How to make a successful blog on instagram

10 Tips for Creating a Great Instagram Blog

It’s common knowledge that having a broad reach is essential for bloggers and
being present on all social media makes it easier for people to find you. Instagram, with its 900 million monthly users, has clearly taken the world by storm and it seems that everyone is now using the app, not only to share their pizzas and selfies, but also to get inspired for their future travel destinations.

If you are a blogger and don’t have an Instagram account yet, 2018 is the year you are going to need one!

However, you can’t drop an account in there and expect magic. Instagram is a high-
maintenance tool. To be noticed on Instagram, you need to constantly share
amazing photos and videos, but you also need to stand out from the crowd and create a loyal and interested audience.

As I am (very generous) travel blogger and influencer, I’ve decided to share with you my secrets to help you grow your followers and make your Instagram account a great one.

1. Pick a good username

Your Instagram journey starts when you set up your account. If you already have an
established blog name, you might want to stick to that in order to be consistent across all platforms. Otherwise, think of something professional and catchy. Add to it a nice profile picture, a bullet-pointed bio and obviously a link to your travel blog. I was very lucky as when I started my Instagram account early in 2012 I picked @the_storyteller and back then, storytelling wasn’t a popular word as it is today and it got me a long way.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on Nov 6, 2017 at 9:35am PST

2. Select your niche (and stick to it)

Are you into landscapes or travel food photography? Do you love selfies or architecture? Pick one niche and stick to it. Not every single post needs to be executed exactly in the same way, but with a blink of an eye to your feed, anybody should be able to get the idea of what you stand for and decide if they like what you do or not. I choose mainly landscapes and this is what I mainly do.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on Nov 12, 2017 at 9:31am PST

3. Tell a story

Great photos are essential, but if you want to make your Instagram stand out, you also need to tell a story through your account. Use the caption area to introduce the place you are visiting, to share some odd things you discovered or maybe some historical facts. It’s true that a picture can speak a thousand words, but sometimes words and stories add that extra touch of interest.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on Aug 4, 2017 at 12:48am PDT

4. Use relevant hashtags

Instagram allows you to use 30 hashtags per picture. You don’t need to use all of them, but it’s common knowledge that content with 11 or more hashtags receives higher engagement. Some popular and relevant hashtags I use are: #travelblogger #travel #instatravel #travelgram #tourism #passportready #wanderlust #ilovetravel and many more. Then add some more specific hashtags related to the image you are showing, for example I might use #Venice, #London, #Spain etc. Lastly, you should hope to get visibility with some of the most influential accounts related to your topic, for example I use #IAmAtraveler (Conde Nast Traveler), #passionpassport, #traveldeeper, #suitcasetravels and more.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on Sep 11, 2017 at 9:09am PDT

5. Geotag your discoveries and places

By writing posts on your blog you are helping people understand whether they want to
visit a place or not. The same goes for Instagram: by sharing a pic about a city, you want your audience to know what that photo is about. On top of being nice, your post will appear when someone is exploring the content tagged to a certain location.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on Jul 30, 2017 at 11:22pm PDT

6. Follow, tag and engage with your Instamates

Following, engaging and tagging other influential accounts on your most amazing
pictures can help you get discovered. They might notice you and feature you on their own account or stories. You should always keep an eye open for competitions and giveaways which are great chances to get your content visible. If you are loving your meal in a restaurant or a hotel in which you are staying, tag the business on your picture. Your picture might get featured by the business and your content will show up when people look at that account.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on May 26, 2017 at 11:16pm PDT

7. Use the Instagram Slideshow to introduce your blog post

The new slideshow feature on Instagram allows you to build a story with a series of
pictures. You can create mini travel guides or present an entire meal you had at a great restaurant, or even different rooms of a hotel.
Pro-tip: you can tag individual photos to give credit to the places and experiences you are sharing.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on May 22, 2017 at 2:09am PDT

8. Stories and more stories

It common knowledge that people tend to spend more time on videos than picture lately, so use the Instagram stories feature to show your followers the behind the scene of a picture (for example showing your editing process), to talk about yourself and get personal with them or to talk more about the place you are visiting. Some users have the additional possibility to add links to their stories, once you get this extra feature, make sure to direct your followers to read your articles.

