Worried that you might be making some Instagram mistakes that are harming your profile?
In this blog post, I’ll be highlighting the things that you can do better on Instagram.
Mistakes and how you can correct them to make the best of one of the most popular social media platforms.
Table Of Contents
Are you making any of these 10 Instagram mistakes?
1. Buying followers/likes/views
Buying followers might fool small brands into collaborating with you but the good ones, the brand names that matter, recognize a fake influencer from a mile away.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not all about numbers.
When you’ve 100k followers but average-quality content, it is more than obvious that those are not real followers.
Buying followers will only make you feel good about the number of followers showing up on your profile. It doesn’t have any other benefit.
Growing your Instagram profile is something that requires consistency. That’s one of the reasons it is challenging.
Because most of us are looking for instant results.
Buying followers also harms your organic reach on Instagram. The Instagram algorithm recognizes such activity and it won’t push your content to new people who might actually be interested in your posts. All because of those fake followers.
Also Read: How To Create Reels Like A Pro Using Templates On Instagram: 3-Step Guide
2. Not using the link in the bio feature
No matter what kind of a creator or small biz you are, I’m sure you have a link that you can put in the bio.
Increase the visibility of the link, which can be of your website, portfolio, or simply a page that has links to your social profiles.
Try out Later, Tap Bio and Milkshake. They are free-to-use tools for creating a page of link-in-bio.
3. Not putting out the best info in your Instagram bio
Your bio is one of the things a person looks at when they visit your profile.
Don’t waste the opportunity to make a good first impression.
Use the bio to tell people who you are, what you do, what you’re an expert in, and how they can contact you for any queries.
Bio also plays a role in SEO-optimizing your profile. Use the keywords for which you want to show up.
For example, like me, if you’re a Photographer, you can put the following in your bio (*city name*) