The internet landscape has evolved and Instagram blogging is the new craze. We share tips on how your business can benefit from microblogging on Instagram – a highly visual and globally popular platform.
We've already discussed how blogging has dramatically changed since the last decade, and Instagram blogging is another proof of how we're innovating blogs through new platforms.
The act of blogging in itself has gone through massive changes – from drafting pages and pages of long-form content, we're now presenting information in bite-sized nuggets. Enter Instagram blogging and make money on Instagram
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The blog platform of the new generation
On the internet, users churn out new information every second. Combine that with dwindling attention spans and the challenge becomes how to get our point across as fast as possible. While long-form blogs do a good job of helping us expound on issues, they lack the time-saving urgency and punchy charm of social media captions.
Along with shorter text also came the popularity of image-heavy content. As a result, photo-centric Instagram has become the platform of choice for a new generation of bloggers. But why resort to Instagram blogs when there are so many other platforms available?
The appeal is in Instagram's millennial-friendly design. Instagram offers just enough space for users to share bite-sized insights that command the attention of today’s busy generation. Combine punchy posts with a photo-first layout and you're also catering to today's visual-hungry users.
If you’re looking for new ways to promote your business, Instagram blogging is a clever and effective way to interact and engage with your online community.
Curious about how to start? Read on for tips on how to blog on Instagram.
What is micro-blogging?
If you’ve been asking yourself, “Can I start a blog on Instagram?”. The answer is yes, but unlike the lengthy blogs that are common on websites, blogging on Instagram is called “micro-blogging”.
As its name suggests, micro-blogging is the practice of creating short-form blogs that accompany Instagram, Facebook, or even Twitter posts. Micro-blogging helps you convey helpful tips, news, and insights without having to resort to the more traditional 500-word blog post.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group, users tend to consume only 20% of the content they see online.
With this fact in mind, it becomes apparent why sharing short, information-packed stories with stunning visuals is the better choice if your aim is to capture your audience's attention. Here's a guide to help you create your blog name.
See Related: Are Blogs Still Relevant?
How to start an Instagram blog
1. Create an Instagram account
You can create a blog for free by just downloading the Instagram app and setting up your profile. Remember to select a username that's professional and easy to remember. It's essential that you make your profile public to allow anyone to read your Instagram blog.
2. Select a niche.
The key on how to start an Instagram blog successfully is to choose a popular or lucrative niche. Possible niches include travel, lifestyle, food, fashion, or finance.
Of course, if you already have a business to integrate with Instagram, then you don't have to select a niche from scratch.
See Related: List of 35 Blog Niches to Consider
3. Draft an eye-catching bio.
More than anything else, it's your bio that can make or break your Instagram blog. When visiting your profile, users automatically gravitate towards reading your bio at once; If it doesn't give them a reason to stay, they’re bound to head somewhere else.
Use your bio as an opportunity to show users who you are, what you believe in, or what you stand for, and make the most of the 150 characters. This is your chance to make a good first impression.
A lot of users choose to display their bio in a bulleted list, giving out their contact information like an email address or phone number. This is especially important if you're a business or if you're someone looking for collaboration opportunities.
Other users use this space to share a thought-provoking quote, indicate their location, or showcase their hobbies. Whatever you select, be sure to tailor align your bio with your desired audience or niche.
4. Source attractive images
A word for the wise: if you can't produce eye-catching images, then forget about Instagram blogging. Instagram is a highly visual platform that puts a premium on aesthetics. This means that your images must be well composed, properly curated, and look beautiful as a whole.
You don't always have to take your own photos. Make use of stock photo websites such as Pixabay, Pexels, or Unsplash. A lot of the images from these platforms don't require attribution and are mostly free.
5. Craft your caption
Instagram captions are 2,200 characters long, but they become truncated after 125. This means that your first line should be able to capture the reader's attention enough for them to click “more”.
The best captions on Instagram are short and through-provoking with a persuasive call to action. Great CTA's include tagging friends, encouraging users to click the link in your bio for more information or hitting the follow button.
Another great tip when using Instagram as a blog is to break up your text when you're writing a lengthy caption just like you do with long-form blogging. The trick to a great readership is making your content easy to digest.
See Related: Advertising Arbitrage Guide
6. Select relevant hashtags
Instagram hashtags are still one of the most effective ways to get more engagement on your posts. A post with at least one hashtag receives 12.6% more engagement than posts that have none. While hashtags are especially important if you're looking to get new eyes on your profile, it's good to select hashtags that are relevant to your business and niche.
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags on each post, but most users use just one or three. Remember, your profile needs to be public for your hashtags to actually work.
While it's good to use popular hashtags for more exposure, the most effective hashtags are those are that specific to your niche and have a more engaged audience.
Usually, the more niche your topic is, the more conversations people have around it.
Find out what type of hashtags your audience is using to discover which ones fit your content the most. Do this by researching your competitors, studying industry leaders, surveying trends that are relevant to your hashtag.
