Instagram (noun) – an online photo-sharing platform that allows friends to connect by sharing pictures and videos. A digital social medium. Also referred to as IG or The Gram. (Definition brought to you by yours truly)
What are the guidelines to posting on Instagram you ask? I have your answer!
Step 1: Take A Selfie
• Find the right angle, but it can’t always be the same angle.
• Good lighting is a must.
• Don’t take more than one picture with the same background.
• “Duck lips or Smize?”
Step 2: Edit
• You could always #nofilter, but that really only works for pictures of scenery (mountains, sunsets, etc.). If you’re posting a selfie, filters are highly advised.
• Valencia is the best neutral filter. It simply enhances the photo.
• X-Pro is great if you want to look tan, but it’s definitely not a racially neutral filter (it can’t successfully enhance the skin tones of people of all races).
• You can go to your phone’s App Store and find more editing apps, but let’s be honest, you probably already have at least 4-5 on your phone right now.
Step 3: Crop
• “To crop out part of my forehead or leave it in?”
• She’s not your friend anymore? No problem, she simply won’t make the IG cut.
• You can turn the photo so that it looks like you took it from a different angle, even though you really forgot.
Step 4: Do Your Research
• Check your followers page. Nobody is on? Push back your selfie release date.
• Check Statigram and find out the best times to post according to when your followers are using Instagram.
• The best times you ask? The ideal times are 11 pm on Friday, 10 am on Saturday, and 2 pm on Sunday… but who’s really paying attention?
Step 5: Caption
It has to be witty, mildly funny or just a song lyric. So, dig back into your phone notes titled “IG quotes” and find one, or scroll through your old screen shots of great captions posted by other people and steal one. Sometimes the caption can make the picture 10x better so don’t take this step lightly. Oh, and don’t forget emojis! People love emojis!
Step 6: Post
The hard work should be over but now the anxiety sets in.
• “Will it get enough likes?”
• “Who is liking it?”
• “Only 3 likes in 10 minutes? Should I take it down?”
• Text your friends and tell them that you posted so that they can comment with phrases like “Yasss”, “Werkkk”, Slay on” and maybe even “Artsy”.
My Take On It:
I think some people have taken Instagram a little too seriously. It shouldn’t take a day to edit and post a photo. Finding a caption shouldn’t be that serious. More importantly, the number of likes you get shouldn’t be that important, especially if you are posting content that you like. So many people are trying to be American’s Next Top Model and trying to make Instagram their agency. With that being said, this doesn’t mean that I am anti-Instagram or that I will never post again. Actually, I will probably end up posting using the same six steps that are listed above, but the catch is I will do it less often and because I actually like the picture. Likes will not matter. Just some food for though to start your week. Happy posting!