A good Instagram post engages your audience on every level. It gets followers talking, sharing, liking and commenting. But in order to create a good post, you have to optimize every aspect of it.
Here’s a great infographic from medium.com that reminds
The Image
A quality image is the bread and butter of the Instagram community. What makes a quality image can refer to the technical aspects of a shot, or its subject matter.
For example, even though a throwback picture might be grainy or out of focus, it’s the subject matter that counts – that makes it a quality image!
A good image tells a story and communicates a clear message. Go for simple, striking images, over complicated ones and your message will be more clear. The image is the first part of your post that users engage with, so make it count!
The Caption
Captions are one of the most neglected aspects of most Instagram posts.
Weather you like long captions or short, snappy, inspirational quips, make sure your caption is relevant and thoughtful. Include calls to action, @-mentions & hashtags.
It might take a few posts to get the hang of what works with your audience, but pay attention to what they respond to and build your brand voice over time – no rush!
Hashtags
Choosing the right hashtags is a balancing act between proper etiquette and knowing what’s trending.
You can use up to 30 hashtags in a post. You can put hashtags in the captions of your posts or write them as a comment.
Though hashtags use comes down to individual preference, try to put any really popular hashtags in the caption itself so that it is associated with your image as soon as you post it. For common hashtags like #love or #me, if you wait even a millisecond to post them as a comment, you’ll already be far down in the recent posts feed.
Engagement
Much of your success on Instagram will come from the engagement you do after you post.
Instagram is not a one-way street, so make sure you’re responding to comments and DMs in a thoughtful way.
“If you want your community to engage with you, then you have to engage back. Savvy Instagrammers understand that building community through reciprocal engagement is one of the best ways to increase your followers.” – Hootsuite
Other Tags
Tags answer the questions where have you been and who have you been with.
Geo-tags help you connect with like-minded people in your area. Even if you’re just sitting in your living room, you can still tag the closest major town or city.
Aim to also tag at least one company or other account in the image itself. This is a great opportunity to give shoutouts or catch the attention of another Instagrammer you admire. Remember never to spam and always ask permission before you post an image of another person on your account.
A great Instagram post or account is a collaboration between you and your audience. So listen to them, gage their response to the tactics you use and always be open to adjusting your strategy.
The perfect Instagram post is a moving target, so let us help! Contact us today to set up a FREE discovery session with our team!
