How to promote photography instagram
12 Steps to Successfully Promote Your Photography on Instagram
Instagram is an excellent way to attract attention, gain followers, engage with likeminded folks, and even improve your photography, but it’s all easier said than done, right? Plenty of photographers post on Instagram and get nothing out of it – no followers, likes, or even views.
So how do you use Instagram the right way? How can you promote your photography on instagram and come away with likes, followers, and comments galore, not to mention a great community?
In this article, I’m going to share my personal secrets for Instagram success. Specifically, I’ll offer techniques to get better exposure for your photography, build a community, and grow as a photographer through Instagram. I assure you, I know what I’m talking about; my personal Instagram account has 15,000 followers (and counting). So you know this advice works.
Let’s get started.
1. Only show your best work
What’s the difference between a good artist and a great artist?
Great artists only show their best work. While nobody is expecting you to rival National Geographic photographers right away, you should pay close attention to what you’re sharing. It only takes one bad photo for people to lose interest in your photography.
In short, if a photo doesn’t make you say “Oh, yeah!” when you see it, don’t post it.
Also, don’t post too often. Unless you have a really good reason for spamming your follower’s feeds, don’t do it. I recommend sharing one or two images a week – it’ll keep people interested without getting annoying. So post the great stuff, and leave out the bad, the mediocre, and even the good.
2. Find your niche
This is key to defining your brand and to your growth as a photographer. It’s about determining what makes you different from everyone else and about using that difference to create something unique and interesting.
The amazing thing about Instagram is that it’s composed of people across the world, each of whom have a different interest.
I’ve seen fantastic accounts focused on street food in Vietnam, rock climbing in Utah, and architecture in Turkey.
But despite these differences, the best accounts all have one thing in common: a focus around a central theme. And it’s this theme that captures their audience’s attention (and keeps it).
Exploring the ancient #forests of Vancouver island, @kaitross and I found that even these giants succumb to time and the winds.
Don’t forget: the only person who should define your niche is you. Do you love paper maché and dinosaurs? Then become the best photographer making seaside portraits of paper maché Velociraptors.
I love to travel and explore nature, so my account reflects that and only that. You won’t find photos of my food or my family. If you want to share snapshots from your daily life, get a private account for your friends and your family to follow, because they’re the only ones who (might) want to see that stuff.
3. Use a dedicated camera, not just your smartphone
Your shiny new smartphone may take gorgeous snapshots, but constantly relying on a smartphone is like trying to perform a piano recital on a kid’s electronic keyboard.
Yes, smartphone cameras have come a long way in recent years, and yes, there are plenty of outstanding smartphone photographers out there. But unless you’re an experienced photographer with a lot of compositional and lighting knowledge, I highly recommend getting a “real” camera, such as a DSLR or mirrorless model.
Why? For one, it’ll force you to learn key photographic skills, such as exposure, depth of field manipulation, and proper handholding technique. Plus, it’ll give you additional focal lengths to play with, so you can shoot birds in the distance, sweeping landscapes, stunning close-up shots, and more.
4. Take the editing process seriously
Instagram may lend itself to a snap-and-post style of photography, but producing excellent photographs doesn’t work that way. Great photographs aren’t taken – they’re created.
This means shooting in RAW, then working in your favorite image editing program (I recommend Adobe Lightroom).
Learn how to manipulate light, shadow, and clarity until your final product is something you can be proud of. The Instagram app just isn’t built for this level of sophistication, so ditch all those cheesy filters and effects and do your work on the computer.
5. Share a story with your photo
Great photography leaves an impression. So do well-written stories. But when you combine strong images with powerful words, you’ll evoke an emotional response in your viewer and help them connect with your work.
It wasn’t until I realized this and started sharing the story behind my photos that my account started getting real interaction – people writing about how the image or words affected them and their own experiences.
Nobody expects the next Hemingway to come out of Instagram, but some carefully chosen words in a thought-provoking caption will do wonders for connecting you to your fans.
After the frenzied atmosphere of Shanghai’s urban jungle, the fresh air of Huangshan’s Yellow Mountains was exhilarating.
Still in the low season, March snow clung to the boughs of trees while distant clouds made it feel like the horizon could go forever. One of China’s better-developed tourist attractions, Huangshan has a long history: first recognized in 747 AD, it was said to be the place from which the Yellow Emperor ascended to heaven. This year, over 1.5 million visitors (mostly Chinese) will wander its paths. I caught it on a quiet day, and these peaceful memories linger with me still.
