How to fashion blog on instagram
How to Start a Fashion Blog With Instagram
Are you passionate about fashion? Do you never get tired of gushing about anything related to fashion?
Well, then, fashion blogging might just be your forte or your favorite hobby.
Table of Contents
- What Makes Instagram Perfect For Fashion Blogs?
- Starting A Fashion Blog With Instagram
- Pick A Good Username
- Increase Followers
- Interact With Your Followers And Other Instagram Users
- Create A Business Email
- Instagram Feed Theme
- Prioritize The Quality Of Your Content
- Stick To A Posting Schedule
- Use Hashtags
- Introduce Your Blog Through Instagram Slideshow
- Tag The Places You Visit
- Link Your Pinterest account
- Don’t Take Shortcuts
- Conclusion:
What Makes Instagram Perfect For Fashion Blogs?
If you dream of making it in the fashion industry, blogging is an excellent way to start.
During your journey, Instagram is going to be your helping hand. This social media platform is one of the best to start a fashion blog.
So, why Instagram?
With more than 1 billion monthly active users as of June, 2018, Instagram is a massive platform. Used by people of almost any ages starting from teens, millennials to adults, it continues to grow as the most popular social media platform.
Instagram revolves around one thing – pictures. You can take photos, videos, and share them either publicly or privately on the app.
This app is known for its visual aesthetic. You can actually find people competing against one another on who has the best aesthetically pleasing feed. So, since fashion provides a similar aesthetic, Instagram and fashion are a match made in heaven.
In a few words, Instagram is the new blogging platform for fashion lovers.
So, why not just post photos instead of writing on a blogging website and save a lot of time and effort?
Even though you have a blogging website, your blog and Instagram can both help each other out.
The exposure goes both ways. Instagram helps increase the chances of ranking higher on Google. On top of that, you can build a reliable connection, earn followers in no time, and you can make more money through blogs for sponsored posts.
What’s more? Fashion blogging comes with tons of opportunities, such as:
- You get to attend the world’s most popular fashion shows, award shows, and events.
- You get PR packages (free clothes and makeup products) for review.
- You get brand deals for endorsements.
- As per Google, style and beauty fall under the most searched for guides. With a blog, you have a high chance to get discovered in search results.
- It’s a great option to set your foot into an industry that is never boring.
Starting A Fashion Blog With Instagram
When you get an idea, make a blog, and share them on Facebook, Twitter, and post images on Instagram to drive more viewers to follow your blog.
If you want to start your fashion blogging career on Instagram, you have two choices:
- Create a blog using WordPress themes and share your thoughts, experiences, and more to your social media.
Here, you have to purchase a domain name and hosting for a year. It can be a great source of spreading information and valuable ideas to the world and earning money from it.
- Make a business account on Instagram. A business account is quite different from the usual accounts. You can include your contact info, track traffic, include shop links, perform paid promotion of your posts, and more. When starting your blog, this useful app is a great way to track your progress. Post high-quality pics and watch the number of followers grow. If people love your content, it is super easy even to go viral.
If you look for a cost-effective and efficient way to kickstart your fashion blog, then Instagram is the best option. But, wait, here are a few things you should know on how to start a fashion blog with Instagram.
Pick A Good Username
Your username is your imprint on your Instagram account. It is just like the domain of any website. Make sure you choose the username that best speaks to you and depicts your brand or yourself.
Keep it simple, short, and easy to remember. It is best if you include your full name as your username.
Increase Followers
The first step to Instagram success is to get followers. You don’t need a specific amount of followers for your blogs to be famous. But a little nudge goes a long way. Followers are influential, and so are the people you follow.
Search by tags and make sure you follow people of the same niche to keep you inspired. But don’t spam their followers. Follow the accounts that you feel are an inspiration for you. These can be designer brands, companies, supermodels, fashion magazines, top bloggers, and influencers.
Interact With Your Followers And Other Instagram Users
Followers help you grow your career. So, it is crucial always to maintain their trust and always make them feel connected. So, interaction is everything on Instagram. A lot of companies tend to give more opportunities to influencers who have a genuine relationship with their fans.
So, tips to increase your followers is by keeping the interaction alive. Fans feel most connected to you when you’re listening to them, have a relatable personality, and show your real side too.
So, ask questions, make polls, do surveys, get their opinion, do giveaways, take any suggestion or criticism, and also be real. A huge turn-off for fans is when influencers have a “fake” personality. If you want to take it further, DM them or respond to DMs.
Create A Business Email
Create a business email for your Instagram. Companies are going to want to work with you. So, you don’t want to use your personal email. That’s probably not the best idea. You may think they can also reach out to you via DM. But with a lot of DMs, it can easily be missed.
So, add your business email to your bio. So, companies can easily reach out to you. It’s better if you have a separate business email. It allows you to separate your business deals and your Instagram account.
Instagram Feed Theme
Instagram themes weren’t always popular, but now it’s an integral element.
For you to stand out, stick to a theme with your posts. Be unique while trying to pick off some specific aspects that inspire you.
It is beneficial, especially if you have a new following, and they start exploring your Instagram. Just have fun and play with colors, graphics, and photos.
Prioritize The Quality Of Your Content
If you wish to maintain an online presence anywhere on the web in any niche market, then you must be ready to create fresh and quality content for the platform of your choice.
Quality always matters over quantity. Instead of focusing on creating a lot of content, try and create the best content before hitting the upload button. This way, you have a better shot at building your audience.
Stick To A Posting Schedule
Being consistent is key in every field. So, stick to a schedule and research on the appropriate time to post.
