Getting the balance right is tricky. If you only post once in a blue moon, the chances are people will unfollow. Equally, if you're posting every five minutes it's going to have the same effect. Aiming to post something daily is something I've found to be effective. 3 photos is usually my maximum, spread over the course of the day. Of course there are going to be some days you don't feel like posting anything - you just have to figure out what works for you! I also think it's nice to upload frequently even just to have a nice little record of events for yourself if nothing else.


Utilise the caption! If you want to bring followers to your blog/website, tell them they can click the link in your bio to go there directly. If it's comments you want, trying asking a question. It's not guaranteed you'll get responses but it certainly increases the chance!



This is the big one. Are you commenting on other people's photos? Do you look through the 'explore' page? Up until recently I very rarely did either but since making the effort to, I've noticed a huge difference in the interactions on my own profile. Simply expressing a similar interest in something they've featured in a photo will mean people will be more likely to visit your account but commenting to add a useful insight or question can do incredible things for your interactions. Plus, I've found this is what has made me actually enjoy the app far more!

Again, similar interests = interaction so make sure you're using hashtags to your advantage! For example, if you've uploaded a photo of a lipstick, it makes sense to use hashtags such as #lipstick (obviously), #makeup & #beauty. If you have a blog, get using all of the blogger hashtags that are relevant to you, for example #bbloggers, #fbloggers, #fdbloggers etc. It's cool to support others too so once you've uploaded something, go through the hashtags and comment on/like a few photos - you might be pleased with what you get in return!

If you want things to look less cluttered, put your hashtags in a comment under the caption. Once you've got a few comments on a photo, the first comment with your hashtags in it won't be immediately visible so everything just looks tidier!


Try different things. At the end of the day, it's a matter of trial & error with everything you post - there are no real guarantees or mistakes you can make with timing but posting at certain times of the day can result in more/fewer likes. Ask yourself, when do you check Instagram? If you're anything like me, you'll for sure scroll through first thing in the morning so try adding one of your own photos to the mix. Food tends to do well anytime of the day or night but generally, meal times are optimum because that's when other people will be uploading and therefore using/checking out the 'food' hashtag.

This is such a valuable step you might be forgetting about! Before you upload a photo, tag any relevant people/brands in the photo itself. That will mean your photo will show up in the tagged photo section on their accounts which people will look through, including that person themselves. For example, I tagged Real Techniques in my photo of their Miracle Complexion Sponge, they saw it & liked it which resulted in that photo getting almost 5 times the amount of likes I usually get (and counting)!

Well I hope you enjoyed this post and found it useful! Ultimately I've learnt that what you give is what you get. Instagram wants you to use it to it's full capacity and if you do, you'll see results. 
Get involved in the comments below and let me know if you have any Instagram tips - let's help each other out!

What's your Instagram username?

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

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Hello everyone!

I'm a notebook person. 

If you don't know what you mean by that, I'll explain . . . I'm the type of person who is always writing lists and jotting things down into the various notebooks I like to collect. While this has it's benefits, (lots of pretty notebooks) it can sometimes leave me a bit all over the place, especially if I'm trying to find something I wrote down and can't remember which one it's in.

When Personal Planner popped an email over my way offering me a gift card, it was like my prayers had been answered. I've been getting a bit more dedicated to my blog and a planner specifically for blogging was the ideal way to get myself organised.

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The best thing is that they're fully customisable, everything from the cover to the page layouts, meaning you can really make the whole thing your own. 

Not only do you get the planner itself but also a clip in ruler, clear plastic pocket and a very handy elastic to keep your pages together or mark a page.

If you're lucky enough to be invited to blog events and press days, there's the overview at the back so you'll never miss a date!

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How do you get organised?

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Good luck!

Thanks for reading,

Maeve

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