1. Don’t worry about how many followers you have. The main thing you should focus on is providing content that makes people WANT to follow you. If you do this, plus add a little patience and persistence into the mix, they will come.

2. Don’t focus on likes. Some people will literally delete images if they don’t get a certain number of likes in a certain time period. That’s lame. Be confident in what you choose to upload. If YOU like it, that’s what matters. Don’t just play into the popularity contest.

3. Be creative. To raise interest, you have to differentiate yourself and stand out. Find cool things to Instagram. Take photos from various angles. If you see something that you would label as “random”, “unique”, or “funny”…snap away. Live in the moment with your photo taking. This also means to stay true to what YOU like though. Don’t just take photos of things that you think others may like. Your Instagram should make you happy and reflect your personality.

4. Stay away from posting multiple images of the same thing. For example, if you see a sunset, that’s cool to Instagram it…but you don’t need a dozen of the same shot. Less is more.

5. Go for walks. As with anything, we tend to notice so much more when we are walking and taking the time to appreciate our surroundings. If you are always driving or rushed, chances are good that you are missing out on some cool material to shoot.

6. If you have a business Instagram, keep in professional and G-rated. The last thing you need is what should be a fun thing to do…to turn into something that will harm your income.

7. Don’t be a snob when it comes to questions in the comments. If someone takes the time to ask you a specific question (that is not spam or junk), take the time to respond to it. This is a good way to build rapport.

8. Use hashtags. You definitely want to use hashtags…but don’t be the type who uses a ton of hashtags that are completely unrelated to what your image is about just to try to get followers. This will do the OPPOSITE. For example, if you are a Style Blogger and you take a photo of a flower in the garden, don’t hashtag it #styleblogger. Keep that for the photos that actually have to do with clothes, hair, and the like. Otherwise, it just becomes annoying and defeats the whole purpose of using hashtags. Social media would be a complete mess if there was no rhyme or reason to the hashtags people choose.

If you follow these “do’s and don’ts” for Instagram, you will be well on your way to having a interesting, respectable, and likeable Instagram account. Happy photo taking!

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