Instagram’s algorithm keeps changing from time to time and if you’re not very active, your followers can forget about you.
Some bloggers who post upto 4-5 times a day and multiple stories. So, slacking around only keeps you behind.
So, plan and stick to a schedule. Moreover, it helps you build a strong following.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way for followers to find you. So, use proper and a lot of trending hashtags. For e.g., for a fashion-related post, relevant hashtags can seem like #style #styleinspo, #vintage, #minimal, #fashionblog, and such. This way, followers can find you through these hashtags and you can have a wide audience.
Introduce Your Blog Through Instagram Slideshow
Instagram has a new slideshow feature allowing you to build a story with a series of pictures. Use it to your advantage. You can create a mini-guide, showcasing your day, or add photos of your outfits.
While doing so, tag other bloggers, give credits to the locations you share.
Tag The Places You Visit
Through the posts on your blog, you are influencing people. Moreover, you are helping them decide to either visit a site or not.
When you share a picture of a city or a place, you are introducing that place to your audience. So, make sure you tag the place. This way, you will not only be influencing people but also increasing the chances of appearing on the search results for content on a particular location.
Link Your Pinterest account
Since Pinterest is also image-centric and user-friendly, be sure to link your Instagram with Pinterest. Doing so, you have potential customers on the go.
Don’t Take Shortcuts
There is no short road to success. Different third-party apps that promise to boost your account look promising. But, buying fake followers, likes, and comments is a big no-no. Not only are they a scam, but you also put your account at risk for hackers, and you may lose your account.
So, it’s best to avoid those apps. There is no shortcut to building a large following on Instagram. It takes a lot of effort and time. So, be patient and focus on creating fresh and original content.
Conclusion:
The first and foremost tip on creating a successful fashion blog on any platform is to remain authentic. Being authentic and unique sets you apart from everyone else. It is crucial in building a strong presence, growing your followers, and being successful in the long run.
Have you started fashion blogging? Do you use social media to promote your blogs in any way? Let us know about your experiences in the comment section below
What You Need To Know
Do you even need a fashion blog to be considered a fashion blogger in 2021?
This week, we're diving into how YOU can start a fashion blog with Instagram (i.e. an Insta-blog) – and talking whether or not it's a good idea.
Social media has taken the blogging world by storm. Networks that use to complement traditional blogs are turning into full-blown (micro) blogging platforms themselves.
In the past few years, many fashion bloggers have decided to take their Instagram feeds more seriously than their actual blogs.
They're putting more effort into capturing, captioning and posting the perfect #ootd photo.
Digital fashionistas are swapping out the title of “blogger” in favor of “influencer” (or Instagram blogger). With tools like rewardStyle's liketoknow.it, and talent agencies devoted to helping influencers land sponsored brand deals, monetizing your Instagram feed is easier than ever.
If you can grow a following from an app on your smartphone, that helps you reach the same goals that running a fashion blog would, then why would you bother with a full-blown blog?
All of this begs the following questions…
Is Fashion Blogging Dead?
“So is blogging actually dead? No, of course not! Companies and individuals are using content marketing more effectively than ever.” Blog Tyrant
“Blogging what it was 5 years ago is dead. It’s no longer about just posting your weekend recap and daily escapades. Those things are fun and still valuable but it’s increasingly hard to sustain your passion AND business with this model.
Not because people aren’t interested . . . but because there are other platforms to do that. If you still love doing that, do it” – The Healthy Maven
“Has the world of influencers and beauty changed [in 2018]? Of course! Does this mean blogs are irrelevant? Of course not! I think that essentially implying people don't have the attention span to read content is a little bit condescending – of course, it's great to get a quick hit of beauty content on social media, but if you're researching whether to buy a product, it's likely you'll be looking to blogs and to longer YouTube reviews.” – Jasmine Talks Beauty
The general consensus is no, fashion blogging on a whole is not dead.
IFB would never recommend for a blogger to quit blogging, in favor of focusing their efforts solely on their Instagram account.
But there's no doubt about it: it's harder than ever before to make your mark on the web. And this has led bloggers to prioritize managing their social media accounts (i.
e. Instagram), instead of focusing on creating fresh content for their blogs.
Many bloggers have seen huge returns, by making Instagram their main platform for posting beauty product reviews or snaps of their new outfits. While it's a riskier option in the long run, there appears to be a higher rate of success in the short term.
(Psst! Not confident on Instagram, but still keen to tap into that short term success as a fashion blogger? IFB has more help here…)
Do You Even Need To Start A Blog To Become A Successful Fashion Blogger?
Let’s face it: Blogs require a lot of time and effort.
Fashion bloggers need to style, shoot and edit their photos, write content, manage their site’s backend, design their layout, implement an SEO strategy – the list goes on.
Blogging also requires more equipment (i.e. a computer) and financial resources, something many people who want to get into blogging can't afford.
Instagram, on the other hand, is a visual platform that makes uploading photos and adding captions quick and easy.
And while it’s clear some Instagrammers put huge amounts of effort into their feeds, managing an Insta account is a lot less stressful than running a full-on blog.
Instagram also makes it easier to find and engage with other people on the platform, that share similar interest or niche markets. Instead of actively having to hunt the web for other like-minded bloggers, users can search the photo-sharing network using hashtags.
And like Google Analytics, Instagram insights give its users detailed knowledge of their audience and engagement rates. Overall, it is the easier option out of the two choices.
Why on earth would you start a blog, if Instagram is the easier option?
