I'm posting this in the lifestyle forum for these reasons:
Instagram should be a tool you use to show everyone you're a cool, interesting, and engaging person.
It should be something used to "demonstrate higher value" (to put it in game terms) but also to add a dimension to you that tells a story that resonates with people that see you.
First, the reason I'm posting this is because while many of the guys here on this forum live interesting lives, your instagram pages are horrible. No offense to QC but I had to unfollow him for reasons I'll explain below.
Whether you want to grow your following or just have an impressive and interesting IG, you do basically the same things.
Growing a following is a good way to get free shit, or learn about exclusive parties, get invitations to events etc etc. I even had a former Playboy Playmate private message me which led to us hanging out (unfortunately I was living with a girl and couldn't ever get the bang).
That number right now is about 5000+ followers and you should be able to grow it to that in about a year or two but it takes a few things:
1) Post different content, and do at least one photo per day.
I unfollowed QC because he floods IG feed with the same or similar photos, this is how you lose followers. No matter how interesting the place you are in or what you are taking a photo of is, no one wants to see 6 photos in their feed of the same or slightly different photograph. If you really feel that all of these photos are so amazing, use the layout feature to add several photos in one post. Keep in mind however what the larger thumbnails look like. If someone sees a bunch of layout photos in thumbnails on your IG, they are less likely to go through them to see what you have there.
So for example, if you are taking a photo of your dinner (this is played out btw) and there are 5 courses, do not post a separate photo of each course. Use the layout and add them all in that.
Also, change the photo up from one to the next. This is what I mean by posting different content. No one wants to see 5 different landscapes over 5 days.
2 in a row maximum is a good rule. So each day, or photo should be a different theme (landscape, you doing something interesting, food, party, sunset, crap like that)
Post Interesting Photos that LOOK GOOD
This is self explanatory but the difference between a good IG and a great one is the one where you take the time to use the tools that allow you to make a photo look it's best. (also download the squarefx app so that it reformats your photo to fit in IG if it's too big)
No one wants to see your food. Unless it looks aesthetically interesting, or you are being funny by posting a bowl of cheerios or maybe an empty plate with some ribs picked clean, food is played out and you won't be growing followers or impressing anyone or sending the message you are a cool person that people want to know.
Some exceptions are dining in exclusive places or having rare foods. Even then the photo should be more about the venue or circumstances that tells the story "I am the most interesting man in the world".
Post photos of you doing unique or fun things, seeing unique or interesting places, or post funny an or ironic things. For example, a photo of you standing in front of a shitty car and saying "Hard work pays off" will get some chuckles. Other things that I personally have is underwater shots of me diving with whale sharks, posing with UFC fighters (or fighting myself), giant moths, temples of Angkor Wat, etc etc (My IG is far from great because I don't give a shit, I just know how to do it because it was part of my job for a while).
Another thing you can do, which I think is a cheap cop out, is to post some funny meme. I would advise against doing too many of these.
Post relevant hashtags (and the appropriate number!) and tag people/companies and a proper description
When you are posting content, and you want to grow a following, tag the companies or people in your photo and use relevant hashtags so that people searching those will come across your stuff. This is also the beginning of getting free shit/invitations/etc. Every company now has a social media coordinator/marketer or whatever.
For example, say you are posting a photo of you doing a hike in the mountains and you have some Reebok shit on. Tag @reebok and whatever hashtag they happen to be using. If you have 5000+ followers Reebok will take notice. Maybe you won't get shoes but you will get a comment and that is DHV to bitches.
Hashtags - Unfortunately most guys don't know anything about what they are doing so they take their cues on how to post from chicks who litter their photos with annoying hashtags. Guys, these chicks are growing their following because they are women, not because they are creative or interesting. Just like in real life, or advice regarding women, do not listen to what they have to say.
3-5 hashtags maximum! With my last hashtag (back when it mattered and my IG was public) I would make the last hashtag with the goal in mind to make people laugh or scratch their heads. For example, I posted a photo of me in Kuala Lumper on top of a starwood hotel's infinity pool while wearing super small swim trunks. The hashtags went like #KualaLumper #Malaysia #Cameltoe
Now, if I was trying to grow my following and get perks I would have tagged the hotel, tagged starwood, put a hashtag for both of them (by googling what they use) and maybe something like #InfinityPool (notice I make the hashtag readability easier by using capital letters).
