Happy Hump Day! I hope that everyone is having a good week so far. I’m still in a good mood from the Boston Marathon. I doubt I’ll ever run that race, but it’s really inspiring to see all the runners complete the race! Again, congratulations to all of the runners!!
So today I didn’t really have a fitness topic or race recap to write about, so I decided to do a post on Instagram. As I mentioned in my March Runfessions post last month, Instagram has been driving me a little crazy lately. While I’m certainly no expert, these are a few things that have helped me steadily grow my Instagram following over the past 3 years.
Instagram Stories
So you know that quote “Do as I say, not as I do?” That applies here. I have never done an Instagram story, but I LOVE them! In my opinion the best Instagram stories happen during races. I love seeing all the action and also hearing about the race from that person’s point of view.
It’s All About the Comments
While it’s great to “like” photos, don’t forget to leave comments as well! If a person gets hundreds of likes on their photo, it’s hard for that person to see everyone that left a “like”. If you comment on a post, you’re more likely to get their attention, and they may write you a reply back!
Leave comments and reply back to comments!
One of my biggest petpeeves are people who NEVER respond back to comments. Basically all they do is post a photo and that’s it. They never go back to look at the photo to see if anyone left a question, or comment. If someone took the time to write a comment, at least write back a reply, even if it’s a quick reply! I understand this is impossible for people that have hundreds of thousands of followers, but if you don’t fall into that category and never reply back to comments, I will give you the eternal side eye (lol).
Join an Instagram Pod
An Instagram pod consists of 8-10 people that have similar interests. Your “pod” members like your photos and comment on them in order to increase engagement on Instagram. Apparently the more your photos are “liked”, the more they show up in news feeds. What I love about the pods are that it’s more about engagement than just gaining followers. Let’s face it, you could have thousands of followers, but if no one comments on your photos, where is the engagement?
Joining an Instagram pod has also helped me connect with a few new people on Instagram. I may have never found their IG profiles if it wasn’t for the pods, so I’m thankful that it has helped connect me with new social media friends!
Post Once a Day (Minimum)
Let me preface this by saying there is really no clear cut answer on how many times a day you should post on Instagram. I *try* to post at least once a day, but sometimes it’s hard. We’re all busy and sometimes social media can be an afterthought, but in order to grow your following, you have to post regularly! What you post is totally up to you.
I will usually post a photo from my daily workout, but sometimes I’ll post about products I love as well. It’s always good to post about a current blog post if you want to bring new readers to your blog. I follow a lot of runners that also post their meals, inspirational quotes, time with their family, etc. It’s really about what you feel comfortable sharing.
Search and Use Hashtags
Some of the hashtags I search regularly include: #werunsocial #running #sweatpink #fitfluential #halfmarathontraining #procompression #momentumjewelry #mizunorunning #garminfitness #runchat #beatyesterday #womensrunningcommunity #movemorefitness #marathontraining
It’s all about finding the right hashtags that fit your account, so my hashtags are different than someone that might have an Instagram account focused on crossfit. Run to the Finish has a great post on popular hashtags for fitness bloggers. Check it out for some ideas!
Also don’t forget to use hashtags on your photos that you post. This way users can find your photos when they are searching certain hashtags!
Instagram is my favorite social media platform. I love the connections I have been able to make with runners through Instagram. These are just the things that work for me, but hopefully they will work for you too!
Do you have any engagement tips for Instagram?
These are great tips. My Instagram has plateaued lately as I just haven’t put as much time and effort into it. I used to post every day but now I don’t even open the app every day! I need to look into joining a pod.
Thanks Lisa. I think you would really like an instagram pod, and you get to meet new people!
I runfess I’ve never done an IG story. And I rarely ever look at them. I seem to lose a bunch of followers whenever my follower count reaches an even hundred mark. I don’t get it. IG is my favorite though!
IG is so so strange. Some days I lose the same amount of followers that I gain, lol
IG is one of my favorites- people seem to interact there more than anywhere else. I haven’t posted one of the stories and don’t really look at them- maybe I should! I do like the pod’s- that has helped a lot with engagement 🙂
I agree – People definitely respond more and interact a lot on IG, I think more so than Twitter.
I do love the instapods and it’s been great to connect with you more in our pod. I do try to respond to all comments and yes it helps with more engagement. I am still usually a once a day poster. I would rather have one good photo than struggle for multiple.
Totally agree – There’s no way I could post more than twice a day, but I think it’s awesome if people can post 3 or more times a day!
Thanks for this information. I try to reply to comments (I’m doing it on my ipad right now as I read this lol), but sometimes I get behind and it’s so hard to catch up!
My IG pods have been so helpful! My engagement and likes have gone way up. I admire the people who get so many likes and comments even though they really don’t have all that many followers. Talk about great engagement. My goal!
I also make sure to tag people or companies that are indicated in my photo, plus (for a running post) I take @womensrunningcommunity and @womensrunning. I don’t know if that makes a difference in engagement, but on the rare occasion a company will repost, so that’s kind of cool. 🙂
LOL, agreed! It’s hard to catch up. If I can, I try to devote abour 15 minutes to IG a day, so I can reply back to comments, search hashtags, etc.
Tagging companies is great as well! I have been trying to be better about that this year.
I love the original IG–the pictures. The stories, etc–not my scene. A picture can tell an entire story and it’s fun to make a post out of one picture.
I agree with you about engagement. I may not always respond to comments on my IG but I almost always go to everyone’s IG and drop a comment.
I do look at all my followers before I follow back. I get some really questionable followers from other parts of the world and if it feels like they’re icky, I block them. We live in a really weird time.
I also look at followers too. You’re right, some I can tell automatically that they are spam accounts, so I just ignore them.
Like you, if someone leaves me a comment, I always go to their page and either like a photo or comment as well. I think that helps with engagement and it’s a nice way to meet new people!
Instagram is by far my favorite of all of the social media channels, but like Wendy pointed out, there are some really sketchy people that choose to follow me. Some of them get blocked, and others I follow back.
Totally agree with that. For a while I was getting a lot of followers that looked like spam accounts so I blocked all of them.
I really enjoy IG but it definitely takes up a lot of time…I always feel like I’m playing catch up. I know I need to post more consistently but sometimes my life is just boring haha! I’ve never done an IG story and I rarely watch them, and I’ve heard about pods but never joined. Good to know that they help with engagement!
It does take up a lot of time. I do wish I had more time to devote to it, but for now 15 minutes is good, lol. You are so right about life getting in the way. Sometimes I don’t get to post until later afernoon/early evening. Definitely join a pod if you can!
These are all great tips! I need to spend more time commenting when I post but sometimes I noticed when I am active, I get less engagement. It boggles my mind, really.
I’ve noticed that too. I really have no clue what the magice trick is to “breaking” the code of IG
I don’t do the IG stories either (I see a pattern here LOL). I definitely prefer IG over Facebook, but it’s really tough to stay “caught up” with commenting back, and returning likes, as well as checking out any new followers. I try to keep my IG mostly fitness-geared, so I don’t follow a lot of foody people or “personal” accounts that showcase the person’s family (unless they’re someone I actually know personally). A short cut I have started doing is grouping my replies from comments…if several people have a similar comment, I do a “group” reply to all of them at once. I know it’s not as personal, but it still acknowledges their comments.
Yup, definitely hard to keep up with comments sometimes! Like you, I will do a “group” reply for similiar comments. I think that is a great way to save time, but also acknowledge the comment. I see nothing wrong with that!
Awesome tips. I find that using hastags is really where it’s at. If you don’t you really get little engagement. I always try to comment back and I feel bad if I miss one.
Yeah I agree with you, the hashtags are the most important! I also feel bad if I forget to comment back!
Not a fan of IG stories at all… not a fan of videos at all really. Great tips!
Thanks Elle.
Great tips! I love IG. And the pods I’ve joined have certainly helped me find new bloggers and IG accounts to follow. And friendships 🙂
Totally agree with you Rachel 🙂
Good tips!!! Setting out to fulfill some Instagram “obligations” now… Lol!
LOL, great job Julie 🙂
IG is my favorite as well. And unlike many, I enjoy the IG stories. I’ve done a couple myself but can’t do it as often as others I follow. I do need to comment more on compelling posts that show in my feed.
I love watching the IG stories, but never think to do one myself, lol
Instagram pods are new to me. Never heard of that before.
I found out about the pods through a SweatPink Facebook group. The pod was already established but they needed a few more people, so I was able to join it!
Thank you for posting this. I definitely need to find out more about pods.
I found out about the pods through a SweatPink Facebook group. The pod was already established but they needed a few more people.
I’ve never heard of an Instagram pod before. How does one get involved?! Love the tips.
I found out about the pods through a SweatPink Facebook group. The pod was already established but they needed a few more people.
im horrible at commenting back 🙁 do you have any tips on how to respond via some app or easier way? i dont get more than 20-30 comments but replying back from my phone is such a challenge (first world problem, i know)
If the comments are similiar, I’ll do a “group” reply. I’ll tag all those people in one comment and write my reply. It’s a time saver!
These are great tips! I love IG stories, but I prefer to video the pugs than me LOL! They are far cuter subjects.
LOL, i love videos of animals so I totally get why you like to film your pugs!
Great tips, Kim! Sometimes, I get so inconsistent in posting and replying to comments. 🙁
I tried Stories once a few months ago, but it’s way too much to keep up with. Plus, I very rarely look at them myself. It’s hard for me to invest time in something I don’t personally use.
I haven’t done an IG story yet because it seems complicated, so I totally get what you are saying!
Great tips! I belong to an Instagram pod and I try to comment on others posts too!
Thanks! i love the IG pods – It’s really a fun thing to be a part of!
I love Instagram but don’t mind it too much the new update/change to it. I’ve never heard of IG pods. IG stories annoy me. Some people post too much stuff (The whole fireworks show at an amusement park. Seriously?). I do like that I can skip what I don’t want to see. 🙂
Yeah, sometimes the IG stories can get a little long, lol
Thanks for the tips! I recently joined a pod and really enjoy it. You’re right, I had never heard of a few of the ladies in our pod before I joined it, and I now feel like they’re friends. 😀
I love anything that helps me connect with new people that I can ultimately call friends! 🙂