Setting up your profile

After you create your Instagram account, you're going to want to set up your profile. Your profile page is a hub for all your photos and videos where you can keep track of who you're following and who's following you. It's also where you can access your settings. 

From your profile page, you can edit your profile, access settings, or scroll down to see your posts. Devon Delfino

Profile pages are often the first thing people visit, so it's best to keep your username, profile picture, and bio up to date. Your profile picture is the icon that appears with your username all over the platform, while your bio is a space to offer a brief description of yourself or your brand. You can also add a link to your website, if applicable. 

By clicking Edit Profile, you can make changes to your profile page at any time:

  • How to change your Instagram profile picture
  • How to change your Instagram bio
  • How to change your Instagram username

If you're running an Instagram account for your business, you can also add your location.

Customizing notifications

Keeping up with your friends and followers on Instagram means making sure you're getting the right notifications, at the right time. The platform gives you the power to choose what push notifications it sends to your device.

For example, perhaps you want to receive a notification when you get a new follower, or when someone comments on your post. Or maybe you're feeling inundated with pings and you would like to turn your notifications off completely. 

You can adjust your notifications by going into your profile, tapping the three lines in the top-right corner of the screen and selecting the three lines icon in the same location , and then tap Settings followed by Notifications.

You can adjust your notifications from this screen. Devon Delfino

Now that you have the app downloaded, and your profile set up, it's time to start sharing.

How to use Instagram

At its core, Instagram is a social media platform, and a highly visual one at that. Every time you open the app, you'll be met with a main feed of recent posts from the accounts you follow. 

At the bottom is a menu bar, which is accessible anywhere you are in the app.

Here's what each button does, from left to right:

Home: Your main feed where you can scroll through photos and videos posted by your friends.

Search and explore: The magnifying glass icon takes you to the Explore page, where you can search and browse content from accounts you don't follow but may be interested in.

Reels: This tab includes short videos (up to 90 seconds long) from users you may or may not be following. You can scroll to the next video by swiping your finger from the bottom of the screen to the top.

Shop: Here, you'll find a collection of Instagram posts that includes items you can buy through the app.

Profile: This icon navigates to your profile page that shows your bio and posts. It's also where you can access your settings. 

Use these buttons to navigate between your feed, search and Explore, Reels, Shop, and your profile. Devon Delfino

Like other social media networks, Instagram is what you make it. For most people, checking Instagram is equal parts voyeurism and self-expression. For the entrepreneurial set, like business owners, brands, and influencers, Instagram is an indispensable marketing tool with unmatched reach.

But going back to basics, Instagram works off a simple premise: You follow accounts that interest you. In turn, people follow you. People can "like" and comment on your posts, and you can do the same to their posts. Whether you maintain a low profile or amass a following, how active you are is entirely up to you.

Uploading, editing, and posting photos

To share a photo or video on Instagram, tap the large plus button (located toward the top-right corner of the screen). From there, you can select photos or videos from your phone's camera roll to post. 

Quick tip: Instagram allows you to to select up to 10 photos and videos to post at once — these kinds of posts are called carousels.

For every post, you can choose to apply a filter, which, depending on who you ask, is either essential to the Instagram experience or unnecessary, given that many other photo editing apps come with their own filters. 

Filters make it easy to edit shots with different visual pre-set overlays. For example, some filters, like Mayfair, give everything a pink hue; others, like Willow, turn everything black-and-white.

You can adjust how intense (or not) the filter is as well using a slider when you select the filter and then tap it one more time.

You can select from in-app filters to alter your photos. Devon Delfino

Once your post is to your liking and ready to go, there are a few more options you can do before you hit the share button:

Add a caption: Captions are always a good idea. You can use words, emojis, or hashtags. Just like in comments, you can also mention friends by typing @ in front of their username. Keep in mind you can edit captions at any time — or delete posts. 

Tag people: Instagram allows you to "tag" someone in your photos. When you tag someone, they'll get a notification in their activity feed. (This is separate from mentioning them in your caption.)

Add location: Location tags lets others know where your photo was taken. Clicking on a location tag brings you to its corresponding location feed, where you can peruse other public posts.

Also post to other social accounts: Instagram also gives you the ability to publish a post to other social accounts at the same time. By linking accounts, you can cross-post to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. 