9. Post regularly

Consistency is key in most things in life and Instagram isn’t an exception. In fact, the more regularly you post, the easier it will be for you to build an engaged audience that will be aware of your posting rhythm and habits. By posting at roughly the same time every day, you also increase your chances to connect with the same people and possibly to create a community around your account. Remember to always reply to the comments people leave on your pictures, it’s polite, but it also shows you care about the time people spent leaving you comments.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on May 8, 2017 at 4:25am PDT

10. Engage, engage, engage. And repeat.

Unless you have money to spend on fake followers and likes (I highly suggest you to
steer away from all of that), the best way to build a credible and organic audience is by investing time and energy in your account. If you are serious about it, then you should reserve an hour or two every day to connect with people and engage with their content. You will need to study bigger accounts to try and capture the secret of their success and then you should always stay on top of things. By checking your statistics, you need to be able to change and adapt your strategy to what people like the most.

A post shared by s a b r i n a ANDREA s a c h s (@the_storyteller) on Apr 18, 2017 at 10:26pm PDT

How to Start an Instagram Blog in 8 Steps

If you’re wondering how to start an Instagram blog with no experience, you’ll be happy to know it’s easy to start. Instagram blogging is microblogging because of the 2,200 character limit for captions vs no limit on traditional blogging platforms. Instagram bloggers with 15,000 engaged followers can make around $200 per sponsored post.

Many people start a blog on Instagram with the intention to sell products out of the gate. If this is your goal, you can get started for free with Square Online. It has the easiest setup process, and you don’t pay a dime until you make a sale. This is perfect for Instagram bloggers who don’t have months to build a full-fledged ecommerce store. Get started for free today.

Visit Square Online

Here are the eight steps on how to start an Instagram blog:

1. Create an Instagram Account

Creating an Instagram account is free and takes just a few minutes to do. The step that takes the longest is figuring out what you want your username to be. Keep in mind that unlike other social media platforms, you can change your username later on. However, many prefer to use their full name as a username so they build a personal brand.

Get started with your Instagram account in just a few steps:

Download the Instagram app from the Google’s Play store (Android) or App Store (iPhone).
Once installed, tap the Instagram icon to open it.
Sign up with your email address or phone number if you’re on an Android. If using an iPhone, you’ll select Create an Account then enter your phone number. You’ll get a text with a verification code to enter. Alternately, you can use a single-sign-on by selecting your Facebook login.
You’ll then receive a prompt to create a username and password.
Make sure to have a public profile instead of a private one, unless you only want friends and family you allow reading your blog.

Users can also sign up for Instagram from a desktop now. You may have more than one Instagram account. Some people choose to have an account for their personal brand as well as a company (such as an ecommerce store or podcast).

2. Choose a Niche for Your Instagram Blog

When learning how to start an Instagram blog, the key to gaining consistent growth is to give your audience what they’ve come to expect. If you are a travel Instagram blogger and then post a sponsored ad for a recliner, you’re not only going to confuse followers but you might cause them to unsubscribe. By choosing a niche for your Instagram blog, you’re telling people who come to your blog exactly what kind of content they’ll get going forward if they follow you.

It’s important that you take careful consideration when choosing a niche. While you can change your focus later on, doing so can confuse your audience. Some Instagram bloggers start with a broad category such as a lifestyle blog before deciding on a narrower niche like travel or parenting. It’s also important to understand that many Instagram bloggers also eventually create a blog on a website, which doesn’t have any limits on the number of characters you can write.

Travel

Within a travel niche, you can get even more specific. Some Instagram blogs focus solely on domestic travel or on international travel. There are entire blogs dedicated to just Disney travel. Other travel niches include solo travel, plus size travel, family travel, and traveling with pets. There’s even a travel Instagramer who dedicates her account to camping in her living room thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some Instagram travel bloggers find success monetizing through hosting travel tours. There are many bloggers who also teach others how to travel more, whether that’s by using travel rewards through credit cards or selling everything you own to travel. As a fellow travel blogger, I follow many travel bloggers on Instagram to get ideas for new places to visit.

The Blonde Abroad is a popular travel Instagram blog. She also has a blog on her website, a YouTube channel, a private Facebook community, and hosts tours around the world.