6. Ask questions in your captions
What’s the difference between a story and a question?
A story builds an emotional connection between the viewer and the image; a question builds a personal connection between your viewer and you.
So tell stories, but ask questions, too. Your questions should be open ended and create a space for your fans to contribute some of their own stories to the community. Remember that many Instagram users are new to digital photography and are looking for people to connect with.
By asking questions, you can encourage them to engage with the community (you might even make friends along the way!).
7. Use hashtags effectively
I never understood the value of effective hashtagging until I started weaving them into my posts. You should be hashtagging important nouns and verbs – stuff people will be searching for.
And get specific, too. The difference between #fishing and #instagood is huge for obvious reasons: people who might be interested in your photo are much more likely to be searching for their favorite hobby than some meaningless, catch-all term. So don’t add a bunch of generic hashtags that say nothing about your work. Instead, use descriptive hashtags that target certain users.
Speaking of hashtagging, do a bit of digging to find effective hashtags you might be missing. It wasn’t until I came across the hashtag #explorebc that I began connecting with a ton of great local photographers who eventually featured my work on their account (resulting in a huge boost of exposure for my photos!).
8. Post in the morning
The morning is when most Instagram users check their feed, so keep this in mind and set your posting schedule accordingly. I live on the West Coast of North America, so if I post at 8 AM, I’m already late for my East Coast followers. Aim to get your posts out early in the day for the time zone you’re targeting (of course, if your followers are worldwide, this is less useful).
Is there a best day of the week to post? Studies show that Sundays have the greatest number of interactions, which makes sense given that many users spend Sunday relaxing at home. Otherwise, stick to weekday mornings.
Build a community by actively finding photographers you respect and developing relationships with them. I won’t lie – this is a long process, but it’s necessary and worthwhile.
It’s also pretty simple: Just find a hashtag that speaks to you and your work, then check it whenever you can to see who’s posting. When you find photography you like, leave a thoughtful compliment and follow the user.
Chances are, if they like what you’re posting, they’ll check out your account and reciprocate.
Whatever you do, when commenting, don’t ask people to check out your account or follow you back. It’s tacky and makes you look desperate. Instead, be thoughtful, complimentary, and ask for nothing in return.
10. Cultivate champions
A champion is someone who genuinely engages with your work. They comment frequently, and their comments are thoughtful – not just “Nice” or “Love it,” but lengthier, meaningful content explaining what they like about the posted image.
Champions are great for both your community and your popularity, but how do you get them? What makes champions comment on your photos?
Here’s the best way to draw in champions:
Foster relationships with other users.
Of course, this is easier said than done. But if users are leaving you thoughtful comments, return the favor and respond with something more meaningful than “Thanks!” If someone cares enough about your work to awkwardly type out praise on their smartphone, they’re worth their weight in followers.
These are the people who are going to follow along through your adventures and refer their friends and followers. Do enough relationship building, and these delightful unicorns will be out there promoting your work for you.
11. Bring others into the conversation
Bring others into the conversation by photographing with them or referencing them in your posts. Two amazing women from Vancouver kicked off @localwanderer several years ago, in which they document their travels around North America and feature the hidden gems in communities.
Where the @localwanderer creators really excel (in addition to their photography and writing) is in their ability to constantly bring local shops, restaurants, and people into the discussion. By doing this, @localwanderer introduces its community to someone new, who in turn will introduce their community to @localwanderer.
So think about who or what you can reference on your account. If you’re a nature photographer, you might try tagging local parks; if you’re an architectural photographer, you might try tagging the owners of local buildings/businesses.
The specifics will depend on the photography you do, but as long as you’re creative and you persevere, you’re bound to make some valuable connections.
I’d rather have 100 fans who interact with my work than 1,000 followers who never like and comment. Your goal shouldn’t be about quantity of followers – instead, it should be about the quality of your community.
Speaking of numbers, don’t be afraid to clean up (and block) followers, especially those who are clearly inactive or fake. The last thing you need is a bunch of zombie accounts clogging up your Instagram. Also, one danger of having many inactive followers is that your account is less likely to be recommended to other users of Instagram.
There you have it: 12 tips for success on Instagram. As long as you follow these tips, your account will grow and your engagement will skyrocket.
Now over to you:
What are your tips for promoting photography on Instagram? Do you have any success (or failure) stories you’d like to share? Let’s hear them in the comments section below!
How to Use Instagram to Promote Your Photography Business
There is no doubt that we live in the Golden Age of Social Media.
