6 Reasons why I Follow Your Instagram
My grandmother bought me my first digital camera when I was in the 8th grade, right after they started to become mainstream. Holding that clunky little thing in my hands sealed the deal for me: I was totally bitten by the photography bug. I spent years taking photos of my friends, wandering in my back yard trying to perfect the macro shot of flowers and trying to get my sisters to model for me so I could practice portraits. I finally was able to upgrade to a DSLR in college and enrolled myself in several photography classes so I could learn the ins and outs of the manual mode and composition. I’m definitely not a professional by any means, but I definitely am confident in my abilities to take a photo! I’ve always felt like I could see the world better through my camera lens. So, it’s no surprise that Instagram is my favorite social media platform because it’s built around photography! Growing my Instagram has been one of my favorite things to do. I love to experiment with my camera, to dabble in flat lay composition and to create visually appeal representations of things I love.
I’ve already shared my thoughts on the whole “Instagram is a Lie” debate, and you can read that here. Spoiler Alert: There’s enough negativity in the world so I’m totally okay with looking at beautiful photos on Instagram. Photography is an art, Instagram is a platform for photography and we need to take that with a grain of salt before bashing others for their “perfect” lives.
Gaining followers on Instagram is a constant battle that all bloggers face, but I think the bigger challenge is keeping them! So today, I wanted to share 6 reasons why I continue to follow people on Instagram in the hopes of helping those get a fresh look on their profiles!
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You put Effort in Curating your Feed
Like I stated above, I am totally inspired by beautiful photos. When I’m browsing through hashtags and see a beautiful photo pop out to me, I always go check out the whole profile because I expect to see more beautiful photos! I could easily spend hours scrolling through a profile filled with similarly styled photos or themes because I love finding inspiration from not just one photo, but “the bigger picture.”
An account that has a beautifully curated feed? Angie from My So-Called Chaos! Her account is the perfect balance of bright and beautiful flat lays, snaps of her pup Handsome Bub and promotional shots of the small businesses she works with! I love scrolling through her feed!
You take all your Own Photos
I feel like this may sound like an obvious point, but there are a lot of accounts that simply share stock photos or graphic quotes. I don’t have a problem with any of those accounts, but I might now follow them for longbecausee it’s hard to connect with stock photos. I have MAD respect for people who share photos that they take themselves and enjoy watching them progress and grow in their photography! Plus, those photos always end up inspiring me and I often refer to them when feeling stuck with my own Instagram feed!
My favorite Instagrammer (and blog soul mate) who takes all her own beautiful photos is EASILY Kelsey at A Balancing Peach. I know I sing her praises daily, but have you seen her feed? How could I not? Her photos are beautiful and I know for a fact that she takes every single one on her own. And, whenever I’m having trouble staging a flat lay, I know I can always go to her feed for some inspiration and ideas!
You are Honest in your Captions
The beautiful photos are really only half the beauty of Instagram. The other half? The ability to share tid-bits of life in the caption! Instagram is a great way to share pieces of your life you may not share on your other platforms, like your blog. And even though your photos are beautiful, it really helps me gain your trust when you honestly open up about a recent struggle, a bad day or a life lesson that you learned.
I have to mention Summer from Coffee with Summer here who does an amazing job utilizing the captions of her photos. She is always courageous and shares what is on her heart, even if it’s about her struggles with depression. Summer is one of my closest blogging friends, but even before we started chatting on a daily basis, I felt like I knew her well because of her Instagram captions!
You Carry a Conversation with Me in Comments
Notice how I didn’t say “you reply to all of my comments” because I get it. It’s hard (and time-consuming) to write “thanks” to all of the “I love this photo” comments you get. I leave comments like that at times because a simple heart just doesn’t express my love for your photo enough. But there are times where I leave a heartfelt comment and I love it when I get a response back carrying on a conversation. For example, if I commented on your beautiful photo of your dress and say “Wow, I love the colors of that dress! It’s such a perfect shade for summer!” and you respond with “Thanks so much! What’s your favorite color to wear for summer?” I IMMEDIATELY will get on Instagram to respond! I feel important and valued and like someone genuinely wants to chat with me!
Someone who does this incredibly well? Erica from Coming Up Roses! I swear, every time I comment on her photo, she always responds with a thoughtful question to continue a conversation! On top of that, she always comments on MY photos with questions to start conversations! Hence, why I will always take the time to visit her feed, leave a comment and respond back to her!
You Limit your Posting
I check Instagram pretty constantly through the day because I love looking at pretty photos, checking in on my favorite beauty vloggers and escaping my apartment walls by scrolling through my favorite travel accounts. I’ll be completely honest: it drives me completely crazy when I’m scrolling through my feed and see 10 photos in a row all uploaded within seconds of each other of the SAME thing! I don’t need to look at the same makeup look from 20 different angles, I want to see other photos! Granted, this might all change with the new algorithm, but it’s too early to tell.
It’s totally okay to post more than once a day, but I will appreciate it so much more if you spread your photos throughout the day so I’m not bombarded by a bunch of photos at once. Plus, I will go to accounts I love if I haven’t seen a photo in my feed for a while to see what I’ve missed!
You Share Valuable Information
There are some accounts on Instagram that don’t share beautiful photos. Instead, they share valuable information! Some accounts will share tips and tricks for social media and others will post blasts whenever there is a sale for a certain product.
One of my favorite Instagram accounts that I rely on for valuable information is Nouveau Cheap, a beauty blogger who constantly posts information on new sales, deals and products. Thanks so her, I been able to save a ton of money on some of my favorite beauty products! I check her account multiple times a day to make sure I’m not missing out on any great sales!
Instagram can be a powerful tool and a great place to connect with like-minded creatives. I personally love the opportunity I have to grow in my talents and skills by sharing my photos there. I also love the ability I’ve had to connect with some amazing people from around the world who share similar passions or pasts (#cancersurvivor) with me.
What’s your relationship with Instagram? What keeps you following someone on Instagram?