Lifestyle

A lifestyle Instagram blog often features photos and posts of everyday activities, hobbies, or insights. These bloggers tend to stick with a few categories rather than posting anything and everything they enjoy. For example, a lifestyle blogger may post about family, travel, food, and money.

Many lifestyle Instagram bloggers monetize their content through brand partnerships. These brand partnerships are often sponsored posts, where an Instagrammer gets paid to do a static Instagram post or Instagram story about a product. Sometimes, they do affiliate programs with different brands and earn a commission on any sales referrals.

Rebeka Rpati is a lifestyle blogger who also has a blue verified check mark to her name. This is likely because she’s Miss Universe Hungary and a TV presenter. This lets other users know this is a legitimate account for this public figure.

Food

Food Instagram bloggers come in many niches as well. You’ve got bloggers who talk about things like baking, grilling, sous vide, and candy. There are bloggers who are diet-specific such as keto, paleo, and gluten-free. Some bloggers also choose to showcase food found during their travels or only food of a specific location such as NYC food carts.

Instagram food bloggers can monetize their blogs through brand partnerships, writing cookbooks, or creating their own kitchen gadgets. A sous vide blogger showing a recipe that uses sous vide might give a list of their favorite sous vide machines while using affiliate links.

Pinch of Yum is a Minnesota-based couple who are not only food bloggers, but also host food photography workshops and run a food blogger membership site teaching others how to have their own food blog.

Money

Instagram money bloggers write about many different money-based topics. These topics include personal finance, credit cards, paying off debt, making money, investing, and even investment-specific niches like Forex or cryptocurrency.

Money bloggers earn money through partnerships, sponsored posts, and affiliate links. Popular money bloggers have created their own tools like budget binders and planners. Online courses, coaching, consulting, and membership sites are also popular monetization strategies for money bloggers.

Ramit Sethi is a personal finance blogger behind the NY Times Bestseller, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.”

3. Create a Captivating Bio

An Instagram bio is a little snippet of text below your picture within your Instagram profile. An Instagram profile is where users view your profile, photo, and all of the posts you’ve created. It’s also where users go to follow you. This bio area is an opportunity to show everyone who you are, what you stand for, and who you serve within 150 characters. It’s a chance for you to make a good first impression, so you’ll want to spend some time crafting a captivating bio.

As an Instagram blogger, it’s important for you to give visitors to your profile a sneak peek at what they can expect if they follow you. Some users choose to give their contact information like an email address or a phone number—particularly if they are a business or if want someone to get in touch about collaboration opportunities. Others prefer to share a quote, their location, and maybe even some hobbies.

Whatever you choose to showcase in your bio, remember to tailor it to your niche and your desired audience. When you are very specific about who you are, you are more likely to attract people who are just like you and want to engage with your content.

On my Instagram bio, it’s clear that I’m a travel blogger. Readers can expect to see travel photos, our homestead, and my family.

4. Take or Source Attractive Images

Instagram is a visual platform where the photos you showcase matter more than the captions. Photos you share need to follow your brand identity design so that the style of your image is recognized as yours before a user checks to be sure it is.

This aesthetic should remain consistent throughout your Instagram posts. This helps create a cohesive look to your profile. It’s important to note that you don’t have to always use your own images to post. There are many free stock photo websites to use such as Pexels and Pixabay. Many of these images don’t require attribution, but it’s best to double-check what the restrictions are on each photo.

Each of these photos from Pexels has the same warm mood and would work well on the same Instagram feed.

5. Write Your Instagram Blog Posts

An Instagram blog post is also known as a caption. Your captions can be no more than 2,200 characters. For this reason, many consider that using Instagram for blogging means that you’re microblogging compared to writing a full-fledged blog hosted on your own website.

Your blog posts don’t necessarily have to be 2,200 words to tell a story. Many times captions that are short and thought-provoking do really well on Instagram. The most important lines in your captions are the first line and then your call to action line.

The first line you write should grab a reader’s attention. Think of it as a one-liner—what’s going to stop someone from scrolling by your post in their news feed? This should be a relatively short line so they can read it without having to click “more” to view the rest of your caption. Give an intriguing statement, prompt an emotional response, or share an offer.

Your last line should give a call to action (CTA). The CTA can be as simple as asking your followers to engage with you in the comment section. Or, your CTA might ask to tag a friend, check out the link in your bio for more information, or hit the follow button. A popular CTA is “double tap if you agree,” referencing the act one performs to “like” your Instagram image.