There are a lot of options in Instagram's posting screen. Devon Delfino

Exploring and finding people to follow

The best way to find people to follow is by tapping the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the app. This will open the Explore page, where you'll find a feed of suggested posts based on what Instagram thinks you're interested in.

The Explore page can also be organized by topic — another great way for discovering content. 

You can do this by selecting the suggested topics toward the top of the screen. Additionally, the page is where you can search for users by name, through the search bar at the top of the screen.

You can scroll down for more posts, or use the search function at the top to find specific accounts or posts. Devon Delfino

When it comes to interacting with others, Instagram works less like Facebook and more like Twitter. In most cases, you don't have to send a friend request or wait for the other person to accept it.

When you follow other people, Instagram will make sure you see their posts in your feed. For the most part, people can see who you're following and who's following you, at all times.

However, if you have a private account your followers are restricted and unable to view who currently follows you. 

Sending and receiving direct messages

Instagram has a direct messaging system that lets you chat privately with anyone who follows you. 

If you send a message to someone who doesn't follow you, that message will be sorted into its own "message requests" folder. To start the conversation, the person on the receiving end must accept the message.

Direct messages are also available in the app and on the desktop website.

To access your message menu, tap the paper airplane icon in your home feed. From there, you'll be shown all the people you've had conversations with in the past. You can also tap the pen and paper icon in the top right-hand corner to start a new conversation, or the camera icon to start a video chat.

Your message history will appear on this screen. Devon Delfino

Once you're in a conversation, you can send all sorts of messages. These include basic text messages, animated GIFs, and more. You can also share Instagram posts. And you can "like" messages, or delete messages if you no longer wish to see them.

The only users that you'll have to ask to follow are those who have made their account private. 

When you tap Follow on a private profile, you'll have to wait for that user to accept you before you can officially follow them and send them a message.

You can also connect your phone contacts to Instagram, which can be another great way to find friends on the app.

Instagram features

As you might expect, Instagram rolls out new features regularly. From new content to an ever-expanding set of creative tools, Instagram offers plenty of opportunities for self-expression and creativity.

Here are the latest and greatest Instagram features worth knowing:

Instagram Stories

Many people use Instagram exclusively for creating and viewing Stories, which are customizable posts that only last 24 hours. These posts, which could be a mix of photos and short-form videos, are presented in a slideshow format and accessible through the top of the home feed. 

And when we say customizable, we mean customizable. Unlike regular posts, which include only simple filters, Stories boast all kinds of creative elements, including:

  • Animated stickers and cartoons
  • Polls and quizzes
  • Dynamic song lyrics
  • Links to donation funds and charities

There are several ways to add a Story, but the easiest is to tap your profile icon at the top-left hand corner of your home feed. From there, you can either take a photo or video live, or choose one from your phone's gallery. You'll then have the opportunity to draw, add text or any of those other creative elements we mentioned above. 

While Stories are designed to disappear after one day, they're automatically saved to your private Archive (which we'll explain in just a bit) after expiring. You can also publish Stories permanently on your profile for visitors to watch at any time.

Instagram Live

Instagram Live is a feature that lets you livestream, or broadcast live video, from your device to anyone who wants to watch. 

Viewers can send you messages and hearts while you stream, making this a great way to talk to all your followers at once, or broadcast an event.

To go live on Instagram, you'll need to open Instagram and, from your feed, swipe right and select Live from the options at the bottom of the screen. From there you can do things like add a title, select your audience, and schedule the live video, if desired.  

You can go live for up to four hours at a time — after that, the livestream will end and you'll need to start again.

While you're streaming, viewer comments are visible by default, but can be disabled with just a few taps. 

Whenever anyone you follow starts starts a livestream, you'll get a notification. If you're following a lot of people, this might mean a constant flood of notifications that you don't need. 

Luckily, turning off Instagram Live notifications only takes a moment.

Reels

Built as a rival to TikTok, Reels is Instagram's dedicated video platform, letting users upload videos up to 90 seconds long in length. Once you record a video, you can edit it and add music, text, and special effects. Other users can like or comment on your Reels videos, so they can be a fun way to attract new followers.