New platforms come to the market almost every day but the majority still sticks to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. With its 500 million active users, Instagram is among the most popular applications and websites world wide. With traffic rapidly growing, even businesses have started focusing on marketing there. So how can we, as amateurs or professionals, take advantage of Instagram to promote and even sell our photography?
Why Instagram
Before we get to the answer we need to ask ourselves “Why Instagram”. Among all the social media platforms, such as Facebook, Google +, Ello, EyeEm, 500px and more, what makes Instagram special? Why is this the platform so many photographers choose to focus upon?
- More than 500 million active users
- More than 300 million daily users
- Companies have begun to pay influencers for promotion
- A visual platform with the purpose to share photos
- Great place to connect with fellow photographers
- Great place to connect with a new audience & customers
These are only some of the points that makes Instagram such an attractive plattform to promote your photography.
Getting noticed
As you can imagine, getting noticed among so many users can be a difficult task. In fact, statistics show that the majority of Instagram users have less than 300 followers. So, if you have more than that – congratulations, you’re above average!
Obviously, all the active users on Instagram don’t use it with the intent to promote their photography, or even follow photographers. The majority of people only wish to share pictures from their daily life with friends and followers, and have no desire to follow strangers. Trying to reach this market can be a huge waste of time.
There’s no blueprint to promoting your photography on Instagram but there are many actions you can take to get more followers and engagement around you and your photography. It all starts with the content.
Share quality content
As Instagram is a visual platform, sharing the right content is a key ingredient to gaining followers. Knowing what content to share can for many be challenging, especially if you’re new to the world of marketing via social media.
Not only should the content be of high quality, it should also be relevant.
For photographers it will be more effective to share high quality images rather than pictures of your daily life. Still, adding a Behind the Scenes image every now and then can be a good idea (try to keep that type of content on your Instagram Stories).
Since you’re trying to promote your brand and your photography, stick to posting quality images.
Quantity Posting
The subject of quantity can be quite controversial. Studies have shown that posting 4-6 images each day will increase the following quickest. However, the interaction and your likability might take a hit.
People don’t want to be spammed but they also want to see enough of your images to remember you. Finding that golden line can be hard.
A typical downside of posting as many as 4-6 images per day is that the image quality most likely won’t be as high as if you posted 1 per day or just a few per week. If you post 1 good and 3 less good images every day, you won’t be remembered for the good one.
At the end, much depends on how many quality images you have and how many you’ll be able to capture in the future. Don’t upload all you’re images straight away, have patience and build a organic and solid following.
Most photographers who have gained a solid amount of followers aim to post at least one image daily. Perhaps even two so they reach a wider audience.
How to get followers on Instagram
So, to the million dollar question: How do you get followers?
We’ve already covered what type of content and how often you should post but how do you get the images seen? Just posting the pictures isn’t enough.
Hashtags
Hashtags are one of the easiest ways to get your images seen on Instagram. There are a few different ways to do this but I recommend adding your hashtags in the first comment of your picture rather than in the caption. This gives the post a less spammy look and it’s also easy to tag people and groups without damaging your reach.
Use a combination of popular hashtags and hashtags that are relevant to your post. On the post embedded below I used a combination hashtags that are “owned” by Instagram Hubs and relevant hashtags such as #waterfall and #Iceland.
A photo posted by © Christian Hoiberg (@_chphoto) on
Including one or two hashtags mentioning the location of your image can always be beneficial as locals (or people visiting) often browse those tags for inspiration. I’ve found using location hashtags to be very effective in reaching a new audience.
Remember to use our the hashtag #CaptureLandscapes for a chance to be featured on our Instagram and website..
Shoutouts
Getting shoutouts is an important part of being noticed and reaching a wider audience on Instagram. This does not mean you should comment on peoples posts asking for shoutouts.
Avoid shoutout for shoutout and begging for them – that will look bad and not be a wise move in the long run.
Getting people to share your images is one of the hardest tasks you’ll get on Instagram. Don’t expect it to happen right away. Ideally, you want larger hubs and pages to share your images but don’t forget about the smaller groups. It’s often from the small hubs you’ll get the most interaction.
Using the right hashtags is a good way to be noticed by these groups, as the moderators often look through the hashtag in search for good images to feature.
Once you’ve gotten a few images shared you will notice that others are slowly picking up on you as well.
Interaction
This might be the most important part of using Instagram for business or even just for fun. Interaction is the key to getting noticed, building a network and promoting your photography.