Another important element when creating your Instagram blog posts is to make sure you’re breaking up the text if you’re writing a lot. It is difficult to read a huge wall of text without natural line breaks. You want your content to be easy-to-digest. Instagram doesn’t make it easy to do this within the app, so many people write their draft in notes or a word processing document before copying and pasting it into the platform to preserve the formatting.

6. Use Relevant Hashtags to Boost Discoverability

A hashtag is a word or phrase, preceded by a hash sign (#). These hashtags allow users to find messages about a given topic. For example, when entering the hashtag #travelinspo in the search field on Instagram, it shows travel photos.

You can use hashtags on both static Instagram posts and Instagram stories. With static posts, you can use up to 30 hashtags. You may add up to 10 hashtags in a story. When using hashtags, even non-followers can find your content if they’re searching for that particular hashtag. This allows Instagram bloggers to reach new audiences and grow their following.

To find relevant hashtags to use, many bloggers like the program Later.com. With it, you provide a hashtag you want to use and it will give you suggestions of similar hashtags, or hashtags commonly used with that hashtag. The program will let you know as soon as you’ve hit your 30 hashtag limit for your caption.

There are 48 million posts with the #travelblogger hashtag. Users can follow a hashtag to see these posts in their news feed without following each individual creator.

7. Geotag Your Posts

To geotag a post, you’re simply adding a geographical location to tell others where a photo is taken. Some users prefer to be very detailed about where an image was taken, such as the exact name of a coffee shop. Others prefer to be more general, such as tagging Manhattan or even New York.

Geotagging lets others see where you’re at. It also helps others find images from a particular location. A user can search Instagram by location to find others who’ve been to a spot they’re researching. Including your location allows bloggers to grow their audience because Instagram users can search for location-based posts and stumble upon any post that has a geotag. If a user likes what you’ve posted, you might gain a new follower—all because you’ve tagged your location.

This Instagram blogger has geotagged their location as Manarola, Le Cinque Terre, which is in Italy.

8. Interact With Other Instagram Users

The entire point of using social media is to be social—this involves interacting with other users on Instagram. You can like and comment on other users’ posts, and you can follow them. When you interact with other users, they’re more likely to check out your profile and microblog. If they like what they see, there’s a chance they’ll follow you back or at least leave a like or comment to return the favor.

Use Instagram Stories

One of the most popular features of Instagram is using Instagram Stories. A story acts like a slideshow that is only available for 24 hours on your Instagram Story feed, unless you choose to feature it. When you feature the Instagram Story it will remain on your profile in the Highlight section until you remove it.

Within these Instagram stories, users can share images, videos, and text. Stories are much less curated than a static post that shows up in your Instagram feed and remain forever on your profile unless you choose to delete it. Many users choose to showcase behind-the-scenes footage of their daily lives on their stories. You can also create polls, share GIFs, and post a story for a select group of people to see. Bloggers can tag other users stories, and if they sell on Instagram, they can also tag a product.

If you have more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, you can use a feature that allows a visitor to swipe up on the story. When a user swipes up on the content, it takes them to a URL of the story creators’ choice. This is a great place to insert an affiliate link.

Instagram stories let you see who viewed your story.

Comment and Like Users’ Posts

When you engage with another user’s content, they’re more likely to return the favor. The comments that you make on another post should be thoughtful, more than an emoji, and show that you actually read their captions. You don’t have to write a book—a sentence or two is the perfect length.

Follow Other Users

One of the biggest faux pas on Instagram is the follow-unfollow method. This is following a user only with the intention of them following you back and unfollowing them once they do. It’s a pretty common practice on Instagram to grow your followers in this way, however many consider it tacky.

Instagram has said they’re working on policies to prevent this practice from occurring. Your best strategy for growing your own followers’ list is to authentically follow other users you want to follow.

How to Monetize Your Instagram Blog

There are many ways to make money on your Instagram blog. These monetization methods include being an affiliate for someone else’s products and services, creating sponsored posts, and selling your own products and services.

While any links you add to the caption area of a post will not be clickable, you can add a link to your bio. Some people choose to create a free account with a website provider, like Square Online, and host a list of links there. This is useful if you talk about different links in each post you make.