Almost for sure the hotel or starwood would take notice, which could lead to some perks and at the very least get some comments that make me look cool.
Regarding the description you want to again, avoid talking like a girl does (I have no idea why so many men do this). Don't say stupid shit like "Partying it up and having the MOST AMAZING TIME EVER".
You sound like a dumb bitch.
Say "Just another day with @XXXX and @xxxx". Then let the hashtags tell the story. You want to be casual and cool, not try hard. Obviously a little more description is needed but if you sound like you are trying to tell everyone you're having the most amazing time ever, you will lose followers. It's good practice as a man to be descriptive and casual.
*note, there is a location part that allows you to put where you are, use this to supplement for one hashtag. That will allow you to tell a story with your hashtags that's more descriptive. If your location is Kuala Lumper Malaysia then you don't have to hashtag it again and can use it to do the hotel or points program you are in and stay within the 3-5 hashtag rule. Also, don't use really long hashtags. No one likes that and it isn't cute.
Consistency and Timing is key
If you are serious about growing a following you have to post 1 a day and really 2. I can't stress enough how important NOT flooding everyone's IG feed is. Leave them wanting more.
Also you need to take into account the time of day. If you are posting at midnight no one is going to see your posts. They will get buried. You can google "best times of day to post on IG" to get some "expert opinions" but it will give you a good idea of when people are looking at things.
Tell a Story
By now you should have the idea that you are trying to tell a story about yourself. You have to define what that is first so have a clear picture of what you are going for and stick to it. Ask yourself "Is this congruent with the image I am portraying"?
Maybe you want to try and define yourself as some fitness guru, well obviously you will want to post fitness related things. But if all of your photos are of you doing crap in the gym, people will unfollow you because there's nothing new there. The key is making it different but related in some way. So: You in the gym mid lift, a healthy smoothie with the vitamix, an outdoors photo picking up a large rock working out, a sexy girl on the beach, an event you were invited to, a book on a new exercise ideology etc etc (obviously with the appropriate hashtags and tags).
If it's just gym, gym, gym you look like an uninteresting asshole.
Followers and Etiquette About Following Back
First, download the Followers app. This gives you information about who is following you, who you are following, and who isn't following you back. You will be surprised by this.
First, the "cool" thing is to have way more followers than you are following. If you have 200 followers and you are following 1000 you look lame. Reverse that and you look cool.
That is a good ratio.
You will get a lot of people following you because they want you to follow them back. They aren't interested in you, they just want followers and when you follow them back, they will unfollow you to increase the "cool" ratio.
Therefore unless someone is liking all your shit, don't follow them back. Make them earn it.
If you have childhood friends that never post content that you are following and never "like" or comment, unfollow them.
Occasionally for whatever reason, people will unfollow you, go ahead and unfollow them too.
Don't feel bad about unfollowing your friends or not following people who follow you an then unfollow you after you don't reciprocate right away. They aren't the people you want anyway. You want people that are going to stick around and you get that by posting content that resonates with people.
Commenting to grow followers
Be engaging on your IG. Comment on friends, comment back on comments, people notice this and want to see who you are. If they like what they see in the thumbnails (remember you don't want it to look like a cluttered repetitive mess) they will follow you.
Who You Follow
An overlooked element in all this is who you actually follow. It seems people, guys especially don't realize that chicks go and look at who you are following.
I had one friend who was following "sexy thai bitches" and "Asian Ass" (or something along those lines).
He had at this point secured the interest of a hot girl but when she saw this on his IG it was game over. Everything was lost.
It's also important to know that other contacts besides girls you want to attract will also be looking at this. So keep that in mind when it comes to the story you want to tell.
Who Follows You
People also look to see who people of interest are following. Because this list should be small, it means you are important in some way. I have semi-famous or IG famous people following me back. Those people's fans would see me and start following me (before I put my stuff on private). Some of these people I know personally, some I don't but when you post cool content, it will attract a variety of people. You probably get the idea by now.
Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday
These are good to go back in time and post the cool stuff you have done in the past. Take advantage of this because 1) It's so easy and 2) It tells the story even better because it gives longevity.
I think this is about everything.
