I have been trying to embrace the concept of Instagram in the last week or so and am interested to see if it’s a good place to find new readers for my books. I have discovered that it is important to post at similar times of day, so that people come to expect my posts and to keep them topical, not just some random photos of my breakfast!
Looking for articles today on Instagram, I came across many that were really successful, including one named Hot Dudes Eating Hummus, where the whole feed is just men eating hummus! (This was in a news article….honest!…:) The point was that for an account to work well, the photos had to be consistent in timings, frequency and theme, so as not to confuse, annoy or bore your audience.
The key to connecting with the Instagram audience is in finding new and interesting ways to visually inspire them with your work or latest project. Contests, short videos, creative product shots and quotes relating to your field of expertise may help. I’m going to give some of these a try.
I opened my Instagram account with random photos that interested me, usually about something creative, but I am gradually changing this to more book related quotes and photos about my daily life in regard to my writing. Hopefully this will build awareness, boost engagement with my readers and help discoverability of my work through my creative use of imagery. If all else fails, I will have some interesting photos to remind myself of what I was doing a certain points in time of writing my latest work to look back on. I will keep you all posted on how it goes!
Join me on Instagram: Lizzie_Chantree
Tip: Instagram photos present well at 1080 x 1080 pixels. They shrink perfectly to fit in your Instagram feed.
Great link. How to write a killer Instagram profile. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lindsay-white/how-to-write-a-killer-ins_b_9897734.html
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Greetings, Lizzie! I found you initially at Goodreads, then saw this link on your FB author page. I also would like to learn to use Instagram better. I love the visuals, which is why I also like Pinterest. But I am still struggling with the consistency piece. I waffle between sharing personal photos and writing inspiration, which is fine, but I need to hone my writing-related content into a more direct correlation with the books I’m writing.
Hi Lissa. Thanks for stopping by. I am finding that the photos that I’m posting on Instagram are starting to work together and it has meant a growth in followers who are passionate about books. I’m still trying to work out the best way to let people know what I am currently working on, but it appears a quick snap of work in progress or the area that I’m working in gives an insight to my work processes. I’m enjoying the interaction with new readers and it’s actually a lot of fun looking out for a photo opportunity that might interest my Instagram followers.