Tip #1: Have A Unique Perspective
These days, insta-blogs, regardless of the category: fashion, food, lifestyle, photography, they’re all a dime a dozen–literally everyone has one. You need to have something about your blog that makes it unique, and differentiates it from every other fashion blog out there – and as I just stated and cannot emphasize enough, there are a lot!
Tip #2: Research
Let’s be honest, most of the idea’s that you’ll come up with have already been done before. There is nothing wrong with getting inspiration and ideas from other fashion blogs that you like, it’s not stealing as long as you put your own twist on it and give the originator credit. One of my favorite style Instagram’s is HerCampusStyle–on their Instagram they have posts that read things like “cropped or oversized,” “online shopping or in-store shopping,” on a plain background with a caption saying something along the line of “pick one” or “choose.” Their followers then in the comment section say which option they prefer. I love this idea and I have used it on my own personal blog. Even though I don’t use the same phrases as they do, I did get the idea from them, so I tagged them and give them credit.
Tip #3: Color Scheme
Establish a clear color scheme and/or theme and stick to it! Instagram showcases picture-based media, what kind of pictures you use and how they’re arranged matters, so the aesthetic of your Instagram matters. This needs to be established from the very beginning and make sure you love it enough to not want to change it a few months later. My Instagram blog has a dark aesthetic, the color scheme features a lot of blacks with bold, saturated colors.
Tip #4: Post Regularly
Even though it is a lot of work on your part, posting regularly has been proven to be very beneficial to you and really helps grow your Instagram blog. You would think that people would find posting everyday or multiple times a day annoying, but in my experience the opposite has been the case. I did an experiment where one week I posted once on my Instagram story and 2-3 times on the feed, and my followers increased. The following week, I posted on the feed and story only a couple of times throughout the week and I saw a decrease in my followers. I’m not saying go to those extremes, posting several times a day, but do make a strict posting schedule and try not to deviate from it. When it comes to blogs, people like consistency.
Tip #5: Make Segments
Speaking of schedules… I have a segment for every day of the week on my Instagram blog: “SundayRunway,” “Monday Must-Have,” “FASHback Friday.” They provide something for the viewer to look forward too. I also make special editions of those segments to change it up every now and then. How boring would it be to have the exact same segments every week featuring images that are almost exactly the same. For example, every Saturday on my blog I do a segment called “Street Style Saturday,” were I showcase a cover or introductory image followed by 5 additional images all showcasing street wear that fits a similar theme, whether that theme be color or concept. For the 6th and final post on the story, I do a promotional post to get people to go view and like the corresponding street style post that’s on the feed. Since “Street Style Saturday” is my most popular segment on my Instagram, every few weeks I’ll do a Street Style Saturday “Shoes Edition” or “Handbag Edition” where I’ll showcase only street style handbags or shoes, the deviation is very popular with my followers. If you’re noticing that certain segments aren’t doing as well in terms of likes and comments as other segments, try not posting those segments as often or switch them out for other ones.
Tip #6: Diversify The Types Of Images You Use
It can get extremely boring if your blog features the same kinds of pictures over and over again with the same kinds of people, wearing the same kinds of clothes, in similar locations, doing the same poses. I am very cautious to provide a variety of images throughout my fashion blog. I have pictures of haute couture clothing and clothing from thrift stores, runway models and everyday people that attend my university, I have images of fashion cities, and quotes by fashion designers, anything that is in any way related to fashion, it’s on my blog. I also try to post pictures of people that are of different races, ethnicities, religions, sizes, and genders, so that everyone can have something to relate to.
Tip #7: Utilize Hashtags
Little tip: doing the 5 dots followed by a hundred hashtags is “out,” hashtagging in your comment section is “in.” You’ll get just as many views and it looks more professional. Also, do your research, use hashtags that are relevant to your post, but are also popular so your post can be seen by a lot of people, and that will result in people visiting your Instagram and following you.
Tip #8: Don’ts
When you’re first getting your Instagram off the ground so-to-speak, and you’re finally starting to get some traction, you’ll get people messaging you and emailing you saying that they “love your profile” and gush in detail about it and then they’ll say they want to help you grow your profile even more and post your images on their Instagram… for a small fee. DO NOT FALL FOR THIS, although I admit it is tempting to pay for your followers for a little while to grow your following, it is very expensive in the long-run because you’ll have to keep paying for those followers and it’s really easy to fall into a spiral. Not to mention, the second you stop paying all those “small” fee’s the followers you basically paid for will disappear. They aren’t real followers anyway, they wont like anything or comment, they won’t increase your overall engagement in any way, which has become the important part since Instagram’s latest update.
Tip #9: Be Active
Last but not least, be active on your Instagram. What I mean by “be active” is go through your followers Instagram’s in your spare time and like and comment on their posts, more often than not, they will do the same and it will result in an increase in followers because you are proving to be an active and loyal Instagram. Your followers will start to they are tell their friends about you and you’ll be getting positive word-of-mouth.
Instagram: @nuviewmagazine