Some people haven’t yet started with Instagram, others have been using the website for a while but don’t have much success. It’s probably down to the way they use the site rather than the content they post. Read on to find out more on how to use Instagram to stand out and get noticed.
Pick a Username
Usernames on Instagram are very important if you want to stand out and get noticed. A good username that is relevant to your niche, content, and personality, allows users to quickly decide if they want to follow you or not. This kind of efficiency is appreciated on the site.
To find a stellar username you need to consider many aspects of your profile. This can be done at the start before you open the account or more organically as you grow your niche. Remember that relevance and interest are most important when choosing your identifier.
Select a Niche
Instagram is one of the most niche centered social media sites on the Internet. The more niche you can go, the more chance you have of standing out. You might have an idea in mind, something you’re passionate about such as travel, beauty, or art – but even that may not be niche enough.
Consider the broad niche you want to work in then drill down into it to see if there are any more specific ways you can create a niche within that niche. For travel you might have a companion with you, for beauty you could focus solely on eye makeup, and smile art you could restrict yourself in some way.
Tell a Story
Another feature that sets Instagram apart from other social media websites is the storytelling aspects of it. Instagram users respond well to posts that have a narrative or tell a story, so you need to consider this when making your posts – view here for some examples.
You can tell Instagram stories by posting photos that have captions underneath. The captions can introduce the setting or add some interest to the picture with historical facts. You could create a series of images that tell a story or use the slide show function.
Use Hashtags
Instagram is different from most other social media sites and search engines for the way it searches for users data. Instead of keywords, Instagram uses hashtags. This is easy to get the hang of and works well but you need to know the basics.
After you post an image to Instagram always include a series of hashtags along the bottom that refer to the niche or the image. The website allows you up to 30 hashtags but you don’t need to use as many as that. Nonetheless, more than 11 is recommended to stand out.
Use a Slideshow
One of Instagram’s primary story telling features is the slideshow. The slideshow allows you to create a series of pictures all relating to the same topic. This feature let’s you tell the story of an outing or a special meal.
Using the slideshow to stand out is also straightforward if you know what you’re doing. Upload your images to the slide show and fill in the captions. Use hashtags for each image and credits to any restaurants featured in the post.
