5 DO’s And DON’Ts For Instagram Designers
Instagram is one of our preferred social media platforms, and it’s definitely one of the most popular places to connect these days. We’ll go through those dos and don’ts for generating entertaining content on everyone’s favorite social media platform today.
1.) Don’t – be a spammer
Well, we just talked about being consistent and turning up, but it’s a fine line to walk. There’s a lot of imagery out there, so you shouldn’t just write for the sake of posting. Always keep in mind that quality trumps quantity!
Hashtags are a wonderful way to connect with new people, partake in photo competitions, and be discovered by other people, but using so many of them can be frustrating. Yes, hashtags should be used, just be selective on the ones you use and don’t overdo them. While Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per comment, it’s probably best to stick to just a few!
2.) Don’t – Post and Ghost is a no-no
What is one of a friend’s greatest qualities? Coherence! The same can be said for Instagram. Don’t get us wrong: we understand the need for time away from phones and a social media break now and then. When it comes to developing your product or brand, though, it’s critical to turn up and connect with your audience. This involves posting and interacting with other people regularly.
Have you shared a photograph? Rather than posting and then leaving, stay and respond to comments or inquiries. This, as well as engaging with the app more often, will help you gain exposure. The algorithm determines what appears in your feed the most, because the more you engage with others (and conversely), the more you’ll appear in each other’s feed.
3.) Do – Be yourself
On the internet, there’s space for everybody, which means there’s room for you as well. Reposting and exchanging inspirational content with a high-quality stock picture is a brilliant way to support other producers and relieve some of the pressure of always coming up with fresh ideas, but the world still needs more perspectives like yours. Your perspective, your narrative, your one-of-a-kind take on everything. Don’t overthink it and just be yourself!
4.) Do – Credit or Tag
It’s necessary to follow proper etiquette at all times, but particularly on the internet. Be sure to tag someone when you repost their picture or content, both in the image and in the comments. This applies to User Generated Content (UGC), inspiring photographs, and collaborations involving several collaborators. You wouldn’t want your work to be shared without your permission, right? That’s true.
Furthermore, by tagging them in the picture and comments, you ensure that you are doing your due diligence in terms of making it easier for users to locate them as the credit source AND you end up in the user’s tagged photos: win-win.
5.) Do – Consider the design or tag placement
Instagram is continually adding innovations that alter how things work, such as where tags appear in your feed, how photos crop in your grid, tap forward and swipe away gestures on stories, and so on. Be aware of how these features work with the content whether developing in or out of the app. For eg, since the tag icon appears in the bottom right corner of a frame, you can avoid placing the logo or other significant text there (it will be obscured by the icon until it vanishes!).
If you’re adding content to your Instagram account, such as a “@” mention, make sure it’s big enough for users to tap and not too close to the right or left side. Otherwise, they will not be able to follow the connection and would be forced to tap to the previous or next story frame instead.