Welcome to the world of Instagram blogging! Whether you’re an aspiring influencer or just looking to share your passion with the world, starting an Instagram blog can be a fun and rewarding way to express yourself and connect with like-minded individuals. With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram has become a powerhouse platform for bloggers and businesses alike.
But where do you even begin? With so many accounts vying for attention, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. That’s where this guide comes in. In just 8 easy steps, we’ll show you how to launch your own Instagram blog and start building a following.
From choosing the perfect niche to optimizing your profile and creating engaging content, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started. And don’t worry if you’re new to the world of Instagram – we’ll break everything down into simple, actionable steps.
So if you’re ready to join the ranks of successful Instagram bloggers, let’s dive in and get started! Whether you’re a fashionista, foodie, or fitness guru, there’s a place for you in the world of Instagram blogging. So grab your phone, fire up your creativity, and let’s start building your own personal brand on the world’s favorite photo-sharing app.
1. Create an Instagram Account
Creating an Instagram account is free and takes just a few minutes to do. The step that takes the longest is figuring out what you want your username to be. Keep in mind that, unlike other social media platforms, you can change your username later on. However, many prefer to use their full name as a username so they build a personal brand.
Get started with your Instagram account in just a few steps:
- Download the Instagram app from Google’s Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone).
- Once installed, tap the Instagram icon to open it.
- Sign up with your email address or phone number if you’re on an Android. If using an iPhone, you’ll select Create an Account then enter your phone number. You’ll get a text with a verification code to enter. Alternatively, you can use a single sign-on by selecting your Facebook login.
- You’ll then receive a prompt to create a username and password.
- Make sure to have a public profile instead of a private one, unless you only want friends and family you allow to read your blog.
Users can also sign up for Instagram from a desktop now. You may have more than one Instagram account. Some people choose to have an account for their personal brand as well as a company (such as an e-commerce store or podcast).
2. Choose a Niche for Your Instagram Blog
When learning how to start an Instagram blog, the key to gaining consistent growth is to give your audience what they’ve come to expect. If you are a travel Instagram blogger and then post a sponsored ad for a recliner, you’re not only going to confuse followers but you might cause them to unsubscribe. By choosing a niche for your Instagram blog, you’re telling people who come to your blog exactly what kind of content they’ll get going forward if they follow you.
It’s important that you take careful consideration when choosing a niche. While you can change your focus later on, doing so can confuse your audience. Some Instagram bloggers start with a broad category such as a lifestyle blog before deciding on a narrower niche like travel or parenting. It’s also important to understand that many Instagram bloggers also eventually create a blog on a website, which doesn’t have any limits on the number of characters you can write.
Travel
Within a travel niche, you can get even more specific. Some Instagram blogs focus solely on domestic travel or on international travel. There are entire blogs dedicated to just Disney travel. Other travel niches include solo travel, plus-size travel, family travel, and traveling with pets. There’s even a travel Instagramer who dedicates her account to camping in her living room thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some Instagram travel bloggers find success monetizing through hosting travel tours. There are many bloggers who also teach others how to travel more, whether that’s by using travel rewards through credit cards or selling everything you own to travel. As a fellow travel blogger, I follow many travel bloggers on Instagram to get ideas for new places to visit.
The Blonde Abroad is a popular travel Instagram blog. She also has a blog on her website, a YouTube channel, and a private Facebook community, and hosts tours around the world.
Lifestyle
A lifestyle Instagram blog often features photos and posts of everyday activities, hobbies, or insights. These bloggers tend to stick with a few categories rather than posting anything and everything they enjoy. For example, a lifestyle blogger may post about family, travel, food, and money.
Many lifestyle Instagram bloggers monetize their content through brand partnerships. These brand partnerships are often sponsored posts, where an Instagrammer gets paid to do a static Instagram post or Instagram story about a product. Sometimes, they do affiliate programs with different brands and earn a commission on any sales referrals.
Rebeka Rpati is a lifestyle blogger who also has a blue verified check mark to her name. This is likely because she’s Miss Universe Hungary and a TV presenter. This lets other users know this is a legitimate account for this public figure.
Food
Food Instagram bloggers come in many niches as well. You’ve got bloggers who talk about things like baking, grilling, sous vide, and candy. There are bloggers who are diet-specific such as keto, paleo, and gluten-free. Some bloggers also choose to showcase food found during their travels or only food from a specific location such as NYC food carts.
Instagram food bloggers can monetize their blogs through brand partnerships, writing cookbooks, or creating their own kitchen gadgets. Sous vide blogger showing a recipe that uses sous vide might give a list of their favorite sous vide machines while using affiliate links.
Pinch of Yum is a Minnesota-based couple who are not only food bloggers, but also host food photography workshops and run a food blogger membership site teaching others how to have their own food blog.
Money
Instagram money bloggers write about many different money-based topics. These topics include personal finance, credit cards, paying off debt, making money, investing, and even investment-specific niches like Forex or cryptocurrency.
Money bloggers earn money through partnerships, sponsored posts, and affiliate links. Popular money bloggers have created their own tools like budget binders and planners. Online courses, coaching, consulting, and membership sites are also popular monetization strategies for money bloggers.
Ramit Sethi is a personal finance blogger behind the NY Times Bestseller, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.”
3. Create a Captivating Bio
An Instagram bio is a little snippet of text below your picture within your Instagram profile. An Instagram profile is where users view your profile, photo, and all of the posts you’ve created. It’s also where users go to follow you. This bio area is an opportunity to show everyone who you are, what you stand for, and who you serve within 150 characters. It’s a chance for you to make a good first impression, so you’ll want to spend some time crafting a captivating bio.
As an Instagram blogger, it’s important for you to give visitors to your profile a sneak peek at what they can expect if they follow you. Some users choose to give their contact information like an email address or a phone number—particularly if they are a business or if want someone to get in touch about collaboration opportunities. Others prefer to share a quote, their location, and maybe even some hobbies.
Whatever you choose to showcase in your bio, remember to tailor it to your niche and your desired audience. When you are very specific about who you are, you are more likely to attract people who are just like you and want to engage with your content.
On my Instagram bio, it’s clear that I’m a travel blogger. Readers can expect to see travel photos, our homestead, and my family.
4. Take or Source Attractive Images
Instagram is a visual platform where the photos you showcase matter more than the captions. Photos you share need to follow your brand identity design so that the style of your image is recognized as yours before a user checks to be sure it is.
This aesthetic should remain consistent throughout your Instagram posts. This helps create a cohesive look to your profile. It’s important to note that you don’t have to always use your own images to post. There are many free stock photo websites to use such as Pexels and Pixabay. Many of these images don’t require attribution, but it’s best to double-check what the restrictions are on each photo.
Each of these photos from Pexels has the same warm mood and would work well on the same Instagram feed.
5. Write Your Instagram Blog Posts
An Instagram blog post is also known as a caption. Your captions can be no more than 2,200 characters. For this reason, many consider that using Instagram for blogging means that you’re microblogging compared to writing a full-fledged blog hosted on your own website.
Your blog posts don’t necessarily have to be 2,200 words to tell a story. Many times captions that are short and thought-provoking do really well on Instagram. The most important lines in your captions are the first line and then your call to the action line.
The first line you write should grab a reader’s attention. Think of it as a one-liner—what’s going to stop someone from scrolling by your post in their news feed? This should be a relatively short line so they can read it without having to click “more” to view the rest of your caption. Give an intriguing statement, prompt an emotional response, or share an offer.
Your last line should give a call to action (CTA). The CTA can be as simple as asking your followers to engage with you in the comment section. Or, your CTA might ask to tag a friend, check out the link in your bio for more information, or hit the follow button. A popular CTA is “double tap if you agree,” referencing the act one performs to “like” your Instagram image.
Another important element when creating your Instagram blog posts is to make sure you’re breaking up the text if you’re writing a lot. It is difficult to read a huge wall of text without natural line breaks. You want your content to be easy to digest. Instagram doesn’t make it easy to do this within the app, so many people write their draft in notes or a word processing document before copying and pasting it into the platform to preserve the formatting.
6. Use Relevant Hashtags to Boost Discoverability
A hashtag is a word or phrase, preceded by a hash sign (#). These hashtags allow users to find messages about a given topic. For example, when entering the hashtag #travelinspo in the search field on Instagram, it shows travel photos.
You can use hashtags on both static Instagram posts and Instagram stories. With static posts, you can use up to 30 hashtags. You may add up to 10 hashtags in a story. When using hashtags, even non-followers can find your content if they’re searching for that particular hashtag. This allows Instagram bloggers to reach new audiences and grow their following.
To find relevant hashtags to use, many bloggers like the program Later.com. With it, you provide a hashtag you want to use and it will give you suggestions of similar hashtags or hashtags commonly used with that hashtag. The program will let you know as soon as you’ve hit your 30 hashtag limit for your caption.
There are 48 million posts with the #travelblogger hashtag. Users can follow a hashtag to see these posts in their news feed without following each individual creator.
7. Geotag Your Posts
To geotag a post, you’re simply adding a geographical location to tell others where a photo is taken. Some users prefer to be very detailed about where an image was taken, such as the exact name of a coffee shop. Others prefer to be more general, such as tagging Manhattan or even New York.
Geotagging lets others see where you’re at. It also helps others find images from a particular location. A user can search Instagram by location to find others who’ve been to a spot they’re researching. Including your location allows bloggers to grow their audience because Instagram users can search for location-based posts and stumble upon any post that has a geotag. If a user likes what you’ve posted, you might gain a new follower—all because you’ve tagged your location.
This Instagram blogger has geotagged their location as Manarola, Le Cinque Terre, which is in Italy.
8. Interact With Other Instagram Users
The entire point of using social media is to be social—this involves interacting with other users on Instagram. You can like and comment on other users’ posts, and you can follow them. When you interact with other users, they’re more likely to check out your profile and microblog. If they like what they see, there’s a chance they’ll follow you back or at least leave a like or comment to return the favor.
Use Instagram Stories
One of the most popular features of Instagram is using Instagram Stories. A story acts like a slideshow that is only available for 24 hours on your Instagram Story feed unless you choose to feature it. When you feature the Instagram Story it will remain on your profile in the Highlight section until you remove it.
Within these Instagram stories, users can share images, videos, and text. Stories are much less curated than static post that shows up in your Instagram feed and remain forever on your profile unless you choose to delete them. Many users choose to showcase behind-the-scenes footage of their daily lives in their stories. You can also create polls, share GIFs, and post a story for a select group of people to see. Bloggers can tag other users’ stories, and if they sell on Instagram, they can also tag a product.
If you have more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, you can use a feature that allows a visitor to swipe up on the story. When a user swipes up on the content, it takes them to a URL of the story creators’ choice. This is a great place to insert an affiliate link.
Instagram stories let you see who viewed your story.
Comment and Like Users’ Posts
When you engage with another user’s content, they’re more likely to return the favor. The comments that you make on another post should be thoughtful, more than an emoji, and show that you actually read their captions. You don’t have to write a book—a sentence or two is the perfect length.
Follow Other Users
One of the biggest faux pas on Instagram is the follow-unfollow method. This is following a user only with the intention of them following you back and unfollowing them once they do. It’s a pretty common practice on Instagram to grow your followers in this way, however many consider it tacky.
Instagram has said they’re working on policies to prevent this practice from occurring. Your best strategy for growing your own followers list is to authentically follow other users you want to follow.