To watch someones else's Reels, you need to tap the icon, located in the center of the bottom menu on the app. (It looks like a mashup of a play button and a clapperboard. ) Here, you can watch videos that others have uploaded, create Reels of your own.

Instagram Shopping

Given Instagram's popularity, it's no surprise that brands are doing everything they can to turn Instagram users into customers. According to Instagram, nearly half of people shop on Instagram weekly.

Instagram tips and tricks

Instagram is simple to use, but can take a while to master. Here are some of our favorite tricks that aren't so obvious to beginners.

Schedule posts in advance

Instagram has become a massive part of nearly every company's online presence, and if there's one thing that social media brand managers love, it's scheduling a post in advance.

Instagram does have a native post scheduler — but that's reserved for those with professional accounts. Still, there are dozens of third-party programs, like Buffer, that can handle the scheduling for you.

Save Instagram videos to your phone

If you've found an amazing video on Instagram that you just need to save, you're in luck — there are several ways to save Instagram videos.

If you're trying to save one of your own videos, it'll just take a few taps to save the video directly to your camera roll. If you're trying to save someone else's video, however, you'll need to record your screen or use a third-party app.

Post different photo formats

When Instagram first launched in 2010, the edits were limited. You could only post square photos — anything else either wasn't allowed, or would be cut off.

Nowadays, the rules are a bit more lax. But if you want to post two common photo types — panorama shots and Live Photos — you may have to make some edits beforehand.

For a panorama photo, you can either zoom out so it fits in a single photo, otherwise you'll need to split up your shots beforehand using a third-party app. If you have an iPhone and want to post your live photos, you'll need to convert them into videos first.

Archive posts instead of deleting them

If you're unsure about deleting your post, Instagram offers an archive feature instead. This is great if you only want to hide a post temporarily.

To archive a post, open it, tap the three dots in the top-right, and then select Archive. The post will be hidden immediately. 

Once you've archived a post, you can navigate to your private Archive with just a few taps.

Note: Every Story you post will be saved to your Archive automatically once they expire.

Privacy and security

It's also important to manage your privacy and security settings to your liking. 

Manage who can see your posts

Like Facebook, Instagram allows you control who can see your posts. The easiest way to control your online presence is to set your account as "Private."

When you set your account as Private, the only people who will be able to see your posts and other activity are your followers. And before people can follow you, you'll have to approve them. 

Another way you can do this is by setting up a Close Friends list. The Close Friends feature allows you to create Instagram Stories that can only be viewed by specific people. If you want to use Stories to send quick updates to your friends, this is the way to go.

Finally, if you run a Business account and you don't want users under a certain age following, you can set an age limit on your account — the minimum age you can set depends on where you live.

Change your personal account information

We've already mentioned that you can change your username whenever you like. But if you're unhappy with how you set up your account, you can edit other pieces of information too.

With just a few taps, you can change the email connected to your account. 

If you want to make sure your account is secure, you can change your Instagram password at any time.

Download and back up your data 

Like most social networks, Instagram has an obscure menu that lets you download every bit of content you've ever posted on the app. This includes your photos, videos, comments, messages, profile information, and more.

The only content you can't download are Stories you've posted and let expire without saving.

To download your Instagram data, head to the Settings menu in your app and then select Your activity followed by Download Data. Once there, fill out the form, and your data will be emailed to you within a few days.

If you don't want to download all your data, you can also simply view it in the app.

Protect yourself and others from harassment

Instagram has a long set of rules to ensure that all users have a safe and fun time in the app. But like all sites, it's not hard to find people who break those rules. Other users can comment on pictures and videos that you post to a public profile - but if you want to post something without leaving it open to comments, you can disable the comments on specific posts.

If you ever find a user harassing you or someone else, you can report them to Instagram. 

There's no guarantee that Instagram will act on the report, but alerting them to it is better than doing nothing.

Whether you're an aspiring influencer, photography lover, or an everyday social media user, Instagram is a great place to be. It's easy to get started, so if this guide has piqued your interest, give it a try.

If for whatever reason you later decide it's not for you, you can delete your Instagram account at any time. No commitment needed.

Devon Delfino

Devon Delfino is a Brooklyn-based freelance journalist specializing in personal finance, culture, politics, and identity. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Los Angeles Times, Teen Vogue, Business Insider, and CNBC. Follow her on Twitter at @devondelfino.

