If you’re reading this blog post, you are most likely either interested in starting an instagram account or already have. My best advice to anyone and everyone: Start today. For most of us, the hardest part is just starting and getting over the fear of putting ourselves out there. Here’s the thing— you will never feel ready.
I wanted to formulate this blog post to talk about some of my best tips when it comes to starting an instagram account about your journey. I received so many positive messages after my feature on The Wellness Marketers Podcast (if you haven’t listened yet, you must!), which made me really want to expand some of my knowledge and more so experience to you.
First off, I want you to ask yourself, what are you hoping to get out of this? If it’s for passion and to connect with other people, I think you’re on the right path. But if it’s for the status, free products, follower count, then you may need to find a deeper reason. One thing I can tell you for certain, is that people will notice your reasoning and mission before you may even notice it. If there isn’t enough passion behind your why, you may find yourself quitting when things get tough.
Instagram looks fun and desirable through the screen, but the behind the scenes are what many people don’t see. It’s the hard work that does into it every single day. It took me 3 years to get to where I am at today, and I still feel like I need to learn more about it! If you feel passionate enough to fight through the thick of it, then you need to start, and you need to start today! One thing I can say for sure is that my instagram account has really helped me find confidence in my voice. It truly is one of the best things I have ever done for myself.
Here are some of my tips on starting your instagram account:
Don’t worry too much about a name. I’ve switched mine twice and it never changed a thing. You will never be fully ready. Use your first name and something that resonate with you and what your page is dedicated to. If a more personal name comes to you later on, you can always change it then. If you wait too long, you may miss the opportunity of building that motivation up again.
Think about what your mission is. How do you want your audience to learn from you? What is your motivation? Write it down and remember that.
BE CONSISTENT! This is HUGE. Get real with yourself for a minute, and think about how many times you can show up on your page per week. If that’s five times (I totally recommend this if you are just starting out) or three times a week. Make that promise to yourself and your community because they want to know when they can expect to hear (or see) from you.
Understand that one of the biggest reasons why many successful people make it “big” on instagram is because of their patience. It’s a jog, not a race (I think that’s what the expression is). Patience is seriously key! If you can stick through the slow times, I promise you that reward is waiting for you.
Find like minded friends on instagram and support their pages. I can easily say that some of my best friends are from instagram— and that’s pretty insane. Comment, like, share and engage on these accounts. That small impact you made on your friends page will come back to you.
Be authentic and vulnerable. My instagram started to grow more consistently when I started to get more honest and raw with my audience. We want to get to know the person behind those beautiful food photos. We want to know what brought you here, what you struggle with, what you’ve overcome, because that’s how you build trust with your audience.
Use hashtags that solve a problem. Instead of using hashtags like #feedfeed, use something like #IBSsupport or #antibloatingtips. These will attract those people who are actually searching this hashtag in a way to support or find relief to their health concerns (if health oriented, of course). This will directly help your ideal client get on your page.
These are just a few tips, but if you enjoyed this blog post and want more, please let me know! I hope I inspired you to chase after your dream, whatever that may be. Let me know in my dms if you used any of these tips and follow me on instagram to see more at @nourishwithjass.
Thanks for reading :)
-Jass