Otherwise, you can use linktr.ee, which is another popular place to list your URLs. As a blogger with an actual website, I prefer not to use linktr.ee because I want to get the page views rather than giving it to another service. I’ve also seen instances where an update to the Instagram platform caused accounts using linktr. ee to temporarily shut down, so proceed with caution if using this method.

An example of a landing page that an Instagram account links to specifically for Instagram rather than using linktr.ee, but it operates just the same. (Source: The SweetLife Company by April Beach)

Use Affiliate Links

An affiliate marketing program lets creators earn a commission for referring sales to a merchant. These commissions are usually one to 10% of a sale, but sometimes pay if there’s a lead or a click on a custom link instead. Leads and clicks typically pay less than $1 each.

This is an attractive option for many Instagram bloggers because people usually talk about their favorite products and services anyway. They might as well get paid for it. Sometimes merchants and bloggers negotiate an incentive, like a 10% off coupon, for followers to use. This doesn’t usually eat into the commission an affiliate earns and instead comes out of the merchant’s marketing budget.

Instagram bloggers can sign up for an account with rewardStyle, which uses the LiketoKnow. it app to make it easy for them to share products featured in posts. The best part about this is that the blogger receives a commission for sales made.

An example of Instagram user @arrayoffaces using an affiliate code to promote a product.

Create Sponsored Posts

Instagram bloggers can create content for brands in exchange for free product, a discount, or money. What you earn for a post will depend on the number of followers and the engagement you receive. For example, a blogger with 15,000 engaged followers could earn around $200 for a post and $350 for a video. Instagram stories tend to pay less because they disappear after 24 hours. Learn more about setting your blog rates.

You can earn money even if you don’t have a lot of followers because brands tend to care more about engagement than vanity metrics. The reason for this is because it’s easy to artificially inflate the number of followers and likes you get by purchasing these. However, comments are much harder to artificially create. When you have an engaged audience, they’re more likely to trust you and listen to your recommendations.

An example of a sponsored post by user @kkateli

Sell Your Own Products & Services

Creating your own products and services allows you to control not only the features, but also the production and quality of your offerings. You can create products like supplements, physical books, e-books, apparel, and kitchen gadgets. Services you can offer include design, consulting, and coaching—each of these tend to offer higher profit margins since you don’t need to create any physical goods.

If you don’t have an ecommerce website but have a few products you want to sell, consider using Square Online. This allows you to quickly create an online store using products featured in your Instagram posts—even past posts you’ve made. It takes just three quick steps to get started and you don’t pay anything until you make a sale.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on How to Start an Instagram Blog

This section includes the most frequently asked questions about how to start an Instagram blog.

How successful are Instagram bloggers?

There are Instagram bloggers who post regularly and have less than 100 followers and make nothing. You’ve also got bloggers who have millions of followers and also make millions of dollars. Your success will depend not only on how you measure success, but also your talent, resources, and commitment to blogging on Instagram.

How many followers do I need to be considered an influencer?

The number of followers you have on Instagram doesn’t determine if you’re an influencer. In fact, you can have five followers on Instagram. For example, if you make a post about a new tea mug to your five followers and they go buy that tea mug based on your recommendation, you have officially influenced that purchase.

How many followers do I need to get verified on Instagram?

The number of followers doesn’t matter when it comes to Instagram verification. Verification goes to accounts that are noteworthy, such as those who are often imitated. These include celebrities, athletes, and politicians. You can apply for verification and Instagram will conduct a review of your notable accomplishments using independent sources like news channels and magazines.

Bottom Line

No matter the reasoning behind wanting to learn how to start an Instagram blog, you can get started very quickly. It takes just a few minutes to create your account, and then you’re ready to source images and create your first blog post. The benefits of using Instagram as a blog include getting to create captivating content very quickly without spending money, building a following, and potentially even making money from it.

How to run Instagram the right way: making your account successful

Instagram has evolved from a social network where people share news and photos of food to a blogging platform. The audience is used to quality content, and the competition is high: you compete with users from all over the world, because photos do not care about language or geographic location, and professional models, photographers, makeup artists and artists also actively use the social network. Of course, many do not know how to manage Instagram so that it develops and generates income. nine0003

But everyone has a chance to find their audience. Both schoolgirls from small towns and big brands with interesting content are becoming popular on Instagram. We figure out how to come up with a concept, take photos, write posts and maintain an Instagram account so as not to sink to the bottom of the algorithmic feed, but to find subscribers.