Instagram should be a tool you use to show everyone you're a cool, interesting, and engaging person.
It should be something used to "demonstrate higher value" (to put it in game terms) but also to add a dimension to you that tells a story that resonates with people that see you.
First, the reason I'm posting this is because while many of the guys here on this forum live interesting lives, your instagram pages are horrible. No offense to QC but I had to unfollow him for reasons I'll explain below.
Whether you want to grow your following or just have an impressive and interesting IG, you do basically the same things.
Growing a following is a good way to get free shit, or learn about exclusive parties, get invitations to events etc etc. I even had a former Playboy Playmate private message me which led to us hanging out (unfortunately I was living with a girl and couldn't ever get the bang).
That number right now is about 5000+ followers and you should be able to grow it to that in about a year or two but it takes a few things:
1) Post different content, and do at least one photo per day.
I unfollowed QC because he floods IG feed with the same or similar photos, this is how you lose followers. No matter how interesting the place you are in or what you are taking a photo of is, no one wants to see 6 photos in their feed of the same or slightly different photograph. If you really feel that all of these photos are so amazing, use the layout feature to add several photos in one post. Keep in mind however what the larger thumbnails look like. If someone sees a bunch of layout photos in thumbnails on your IG, they are less likely to go through them to see what you have there.
So for example, if you are taking a photo of your dinner (this is played out btw) and there are 5 courses, do not post a separate photo of each course. Use the layout and add them all in that.
Also, change the photo up from one to the next. This is what I mean by posting different content. No one wants to see 5 different landscapes over 5 days.
2 in a row maximum is a good rule. So each day, or photo should be a different theme (landscape, you doing something interesting, food, party, sunset, crap like that)
Post Interesting Photos that LOOK GOOD
This is self explanatory but the difference between a good IG and a great one is the one where you take the time to use the tools that allow you to make a photo look it's best. (also download the squarefx app so that it reformats your photo to fit in IG if it's too big)
No one wants to see your food. Unless it looks aesthetically interesting, or you are being funny by posting a bowl of cheerios or maybe an empty plate with some ribs picked clean, food is played out and you won't be growing followers or impressing anyone or sending the message you are a cool person that people want to know.
Some exceptions are dining in exclusive places or having rare foods. Even then the photo should be more about the venue or circumstances that tells the story "I am the most interesting man in the world".
Post photos of you doing unique or fun things, seeing unique or interesting places, or post funny an or ironic things. For example, a photo of you standing in front of a shitty car and saying "Hard work pays off" will get some chuckles. Other things that I personally have is underwater shots of me diving with whale sharks, posing with UFC fighters (or fighting myself), giant moths, temples of Angkor Wat, etc etc (My IG is far from great because I don't give a shit, I just know how to do it because it was part of my job for a while).
Another thing you can do, which I think is a cheap cop out, is to post some funny meme. I would advise against doing too many of these.
Post relevant hashtags (and the appropriate number!) and tag people/companies and a proper description
When you are posting content, and you want to grow a following, tag the companies or people in your photo and use relevant hashtags so that people searching those will come across your stuff. This is also the beginning of getting free shit/invitations/etc. Every company now has a social media coordinator/marketer or whatever.
For example, say you are posting a photo of you doing a hike in the mountains and you have some Reebok shit on. Tag @reebok and whatever hashtag they happen to be using. If you have 5000+ followers Reebok will take notice. Maybe you won't get shoes but you will get a comment and that is DHV to bitches.
Hashtags - Unfortunately most guys don't know anything about what they are doing so they take their cues on how to post from chicks who litter their photos with annoying hashtags. Guys, these chicks are growing their following because they are women, not because they are creative or interesting. Just like in real life, or advice regarding women, do not listen to what they have to say.
3-5 hashtags maximum! With my last hashtag (back when it mattered and my IG was public) I would make the last hashtag with the goal in mind to make people laugh or scratch their heads. For example, I posted a photo of me in Kuala Lumper on top of a starwood hotel's infinity pool while wearing super small swim trunks. The hashtags went like #KualaLumper #Malaysia #Cameltoe
Now, if I was trying to grow my following and get perks I would have tagged the hotel, tagged starwood, put a hashtag for both of them (by googling what they use) and maybe something like #InfinityPool (notice I make the hashtag readability easier by using capital letters).