Have fun. Make friends. Comment on others images and respond to those who comment on your images.
Be nice and take part in the community. But most importantly, be genuine.
Responding to those who comment on your images is something many don’t do, unfortunately. Ultimately this will have a negative impact on your engagement, as people will eventually stop commenting on your images as they never get a reply.
Another thing you can do to improve your interaction with your followers is to answer questions. If someone asks you something about you or your photography, answer them! If you find that there’s a question that pops up often you might even want to do a FAQ on your website that you can direct people to.
Earn money from Instagram
During the last years it’s become more normal for companies to pay Instagrammers for shoutouts, mentions or other services. There are many ways to earn money from Instagram but most of them do, unfortunately, require a high amount of followers and good engagement. Don’t rush into getting many followers as more companies are also paying attention to the amount of likes and comments your images are receiving.
Here’s a couple examples of how you can get paid from posting images on Instagram:
- Run campaigns for companies
- Do photoshoots for companies and offer sharing the pictures and mentioning them in the posts
- Become a brand ambassador
Note that just mentioning a company in a post is rarely enough to get paid. Most of the time, especially when running campaigns for them, they will want to license some of your images. I don’t want to talk to much about this topic as it highly depends on each individual company and campaign.
Instagram to Promote Photography: Last words
Having a large amount of followers online can give you many benefits but most likely it will not be life changing. If you’re a photographer and wish to promote your photography, don’t let Instagram take away the attention. Continue creating art and don’t rely only on one social media or platform. What happens when Instagram shuts down?
There are many factors involved in growing your following and promoting your photography on Instagram.
Yet, the key factors are: quality content and interaction.
Stay true to yourself and don’t start posting unrelated or even low quality images just to squeeze out one or two posts extra each day. In the long run it’s better to post less but higher quality, at least if your goal is to promote your images and business.
Be sure to follow CaptureLandscapes on Instagram for daily inspiration and a chance to get your images shared!
- More
How to promote content on Instagram using the promotion tool
2 min.
Introduction
If you've decided to promote your business on Instagram, the easiest place to start is by promoting your post. You can start the promotion from the Instagram app. This is an effective way to reach people who are more likely to be interested in your company. In addition, promotion will increase the number of potential and existing customers who will want to visit your website or company. nine0007
In this course you will learn:
- how to create an ad based on an Instagram post;
- how to increase your reach and attract new customers.
Promoting content on Instagram to attract customers
People come to Instagram to discover something new and get inspired, so promoting content on this platform is a great way to attract new customers. Instagram advertising allows you to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time. nine0007
Promote a post on Instagram
The promote tool allows you to start promoting a post on Instagram in a few easy steps.
To access this tool, you need to create an Instagram business account.
You can create such an account from scratch or convert your existing personal account to it. Learn how to set up an Instagram business account.
Getting started
- Your phone must have the Instagram app installed. nine0012
- Must be logged into the company's Instagram account.
Ready? Now you can set up a budget and start promoting your content through the Instagram app.
To create a promotion, click the Promotions button in your business account or the Promote button in an existing publication. In the promotion tool, you can configure the necessary parameters, for example, specify the advertising budget.
Start promotion from company account
Promote an existing post
Watch the video below to learn how to use the Instagram promotion tool.
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Learn more
When creating an ad, you can customize your promotion by selecting your business goal, target audience, budget, expiration date, and more.
The promotion tool currently supports three destinations for your ads:
- Your Profile
- Your Website
- Your Direct Messages
For other advertising purposes, use Ads Manager. To learn more about Ads Manager, see the sources listed in section What's next? below.
What's next?
More resources on the promotion tool
Learn more about promoting content on Instagram in the Help Center articles below:
- How do I set up an Instagram business account?
- How to display ads directly from Instagram?
- How much does it cost to promote a post on Instagram?
- What does a post promoted through the Instagram app look like?
- Who can see the promoted posts I create on Instagram?
More resources on using Ads Manager to create ads
If you're interested in other Instagram ad delivery options, check out Ads Manager.
Ads Manager is an advertising platform used by Facebook apps and services. It gives you access to additional ad objectives and placement optimization. nine0007
Learn more about creating ads in Ads Manager in the Help Center.
- Creating Instagram Ads with Ads Manager
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How to promote a post on Instagram: advertising a post through the “Promote” button
This material is for those who want to learn how to promote a post on Instagram directly from the application or through the Facebook advertising account.
In this article, we will show the nuances of promoting a post on Instagram, give recommendations on choosing a photo or video for promotion, and also answer frequently asked questions related to errors in the operation of the “Promote” button.