Because social media is a rented space. Bloggers own their domain, but Instagrammers don’t own their Instagram.
Think of it as owning property vs. renting an apartment.
When you’re a homeowner you can do as you please in your own house, without worrying about being kicked out.
When you rent an apartment, you need to follow the landlord’s rules and pay rent. You might not be able to renovate the kitchen to your tastes or have pets without seeking someone else's permission.
Social media accounts are, essentially, rented space on the web. At the end of the day, influencers are at the mercy of whatever rules Instagram wants to enforce (ex. when Instagram brought in the algorithm and everyone's engagement started dropping).
That being said, Instagram is very convenient and easy to use – especially if you want to build an audience on the go. It allows its users to manage and upload content from the comforts of a smartphone (i.e. you don't need to be sitting down at a table with a laptop and wifi connection to ensure your audience has fresh content).
You can literally post pictures and captions on your way to work in the morning. So, while building an “Insta-blog” might be riskier than actually starting a self-hosted blog on the web, there are still a lot of benefits to creating a presence on the platform.
Especially if you can't commit time, money, and energy to start your own website.
Instagram Vs. Fashion Blogging
When You Should Start A Blog First…
- You can commit a chunk of time per week to run and maintain a blog
- You're confident in your writing skills and prefer posting long-form/in-depth written content
- You want to be seen as an “expert” in your niche market/industry
- You want to refine and/or showcase your writing skills
- You plan on eventually launching your own business and are thinking long-term strategy
When You Should Start An Instagram First…
- You can't dedicate time to running a blog, but want to maintain a digital presence in a niche market/industry
- You're a visual person and prefer posting images to writing content
- You want to test a blog concept idea, but don't have time/money to invest in starting a blog
- You already have a personal/business website and are looking for a quick way to content with your audience
- You don't have consistent access to a computer
At the end of the day, it all boils down to personal preference, and how much time/money you have on your hands.
How To Start An “Instagram Fashion Blog”: Tips For Aspiring Insta-Bloggers
Create Amazing Content
In 2021, anyone who wants to maintain a presence anywhere on the web, in any niche market needs to give 110% into creating stellar content for their platform of choice.
This applies to blogs, YouTube channels, Snapchat, Instagram permanent posts, Instagram Stories, you name it. Quality always matters over quantity. Create the best content you can create before hitting the upload button, and you'll have a better shot at building up your audience.
(Psst! We've rounded up some biggest Instagram trends, just in case you're looking for some Insta inspo…)
Stick To A Posting Schedule
Instagram's algorithm makes life difficult for even the most experienced Instagrammers.
Nevertheless, it's still important to stick to a posting schedule. Committing to uploading content on a regular basis is always a good idea, especially if you're looking to build a strong following.
Interact With Your Followers And Focus on Building A Sense of Community
Whenever someone leaves a comment – even if it's your Mom – get into the habit of replying. Ask your followers questions in your captions – and message them back once they reply.
Communicating directly with your followers helps to build a sense of community surrounding your Instagram account. And a feeling of community is what will keep your followers coming back for more.
Don't Take Shortcuts
Buying fake followers, likes, engagement, etc. is a huge no-no.
Joining Instagram engagement pods is controversial at best (Facebook is cracking down on them), and generally considered a bad idea amongst Instagram's elite.
And third-party Instagram growth services, that claim to help you “boost your engagement”, should also be avoided (and could get you shadowbanned from Instagram).
The bottom line is there is no shortcut to building a large following on Instagram. It takes lots of time and effort.
Be patient and focus on creating awesome content, and the followers (and likes) will come
(Psst! Looking for tips for building up an authentic following on Instagram? Click here for some sage advice from a social media pro…)
Be Authentic
Whether you're using your Instagram as your main “blogging” platform, or just keeping it as an extension of your blog, it's super important to keep it real on the ‘gram.
It sounds cheesy, but it's super important to work on honing your Insta-blogging voice and style. Being unique and authentic (and being YOU!) will set you apart from everyone else on Instagram. And this is crucial in building a following and obtaining Instagram success.
Have you given up fashion blogging for Insta-blogging? Or do you use social media as a way of complimenting and promoting your blog? Tell us all about your experiences in the comments below.
Content Tips & Ideas - Blog
Keeping a fashion blog is the perfect way to share your view of the fashion industry, trends, designers, styles, brands, collections with the world while earning your status as a fashion expert and achieving financial independence.
Content:
- Fashion blogger, who is this?
- How to choose a niche for a blog?
- How to choose a good name?
- Where to start a fashion blog?
- How to create a blog?
- What to write about?
- How to create a memorable blog?
- Publication Ideas
- How to monetize a blog?
- Which Marangoni courses to take?
Fashion blogger, who is this?
Fashion blogger publishes articles, notes, photos and videos on the topic of the fashion industry. For example, she talks about styles, shares successful combinations in clothes, reviews collections, highlights trends, posts interviews with designers. Keeping a fashion blog is helped by attending shows and parties, reading books on the topic and articles in industry publications, meeting and communicating with industry representatives. Personal sites, Youtube channels, accounts on Instagram and other social networks become platforms for publications.
In a previously published article on the link, we talked about the features of such work and how to become a successful fashion blogger. Today we will share tips on naming, niche selection, monetization recommendations, content ideas and ways to stand out from the competition.
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How to choose a blog niche?
The first step in a new endeavor is choosing a niche, ie. you have to understand what you want to blog about, what materials to publish. Brainstorming will help answer questions:
- Your future blog in three words?