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William Antonelli

Tech Reporter for Insider Reviews

William Antonelli (he/she/they) is a writer, editor, and organizer based in New York City. As a founding member of the Reference team, he helped grow Tech Reference (now part of Insider Reviews) from humble beginnings into a juggernaut that attracts over 20 million visits a month. Outside of Insider, his writing has appeared in publications like Polygon, The Outline, Kotaku, and more. He's also a go-to source for tech analysis on channels like Newsy, Cheddar, and NewsNation. You can find him on Twitter @DubsRewatcher, or reach him by email at [email protected].

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28+ ideas what to post on Instagram: themes and the best time to post

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How to do business on Instagram, what is the secret of successful sales, what is needed to effectively achieve goals: according to sales statistics of a large Belarusian store OZ.BY, business publications on these topics have been the most popular over the past 20 years . Here is their list.

Top 10 books on business topics for two decades (OZ.BY does not disclose sales data) looks like this:

1. Evgeny Kozlov, Dmitry Kudryashov. Instagram administrator. Earning Guide"

2. Maxim Batyrev. “45 tattoos are sold. Rules for those who sell and manage sales"

3. Eliyahu Goldratt, Jeff Cox. "Target. Continuous improvement process”

4. Jason Fried, David Hensson. Rework. Business Without Prejudice»

5. Konstantin Baksht. "Building a Sales Department"

6. Eric Rees “Business from scratch. Lean Startup Method"

7. Kirill Zhukovsky, Roman Nazarchuk. "YouTube: the path to success. How to get truckloads of likes and tons of money"

8. Lyubov Soboleva. The Instagram Phenomenon. How to promote your account and earn "

9. Blake Masters, Peter Thiel: “Zero to One. How to create a startup that will change the future»

10. Konstantin Baksht. How to ruin your own business. Bad advice to entrepreneurs”

As you can see, 3 out of 10 publications talk about how to make money on promoting your own and other people's accounts, attract customers on YouTube and Instagram.

At the same time, it is clear that book sales statistics depend on many factors: circulation, the desire of the seller to develop the segment of business literature (attention to it was not the same in different years), and trends. For example, 7-10 years ago, the e-commerce sector was not highly developed, motivational literature was in demand. Now many businesses work with online channels, blogging is becoming popular. That is, there are more and more books on how to monetize social networks.

Photo from asamakers.by

“Hi, future Instagram administrator! A person who will earn remotely from anywhere in the world. Earn good money while living your life" , - so begins "Administrator of Instagram. Earnings Guide "- edition from the first line. The book tells about a specialist who helps businesses to promote their profile on this social network and attract customers. To do this, of course, you need to know how to work with Instagram tools, know the rules for working with subscribers and their involvement, and create useful and interesting content.

We selected a few tips from the book about working with content and customers. Perhaps they will be useful for working not only with Instagram.

28+ post ideas

Posts are the basis of profile content. According to them, in many respects, a potential buyer of a service or product will evaluate the attractiveness of your client. It would seem that it is difficult - write a cheerful text, take a beautiful photo, and the trick is in the bag.

But things are not so simple. Posting is a whole system, which, of course, has its own rules. And it would be nice for you to know them:

  • Post no more than three posts a day
  • The ideal time for fasting is 9:00, 12:00, 19:00, 21:00. Always try different times, perhaps the target audience of your client will be more active at one time than at another
  • Test, test and test again. Cover objections and fears of potential buyers in posts. Act according to the prescribed content plan, drawn up in advance
  • Alternate different types of fasts
  • Use good quality photographs. Preferably "live" photos of the client. If you use photobanks, don't take photos with watermarks, it's ugly.

Now let's look at what types of posts can be. Use this cheat sheet every time you find yourself in a creative dead end and don't know what to come up with.

Photo from the site sostav.ru

1. Product/service by person - a selling post that shows a product or service. Be sure to indicate the address and contacts for communication in the post itself + make a call to action (buy, write, call): the offer + deadline + call to action formula works on Instagram too:

  • "O" - offer (offer)
  • "D" - deadline (time limit)
  • "C" - call to action (call to action)

2. Photo in the process of using / performing product - if your client does a manicure, then show from the side how he does it. If he tunes cars, show the mechanics in the process of work, only sober and clean, and not as usual.

