One of the most frequent questions I get from my clients is, “How can I improve my Instagram feed?” Well, you asked and I’m spilling! I’m not perfect by any means at Instagram, but I do have a few tricks to my Instagram feed that have helped my account grow and remain consistent and true to my brand. Though there are many ways to improve your Instagram, here are a few tips and tricks I utilized to grow my feed and create a consistent following.

Stick to your brand colors

Consistency comes by utilizing your brand and sticking to it! When you utilize your colors in your feed, it can lead to a more cohesive look. Let’s take my feed for example. When you look at my brand colors, you’ll notice there are cream tones, greens, and grays….now take a closer look at my Instagram feed.. notice anything? You can see my colors scattered throughout my feed, making it feel more cohesive! Sticking to your brand colors can help to keep your feed consistent and clean and create an overall cohesive feeling to your Instagram.

Plan out your Instagram feed ahead of time

Building a consistent Instagram feed can be as simple as planning things ahead of time! Consistency is easy to maintain when you can see what your grid will look like before you even share it. I highly recommend downloading an app that can help you see a visual grid of what your feed will look like before you post it. Some good apps I’ve tried are Planoly, UNUM, Plann, etc. These all allow you to drag and drop your images, write out your captions ahead of time, and some even let you schedule your posts!

Pick an editing style and stick to it

The Instagram app centers around photos. Editing your photos in a specific style is one of the best ways to ensure a consistent look for your feed. I generally use the same editing style for all of my photos. So what do I use? I edit my photos using Lightroom Presets or I use the app VSCO. Why do I utilize these two apps? Being a photographer, I use the Lightroom desktop app all of the time to edit my professional photos…so why not use that for my Instagram feed? My favorite editing style that I use in my feed is the “bright and airy” style. I highly recommend to use whatever you feel fits your feed best and matches your brand!

Stick to a consistent posting schedule & post topics

Sticking to a consistent posting schedule has helped me not only build a consistent feed, but it has also helped me to connect with my audience better. I try to post once a day and usually at the best posting times according to my Instagram statistics (if you have a business profile, you can view this in your insights!).

I generally post about 5 topics:

1. Moodboards
2. Branding/ Work I have done
3. Quotes / Inspiration
4. About Me
5. Behind the Scenes

Sticking to these post topics has helped me to create a more consistent posting schedule. Jenna Kutcher is one of many Instagrammers who utilizes this a lot with her feed and honestly, it’s been a huge help for me! It gives me topics to discuss with my viewers, ways for my clients to get to know me better, and snapshots into my life behind the design Instagram.

Put thought into your photos

Don’t just post to post. I used to do this and I found I made less authentic connections and had less meaningful captions for my audience to read. The more meaning and intent I put into my photos, the better engagement they get. This means posting higher quality images, taking more time to edit my images, typing out meaningful captions that people can connect with, etc. You want to keep your audience excited and interested in what you’re posting, so make sure that you create quality content for them to keep coming back to!

Use a photo as your profile photo

This sounds like a small adjustment that no one cares about, but trust me, it matters! When people can connect a face  to an Instagram, they feel more connected to following it. I’m a designer sure, but my logo doesn’t connect with my audience as well as seeing who I am. People want to get to know who they are going to follow. They want to connect with the person who runs the account, not just follow a pretty feed (most people at least).

 

I hope these tips were helpful to you! Applying these tips will help to build your feed to become more consistent and give you a better grasp on your visual identity for your brand! If you aren’t already, go give me a follow on Instagram here .

 

 

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