- Who is your ideal reader? Where does he live, what are his interests, how old is he?
- What does the blog offer to the target audience?
- In what area are you strong?
- Are there any fashion bloggers or influencers you admire?
Next, do your research to find out what competitors you have and how they work. After analyzing other people's blogs and answers to your questions, it will be easier for you to understand how to stand out from the rest and find a unique niche - topic, presentation style, content, design.
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How to choose a good title?
Starting from the chosen topic, start looking for a suitable name. It is worth stopping the choice on an easy-to-pronounce and endowed with meaning option. Worthy names are Sea of Shoes, A Beautiful Mess. Many turn to various neoplasms from the words fashion and style. There is no need for this, especially since such options are too commonplace. If you intend to share subjective opinions and are looking to build a personal brand, consider adding your first and/or last name to the title.
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Where to start a fashion blog?
Successful fashion bloggers know where to start a blog. Top recommendations for free platforms and social networks, including Blogger, Livejournal, Tumblr, Instagram, Vkontakte, YouTube, Facebook, plus WordPress templates, Joomla and Squarespace. Once you get reader/follower recognition and start making money from your blog, it's worth considering building your own website from scratch.
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How to create a blog?
When giving advice on how to start a fashion blog, it's impossible to bypass the theme. We are talking about the site, not pages on social networks. Think about organizing your blog space. All important sections should be placed in a prominent place at the top of the page, or highlighted in color. Give preference to a simple design, the main thing in a blog is content. Nothing should distract attention from the content of articles and videos. Crowded pages with visual elements negatively affect the perception of information, it is easy to get tired of them. High-speed Internet tempts fashion bloggers to place photo and video sliders on the main page, mercilessly devouring user traffic. Are you sure that readers will want to spend time and gigabytes downloading unnecessary content?
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What to write about?
Blog content is king. You have chosen a unique niche that will help you stand out from the competition.
Think about the main topics you are going to cover. Don't take on everything at once, such as reviewing magazine footage and publishing translations of news from industry sites like BOF. Decide on the main topic of the blog, for example, you can become an expert on boots, discuss the shortcomings of organizing Fashion Weeks, talk about salaries in the industry, share interviews with experts, publish reviews of creative design studios.
Not all reference blogs stand out from the rest with exclusive content, some rely on design or presentation techniques. For example, WhoWhatWear publishes collages with images of people and prices for these outfits, and Fashion Gone Rogue has created a special section with editorials.
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How to create your own fashion blog that will stand out from the competition?
- Uncover celebrity style secrets. People love to follow celebrities and want to dress like them, so they spend long hours on the pages of fashion blogs in search of interesting information.
- Give preference to images with clothes at affordable prices. If you want to inspire people with your own style and fashion vision, get closer to your readers/followers. Using affordable brands in clothing will allow them to identify with you.
- DIY projects (do it yourself) are always popular.
- Share your unique perspective on fashion with the world. Fashion bloggers have chosen the theme of fashion shows and glamorous parties. While everyone is discussing the collections of designers presented at Paris Fashion Week, work on a material about the extravagant images of the public who came to the show.
- Shoot video. This does not only apply to fashion blogs on Instagram and Youtube. Video content opens up a lot of possibilities. The format is reader/viewer friendly as frees from the need for reading and is distinguished by clarity. Take a look at the new collection of your favorite brand, take a walk around the showrooms of the city with a camera, show some stylish looks.
- Meet the designers. Rare bloggers bring this idea to life. Make acquaintances with designers, interview them, talk about their work and collections. Provide materials with exclusive photos and videos taken in the process of creating the next thing.
- Take quality photos. Text is important, but many people skim through articles looking for a visual that catches their eye and provides answers to questions. Use different locations and backgrounds to diversify your content. Do not forget about the high quality of the source and image processing.
- Regular publications. Competitor research will allow you to understand trends in the publication of materials. In fact, if you want to attract more readers or viewers, aim for frequent blog updates. The more actively you publish content, the higher the traffic. According to Hubspot, blogs that posted 11 or more articles per month received twice as much traffic compared to blogs that only posted 1-2 posts/videos. Regular content updates cause search engines to identify your site as active and relevant.
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Ideas for interesting posts for a fashion blog
Article lists
Readers love this format, but the Internet is littered with monotonous collections that differ from each other in a couple of points. It is important to create unique content. For example, when compiling your own list of extraordinary designers of the 20th century, share your personal opinion with readers. The rating should reflect your vision. Lists and tops capture the attention of readers/followers if they reflect a unique perspective and expert approach.
How-To Guides
Once you have a good understanding of a particular topic, you can share your experience and create how-to guides for readers: how to build a basic wardrobe, how to get caught up in street style photographers, and so on.
Interview
We have already talked about the value of publishing an interview. Don't limit yourself to talking to designers.
Interview fashion industry professionals (buyers, photographers, marketers, CEOs, models), fashion connoisseurs, loyal brand fans, etc.
Reviews
Don't forget about the opportunity to earn money and popularize your blog by reviewing brand collections or showroom assortments.
News
People are hungry for news. The competition in this area is high. A fashion blogger should share news from primary sources, provided with personal comments and opinions.
Personal experience
Why not tell us about your experience? Share with readers the story of your love for the fashion industry, write about your first steps in the blogosphere, tell about interesting cases from your life. Thanks to personal articles, the author becomes closer to the audience, it is interesting to watch him.
Debunking myths
The fashion industry is full of myths. You can work on exposing them.
Are models really dumb and Anna Wintour the devil? Is a designer a creative profession? Do editors just go from one party to another?
