When I published my first book, I didn’t realize how much I would be using social media to promote my book. Suddenly, I was knee deep in learning about Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. While I already had social media accounts, using them as a business is quite different. Today, I will be sharing what I have learned about Instagram, so far.
Instagram post pictures are generally 1080 x 1080px. I use picmonkey.com to change my pictures to this size (but you can use other apps as well). After I enter the dimensions, I check “scale photo,” so that it will stay square. Then I save the picture so that I can post it on Instagram.
Hashtags are very important on Instagram, to draw in the right people for each post. It is possible to look up articles about what hashtags to use but I found that most of the suggested hashtags are oversaturated. It is best to find hashtags that have an audience between 50,000 and 500,000. I have two methods of finding appropriate hashtags. One is to look at other posts on the same topic and jot down their hashtags. I then go into the search bar on Instagram and put in each hashtag, starting with the # symbol. It will pull up the hashtag and you can see if it falls within the desired parameters. I do sometimes use hashtags that have less than 50,000 if I am having trouble finding enough on a given topic. The second method is to go to the search bar, put in the # symbol, and type in words you think might lead to good hashtags. If the first few have numbers that are too high, you might find a good one by continuing to look down the list. Instagram allows you to use 30 for each post and it is a good idea to use that many. Some people put them in the post. I put them in the first comment. It is a personal preference. I keep an Excel spreadsheet with all of the hashtags I use, their numbers, and a word that helps me identify the topic later. I tried out a hashtag app but it did not tell the numbers for each hashtag so that was not helpful at all.
I use the notepad on my phone to make a list of the hashtags. I title it so that later, if I am looking for hashtags for something similar, I will be able to locate the list. It takes time but I type all of the hashtags into a list. Start each one with the # symbol and leave one space after each hashtag. My hope is that later, I will have a many topics researched and I can just use the lists I have already created.
I got an app called Caption Writer to use when I am writing my Instagram posts. It is easier to control the format. I type up my post in Caption Writer. After you click done, it has a bar to click that says “Copy with fonts and spaces.” You can click that when you are ready to add the text to your Instagram post. But you can also just type into Instagram.
To actually create the post, I make sure the picture is saved to my phone. I open Instagram and click the + sign at the top of the page. I then click on the picture I want to use. I go over the Caption Writer and click on “copy with fonts and spaces.” I come back to Instagram and click on the entry, holding it down, and then click on paste. I then post it to Instagram. Next, I go to my notepad in my phone, and I copy and paste the hashtag list. I come back to Instagram and click to comment on my post, and paste the hashtags there.
As far as growing follower numbers, this can be done several ways. The first way is to follow others that are in your business or are interested in your product. Since I am an author, I have followed authors, librarians, and people who love books. Since I am interested in diversity, I am also following people that post on diversity. The second way is by using hashtags, as mentioned above. That will draw in people that are interested in what you are posting on and they might decide to follow you.
Right now, I am trying to post about 3 times a week. Because I am just starting out, it takes longer than I would like. Hopefully, over time, it will become easier and I will be able to post more quickly. I am already faster than I was a month ago. I hope this helps. Enjoy posting on Instagram!
Harriet Sutton 