3. Request for opinions and suggestions - more relevant for personal accounts, just ask subscribers what they would be interested in learning from the account, what articles they would be interested in, and they themselves will tell you everything.

4. Left/Right - a collage of two photos in which you ask subscribers what they like best. For example, a collage of two dresses.

5. Provocations - posts on topical and current topics. World news, industry news.

6. Facts and statistics - there are lies, there are blatant lies and there are statistics. Always show the facts about the product, but not in the format of soulless numbers, but show all the facts in practice, and show them in an interesting way.

7. Answers to questions from subscribers / hotline - the content is very relevant for accounts that need to show their expertise. With the right application of this content, account engagement will skyrocket. Be sure to limit the time for answers, a maximum of 12 hours, so there will be more questions, believe me.

8. Myths and rebuttals - disprove all popular myths about a product or service, at the same time close the objections of your subscribers before buying. We made myths about laser hair removal, in which we explained that it is not scary and does not hurt at all, but for the best effect, you need to immediately take an annual subscription for 135 thousand, and bought them quite actively.

9. Announcement of events — announce your events or those of your partners. Companies often forget to do this and announce their event the day before the start; announce events in advance and heat up the excitement for them with periodic reminders.

10. Text customer review - reviews are very important for closing objections and pushing buyers to purchase; text reviews are the weakest, but if there is no way to make others, then use them.

11. Feedback-repost from client is a great type of content that covers a lot of objections and increases brand loyalty. Many companies that are popular on Instagram have become so thanks to the huge number of posted repost reviews from customers.

12. Star review-repost - works best, people want to be like stars. Read more about interaction with bloggers separately on the pages of the book.

13. Inner Kitchen (performance/humor/getting to know employees/production process/minor internal crap) - even if the client thinks otherwise, people are interested in knowing what is going on in the company. Be sure to show them this. It is especially important to show the inner kitchen in stories on Instagram.

14. Closing objections (myths about laser hair removal/reviews/certificates/diplomas) — put this type of content in a separate block to show how important it is to show yourself as a specialist or a specialist company.

15. Closing fears - cover the fears of subscribers with the help of reviews, and also write posts in which you dispel fears with the help of the visual part of the content. For example, a post in which you show a bunch of sent packages will cover the fear of subscribers that this seller takes an advance payment and disappears with their money.

16. Success stories with product - if possible, show how success can be achieved with the help of the product. Tell stories.

17. Video (manufacturing process / product face / boomerang / cutting backstage) - 2016 and beyond marked the heyday of video on Instagram. Be sure to post short videos about the product, teasers, cuts, and whatever comes to mind. Video in the account is very important.

18. Boomerang - content made from the application of the same name; fool around in your personal account and show things from all sides. Be sure to think about how you can make boomerangs in the client's business.

19. Informative content (a video that sells an educational post) — I would like to separate this type of content. With the help of small educational videos, you can sell the idea of ​​watching a large video (on YouTube) or reading the text under the video (yes, it’s getting harder every day to involve subscribers in reading content, but we need this for successful promotion).

20. Offers — pictures made by a designer that have a promotion + a deadline and a call to action. It is very important to order such pictures from the designer (we remind you for the second time).

21. Interactive (question / games / riddles section) - ask subscribers questions, riddles. This engages them well in the account and raises the ER (User Engagement) rating. Reward subscribers for correct answers. Come up with a reward and discuss it with the client in advance.

22. Marathons with tasks - used for personal accounts. There is no need to do big marathons with difficult tasks, the simpler the marathon, the better. A small and non-stressful result will be appreciated by subscribers. You should not strive to teach them everything, always open the field of unknown information to them (not relevant in the case of paid consultations / trainings, where the client must give his students the best).

23. Joint marathons with other bloggers - the method allows you to exchange active subscribers with their seething energy. One task for each blogger, the same rules apply as for regular marathons.

24. Vines (Vines) - short and funny instagram videos that reveal a specific topic; you can order them from popular bloggers who specialize in them, they can do it cool. Thus, the product can become viral. Approach with extreme caution, including the selection of bloggers.

