How to become Popular on Instagram | Gaining Likes and Followers

Instagram is an amazing platform to share your passions and hobbies - from photography to makeup to cooking! It allows you to reach a wide audience and using it in the right way can help get your name known and build a following of people with similar interests. What's more, it can help you build upon your own knowledge by sharing and interacting with others in the same domain.

I have always had a love for photography and, when I developed my Instagram account, I found myself striving to take my photography to the next level and getting my name out there for this hobby! I have found 3 tips and tricks that, although my account is still small, is helping me grow day by day and also allowing me to get the most out of my Instagram experience.

| Hashtags |

Hashtags are a great way to lead people to your account, as they search for similar interests and themes. The hashtags you choose will depend on the concept behind your Instagram feed, for example, if you are promoting a makeup-themed feed, you will use hashtags to relate to the brands, products and look you are creating. There are lots of 'set' and 'known' hashtags for certain areas of Instagram, that will allow a lot of people and popular pages to see your content. These can be found by searching Google or even searching popular, similar Instagram accounts for the tags that they are using, as well as popular pages, that have their own hashtags. My boyfriend, Luke, who is an avid, photography Instagrammer, found a selection of photography hashtags through these methods which we post with our pictures, that never fail to bring in a range of people to like, follow and comment on our pictures. The hashtags we use are: #streetdreamsmag #instamagazine_#thecreatorclass #jointheclass#hypebeast #illgrammers#hsdailyfeature #shoot2kill#createandexplore #artofvisuals#killeverygram #featuremeinstagood#hstakeover #urbanexploration#peoplescreatives #exploretocreate#archdaily #agameoftones#highsnobiety #hboutthere #mkexplore#visualsoflife #ontheroofs#inspirationcultmag #moodygrams#mg5k #mood #streettogether#fatalframes #illgrammers@oneshotkillaz @streettogether@moodygrams @heatercentral@createcommune @fatal.frames@illgrammers. 

In all honesty, I still don't understand some of these! But, many derive from popular accounts and link to certain types and styles of photography, and so, reach a variety of people across the platform. These also include tagging popular 'feature' pages that could see your pictures re-posted to massive followings of thousands! Do your research to see which hashtags relate to and will add to the pictures you post.

| Spread some Love | 

Instagram is a community and, to make the most of your account and gain popularity, you defintely need to take advantage of this! This means exploring the other similar accounts that you can find either through the comments of popular pages or the 'discover people' page (press the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of your screen and then the icon of a person with a '+' next to it in the top, right corner!). From here, click through the various accounts that pop up on your screen. When you visit a page, 'like' a section of favourite pictures and maybe even leave a happy comment (something like: love this picture or great feed, rather than asking for a follow!). If you are a big fan of the account, give them a follow, too. This will make a positive impression of not only your account but the person behind it and therefore encourage people to follow you back or like your pictures in return. If you focus on similar accounts, this will prove even more beneficial as people are more likely to engage with feeds that give off the same vibes as theirs! And, at the end of the day, even if people don't return any likes or follows, you've still taken the time to brighten their day and that's just as rewarding! 

| Stay Active | 

Maintaining your account is probably the most important part of attracting and keeping an audience. This means posting and interacting with other photos regularly - if possible, everyday! This means your following won't forget about or get bored of your account, with new content always available to view. The best way to attract new followers, also, is for accounts to see a variety and large amount of content to persuade them to follow! The best way to keep on top of this is to regularly take pictures and keep on top of the pictures you want to post. I often go on adventures to take lots of pictures, so I have some in the bank for later days. Also, finding a regular time to post will get you into the habit of posting and will also allow your following to see your name and pictures appear on a recurring basis - so hopefully it will stick in their minds! Have fun with this and play around with different times; I have varied from morning to afternoon and have now landed upon around 9pm (UK time). Instagram is all about having fun and pursuing something you love! If it is something you really enjoy, it won't be difficult to stay active and interact regularly and, from this, your account can do nothing but grow! 

So these are my best tips that I have found very beneficial to growing my Instagram account. As I said, Instagram is a community, so have fun with it and explore and try lots of styles. The more you use and enjoy having it, the more your Instagram will grow and develop, and hopefully these tips will help you find the people who will appreciate and love your content as much as you! 

Follow me on Instagram: @beccabeee 

Follow Luke: @_lukeadcock

~ Becca ~ 

Having a Moment | Instagram

I had previously dabbled in Instagram; posting selfies, the occasional food picture and sometimes supporting my blog, while above all, stalking all the celebrities, whose pictures were much more artistic than my own. In all honesty, Instagram didn't grab me as something I couldn't live without. It wasn't until I got to University that I found a new love for the social media and pursued it as a hobby I never thought I would have.

I have always loved photography, pictures of sunsets, sky and beautiful scenery filling my camera roll. And, of course, I'd always thought of sharing these, I just never knew the right way to do it. A month or two into my University life, influenced from a few of my friends' love for the app, I downloaded it, as @beccabeee, and posted my first picture - one of a firework I had taken at a display a day or two prior. I was proud of that picture and, with editing knowledge, the reception was great. My friends all began to follow my account and like the pictures I was posting, my artistic eye and love for pictures finally coming to life. 

From here, I wanted to create a theme, posting three pictures with similar editing (like 'black and white' or a certain tone). I thought this would give a cool effect to my feed and, although I was eager to uphold this, I was still finding out what sort of Instagram-er I wanted to be and what content I wanted to be posting. I tried a variety of things, even a selfie and pictures of everyday life. I knew, though, that although this might suit some, this wasn't where I wanted my Instagram to head. I wanted to have a space to feel like a photographer and show content you wouldn't see everywhere. 

At the start of 2016, my boyfriend Luke, a keen Instagram fan himself, told me he wanted to take his account in a much more artistic direction. He, too, was unsure of what this meant exactly, but we both took steps to pursue the opportunities Instagram can give, and develop this into a hobby we would learn to love. 

Luke showed me the ways of hashtags. Of course, I'd heard of these before, but hadn't known of the great influence they could hold over your work. We found a selection of photography hashtags that we could attach to our pictures to help reach people we didn't know and share our pictures with a wider audience. The first time I tried this, I was blown away at the feedback I received - 55 likes in a single day for a newbie isn't bad. My likes shot up, my notifications flooding with names I didn't know, rather than the friends I normally saw. Comments, too, from new people gave me a confidence to follow this through and begin transforming my photos. 

We began adventuring, seeking out photo opportunities and the found a desire to capture the mundane in an artistic light - sharing things Instagram might never have seen before. I was enjoying Instagram in a way I didn't think I could and I loved it. I loved the way it grew my confidence and the way it let me unleash an artistic passion I'd never had the opportunity to. 

I'm so proud of the content I have produced, my current success (just breaking 200 followers and with several pictures over the 100 like mark) and how I have progressed since that first firework picture. I'm learning how to edit better, capture with more ingenuity and have fun. 

I'm also so proud of Luke and the progress he has made. He's found true love with photography and it's so exciting to watch him throw himself into a hobby and love it so much. The dedication he has is inspirational and I can't wait to see where this will take him. If you want to have a look at his feed, be sure to follow his account @_lukeadcock. Also, if you're looking for tips and tricks to drive your Instagram in a similar direction, he has set up a blog to help everyone find love in photography - https://underscorelukeadcock.wordpress.com. 

I'm sure this post won't be the last of my updates regarding my Instagram journey. Hopefully I'll get round to sharing my tips with you. For now, I'm proud and excited to see where this will take me, so be sure to follow me @beccabeee to join me on the journey. 

~ Becca ~