Last Updated on May 4, 2020 by ellduclos

10 Ways to Spice Up Your Instagram

It’s no surprise that Instagram has been driving people CRAZY! Especially bloggers and biz owners because Instagram is a HUGE part of our marketing strategies. Instagram has made it harder for us to grow. Luckily, today I am sharing with you TEN ways that you can SPICE UP your Instagram.

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**Disclaimer: Affiliate Links Used. Full disclosure here.

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MAKE YOUR PHOTOS TELL A STORY

Many times I will see really pretty flat lays & short captions. There isn’t anything necessarily wrong with this, BUT if you want to SPICE up your Instagram, try and make your photos come to life!

Instead of taking a flat lay of products, use your image to showcase the product being put to use! Have a new pair of shoes? Do a close up of you wearing the shoes, IN ACTION! 

AND did you know that longer captions tend to get more attention than short captions. Use your caption as a way to provide “mini reviews” or talk about your day. Tell a mini story through your captions! It’s all about captivating through imagery & making the imagery come to life with your words too.

ALSO NOTE *** Ending your caption with engaging questions helps a ton! Make it so that your audience feels like they HAVE to answer you! Make them want to engage with your photo! Call to action!

You can use phrases like “Double tap if you LOVE sleeping in on Sundays too!” etc. 

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HAVE A SERIES

You can have different series on your Instagram that your followers can look forward to! You can do this through your Instagram posts AND your Instagram stories. Maybe you can have a “Haul Series” where every Wednesday on your Instagram Story, you share different hauls! (clothing hauls, make up hauls, grocery shopping hauls, home decor hauls) OR you can do Wine Talk Wednesday where you chit chat on the Instagram Story to your followers while enjoying a glass of wine.

There are so many different ways to incorporate series onto your Instagram to get your following engaged!

If you are sharing your series through your posts you can do different things like: 

Tag Tuesday: Have your audience tag their favorite blogger, or person they look up to etc.

Motivation Mondays: Share a post that relates to what gets you motivated!

Self Care Sundays Series: You share a piece of your self care routine in a new Instagram post. Maybe it’s you doing yoga or Just enjoying a cup of coffee watching the sunset.

These are just ideas! The possibilities are ENDLESS. 

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GEO TAG

Utilize your Geo Tags! We always think to use hash tags but did you know that hash tags aren’t used as often as you may think by those who aren’t bloggers or entrepreneurs. If you are trying to reach an audience that isn’t interested in the follow/unfollow game etc. Then USE GEO TAGS. It will also help you to reach a localized audience or audience in a specific area.

Let’s say I share a photo and Geo Tag “Boston” that way anyone who looks through the Boston Geo Tag will perhaps see my post!

I actually do this all the time! 

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INVEST IN LIGHTING & A CAMERA

Sometimes the one thing that we really need to spice up our Instagram is good lighting and a quality camera! Instagram is a visual platform, so quality photos go a LONG way!

If you are trying to increase the quality of your photography, investing in lighting can really help!

I love using the Neewer Ring Light to help enhance my close up “selfies” It really helps to keep my photos from looking grainy and yellow toned. I also LOVE my Limo Studio Soft Box Lighting. Again, this helps to enhance the tone and graininess of my photos. Indoor lighting isn’t the best lighting, so these box lights help to create the indoor lighting you NEED.

When it comes to quality, using something other than your phone can help too! Sometimes it’s best to invest in a quality camera!

Some of my favorite cameras are: 

Sony Alpha a6000 ,

Canon EOS Rebel T6 DSLR,

Nikon D3300 DSLR

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JAZZ UP YOUR PHOTOS WITH PROPS

There are “props” that you can purchase to help “theme” your Instagram.

I love using: Marble Tile, White Fur Rugs, Flowers, Wood Pieces, Candles + more!

I also love using UNUM to see how my images will look together on my Instagram BEFORE actually posting and publishing the image.

BULK PHOTOGRAPH

I know it can be hard to take photos for your Instagram and post everyday. Which is why I enjoy having set days where I focus on my photography. I will set a day to take photos in bulk! This helps get me prepared for the week! Mondays are a great day for me to set aside an hour or two to take all the photography I need for that week.

I will pull out my content calendar and see what I have planned for the week, then decide what images I need! Once I figure that out, I will take the photos in bulk and have them ready, edited and prepped for my blog posts & Insta posts!

I notice that posting everyday grows your following quicker! Each time I post I usually receive a few new followers!

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UTILIZE PHOTO APPS

There are photo editing apps that can help you keep your photography style consistent! That way your “Instagram theme” flows. Some of my favorites are: VSCO , LIGHTROOM , & SNAPSEED.

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TRACK YOUR ANALYTICS

ICONOSQUARE is a great app that you can use to track you Instagram analytics. It’s important to track your analytics that way you can see when the BEST times are to post on Instagram so you can get the MOST engagement. It even shows you analytics like how many of those who “like” your photos are following you or not etc.

Once you start actually tracking your Instagram analytics you WILL see an increase in engagement! It’s worth looking into.

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STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOUR NUMBERS

When we worry about our numbers it takes the fun out of it all!

I also used to follow whoever, it was like a big free for all. I STOPPED doing that. Instead, I am focusing on JUST following accounts that I am interested in. I don’t want my Instagram feed to be filled with content I don’t care about, I want to see things that will inspire me and motivate me!

Sometimes we focus on pleasing everyone, and following everyone back but it does more damage than good. Not to mention, I would rather people follow me because they want to see my content, not because they just want a follow back? or vice versa.

Instagram is very competitive and the unfollow/follow game is REAL, but when it comes to growing your Instagram, focus on posting high quality images and bring your feed to LIFE through your images and captions. Those who are interested WILL follow and remain following. Those are the ones that really matter.

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ENGAGE BACK

This is always my number one tip! Make sure you are engaging back with those who engage with you! If someone likes your post, you can like one of theirs back to return the favor. If someone comments on your image, reply to their comment and even comment on one of their photos too!

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These are my top 10 tips to focus on when it comes to bringing engagement back to your Instagram! Hope it helps! Let me know some of your favorite Instagram tips in the comments!