25. Negative — Instagram lives on more than just positives and jokes. Thanks to the correct use of negativity in posts, you can hook subscribers to your account and lead them along. It is not at all necessary to be rude and cynical, but to show your views on the world, competitors (we do it very carefully), express a negative opinion about what happened.

Photo from sibfish34.ru

If you keep a personal blog, then the negative will allow you to show that you are also a person with your own advantages and disadvantages. Do not be afraid of negative feedback from subscribers.

26. Competitions - at the moment, the technology of competitions with marks or any word in the comments, which you will learn about later, works best.

27. Describe and explain how product works, especially if the consumer does not know about it. For example, not everyone knows what keratin hair restoration is. So show people how to do it, what result thanks to it and why it is needed.

28. Own kind of content - when drawing up a content plan, be sure to think about what else interesting you can put in your profile. Perhaps it will be you who will become a pioneer and post something so cool that it will take your account to a new level, and everyone will copy this idea and admire it.

...and 3 rules for interacting with clients

The story of how to tame the obstinate and vicious Gorynych Serpents and turn them into fluffy rabbits. For our entire team, this is a significant story.

A very interesting young lady approached us for a promotion. She knew quite clearly what she wanted: a cool movement on her Instagram. Her project seemed interesting to us, and we began cooperation. It all started well: we wrote a content plan, did everything as expected. Problems began to arise after the preparatory period, when it came to the main work. It all started with checking the first posts: she didn’t like a single text, sometimes clumsy, sometimes collective farm, sometimes not selling. It was extremely difficult to please this young lady, as it turned out. And for some reason we constantly tried to do it. They offered all sorts of options. One post took half a day, 10 options were rewritten, and all were inappropriate. In the end, she said: “Well, okay, it will do ...” - and we still posted something.

Further, more. She started writing at night in a work chat, she could demand to post some kind of post at nine in the evening, because she agreed with some star, and everything had to be done right now, urgently, unconsciously. Everyone was undermined and started to come up with 10 options for the same post, and she didn’t like it all. It was adilovo.

She could write on Saturday after midnight and on Sunday: “Awww, welcome, welcome, why isn’t anyone answering me?” - although we seem to have discussed work on weekends. But Saturday, Sunday, night — it didn’t matter to her when and what time, she needed us to work. It’s good that she didn’t call, but only wrote. But it was worth going to Telegram on Saturday evening - and you disappeared, you could hang out with her for half the night. It got to the point that our content employee, who wrote this endless number of posts to her, just couldn’t stand it after two or three weeks and said that she didn’t want to work with her. Somehow she was persuaded to wait until the end of the month.

Everyone endured and waited for the cherished last day of work with this client. It felt like everyone in our team was working on this single project, and all other clients were left behind. It’s good that, thanks to some miracle, they didn’t run away from us at that moment.

We were all happy when the month of our cooperation ended. They wrote her a question about who can transfer cases. To which she was very surprised, because she wanted to extend the work. We are not. In the course of the discussion, new circumstances surfaced, and it would be simply unprofessional to leave her at that very moment. We needed to hold out for another month, but it was simply unacceptable to continue in the same spirit. Something had to be done.

Photo from the site runaruna.ru

At the emergency planning meeting with the whole team, we identified the most problematic areas of this project and prepared a list of conditions on which we were ready to continue. Nothing special, just a certain framework and boundaries of our work. It is hard to believe in what happened next, but the person seemed to have been replaced.

Firstly, she stopped sorting through 10 post options, and secondly, we stopped communicating with her in the middle of the night, and she stopped writing late. If it was necessary to discuss and do something in advance, she warned in advance. Life has become much easier for everyone, there was time for the rest of the clients.

In fact, this story is incredibly revealing. And despite the fact that it was the brightest project in terms of pain and nerves, at the same time it was rich in powerful insights. In real life, knowing something and doing it are two different things. And we suffered from it. After all, we had all these miracle rules, we agreed on them a long time ago, even before meeting this madam. It's just that for some reason we didn't always use them.

And now, in more detail on these points:

1. You must love yourself, appreciate and respect your professionalism. You have to believe in yourself. Let's return to our history: if we didn't love and appreciate ourselves, then we would continue to tolerate such an attitude towards ourselves. We would endure these attacks and assaults and tremble together somewhere in the corner, and the annoying client would angrily peck at us even more. But instinct worked in us, and we said: “Why on earth are you behaving like this with us?”

