- Image Means Everything
The first thing to know is that Instagram is, quite obviously, about images. While it sounds like common sense it’s surprising how many people forget this. Just take a look at all the low quality and bad photos, blurry photos with bad lighting, and pictures with captions the length of a doctorate dissertation. Make sure you take great pictures. Keep what should be the main thing the actual main thing.
- Videos Rock
Videos might be secondary but they are as engaging as images when handled properly. Shorter videos will generally get more feedback compared to long ones. One of the key premises of Instagram is that pictures say more than words. People have to deliberately stop what they are doing to read while pictures are immediate.
Videos work in much the same way. It takes energy and focus to watch a video. Shorter videos demand less time from viewers and they are therefore more likely to watch them all the way through. There are exceptions to this rule though, as there are any rule.
- You Need #Hashtags and @Mentions
There are two symbols that your content needs if it’s going to succeed on Instagram; @ and #.
The @ symbol allows you to mention other people, businesses, and organizations on the platform. All you have to do is include their Instagram handles in the caption.
Instagram also allows you to tag other people similarly to how you would on Facebook with the option to “Tag People”. Tagging like this means that your image appears in their feed – a different feed featuring all of the photos the user is tagged in.
The # sign is a hashtag which is followed with certain word(s). Clicking on a hashtag takes you to another stream/feed where you can see all the posts made with this hashtag. Hashtags are a great way to get noticed on Instagram and start (or join) conversations with other users that you aren’t following or followed by.
- Pay Attention to Fans
It’s one thing to get fans, it’s another to keep them.
- New Fans
Make sure to visit the pages of people that follow you. Find out more about them. You never know, it might be someone in your industry that is keeping an eye on you. It doesn’t matter who they are though; you should still leave a quick thank you note on one of their recent photos.
- Existing Fans
You should ensure that you consistently respond to messages from fans whether they come in the form of direct messages or comments on photos. Don’t forget to check out the posts of your followers every so often too and comment on them if you like them.
- Mentions
If someone mentions you or posts photos of you and your events then be sure to leave a comment on it and consider re-sharing it yourself.
- Post Often
We recommend making four posts each day. Avoid overdoing the advertising each day as well. You don’t want it to become overkill.
- What to Post
It can sometimes be difficult to know what to post when you’re a solo artist sharing both personal and professional things with a single feed. This is why some artists create two accounts, while others are comfortable with the worlds colliding.
Your posts should be a reflection of yourself, whether you take them seriously or make goofy posts. Here are a few ideas for posts:
- Images
- Promo Images; this could be things such as artwork for upcoming shows – something that has been designed for advertising and promotion
- Studio shots; Post some pictures of yourself in the isolation booth of your studio or share pictures of the band listening to the latest mixes at the soundboard.
- Fan shots; Fan shots are some of the best things you can share. Post-show shots with your fans are a great way to recap a great night in their city
- Behind the scenes; Take some shots of the green room or a bandmate having a nap behind the stage. Fans eat this stuff up.
- Be a tourist; Did you go to any tourist spots like the Statue of Liberty? Take some great shots and share them on Instagram
- Rehearsals; putting out photos of the band rehearsing is a great way to promote upcoming shows without using any promotional images. Slip in a subtle reference in the caption, like how you guys are getting ready for your gig on Friday
- Inspirational things; posting the things that inspire you brings in the fans that want to know more about you and why you got into music. It helps fans understand you, as well as your music.
- Videos
While you could make all of the above ideas into videos of their own, there are some things that can only be shared as a video, including:
- Show clips; ask fans to tag you if they upload a clip from one of your shoes and be sure to reshare it so everyone can see it
- Previews of new songs; use your phone to record a short snippet of your latest song and spread the word
- Live videos of artists and bands; don’t forget you can record clips of other musicians and share them. Post videos o the bands that played before and after you or other bands that you watch
- Talk to fans; Fans can hear you singing and playing whenever they want, but they rarely get to hear you speak. Post a short video letting them know what you’re working on, thanking them for their support, wishing them happy holidays, etc.