How to Become an Instagram Blogger?
Today, Instagram has become a different platform for bloggers and influencers than a few years ago. Gone are the days when posting a beautiful photo and a three-word caption would lead to significant growth. An Instagram blogger can reach the gold mine with the right tools and strategies.
The blogging industry is currently (2022) worth $15 billion and growing. To get a share of this billion-dollar market, you need to get acquainted with the experiences of experts in this field. Here, we will introduce you to tips for becoming a successful blogger.
Tips for Becoming an Instagram Blogger in the New Year
While the massive growth of Instagram has made blogging in this space an uphill battle, it is not impossible.
More and more brands realize the value of nano and microbloggers and influencers daily. So you don’t need millions of followers to collaborate with big brands.
In fact, according to a report by marketing agency Later x Fohr’s Influencer, nano and microbloggers have the highest average engagement rates.
With that in mind, here are eight strategies for growing your Instagram blogging career:
- Identify a niche and content topics.
- Become a pro at creating short video content.
- Be patient.
- Write meaningful captions.
- Focus on community building.
- Know your audience.
- Optimize your bio and profile.
- Build your network and strengthen your brand pitch.
Whether you’re new to Instagram blogging or have thousands of followers, these strategies will help you:
- Cultivate a community of customers who are interested in engaging with your brand.
- Learn the ins and outs of collaborating with other brands.
- Build Your Influencer Empire
Identify Your Niche and Content Topics
The more focus and Attention you put into your content from the start, the easier it will be to build a community of interested and loyal readers for your content.
It’s hard to narrow down just one or two topics to post about. We’re all multifaceted people with many interests.
So, here are some questions to help you determine your niche or niche:
- What am I most passionate about?
- What am I most knowledgeable about?
- Can I happily create content without making money?
Once you’ve identified your niche, you can focus on content topics. That is, identify 3-5 subtopics that you will consistently create content for.
If you’re good at cooking, you can consider this topic.
As an Instagram travel blogger, you can consider vacation tips, lifestyle, sightseeing, and more as content topics.
Or, like Lisa Lynn, you can use content topics like personal health, entrepreneurship, and purposeful living:
Once you’ve identified these topics, creating content for Instagram will be much easier.
Eventually, you’ll be able to create a monthly content calendar and no more last-minute tasks!
Become a pro at creating short video content.
The popularity of short videos has skyrocketed in the past year, thanks to the rise of TikTok and the introduction of Instagram Reels.
Mastering the art of creating short videos and consistently posting reels can lead to massive growth and engagement on Instagram. Here are five essential tips:
1. Just get started
For many people who have spent their entire careers shooting for social media, the pressure to learn how to create short videos can be nerve-wracking. But the best way to succeed at anything is to practice. What you make won’t be “perfect” from the start, but with practice, you’ll become proficient and enjoy the process.
2. Don’t forget to research
To create engaging reels, spend 15 minutes a day researching what others have created. This will allow you to stay in tune with popular videos and get inspired by videos made by others in your niche.
3. Your reels should serve a specific purpose
Every video you post should be educational, inspiring, or relevant to your niche.
4. Cast a Wide Net to Attract Attention
To gain views and maximize the reach of your reels, you need to cast a net at the beginning of your Reel to catch your audience’s Attention. This can be done in a variety of ways. The first is through a visual net, such as using bright lipstick or a patterned blouse. The second is through a textual net. In this way, you express the problem or desire of your audience. For example, if you are a fashion blogger, write the opening text like this: “6 Ways to Style Your Reels for Spring with a White T-Shirt.” The third is to use movement, such as jumping towards the camera or waving at the camera at the beginning of the video.
5. Categorize Your Reels
Since Reels are prioritized in the Instagram algorithm, posting them consistently will positively impact your account and overall content performance. To create coordinated Reels, categorize them in advance for the following week!