Therefore, remember: love yourself and appreciate, and do not tolerate such attacks from the client in any case, under any pretext, no matter what money you are paid.

2. Don't need any particular client. When you have only negotiations in a month, and there are no clients and no money, you will most likely prepare for these negotiations for two weeks, be frustrated and worried, burn an incredible amount of nerves, come to negotiations with sweaty hands and reach for your money potential client. No one will ever work with you in such circumstances.

If you are in need and there is an urgent need for this particular person to give you money today, then nothing will come of it. It is worth experiencing this advantage at least once when you are not dependent on any particular client. You don't need it, it's not your whole life. Therefore, you should have more than one client. That is, if you need five clients, you should always have six of them (one spare). Always take with a margin so that one can always be shaved off. This rule saves us always and everywhere. If you want to get three sales and you know that every third one ends with success - an advance payment, then you don’t need to plan nine meetings, but twelve, to be sure. Put in a queue if there is one suddenly over the norm. But confidence will be impenetrable, here it will also come in handy for you.

Therefore, you need to have a lot of clients, just create a queue of clients, preferably even if there are three or four of them, but in this case you will not cling to anyone in particular. It is very important. Otherwise, you will be in a weak position, and clients will simply twist their arms, and you will have to fall for all this and succumb. We think you are going to the administration for such free bread so as not to depend on anyone. Well, keep this value - freedom and independence.

3. Always establish rules and regulations for work. The main idea of ​​this paragraph is that in order for the client to behave well, you should educate him - how good it is, set limits for him. Designate specific rules by which you need to work. Rules are needed at least for the sake of rules. Because the one who sets the rules drives the process. If you do not steer the promotion process, then you will be trampled into the ground. And you won't be able to give any result, even if technically you do everything right. You set the tone of communication: you set the rules for how you should be interacted with.

And if you break the rules, gently hint: “Vasily, we have already discussed this with you - there is your area of ​​responsibility, here is mine. I am responsible for the result, so you do not interfere with me achieving it.

And do not forget to subscribe to our telegram channel and to our channel in Zen.

See also

  • “Do you want to amuse your ego for a result?”: why social networks don’t work, the opinion of an SMM manager

  • "Druching" to help: how to cheer up subordinates who pretend to work

How to manage Instagram if you work?

How to Instagram… Go to

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5 12 April 2018 blogging is a job, just like a hobby doesn't work. ..0005

Guest

she wrote that she lives in some kind of place, where are the studios from, maximum shnilovki and spills. from there, let him lead his streams.

#8

Guest

Well, she napsiala that she lives in some kind of town, where are the studios from, the maximum is shnilovki and spills. from there, let him lead his streams. 12 April 2018 blogging is a job, like a hobby doesn't work...

#10

#11

9000 9000 #12

GUST

GUST

Are you at all? I do not live in the center, but there are really no beautiful places within walking distance, but otherwise I am in the capital. The center is full of cool locations, but the point is to explain to you))

#14

Guest

What a horror)))*** is dying, you realized it too late. For a long time everyone was fed up with them. These bloggers-KKK dogs of unresolved

#15

#16

# 17

Guest

Who makes money there?!!! Don't tell me, in St. Petersburg if you have 10-12 subscribers, they will send donuts for free once a month at most ... to lead *** for "work" is nonsense. ..you won’t earn money there ... only maybe if you are a star like Sobchak, who takes 300 thousand for a post . .. otherwise don’t even suffer garbage ... I drive *** only because I travel a lot and love photos .. .and so honestly already fed up ...

#18

Guest

... to lead *** for “work” is nonsense ... you won’t earn money there ... only maybe if you are a star like Sobchak, who takes 300 thousand for a post ... otherwise don’t even suffer garbage ... I I drive *** only because I travel a lot and love photography... but honestly, I'm fed up already...

#19

Guest

Who earns there? ..vest *** for “work” this is nonsense ... you won’t earn money there ... only maybe if you are a star like Sobchak, who takes 300 thousand for a post ... otherwise don’t even suffer garbage ... I’m leading *** just because I travel a lot and love photography. .. but honestly, I'm already fed up with it...

Did she earn 30 thousand a day? And how is it - advertising in stories?

#20

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