Instagram….Presentation makes the post interesting…..

I am relatively new on Instagram having got fully involved only in Sep 21. I had opened an Instagram account a couple of years back but rarely posted or interacted.

People join social platforms for varied reasons. I opened the new account in Sep with the basic aim of sharing my photographs. I must admit here that I am an amateur photographer on the path of learning.

The last three months I have spent on Insta have been an eye opener. It is not just a platform to post content and interact with people having similar interests but more than that it facilitates learning. One can learn whatever one desires on these sites.

Instagram …. Lessons learnt thus far….

The very first thing I learnt was the difference between posting a content and making a presentation. I used to just post photographs I clicked and was happy with the support I got. Then one fine day I got a message from a person I had been following “Can I give you some suggestions on posting content if you open to it?”. I immediately replied in affirmative. After a long wait I got a list of dos and don’ts of content posting.

The gist of the list was that content doesn’t have to be just posted. It should be presented in a way that it appeals to others. The photograph is to be carefully taken/selected, edited, and presented to include a short brief (caption) and imaginative tagging to make it more informative and interesting.

One got to be original to last longer. Authentic content is what finally lasts. It is not a 100-metre dash but a marathon in which you got to not just last but do well also. You got to play the game your way, develop content your own way.

It is always better to develop a niche and create quality content. I realised even for a photographer it is better to stick to a select field like wildlife, heritage/ history, or tourism to name a few. There are numerous like me who post nicely edited pictures of flowers everyday but what will carry you far is the specialisation. Pictures of flowers can be clicked from anywhere and posted. To be a wildlife photographer or click meaningful pictures of monuments it requires effort and time.

Followers and likes matter in this game of content marketing. There are different types of followers, some who follow the face and there are others who follow the content. There are some who follow you so that you follow them ie they are just numbers. Be happy with the numbers of followers you have. What matter is how many of them like the content you post and how many can get you more genuine followers.

One must post new content regularly to keep the interest of the followers alive – consistency matters. A fixed time interval(schedule) between posts helps. Do not post too often in a day, you will not be able to maintain quality and people will lose interest. Make effective use of the stories and reels option to keep the existing followers engaged and add new.

Keep your eyes and ears open to not just learn but also keep in touch with reality. Follow and if possible, interact with good content creators to learn more and more.

Keep abreast with latest technology and use it effectively to create good content.

Lastly, your social behaviour matters as much on social platforms as it matters in real life. If right intent is there one can make worthwhile friends here.

Conclusion….

I have shared what I have learnt from my fellow creators. Take it whatever it is worth. I found it very useful specially the authenticity and presenting and not just posting aspects. People use multi methods to get noticed and acquire followers. These include good content, promotions, collaborations or just buying them the choice is yours. Whatever choice one makes it should be remembered that content will always reign supreme.

Instagram and my Love for photography….

Hobby…. A companion for life….