Instagram 101: How to Use and Succeed on IG

Instagram has certainly changed since its 2010 inaugural year. What once was a photo-centric app is now driven by short video content. However, that doesn’t mean Instagram is not still one of the top social media networks for content creators. While Instagram’s leadership team has publicly stated that the app is “not a photo-sharing” anymore, the app still allows for a plethora of content from Posts, Reels, Guides, Stories, and Story Highlights. There are also new, intriguing ways for creators to build their personal brands and businesses, such as integrated shops and a new subscription tool. 

These different options and tools make Instagram a fantastic option for content creators. Add in the approximately 2 billion worldwide users and Instagram is still a smart move to grow your following. If you are a content creator or budding influencer who wants to grow your presence on Instagram, this article is for you. I will walk through all the information you need to use and succeed on Instagram as a content creator, including the following.

Optimizing your Profile

If you want to succeed and grow on Instagram, you want to create a profile that stands out and looks professional. Your profile picture and bio are both important because they summarize your page and explain what it’s about. It also sets the tone and standard for your personal and/or professional brand.

Choosing a Profile Photo

Make sure to choose a profile picture that tells potential followers who you (or your brand) is in a professional way. If you choose a picture of yourself, make sure the image clearly shows your face and is professionally photographed in good lighting. If you choose an image or logo, make sure it is important to your brand and is clearly legible. If the logo is complex, try to create an alternative logo or design that is optimized for social media. 

Writing Your Bio

Your Instagram bio should be short and sweet. In a line or two, describe yourself, your page, and your brand. You should finish the bio with a link landing page that can host all your important shoppable, affiliate, marketing, and social media platform links. 

The most important thing to do is not overthink or overcomplicate your bio. Keep it simple and cut out any unnecessary information that can thwart traffic from going to your website or other important in-bio links. 

Here’s what your profile will look like with a photo and bio:

How to Post on Instagram

There are different types of content you can post and share on Instagram. While Instagram has said that it rewards pages that regularly post all of these different kinds of content, here is what you should prioritize, from greatest to least important:

Reels

Short video content is king and has been for several years. With the rise and popularity of TikTok, almost all social media platforms have prioritized short video content to be shared. Since 2020, Instagram Reels have been the best content to create and share, especially if you want to grow your platform. 

Instagram has also adjusted its algorithm for Reels. Not only is Reel engagement longer – sometimes lasting weeks – but the chance for a Reel to go viral is just as likely for a small account as it is for a large one. Instagram has lowered the barriers for going viral. Simply put, posting quality Reels often that use trending sounds and music can significantly increase your chances to grow your account. 

A viral Reel that receives millions of views can yield many new followers in just a few days. That is growth that no other type of content on the platform can consistently match.  

Posts

Photo and video posts — while slightly less popular and prioritized by Instagram — are still a great type of content to invest time and effort. You can tell a story with this type of content by adding multiple photos and videos into a carousel post. There are also a lot of options you can attach to these posts, like creating events that send notifications or creating shoppable posts that link directly to an Instagram page store.

Here’s what a post will look like:

Stories and Story Highlights

Instagram stories have been around for years and continue to be one of the best ways to engage with your audience. You can post highlights of your day, share links, ask answerable questions, and create live polls for feedback from your followers. 

Stories do have a short shelf life of 24 hours. Therefore, if you want to organize and categorize important stories, Story Highlights are the best way to do that. You can create Highlights for just about any topic. Story Highlights provide structure and a permanent home for your most important Stories. Be sure to use them to strengthen your page’s layout.  

Live Videos

Live video content has gotten more and more popular over the last few years. It is great for connecting and engaging with followers through Q&A or educational sessions.

Live Videos can also be saved and shared as a video post on your Instagram feed. This makes them effective as highly engaging live content that can also live permanently on your platform.

Shop

This is one of Instagram’s latest features. Instagram Shop allows creators to connect their unique products or affiliate products to their page for followers to directly shop from. Shops have their own unique landing page and tab on your account. Products can also be connected to photo and video posts through shoppable links. 

Need another benefit of utilizing this monetization tool? Instagram tends to favor posts that use shoppable links because they benefit from the 5 percent transaction fee charged per product sold. So, if your posts are in a slump, creating an Instagram Shop could help your engagement. 

Guides

Instagram Guides were released in 2020 as a promising, unique way to combine your posted content (or content you have saved) into mini blog posts that highlight places, products, or posts.