Advertisement: 2VtzquY3wEz
Read also : How to promote an Instagram account from scratch
What does the “Promote” button mean and how does it work
If you need a quick launch of an advertising campaign, then promoting a post on Instagram is exactly what you need. The "Promote" button below the posts will appear when you switch to a professional account: a business profile or an author account.
What does the "Promote" button mean? When you click on the "Promote" button, an advertisement is automatically created with the selected post. This function can also be called, raise a post or bring a post to the TOP, because it will be shown one of the first in the feed. nine0007
The button looks like this :
How does it work? This feature allows you to create and run ads through Instagram without using Facebook Ads Manager.
At the same time, promotion will not be available for some posts, in this case the “Promote” button will be displayed, but will be inactive.
Interesting : Top 10 courses by target
How to promote a post on Instagram: step by step guide
Step 1:
Choosing what to promote
Decide what problem you need to solve by promoting the post and what would be the best solution. Here are 3 types of content that can be promoted:
- regular post with photo - suitable in most cases;
- video - if you want to get coverage;
- gallery - for the presentation of several products.
If the goal is to attract customers, prepare a sales post for Instagram, if the goal is to get feedback, then make an engaging post. After selecting a publication, open it and click the "Promote" button below.
Tip: Prepare your promotional publication in advance.
Use an image that catches the eye easily or post a photo with a caption.
The most important thing in the text is the first line. This is what the user sees when scrolling through the feed. Try to interest from the very beginning, and end with a call to action: leave a comment, go to the site, register. nine0138
Step 2:
Select the promotion goal
Next, you need to select the promotion goal: site visits, profile transitions, or Direct messages. Let's choose "More site visits" - suitable if your main sales go through the site. To set the desired address, click edit and specify the desired URL.
Choose the action that suits your advertising campaign. If you want to attract new subscribers, then we select transitions to the profile. If you need more contact with customers - messages. If advertising is the first stage in an auto funnel, then send traffic to a lead magnet or give a checklist as a gift. nine0007
Step 3:
Action Button
Different call to action buttons will be displayed depending on the target of the ad post:
For the button that will accompany the advertising publication leading to the site, you can change the inscription on the button. Available options: Learn more, Shop, View more, Contact us, Book and Register .
When choosing an action button, rely on what you are promoting. For events and online services, the "Register" button is suitable, for hotels, cafes and restaurants - "Book".
Step 4:
Audience creation
You can leave automatic audience selection, select a previously created audience or retargeting audience, or set it up manually. Consider the last option - click "Create your audience". nine0007
We come up with a name for the audience and set up targeting: location, interests, age and gender.
To properly target, first create a portrait of your target audience.
Step 5.
Budget and duration
To begin with, it is worth setting a small budget for a short promotion period.
To change the budget and duration of an advertising campaign, simply move the slider left or right. At the same time, you will be shown the approximate coverage that you will receive. nine0007
Step 6:
Checking the publication
At the final step, see how the promotional publication will look in the feed - the "Publication Preview" button. Check if all options are set correctly.
Here we set up payment. Click "Payment", a section opens where we replenish the advertising budget from an already linked card or add a new one.
Finally, click "Promote Post". The advertisement will go to moderation, upon completion of which you will receive a corresponding notification. How long does it take for a post to be reviewed? Usually results come within a day. nine0007
Advertising publication statistics
To view statistics on the promotion of a publication on Instagram, go to the advertising publication - click "View promotion" and then "View statistics".
Since our advertising campaign has not been launched yet, there are zero indicators here. When the statistics data is updated, it will be possible to calculate the cost of a click, the cost of one application or registration.
Instagram post promotion via Facebook
In the same way, you can set up promotion of an Instagram post via Facebook. If we compare this method with the method described above, then setting up through Ads Manager gives more options. For example, launching a promotion from a computer and more accurate targeting. nine0007
We will not describe the whole process in detail, we already have a corresponding article: Setting up advertising on Instagram through Facebook. Start setting it up.
Next, when creating a creative, you need to select "Use an existing publication".
Then click the "Select a post" button
In the window that opens, switch to the "Instagram" tab and select the post that we will promote.
After selecting the publication, you will need to select the action button and provide a link to the site (if selected as a goal). nine0007
At the end, click "Publish" and the advertisement goes to moderation.
If the “Promote” button on Instagram does not work or there is no permission for advertising, then ...
There may be several reasons:
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