How to Instagram

Instagram is not just your page on a social network. Of course, no one will forbid sharing news with friends, we are talking about blogging on Instagram for a person or business, which will be of interest not only to your loved ones, but also to strangers. nine0003

Look at the pages of stars: they rarely combine photos with each other and generally bother with content, but fans are interested in any news from the life of idols. If you do not have a couple of million fans, you will not be forgiven for low-quality and uninteresting photos.

Start with an idea. Even if it’s hard to decide, and “taking pictures of everything that surrounds me” seems like the best way out, focus on a specific topic. Culinary blogs, profiles about proper nutrition, about dancing, about clothes, make-up - yes, Instagram already has it all. But you will do it your way. And people don't collect a list of subscriptions based on the principle "I already subscribed to a food blog, so I don't need another one." nine0003

Of course, if your idea is interesting and relatively new, it will be easier to move forward. But if you don't find one, don't give up. Maintaining Instagram is constant experimentation and finding a balance in content and interaction with the audience.

How to be in business? You need a concept too. Remember the character of the brand, decide on the tone of voice. Create value for subscribers: talk about topics related to your product. Consider that SMM from 2010, when beauty salons could post "10 hairstyle ideas" and get thousands of likes, is in the past. People won't subscribe to something they can google. Create authoring content: create a branded character or choose your storytelling style and list of topics you can cover. nine0003

Instagram profile design

At first glance, your account should be clear what it is about. Briefly formulate the topic of the blog in the bio and tell us about yourself. Typically, users enter their first name, age, and city.

How to get a business account to start Instagram?

The company account must contain contacts, information about the work of offline points and detailed conditions for ordering or recording. If you are unable to fit all the necessary information in your bio, you can use the multilink service. nine0003

Use emoji to highlight different information blocks in your bio. It is not necessary to choose bright and intrusive ones: dots, arrows, squares will look neat, but everyone will visually separate the text (name and topic of the blog) in meaning.

How beautiful it is to have Instagram

There is an unspoken rule: profile photos must match. Open the pages of bloggers again: you will surely notice that the pictures standing next to each other were taken in the same tone or overlapped with each other in vivid detail. nine0003

A Facebook study showed that users spend 0.2 seconds per post on the mobile feed. Therefore, your posts should be visually cool and catchy at first sight. Let's figure out how to manage Instagram to be qualitatively different from others.

Photos must be of high quality, interesting and well processed. Instagram has its own trends - just try to bring photos processed in the Retrica app to your audience.

Follow Audience Members to find the visual style for your profile. See what content they post, what profiles they follow. nine0003

It is not necessary to use professional equipment, but you will definitely have to learn how to photograph and process images. See the photos you like, save them, don't be afraid to repeat, you're unlikely to be seen through, but you'll get your hands on it.

Layouts - a separate big topic. Think this is a joke? Try to create something similar yourself. You will find that you don't have many items that match. And those that exist cannot be organically placed in the frame. nine0003

To make high-quality layouts, bloggers buy accessories (candles, sparkles, postcards, fruits, garlands, frames, flowers) and spend a lot of time on them.

How to blog on Instagram

In 2017, a new trend appeared on the social network: users are interested not only in photos, but also in texts. Thematic blogs have appeared that talk about proper nutrition, makeup, motivation, parenting, or just about your life. And judging by the number of subscribers on such accounts and interactions under publications, users are ready to consume not only visual content in contact, but also read texts, even long ones. nine0003

Therefore, the desire to create and maintain an Instagram blog may be a good idea. But first, how to lead it? As with the concept of an account, a blog also needs one. Define a list of topics you write about, designate them in the profile header.

Follow the pages of users whose content you like. Pay attention to how often they publish posts, at what time they do it. How the audience is asked questions in posts, and what topics the audience is discussing more actively.

nine0002 Instagram post contains up to 2200 characters. If your text does not fit in this size, move the part to the first comment, this is a common practice among bloggers. The problem will arise if there are too many discussions: then users will have to get to the first comment in the topic for a long time. Therefore, it is better to shorten the texts or split the story into several posts, publishing them under one hashtag.