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How to monetize a blog?
According to Business Insider, fashion industry brands will spend up to $15 billion on blogging by 2022. Why not take a bite out of the big pie? Experts told how to get money from a fashion blog.
Affiliate Marketing
Post links on your pages to products you like in partner online stores. All conversions are tracked, and you get a percentage of each sale.
Display advertising
Google AdSense allows you to show ads on your blog pages, the higher the traffic, the more income.
Sponsored posts/stories/videos
If you have a successful fashion blog on Instagram, YouTube or other platforms, brands will notice you and want to order some form of paid advertising. You may have to review the collection, recommend certain products, share your opinion about the philosophy of the brand close to you.
Selling a branded product
Once you've gained popularity with subscribers/readers, it's easy to start selling a branded product. If you write about sustainable fashion, order eco-friendly shoppers with your own logo. You might want to sell stylish throws or mugs, basic t-shirts, or other merchandise.
Paid Membership
If you've become a fashion expert and have gained reader/follower recognition, understood the secrets of how to run a fashion blog, consider introducing premium content that will be available through a paid membership subscription.
Paid consultations or online courses
Another earning option for experts. Have you become a guru in creating images for publication? Do you know the secrets of entering some kind of fashion profession? Give readers the opportunity to learn from your experience, conduct paid online courses or consultations.
Brand Ambassador
Become an ambassador for your favorite brand by getting paid to promote its products and philosophy.
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What courses does Marangoni take to become a successful fashion blogger?
Anyone can create a fashion blog, but not everyone wins the love of readers and earns income. Studying at Marangoni is the first step towards starting an exciting journey in the blogosphere that will lead to success. Fashion Styling programs and short courses are suitable for future fashion bloggers:
- Fashion Image and Styling (3 weeks)
- Fashion Followers: Social Media & Blogging (3 weeks)
- Explore Trends from Street to Luxury (2 weeks)
- Fashion Styling (12 weeks)
For all questions regarding admission to the Istituto Marangoni, please contact the STUDIES&CAREERS specialists.
A complete guide from A to Z
Are you going to publish your first post and make yourself known to the Instagram world, but don't know how? Or maybe you already have a blog, but are not satisfied with it? What about earnings? Is your profile bringing in enough customers or would you like more?
You are reading the complete guide on how to start blogging on Instagram.
In this article I talk about what points to pay close attention to in maintaining an account. Consider everything:
- niche selection,
- target audience,
- competitor analysis,
- account registration,
- useful applications in profile management,
- writing posts and publishing stories,
- 90.10 free and paid promotion methods
In almost every block you will find links to more detailed articles. I recommend reading each, in them I tried to answer all possible questions.
In this article you will learn:
What do I need to do before starting an Instagram account?
Look, there are hundreds of happy wives, needlewomen, fitonies and knitters, knitters, photographers, trainers on Instagram. If you write about the same things they write about, then you will simply drown in a mass of similar blogs.
You need your own chip, and instagram doesn't need another blog .
Get your account started right with Lecture "The Content Engine" .
As a result of the lecture, you will receive a scheme that will help you sell more on Instagram without constantly posting stories.
Bonus - ready-made content plan for an expert for a month!
Read more
Start with market analysis
Before you learn how to run Instagram, you need to start with market analysis . I'm not talking about serious marketing analysis, you just don't have the resources and experience to do it. I encourage you to see what people are searching for in your niche with:
- Yandex Wordstat,
- Google Trends,
- Comments on forums and competitor accounts.
Before the advent of the iPad, there were PDAs (personal digital assistants) on the market. However, they were not popular with people: it was expensive, incomprehensible, ugly.
And in 2010, Apple presents its first iPad, which combines the functions of a laptop and a smartphone.
Company saw the potential of niche, adjusted to expectations and people's requests and released product .
To properly start from scratch — answer the question “ What do people need? »
For example:
Beginner confectioner Masha saw in Yandex.Wordstat a demand for birthday cakes for boys and girls. Based on this, Masha decided to make two main products: a birthday cake in the form of superheroes for boys and a birthday cake in the form of princesses for girls.
Use Yandex.Wordstat and Google Trends to define your niche.
Make an analysis of the target audience
It has already been said and retold about the target audience, but still I meet a bunch of comments in the style: “I don’t know who my target audience is.”
Target audience is a group of people united by some feature.
This includes not only existing customers, but also potential ones.
Thanks to the analysis of the target audience, you know:
- What a potential buyer is watching, reading, listening to . When developing texts and advertising, you take into account their slang, traditions, religious or political beliefs, ways of obtaining information, etc. All this increases the effect of advertising.
- Audience needs : What does your client need? what problems he faced and what he can offer her. This will allow you to make the most targeted offer. As one cliché says: An offer you can't refuse .
- What the audience breathes . You also know the people they listen to. This is especially true when buying ads from bloggers.
4 steps to define your target audience
A little reminder for those who don't know or have forgotten how to define their target audience. For this:
- Draw a general portrait of target audience .
Here, describe gender, age, geography, income level, possible professions, marital status (if it is important). - Divide the overall portrait into segments . If you develop a profile on Instagram, then we reduce the age of our target audience. According to official data, the average age of Instagram visitors is 18-34 years old . Agree, at 18 and at 34 there may be different needs, and this is important - this is point number 3.
- Study the needs of the target audience . To do this, go to Google, rummage through forums, VK groups, competitor profiles and write out your assumptions in a mind map.
- Refine product or positioning . Remember, you cannot change the habits and pains of your target audience. But you can change your product to solve the pains of the target audience.