See Related: Should You Create an LLC for Your Blog?
Top tips on writing blogs for Instagram
Instagram blogging is pretty straightforward – post a photo with a caption, pepper it with hashtags, and post. There are, however, a couple of things you can do to better your engagement and set yourself apart from the rest.
Here are some of our tips on writing blogs on Instagram.
1. Try to be unique
With so many social media platforms, businesses have made it a regular practice to crosspost the same post on all their social media accounts. While this is okay when you're pressed for time, we recommend posting unique and original content on your Instagram blog.
Some entrepreneurs use their websites, blogs, and Facebook accounts to share business-only posts and get a bit more casual and personal on Instagram. This creates variety in your content and makes your brand look more human.
See Related: How to do Automated Blogging
2. Differentiate your brand
Know that Instagram has over 1 billion users. If you're aiming to blog on Instagram, you'll be under a lot of competition. To get a good following, it's highly essential that you set yourself apart from other accounts in your industry.
Find your unique selling point and use that as leverage to differentiate yourself from everyone in your niche.
3. Encourage engagement
Instagram is a highly social platform, and you can use this to your advantage. You can encourage engagement by asking questions in your captions and making it a point to always reply to your follower's comments.
You can also try asking for inputs and opinions, encourage people to tag others on your post, and don't forget to say thank you to anyone who chimes in.
Remember, because of Instagram's algorithm, posts with more engagement get more exposure.
See Related: How to Become a Content Creator
5. Make the most of Instagram stories
Did you know that around 400 million people use Instagram stories daily? If you're new to Instagram blogging, using Stories is a great way to get more exposure. Instagram stories are akin to Snapchat's “self-destruct” posts in that they expire after 24 hours.
You can use your creative chops in making Instagram Stories as they are available in a variety of formats, including photos, videos, or even just text. Consider posting how-to's and tutorials, share user-generated content, post behind-the-scenes videos, or promote time-sensitive deals, promos, or offers. Here are more tips on making the most of Instagram Stories.
Promote your stories through posts. While Stories are heavily popular only around 40% of Instagram's active users use them, so not everyone has hopped on the Stories bandwagon just yet. If you're posting fresh content on your Instagram Stories, let your users know about it by promoting it from time to time in your Instagram posts. Note when we said from time to time – don't spam it!
Post great visuals. Make your stories compelling by making them visually pleasing. Use complementary colors in your overlays and fonts, include a person's face to make an emotional connection, or capture unique settings.
Utilize interactive elements. Instagram Stories come with a couple of interactive tools that encourage engagement with your followers. Question and poll stickers help you secure opinions from your followers, so use them whenever you want to connect.
6. Run a contest
Running Instagram contests can increase your follower count and stimulate follower engagement. Your prizes can be anything: offer free coaching, branded merchandise, limited access to your website blog, or perhaps an exclusive one-on-one section. You don't even have to pit your followers against one another.
In this example, Tentree gathered likes in exchange for planting trees in Indonesia.
You can even encourage your followers to create their own content using a specific hashtag. This will help you easily select a winner from your pool of contestants.
7. Integrate other platforms
While Instagram blogging is effective in helping you build a stronger community of followers and enhance your exposure, we still highly suggest that you have your own website where you can better showcase your products or services.
Having an Instagram blog is a great way to lead traffic to your website, especially when you’re promoting long-form blogs on your website.
Even amidst the rise of social media, websites are still important.
We recommend hosting with Bluehost which integrates seamlessly with WordPress and offers free domain names for the first year.
Want to learn more? Read my step-by-step guide on how to start a niche blog.
8. Geotag your posts
Instagram geotags are the specific location of where you've stored your Instagram content. You can tag a post using the physical location of your mobile device, but this only works if you allow Instagram to publicize your location.
Whenever you're comfortable to do so, use a location tag to accompany your posts as location tagging can increase your engagement by as much as 79%.
If you're a brick-and-mortar business, you can also use Instagram geotagging to locate local customers, see who's geotagging you, and find local influencers.
See Related: 9 Best Ad Networks for Bloggers
9. Interact with your users
Interacting with your users makes them more likely to check your profile and even follow you. Here are some of the best ways to interact.
Like and comment on user's posts. If you engage with a user's content, they're more likely to do the same. Look for users with posts that are aligned with your niche and like or comment on them. Templated comments are a turn-off, so make sure that your comments show that you actually read their captions.
Follow users. Following users who are great advocates of your brand and share the same ideals is a great way to grab their attention, so don't be afraid to click the follow button. Err on the side of caution when implementing the follow-unfollow method – the practice of following users and then unfollowing them once they've followed you back. The follow-unfollow method may be considered a tacky practice by some users.
Instagram blogging is a great way to enhance your exposure, but there are a lot more that you should know. This free four-day audience building course teaches you expert strategies on how to build more email subscribers and in effect, make more money.
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