While these are a great way to provide written information with image and video content, guides don’t provide as much reach as other types of content. I wouldn’t prioritize them as much as other content on this list. 

How to Interact with Your Audience

When it comes to building an engaging audience on Instagram, you must interact with your followers. Here are a few ways to build rapport and loyalty on your Instagram. 

Direct Messaging (DMs) 

It’s important to respond to as many followers who ask genuine, honest questions. Yes, it might take time to respond to those DMs, but your answer can mean a lot to a person because most people don’t respond to DMs — especially if they have a larger following. 

Comments

Responding to comments is another way you can interact with your audience. Whether it’s a direct comment back on a Post, a video response on a Reel comment, or pinning top comments on either, responding to comments can help boost engagement. 

Live Video

As mentioned above, live videos are a fantastic way to interact with and engage with your audience. This can be through live Q&As, educational sessions, or simply “daily routine” videos where the creator walks through their workflow. 

Instagram also allows creators to earn money from Live Videos through badges. Viewers can purchase badges and give them to creators if they like the content they are watching. So, if your page is looking for a great way to engage with your followers while making money, Live Videos are for you. 

Subscriber Content

This feature is very new and has only been rolled out to a small group of creators so far. Once it becomes more available to the masses, subscriber content will allow creators even greater opportunities to interact. Creators can plan premium content that is tailored to a specific audience and can be monetized via a monthly subscription fee. This is exciting news for creators and a great way to interact on a deeper level with your followers. 

Tips for Optimizing Your Content Performance

This once hashtag-focused platform has now adjusted its algorithm to promote content in other ways. Here are some tips that can help you optimize your content to see better views and overall engagement. 

Create Content Meant to be Shared and Saved

Instagram has publicly stated that shares and saves have a higher priority in the algorithm than likes and comments. A significant amount of saves and shares in the first 30 minutes of posting are proven to provide far more momentum in the algorithm as well. 

Here is where you can find how many times your content has been shared or saved:

So, create content people want to share and save. Whether it’s inspiring content that evokes emotion, or educational content that teaches viewers helpful recipes, tips, or recommendations, focus on content that provides value that people want to share or save. 

Use Fewer Hashtags

This might seem crazy given Instagram’s history of encouraging hashtag use. The social media giant has publicly stated that its new algorithm actually lowers the reach for content with more than ten hashtags. Be strategic with your hashtags and only use 5-10 hashtags per post.

Use Trending Sounds and Music

This tip goes for both Instagram Reels and TikTok short video content. Take time to research and find video trends, sounds, and music. 

The algorithm loves to push content that is using trending audio, but not overused. Look for audio that has been used within a few days and have a couple thousand uses, but don’t exceed 25,000 uses. You want to be able to ride the wave before too many people join and the algorithm stops pushing that sound or audio.

This might be the most important tip to follow if you want to grow on Instagram today. Viral reels grow your account incredibly fast. It’s important to spot opportunities that can create more value for your short video content.  

What NOT to Do on Instagram

Now that you know what to do on Instagram, here are some tips on what NOT to do:

Don’t Buy Followers or Engagement

This goes for every social media platform, but especially for Instagram. On the surface, fake followers and engagement stats might look good. Although, they only cause problems including severely lowering engagement rates. It also makes your account less attractive to brands, agencies, and prospective clients. 

Buying followers and engagement can also get your account suspended and even deleted since doing so is against Instagram’s community guidelines. Organic, authentic growth is the only way to succeed on social media, and Instagram is no exception. It might take time, but the results are worth it. 

Don’t Share Content That Goes Against Instagram’s Strict Community Guidelines

Instagram’s community guidelines are stricter and more heavily enforced than ever before. It’s not just about what you post and share. Even comments can get your account suspended. 

With that said, take the time to review Instagram’s community guidelines. While they’re straight-forward, it’s better to take time to read them than lose time because your account gets suspended — or worse, deleted. 

Post Infrequently

Finally, you need to post frequently. The algorithm rewards creators that post and share daily. If you take too much time off the platform, you can see a significant dip in your engagement. So yes, that means a huge time commitment. Although, if you’re serious about growing your presence on Instagram, you must post consistently.  

Instagram might not be the photo-sharing app it once was, but it’s still one of the best social media platforms for content creators. That won’t be changing anytime soon. With its ability for creators to share multiple types of content, and its intriguing ways to monetize your account, Instagram is one of the best social media platforms to invest time and energy as a creator. 

For some inspiration, check out 5 Ways to Use Your Smartphone to Make Creative Content.