It's like in the story about Vasya and Petya:
Vasya first made a product, and then he didn't know who to sell 1000 units of his product to.
Petya found out what people needed, made a product that solves their pain and sold everything without a trace.
Be like Petya.
For a successful start, get to know your competitors
For some reason, many associate work with competitors with struggle, conflicts or even war. Let's agree, from now on, to consider our competitors as colleagues from whom you can learn something or build up against their background. It seems to me that this point of view is more suitable for constructive affairs.
Why analyze competitors:
- to understand the differences between your own assortment and that of a competitor,
- to see its strengths and weaknesses ,
- understand how they sell and where customers
- adjust their own development strategy .
Competitive analysis is also a great way to find out the pains of a client .
Go to the comments under a useful post and see what questions people are asking.
Competitors are:
Key - companies whose actions can significantly affect sales (both upward and downward).
Direct - companies that sell a similar product in a similar market and work with your target audience.
Indirect - companies that sell a product with different characteristics or a completely different product, but work with your target audience. ⠀
“But how is it, Zarina. Does that mean you have to keep an eye on everyone? And when to work?
Of course, you don't have to keep track of everyone, you won't physically have time to do it. Therefore, remember the algorithm of actions:
- Make a list of possible competitors on Instagram.
- Divide this list into direct, key and indirect.
- Analyze the profiles of direct competitors: profile header, avatar, content, what they offer, how much it costs, the number of subscribers, profile activity.
- Think about where you can offer the best conditions, how you can distinguish yourself, and what ideas you can borrow.
How to start Instagram
After you have figured out the niche, target audience and competitors, you can move on to the account itself. In order for readers to notice your profile, it is important to format it correctly. This means that you need to make a header, think over the visual, write a content plan and start promoting your profile.
Decide on the type and theme of the blog
Decide on the type of blog to start blogging. On Instagram, it is customary to divide any accounts into 3 large groups: a business account, a personal blog, and an expert blog.
Business account
You will get a business account if you want to create a shop, studio or salon page. Such profiles are monetized by selling their services and products.
In terms of content, everything is simple: selling and informational posts (for example, about the benefits of your product) + rare entertaining posts or videos for engagement.
There can be no personal content in the feed of a business account.
Personal blog
A personal blog is any profile whose author maintains Instagram and does not provide any services. The authors of such blogs often shoot funny and not so funny videos, comment on world events, express their opinion on topical issues in posts and stories. They also broadcast their life, relationships, sports results, nutrition, hobbies. They earn, as a rule, by selling advertising integrations.
Personal blog example (humor, travel, food, fashion)Expert blog
Expert blogs are ideal for promoting your services. For example, if you are a makeup artist, copywriter or photographer. It is important for the authors of such blogs to work with the loyalty of the audience, increase their expertise, and engage them with interesting and useful content.
Expert blogs are monetized by selling services and training (courses, marathons, master classes).
Absolutely any field can be a topic for a blog. If you don't know what blog to start, here are two tips for choosing an account theme:
- Blog about topics that are close to you and that you understand. If you have no idea what to write about skiing, don't write about skiing.
- Niche and find your audience.
Let me explain the second advice. Let's say you're a psychologist. Yes, you can write about everything and a little, this area is limitless in terms of ideas for posts. But it would be much better to choose a narrower direction and better reveal each topic. This will increase your expertise and average check. For example, you can write about problems with children, relationships, or emotional burnout (the latter is a direct scourge of the 21st century, which I also faced).
Think about the visual design
An example of a good visual in a profile: high-quality photos with different angles. On the left ribbon is my profile in warm colors, on the right - a profile in cold colors.
If text is used, then it is readable, and the font is the same everywhere. Instagram is a social network where the main content will always be photos and videos. Your useful publications will remain unread if the profile or post does not attract attention.
An example of what not to do: stock images, different font on the photo, it is unreadable on some photos, there is no single direction in color design. In the left tape on none of the 9there is no photo of the author, but this is an expert blog.Visual design includes a profile header, an avatar and a photo of posts in the feed. Trends are constantly changing and what was relevant in 2020 has already gone out of fashion in 2022. Therefore, I will not tell you about visual trends, but I will suggest general principles that you can follow.
- Look at the description of the target audience . Your visual should be close to those we want to attract. For example, if you sell an expensive service and are looking for solvent people, then you will never attract them if you publish a photo against the backdrop of a Soviet carpet.
- Post quality photos . And now I’m not only talking about professional photo shoots, although they are also needed for the blog. Choose clothes, accessories and surroundings to take good photos.
- Watch the balance of light and darkness . The photo should not have highlights or, conversely, too dark fragments.
- Choose different angles . Do not post only selfies or only portrait photos. Make sure that different angles alternate in your feed: details, medium, long-range and ultra-long shot.
- Process photos . You can use presets for Lightroom or edit images in other photo apps.
YouTube is full of video guides on mobile photography and editing. Look at them, it will make it easier for you to create photo content.
Design features
Each type of blog has its own design features.
Which image answers the question "What does the profile sell" faster? The best solution for avatar business account will be the product photo.
You can put a store logo on the avatar only if you are Nike, Adidas or the logo contains an image of what you are selling. In other cases, with a 99% chance, your logo will be almost impossible to make out, and you will lose your avatar as an advantage.
- Write the addresses of your shops/studios, current discounts, calls to action and a link to the website/taplink in the header.
- Alternate product photos from different angles and plans.
- Avoid foreign objects in the photo, unless they "enhance" your product.