Almost for sure the hotel or starwood would take notice, which could lead to some perks and at the very least get some comments that make me look cool.
Regarding the description you want to again, avoid talking like a girl does (I have no idea why so many men do this). Don't say stupid shit like "Partying it up and having the MOST AMAZING TIME EVER".
You sound like a dumb bitch.
Say "Just another day with @XXXX and @xxxx". Then let the hashtags tell the story. You want to be casual and cool, not try hard. Obviously a little more description is needed but if you sound like you are trying to tell everyone you're having the most amazing time ever, you will lose followers. It's good practice as a man to be descriptive and casual.
*note, there is a location part that allows you to put where you are, use this to supplement for one hashtag. That will allow you to tell a story with your hashtags that's more descriptive. If your location is Kuala Lumper Malaysia then you don't have to hashtag it again and can use it to do the hotel or points program you are in and stay within the 3-5 hashtag rule. Also, don't use really long hashtags. No one likes that and it isn't cute.
Consistency and Timing is key
If you are serious about growing a following you have to post 1 a day and really 2. I can't stress enough how important NOT flooding everyone's IG feed is. Leave them wanting more.
Also you need to take into account the time of day. If you are posting at midnight no one is going to see your posts. They will get buried. You can google "best times of day to post on IG" to get some "expert opinions" but it will give you a good idea of when people are looking at things.
Tell a Story
By now you should have the idea that you are trying to tell a story about yourself. You have to define what that is first so have a clear picture of what you are going for and stick to it. Ask yourself "Is this congruent with the image I am portraying"?
Maybe you want to try and define yourself as some fitness guru, well obviously you will want to post fitness related things. But if all of your photos are of you doing crap in the gym, people will unfollow you because there's nothing new there. The key is making it different but related in some way. So: You in the gym mid lift, a healthy smoothie with the vitamix, an outdoors photo picking up a large rock working out, a sexy girl on the beach, an event you were invited to, a book on a new exercise ideology etc etc (obviously with the appropriate hashtags and tags).
If it's just gym, gym, gym you look like an uninteresting asshole.
Followers and Etiquette About Following Back
First, download the Followers app. This gives you information about who is following you, who you are following, and who isn't following you back. You will be surprised by this.
First, the "cool" thing is to have way more followers than you are following. If you have 200 followers and you are following 1000 you look lame. Reverse that and you look cool.
That is a good ratio.
You will get a lot of people following you because they want you to follow them back. They aren't interested in you, they just want followers and when you follow them back, they will unfollow you to increase the "cool" ratio.
Therefore unless someone is liking all your shit, don't follow them back. Make them earn it.
If you have childhood friends that never post content that you are following and never "like" or comment, unfollow them.
Occasionally for whatever reason, people will unfollow you, go ahead and unfollow them too.
Don't feel bad about unfollowing your friends or not following people who follow you an then unfollow you after you don't reciprocate right away. They aren't the people you want anyway. You want people that are going to stick around and you get that by posting content that resonates with people.
Commenting to grow followers
Be engaging on your IG. Comment on friends, comment back on comments, people notice this and want to see who you are. If they like what they see in the thumbnails (remember you don't want it to look like a cluttered repetitive mess) they will follow you.
Who You Follow
An overlooked element in all this is who you actually follow. It seems people, guys especially don't realize that chicks go and look at who you are following.
I had one friend who was following "sexy thai bitches" and "Asian Ass" (or something along those lines).
He had at this point secured the interest of a hot girl but when she saw this on his IG it was game over. Everything was lost.
It's also important to know that other contacts besides girls you want to attract will also be looking at this. So keep that in mind when it comes to the story you want to tell.
Who Follows You
People also look to see who people of interest are following. Because this list should be small, it means you are important in some way. I have semi-famous or IG famous people following me back. Those people's fans would see me and start following me (before I put my stuff on private). Some of these people I know personally, some I don't but when you post cool content, it will attract a variety of people. You probably get the idea by now.
Throwback Thursday and Flashback Friday
These are good to go back in time and post the cool stuff you have done in the past. Take advantage of this because 1) It's so easy and 2) It tells the story even better because it gives longevity.
I think this is about everything.
