“That's just how time travel looks like to the untrained eye. “ - Bradley Sands, It Came from Below the Belt
Time - from a rock’s perspective.
"Warning: Gale-force winds near current location" - The voice of the navigation system in my car.
That warning repeated a few times during the drive between the hotel I was staying at in Thunder Bay and Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, Canada. There was minimal traffic for a Friday evening, and even fewer tourists visiting the falls. Perhaps, they were wiser and heeded the warning, where I had no clue how fast "gale-force" is.
For an unseasonably warm day in the far north, I found that "gale-force winds" also means cold. It was freezing cold, and you can bet I was wearing shorts. It's what I do; actually, it might be a midwestern thing: "Above freezing? Shorts time!"
The water was raging and much higher than I had seen in the past couple of years. But, per usual, the falls didn't disappoint. This image seemingly adds a bit of grace to a very violent demonstration of water exerting itself over land. If you find yourself in Thunder Bay, do swing out and see the falls. It's a short drive and wonder to witness.
By doing one, or all, of the things below, you can easily increase your Instagram follower count. Some of the tasks will take effort over time, but you will be rewarded if you stick with it.
1. Use hashtags that will get you noticed.
Hashtags are one of the simplest and easiest tools to employ to get your account noticed. By incorporating many popular hashtags into your caption, you will increase your chances of being seen in the large feeds that dominate the platform. There are many websites, like TagBlender, that will let you know which hashtags are currently popular. You can also search for popular hashtags on TagBlender by navigating through the subcategories.
Learning Task - Go to TagBlender and find all the popular tags related to Black and White Photography.
2. Maximize your hashtag usage.
Instagram will only allow you to include up to 30 hashtags in your captions. If you exceed 30 hashtags, they will not post your caption at all. Make it a point to always include at least 20 hashtags in your captions. Your tags should be a mix of popular and subject specific tags. For example: I include about 10 - 15 popular tags, and then about 10 more tags relevant to my posted photo.
Learning Task - Make a list of popular hashtags you can include in your captions. Make an additional list of hashtags that are relevant to your photography / art / product. Keep these lists handy so you can reference them.
3. Tag popular accounts in your niche / genre.
Instagram may have a limit of 30 hashtags, but there is no limit on account tagging. Tagging other accounts in your niche or genre will increase the potential for your work to be seen. It may also put your content in a position to be reposted. There are accounts like @instagram, @justgoshoot, and @theoutbound that have gigantic followings and they frequently repost.
Learning Task - Find popular accounts you can tag that are in your niche or genre. Do they repost often? What types of posts do they repost? Make a list of accounts to tag in your posts. Keep this list handy and refer to it often.
4. Simplify your profile.
Before people may decide to follow you, they'll check out your profile to learn more about you, and to see other work you've posted. If your profile is too long, or doesn't make sense, you'll may lose a follower. Your profile should be short, think "resume" here. Give people a sense of who you are quickly. Think about it this way, they've spent the time to look at your profile, reward them by making sure your profile reads quickly. If they like you, and your posts, you've got a new follower.
Learning Task - Distill your profile bio to as short as it can be while still conveying who you are. The use of emojis is encouraged, if you're into that sort of thing.
5. Create a caption worth reading.
To succeed on Instagram, you need to engage, and create engaging content. Most people don't follow accounts based on the imagery alone. The caption is your chance to pull in the viewer to your account. The more thoughtful and relevant the caption, the bigger the hook to snag a new follower. Images make people feel, so your caption should emote the feeling in the image. To create a more engaging caption, you can use famous quotes, or great stories, to increase the meaning in the photograph.
Learning Task - Find a quotes website, or strategize a way to add good stories to your posts. The more you put into your post, the more you'll get out of it.
Using the items above, you'll increase your Instagram followers in no time! I'll have another post soon to take your social media management to the next level, and save you time so you can be more creative. For more social media tips, sign up below!
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I've you've been to my site lately, you're likely to have seen the changes I've made. I've done this for a few reasons. I'll elaborate when I get a chance.