The author of personal blog should be recognized, so we put 100% of our face on the ava in close-up, maximum to the waist.
- In the profile header, write what you can interest the audience, why it is worth subscribing to you.
- Keep the design of the ribbon natural. Fill it with bright "live" images. Avoid the same type and fuzzy photos. Photos should convey emotions and attract to the reading of the post.
For the blog of the expert, it is appropriate to use both a personal photo and a photo of the result of your service. A copywriter, for example, cannot show a photo of his service, just like a psychologist. Therefore, for such experts, a personal photo is the best option. Again, close-up or to the waist. A photographer can post a personal photo with a camera, a confectioner can post mouth-watering buns or cakes.
- The header should hook a person from the first words, so place the most important things in it: the key phrase in the name, USP and call to action.
- The visual should be combined with each other both in color and in content.
- To make it easier to navigate your blog, you can place post titles on photos. This will allow the person to immediately understand what the post is about, or find the right one in your feed.
Install applications
This item may seem strange, they say, why install applications when there is an insta.
The built-in tools are not enough to schedule the tape, do the necessary processing, and even more so glue the video. I have compiled key Instagram apps that make it easy for me to work with content.
The Preview application
Preview allows you to schedule a tape and get the same profile "in the same style." For basic tasks, the free version will be enough for you.
The app has a clean interface, photo editing tools and a font pack that you can use in your posts or bio. With Preview, you can create a grid layout, rearrange photos, and get the best version of your feed.
The app also has a post planner and analytics tools, but I don't use them. Internal analytics from Instagram is enough for me, and if necessary, I schedule posts for free through delayed posting on the Facebook website.
Photo editors
I'll tell you how to process photos easily and easily, what editors to use to get beautiful photos and likes:
Lightroom is a cool visual photo editor.
You can find many presets that make works of art from ordinary photos. Here you can change the saturation, brightness and hue separately for each color. It is convenient to crop the photo and change the contrast. The free version is enough to work.
Snapseed - basic editor. It differs, perhaps, in speed. Very fast loading, exporting images. Suitable for removing unwanted objects in the photo, quick color correction and cropping. The application is also free, with an intuitive interface.
Available tools in SnapseedPS Express - where without it. Photoshop is the father of all photo editors. Also free. In it I use only the “Restore” tool to delete objects. Photoshop does it best, I recommend it.
My favorite tool in PS ExpressVideo editors
Some blogs consist entirely of video posts. And now that Instagram has rolled out Reels, you absolutely need a video editor to keep up. I use it myself:
InShot is an excellent mobile editor, many people know it by its watermark.
In it, you can glue a clip from several videos, trim where necessary, add music, text, change the speed of the video. All basic tools are free to use, but your videos will be watermarked. You can get rid of it by purchasing a subscription for 349₽/month, 1150 ₽/year or for 3290 ₽ forever. I take an annual subscription, because. videos are not the main content type in my account.
Videoleap is also a video editor, but I keep it only because of one useful difference. Here you can work with several tracks, as in a full-fledged editor. InShot loses in this regard, there is only one track and you cannot overlay one layer on another.
You can overlay both images and audio tracks. iOS Basic Video Editor - 360-degree video rotation is now available after the latest update. It helps a lot if you suddenly took something at the wrong angle.
Free, available by clicking the "Edit" button in the upper right corner.
Start writing posts
You figured out the type of blog and theme, installed everything you need, filled out the header, what's next? Tell the audience who you are and how you can be useful, write a post-acquaintance.
Maximum post length 2200 characters , but Instagrammers have long learned to bypass this limitation. There are two ways to publish something that does not fit in the post:
1. Text on the photo in the carousel . In addition to the first photo, you have 9 more slides in the carousel, where you can write what did not fit in the post. Do not forget to write in the post that the continuation can be read in the carousel.
Make an entry in a text or photo editor, save it, add it to the carousel to the post. 2. Comment under post . Fewer people use this method, but it is still alive, so I will write about it. Each comment can contain up to 1000 characters, and if not less than this figure, write a comment.
Don't forget to pin it so it's right below the post so people don't have to look for a sequel. To pin a comment, you'll have to post it as a different account.
For each type of publication, you can come up with and find a lot of topics for posts. Depending on the content and purpose, posts are distinguished:
Sellers . The purpose of such posts is to sell a product, product, service. These are posts where you directly encourage readers to buy something from you.
Informational . Delivering information to the audience. This may be an up-to-date price list, information about a change of address or the opening of a new branch. We also include useful posts on the topic of the account.
Involving . Such posts are aimed at engaging existing subscribers to leave comments and communicate with you. Here you can discuss procedures and products, hold competitions.
Entertainment . Posts of good mood and increasing loyalty.
Humor brings you closer to your readers. Entertainment content includes funny memes and videos, curiosities and polls.
Of course, in one post you can't reveal the topic of blog copywriting. Therefore, I give 7 rules for a good post for Instagram:
- Write for your target audience . Use the same words, terms and slang. If you write for moms, then greet them: “Hello, mufflers!” at least indecent.
- Make text different lengths . Write both short posts and long ones. There is no universal recipe here, test it.
- Write the way you speak . Some people, sitting down to the text, for some reason, begin to fence complex constructions.
- Follow logic . First, Anna Karenina fell in love and only then threw herself under the train. Not vice versa. ⠀
- Follow structure . Attract attention with a headline (if you practice captions on pictures) or the beginning.
Then talk about the benefits of the product and end with a call to action. - Divide text into paragraphs, spice it up with emoji .
