3 tips for styling your instagram like a pro!

You may have seen some discussion about Instagram in the past week.

For those of us who use Instagram to connect with our audience, the amazing people behind the platform decided it was high time to make that task a little easier by reopening their API for scheduling posts - yay!

But we are not going to chat technology and APIs... today is all about visual beauty.

Now before we dive in, if you haven't checked out my iland co Instagram feed, I recommend you do so. This will help with framing the information below.

So what do you do if you do not like the look of your Instagram feed? Basically, you change it!

1. Play with colour

When a new potential customer or fan decided to check out your Instagram profile, what they see is your Bio and then the first 6 or 9 images, also known as a grid. Collectively, these images should act like the contents page of your brand magazine and give a high-level overview of what the person can expect if they choose to follow you. If they see beautiful photos all working together using similar colours or tones, this provides some reassurance and entices them to click that magically follow button.

Here are some examples from my iland co Insta feed. One is was a series of blue photos, the other a series of pink. You can see in the examples that it does not mean every photo has to be blue or pink, you can use neutral colours or tones, or patterns, to break up the photos and still provide a super professional look.

2. Pick a subject or theme and stick to it!

If you are positioning your Instagram feed as an extension of your brand, it's important that the brand is loud and clear. iland co. is a fashion label and our brand look and feel is #islandvibes. Combining fashion images with beautiful photographs of beaches or stunning travel locations, I'm conveying not just the products but the entire iland co. lifestyle.

If you are service-based business, it may seem impossible to have a consistent subject in your photos, but consider include photos of where you work
or the projects you are working on and utilise colour and tone to bring those images together to create a consistently professional look and feel.

3. Play with text

Quote images can be a great way to add more interest to your Instagram feed. Remember, when someone views your latest image, it is usually as they are scrolling down past countless other images. Play with adding text to images or including quote images to grab their attention as they scroll down. Keep it on brand and messages that are inspiring or thought to provoke generally outperform messages that are less compelling. Don't forget to keep colours in mind. Go for a neutral black + white look or pop text over an image. Check our my iland co Instagram feed for some examples.

Social Media is always changing with Instagram and Facebook changing frequently. The most popular they become and the more that brands and influencers achieve success, the more change we can expect. But don't let it overwhelm you. With any social media platform, the key is consistency. Pick one or two of these tips and try them for a month and see what the reaction is. If your followers respond, keep going!