How to broadcast on Instagram

Anyone can broadcast on Instagram. After the end, it will be available, like stories, 24 hours. nine0003

To start the broadcast, go to the news feed, click on your profile picture (just like when creating Stories). Select the option "Live" in the horizontal menu below. Now by clicking "Start" you will be able to broadcast live on Instagram.

How to attract an audience to a live broadcast?

Warn your subscribers about the broadcast in advance: make an announcement in a post or story. Pick a time when your audience is online. To do this, analyze the social network account in Popsters. On the chart "Activity / Days of the week" and "Activity / Time of day" you will find the most successful days and times for live broadcasts. nine0003

Wait for a larger audience, don't jump straight into the main topic of the broadcast. But at the same time, you can’t lose the audience who have already arrived: figure out in advance what will take the waiting time. Tell stories about the topic of the broadcast or arrange an interactive one: answer subscribers' questions or, conversely, ask them about something.

How to start Instagram?

Keep step-by-step instructions for maintaining an Instagram account:

Decide on a topic if you're blogging. nine0086
Find a photo style and processing style that you will follow.
Follow competitor accounts and profiles you want to be like.
Fill out your profile: choose a bright avatar, write in the "Bio" section about yourself and the topic of your blog.
Make several publications in the new concept. In order for new visitors to be able to get an idea about the account, 6-8 posts are enough.

Useful related articles:

10 advanced Instagram tools;
Effective Advertising in Instagram Stories: Actionable Tips;
Guidelines for creating an Instagram profile description;
How to correctly set up and run ads on Instagram.

A complete guide from A to Z

Are you going to publish your first post and tell the Instagram world about yourself, 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? nine0003

You are reading a 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 maintaining a profile,
writing posts and publishing stories,
free and paid promotion methods forbidden topics. nine0086

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 you 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 .

Start managing your account the right way 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 manage 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 pocket computers) 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. nine0003

saw the potential of the niche, responded to 's expectations and people's requests, and released the product.

To properly start from scratch - answer the question “ What do people need? »

For example:

Beginning 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. nine0003

Use Yandex.Wordstat and Google Trends to find 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 sign. This includes not only existing customers, but also potential ones.

Through the analysis of the target audience, you know:

What a potential buyer watches, reads, listens 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. To do this:

Draw a general portrait of TA . Here, describe gender, age, geography, income level, possible professions, marital status (if it is important). nine0086
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.
Explore 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.

Get to know your competitors for a successful start

For some reason, many people associate working 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:

in order 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 their customers come from,
adjust their own development strategy .

Competitor analysis is also a great way to find out the client's pains . 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). nine0003

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. nine0003

Decide on the type and theme of your 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. nine0003 An example of running a business account (shop, salon, studio)

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 lives, 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).

An example of an expert's blog

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). nine0003

Think about visual design

An example of a good profile visual: 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. nine0086
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. nine0086
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 stores/studios, current discounts, calls to action and a link to the site/taplink in the header.
Alternate product photos from different angles and plans. nine0086
Avoid foreign objects in the photo, unless they "enhance" your product.

The author of personal blog must 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. nine0086

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. nine0086
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. nine0003

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. nine0003

Photo editors

I'll tell you how to process photos easily and simply, 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 is the 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 Snapseed

PS 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. nine0003 My favorite tool in PS Express

Video 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.

Pay attention to the same watermark in the right corner of the preview. You can remove it for free once a day.

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. nine0003 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. nine0003

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. nine0002 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. nine0003

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. nine0086
Make text of 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 the 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. nine0086
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, polls

In 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. nine0003

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. nine0003 Reels video examples: they can be both entertaining and useful videos

Reels 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. nine0003

Track statistics

Statistics are needed to understand what the audience is interested in and to properly promote your blog.

I'll note right away that the 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”. nine0003

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. nine0003

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 .

Spamming HF hashtags in a post is a useless thing and will not bring a loyal audience. Most likely, after such hashtags, stores, other fitness trainers and motivation blogs will subscribe to the author of this post. nine0002 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. nine0003

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 in which there is 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. nine0003

Targeted advertising

Examples of advertisements in the target: 2 ads in stories and 2 posts in the feed

Target 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. nine0003

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. nine0003

What is forbidden to post on Instagram?

It is forbidden to post 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 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. nine0003

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.