- Write every day . Regularity is the key to success in copywriting.
Post Stories and Reels
Stories examples: lifestyle, questions, pollsIn Stories tell us about yourself, personal insights, how your work day went, share achievements. Emotional content brings the blogger closer to the audience. It is very important to publish stories daily so as not to get lost from the feed of subscribers.
business accounts can post current promotions, new products, arrange interactive questions and answers about products or services. This will increase coverage and find out what is interesting to the target audience.
I advise the owners of personal blog to conduct more live communication: polls, voting, situations from everyday life, breaking news.
Blogger-expert can share the results of work or achievements of students in stories. Show subscribers customer reviews, tool or product reviews. Arrange an interactive with a vote or a request to evaluate the result in a before / after style. Don't forget to show the personal on the blog, it has a good effect on the reach.
Reels video examples: they can be both entertaining and useful videosReels is a new feature from Instagram and it is also an attempt to move TikTok. It appeared in the world in August 2020, and in Russia it was launched only at the end of June 2021. It is a short video for 15-60 seconds. They are displayed on a special tab and do not disappear after 24 hours, like stories. The main difference between rils and stories is that they are shown not only to your subscribers, but also to random people in the feed.
Track statistics
Statistics are needed to understand what is interesting to the audience and to properly promote your blog.
I'll note right away that statistics are available only for business accounts and author profiles. To transfer an account to a business account, you need to connect statistics to Instagram. In it, you can see the age of the audience, their gender, location, periods of greatest activity by day of the week and hour.
Pay attention to posts, stories and Reels that have received more reach, a lot of comments and likes. Analyze them and make similar content. Over time, you will find your recipe for fasting that will “get in”.
How to start promoting on Instagram
We have come to the final step in order to start attracting an audience on Instagram. Even the steepest profile will bend without advancing. So let's see what options we have.
Free promotion
The social network annually cuts this direction and it becomes more and more difficult to gain followers on Instagram for free.
Geotags . Indicate in the posts the places where your target audience is.
For example, if you photograph newborns, you can use the geo-tags of antenatal clinics, perinatal centers, maternity hospitals.
Barter or Mutual PR (VP) . You advertise a blogger for free, he advertises you. Be sure to analyze the account with which you want to conduct the VP. Ask for statistics on stories, take a look at the percentage of likes and comments from the total number of subscriptions, it should be at least 6-10%. This method of promotion is appropriate if your blog has at least 1-2 thousand subscribers.
Hashtags . It's good, but you need to know how to use it. Don't even try to post high frequency hashtags like #fit , #girl , #work . They will only work if you are a Kardashian with a billion followers who will bring your post to the TOP of the recommended with their likes. For young blogs, there is a chance to get into the recommended ones only with low-frequency hashtags.
For example, #website text or #weight loss workout .
SFS . Post a useful or not very useful post with a call to talk about your blog in your profiles. In response, you talk on your blog about the people who supported your account.
This list used to have geo tags and hashtags for stories, but in 2021, Insta turned them off as well. Stories by geo-tagging are no longer available, which means that they cannot be used for promotion.
massliking and massfollowing never go away, but I have always been against this method. You can do it manually better than with the help of services, albeit longer.
But remember - there is always a risk of getting banned for using MF and ML, so think a thousand times whether you are ready to lose what you have been gaining.
Paid promotion
In the vastness of the network, you can still find articles that contain the cherished phrase “... although Instagram does not have ads …”. Right now, you can buy placements in Posts, Stories, Reels, and IGTV only in Facebook Ads. In addition, you can always buy ads from bloggers, bypassing the official advertising tools.
Targeted advertising
Examples of advertisements in the target: 2 ads in stories and 2 posts in the feedTarget is a one-love for me. You can choose the goal of promotion: more visits to the profile, site or increase in the number of comments. Customize the audience: specify gender, age, location. Target will show your posts or stories exactly to those who could potentially become your client. Or it will remind people about you who have already visited your profile, saved posts, but for some reason did not subscribe.
Advertising with bloggers
A great way to increase the audience of your blog is to buy ads from bloggers.
Choose to start microblogs with a small number of subscribers. The audience of such accounts is quite involved, and you can get more return on advertising in such a profile.
You can use popular exchanges like Sociate, but I recommend always looking for handles and contacting blog owners directly for advertising.
In addition, you can buy advertising in the public. But here you need to analyze well and choose sites. See to it that the audience is alive and active.
What is forbidden to post on Instagram?
It is forbidden to publish nude photos, posts that incite conflicts on religious, political or social topics on Instagram. Plagiarism is not allowed - the social network is against content theft. For spamming in Direct and spamming comments, you may be subject to a permanent account ban.
Also, the service may consider publication of several posts on the same day as doubtful:
- New profiles 2-4 weeks old can publish no more than 3 posts per day .
- Profiles older than 6 months can post up to 25 posts per day .
Instagram reacts sharply to any mass action. Numerous identical hashtags, comments and direct messages are perceived as spam. Endless likes, subscriptions, unsubscribes make the page activity suspicious. For various violations, insta can ban you for several hours, days, months, and even forever.
Conclusion
Now you know everything to start blogging on Instagram. This social network is a goldmine for business and self-expression. I hope you understand the algorithm of actions and this article will really help you in maintaining a profile.
And do not forget that in order to develop an account, it is not enough to read some information. The main thing is to put it into practice.
Questions?
Questions and answers
How to manage a group on Instagram?
Group - this is the same blog that is dedicated to a specific topic.
