Fall is upon us. We’ve said goodbye to Mom and Dad, unpacked our dorm rooms, and now it’s time to show everyone back home how great of a time we’re having at college. But wait, are you sure you’re getting all the attention you can on Insta? Well just in case you’re looking to up your game—here are 10 super simple ways to rake in the likes on Instagram.
1. Captions are key
Don’t make your photo do all the work. Yes, Instagram is a photo website but your caption defines your post for your followers—funny, serious, sentimental. Don’t be afraid to throw an emoji (or five) in there as well. Let your users know you are both photographer and writer!
2. Label your location
The benefit of this is that all the people who search the location you tag will see your pic- this can get you some bonus likes and possibly new followers. The location is the first thing your followers will see as they scroll through their feed. Grab them with your location and the picture and caption will do the rest.
3. Hashtags are your friend
Hashtags can seem daunting but they are a fun and easy way to get more likes. On the practical side they link your photo to what tag you give it. So anyone who searches that hashtag could stumble across your picture- another easy way to get bonus likes and followers. Hashtags also sum up the ideas of the photo. Make your tags interesting—nobody needs you to tag your daily latte pic with #coffee. Interest your readers and think outside of the box!
4. Time your posts
Try to post regularly. It’s difficult to maintain followers if they realize they can’t rely on you to post. When you post is important too. You don’t want your post to get buried under the masses. Post close to times when people are likely to be on their feed. Think mid-afternoon on lazy weekends or mealtimes during the week. When do you check your feed? Think before you post to maximize exposure and get yourself as many likes as possible.
5. Clear, sized, and filtered
There are some amazing apps out there to aid you in upping the quality of your pics. Oh and did I mention they’re all free? VSCO has clean filters and lets you adjust contrast, brightness, and everything else you could want. Instasize will make your photo the right size that way you don’t have to crop anything when you try to post it. They also have fun borders you can throw on to give your pics some flair. Over will let you add text overlays to your photos and they have a great variety of fonts and colors. When adding effects to your pics make sure to not go overboard. But these apps and the thousands of others out there give you the ability to be even more unique.
6. #nofilter
Just because you can edit your pics doesn’t mean you should or have to. Sometimes it can be refreshing for your followers to see you and your surrounding au natural. So when the leaves begin to change or you capture a beautiful sunset don’t be afraid to let it be.
7. Tag your friends
Make sure when you post the perfect pic of you and your squad that you tag them in it! The people in your photos should definitely be liking them— so make sure they don’t miss it by giving them the alert. And if they #regram it you could even end up with some new followers!
8. Variety, variety, variety
Spice up your newsfeed and break out of your comfort zone. If you only post pics of yourself at events and going out, then break out! Try a pic of your afternoon study break or morning coffee. Let your followers in on all the exciting things we know you’re doing. Keep your posts original and unique by branching out and varying the content of your posts. Your followers will be excited to see more sides of your day and your creativity!
9. Post for themed days
If you need some weekly inspiration to post then take part in Mancrush Monday, Womancrush Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, Selfie Sunday, and all others you can think of. It’s a fun way to find things to post and to keep your feed lively!
10. Go public
Now this is pretty bold. But assuming you do more than go to wild bangers and have the common sense to keep the bottles out of your pics then you should have no problem setting your Instagram public. Connect with artists, DJs, magazine editors, models, actors, businesses, etc. Instagram is a really connective space if you let it be. Let the world see your passions and gain more followers and likes along the way.
Hopefully, these are some simple ways for you to start seeing more likes on your Insta pics. Be bold! Be creative! Follow all the people!