Taking one for the gram? If you’re reading this, you must be curious if there is a secret formula to publishing great content on this social media giant. As you know, Instagram is one of the most love platforms on the Internet–and it is where you would ideally put your best foot forward. We know it’s not always about the likes, as it’s much more about the memories we can share with the world and Making Great Posts.
Note: visit the online Instagram story viewer tool to watch Instagram stories anonymously.
However, it wouldn’t hurt to get a boost using a few nifty tricks, right? Whether it’s publishing your post at the right time of the day or adding the Man Standing emoji to your caption when flaunting your OOTD–there are pro tips and steps that you should know about! We won’t guarantee that you will get a 6-digit number of likes on your first try. Nevertheless, we’ll share with you seven proven steps to spice things up on your next Instagram post! Let’s get started.
STEP #1: Your Caption Is as Good as Your Photo, so Craft a Good One!
Have you ever tried posting a captionless photo before? If so, you might have probably noticed that it got relatively less attention than the captioned ones. That is because any photo or video only makes up 50% of your post, while the other 50% relies on your caption. So, step it up!
A lot of people with successful Instagram posts use humor such as puns when crafting a very likable caption. Sometimes, you may not need to say a lot as long as you use the right emojis. And other times, you may share an elaborate story behind the photo. Regardless of whether it’s a brief story about your graduation or some musings about a memorable place, any riveting story will hook your followers. When they find it genuine and compelling enough, they would be invested in the post and spend time reading. And if you’re lucky, they’ll hit double-tap before they continue scrolling.
STEP #2: Consider Your Feed
Nothing should stop you from posting whatever you like. However, you may have noticed that some users, at some point, have become quite conscious of their feed. Others prefer to go extreme by only having black and white posts, while some choose only one type of filter for consistency. It could be too restricting for your creative freedom, which is no fun. That said, it should be completely up to you.
Though, if you do notice that your feed currently has a theme going on, say, it has a common color scheme or a consistent shade of blue–try sticking to that! More than the posts themselves, your feed is something that your followers and profile visitors will surely notice. So in your next post, it would be wise to consider colors that are coherent with the palette of your feed. That way, your post won’t look out of place!
STEP #3: Edit When Necessary and Don’t Go Overboard
If you use apps like Snapseed, it can be such a joy to edit photos. Apps like this are handy for hiding blemishes, adjusting brightness, and tweaking the perspective of any photo. The downside? It’s hard not to go overboard.
It’s easy to get carried away by adding too many photo effects causing your image to lose its natural look. When this happens, your followers may start to get a hint that you edit your pictures a little too much. They might lose trust in the integrity of the photos that you publish.
That being said, if the photo only needs minor adjustments, only make minor adjustments. Don’t go overboard and bother upping the saturation or turning up the brightness. You don’t have to fix
something that isn’t broken! If possible, you may seek help from another set of trusted eyes to judge your photo.
STEP #4: Choose a Filter and Make It Look Natural!
The reason why you shouldn’t overdo editing is because of filters! After making the necessary adjustments to your photo, you might, later on, decide to add an Instagram filter. Filters help by highlighting or balancing the colors and strong details in a photo. This is why we often use them. Although, one common mistake is using filters in their full strength. The thing to do is slide it down to 50 or even 25%–whichever feels right for you.
If you don’t trust your editing skills yet, the rule of thumb is, add a filter and make your photo look like you’re not using one! That means your photo would likely be appreciated for looking aesthetically natural–and not overkill.
STEP #5: Know Your Hashtags
You may skip this step if exposure and likes are not a big deal to you or if you want to keep your profile private. But if you like to try bumping up those likes, then prepare to tap into the power of hashtags.
Did you know that you can use up to 30 hashtags on an Instagram post? If your account privacy is set to Public, other users can view your post through the hashtags you use. Whether these are under a comment or in your caption, they will appear in hashtag search results; they may even become featured under the top posts.
You may use 30 hashtags to maximize your reach. However, it may be off-putting to some of your followers. The most popular hashtags as of this writing are #love, #instagood, #photooftheday, #fashion, and #beautiful.
Try looking up the most popular hashtags you can use, and make sure they are relevant to your post. It would be best to use only five or seven relevant hashtags, as long as they are the most-searched and most trending. That way, you wouldn’t have to dump all 30 hashtags under a comment. More importantly, you can anticipate more likes, profile visits, or even followers!
STEP #6: Give Credit to Whom It Is Due
Giving credit is a no-brainer act of decency. So, if your bestie took stunning portraits or creative shots of you–the least you can do is mention them at the end of your caption. Or at least ask before posting if they want the photo credit so you won’t disappoint them.
It’s a great chance to give them a shoutout, especially if you truly appreciate the pics that they took of you. Besides, you wouldn’t want them spamming in the comments, asking for credit. If they want it, don’t forget to mention them or say thank you.
STEP #7: Publish the Post During Peak Hours
Last but not least, be mindful of the time when posting on Instagram! Most credible sources on social media analytics claim that the best time to post is anytime between 11 AM to 2 PM on a weekday. And in case you’re curious, the best time and day of the week is on Wednesdays, between 6 and 9 PM. During these hours, you can expect the most engagement among your posts.
You must also avoid posting between 11 PM to 3 AM because you would expect the least amount of engagement during these periods. Thankfully, knowing the peak hours can help you maximize the number of engagements and interactions on your next post on Instagram!
Takeaway
Since most of our interactions nowadays are made online, it makes sense that we’d want our Instagram posts to look and be their best. We enjoy achieving many likes and online engagements because there’s no denying that they help us feel good!
Hopefully, though, we don’t lose our aesthetic taste and authenticity in the long haul. Thank you for reading until the end, and we hope you find this guide helpful in making kickass posts on Instagram!