Tip: Make a notepad or Excel spreadsheet of all your ideas. Choose 5-7 things you want to post in the next week and then write them all down in one day.
Be patient
A few years ago, it was possible to grow consistently by posting sporadically. But now it’s a different story.
If you want to grow on Instagram and stay in the minds of your followers, consistency is key.
For feed posts, choose a schedule and commit to it so your audience knows when to expect new content from you.
You should be seen in Instagram Stories every day. Yes, every day!
Instagram Stories are increasingly crucial because audiences watch Stories more than scroll through their feed.
One of the most complex parts of being an Instagram blogger is not having enough content or time to plan.
The solution is content batching!
Set aside 1-2 days a week to create and produce graphic content, shoot Instagram reels, or shoot at home for the coming week.
Before the shoot, list all the photos, outfits, or props you need. Remember to take pictures for all of your content titles!
Write meaningful captions
According to a 2020 marketing firm Later and Fohr report, the average caption length has doubled since 2016.
Unsurprisingly, users ask for more than a pretty photo and a short caption in the new year.
Captions are an excellent opportunity to engage, create value, and connect with your customer community. You should pay special Attention to how you write captions on Instagram. Doing so is a great way to engage your audience.
One trend to try is “writing microblog captions,” like mini blog posts.
For example, if you’re an Instagram food blogger, your microblog caption could include five amazing foods alongside smoothies and explain why.
If you’re a fashion blogger or influencer, a possible microblog title could include tips for getting a new look with an old outfit.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing your captions:
1. Make the first line catchy enough to grab users’ Attention. Some examples include: “The Ultimate Guide to…”, “5 Tips on…”, “The Real Truth About…”, “Has Anyone Ever Felt This Way…”, or “Do You Know How to…”
2. End your captions with a CTA (Call to Action). This invitation can be framed as a question, an invitation to share, or a request for advice.
3. Keep your caption as readable and straightforward as possible. There’s nothing worse than a long, paragraph-long caption. So break it up!
4. Use fun, common emojis or emoticons. This will make your caption more visually exciting, but make sure your emoji format is accessible to everyone.
Focus on community building.
While user growth and engagement are important metrics to consider, bloggers should also consider the quality of their community.
You may reach a huge audience when you focus too much on growing followers. Still, they won’t necessarily trust your recommendations because you didn’t spend much time creating the content.
Conversely, when you focus too much on the depth of content, you have an audience that trusts your recommendations, buys the products you recommend, and follows you on other platforms.
Building relationships with your audience is the most important thing you can do, no matter what stage of your Instagram blogging career you are in.
Here are two essential tips for building an audience:
Tip #1: Have a conversation
After posting to your feed, stay on the app for at least 30 minutes and respond to comments. Come back later in the day to respond to others.
When you receive direct messages (DMs), always respond and start a real conversation. Sending a voice message is more likely to engage the person’s emotions.
Tip #2: Encourage your audience to talk to each other (not just you!)
You can do this in the comments section of a post by encouraging your audience to interact with each other.
Know your audience
Do you know your audience primarily based on their basic demographics?
Do you know your followers’ favorite brands, businesses, struggles, and goals?
Knowing everything about your followers to succeed as an Instagram blogger will help you create impactful content and drive high performance.
The fastest way to instantly understand your audience (like age and location) is through your Instagram Analytics dashboard:
However, Later’s Instagram Analytics tool also provides an overview of your content’s performance for deeper analysis.
This tool allows you to track your Instagram posts and Stories for up to 3 months to see what content is performing best and what you should continue to create!
Knowing your audience also helps you ensure that you’re collaborating with brands they love, which will increase the likelihood of their buying.
Knowing your audience’s interests, wants, and pain points will be invaluable if you want to create a product or offer a service (like an online course, clothing design, or a digital product).
Aside from getting to know your audience through private DMs, here are a few techniques to learn more about your customer base:
Tip #1: Spark a conversation in the comments
Use captions to ask your followers for their opinions in the comments!
Tip #2: Post a poll on your Instagram Story
Make it easy to vote and participate in polls by adding stickers.
Here are some good questions to ask (though you should tailor them to your profile and job title):
Do you have a part-time or full-time job?
Would you like me to post travel tips for Turkey?
Do you want to increase your blog traffic?
Tip #3: Take a survey on Typeform or Google Forms
A survey is a great way to ask your audience questions that require longer answers, like “What made you follow me?” or “What would you like me to post more about?”
Tip: Completing a survey is time-consuming, so remember to incentivize them. For example, everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw.
Optimize your bio and profile.
One of the most common complaints from new bloggers or Instagram influencers is that brands aren’t reaching out to them. Most of the time, this is because their accounts aren’t optimized.
Here are a few ways to attract business partners:
Tip #1: Create a Business Profile
Brands should see you as a potential partner and have access to useful features like Instagram analytics, authentic content tools, and saved replies.
Plus, with such a profile, you’ll have access to more buttons to add to your Instagram profile.
You can switch your profile to a business or business profile by going to:
Settings > Account > Switch to Business Account
Tip #2: Highlight your niche and target audience
With a strong Instagram bio, you can show who you are, your audience, and what content you’re interested in producing.
Tip #3: Be Purposeful with Your Content
Post content that your target brands will see.
For example, if you’re an Instagram blogger in the luxury travel space who wants to collaborate with major travel companies, you should post this type of content in advance.
Build your network and strengthen your brand pitch.
If you want to make the new year the year you start working with brands, you must put yourself in this position.
Continuously creating content and building a community on Instagram without networking with brands is like winking at a man in the dark they won’t notice!
Here are some essential tips for introducing yourself to brands and starting to work with them:
1. Log into Instagram influencer marketing platforms
After creating and setting up your profile on these platforms, if one of the brands on these platforms finds you a good fit for one of their campaigns, they will contact you.
2. Research and introduce yourself to PR firms
PR firms are agencies that represent brands in your niche and organize impactful marketing campaigns.
Use Google to find PR firms representing brands in your niche and introduce yourself to them via email!
If you want to be considered for future advertising opportunities, arrange a coffee or casual phone chat to get your name on their mind.
3. Create and send your media kit
Whenever you introduce a brand, be sure to send your media kit! Make sure it includes the following:
- Your social media accounts and website
- Audience size across all platforms
- Audience demographics (age, gender, location)
- Include examples of past content. You should vary your images depending on the brand you represent.
- Include a list of previous activity in the marketplaces (if you have any).
4. Share a verified analytics report
Don’t forget to share your Instagram analytics report with your media kit!
This is a professional (and verified) way to present your key performance metrics.
Brands use these reports to determine your credibility and evaluate your campaign.
Luckily, Later’s Performance Report includes information like profile statistics, top-performing posts, and more.
Crucial Tip: Use Multiple Platforms
No blogger or influencer should rely solely on Instagram.
Why? Because you don’t own your audience on this third-party platform, and you never know what will happen to your account.
This monetization opportunity is volatile.
Building an audience on another platform can increase your earnings from working with brands.
For example, if a brand comes to you to create a few Instagram posts, you can add a blog post and significantly increase the contract rate.
Using other platforms depends on your interests, strengths, and the platform’s fit with your niche.
If you’re good at videography, YouTube or TikTok might be a good place.
Are you good at speaking or enjoying interviewing people? Then, consider creating a podcast.
Do you love writing? Then, start a blog.
Building an email list is also very important because you truly own this audience. An email list is not dependent on the existence of a platform.
Finally
These tips will help you improve your social media strategy as an Instagram blogger. If you have any specific experience in this area, please share it with us.
Remember that success doesn’t happen overnight, but with hard work and commitment to your social media, you’ll soon see your efforts pay off.
Source
https://later.com/blog/become-an-instagram-influencer/#pillars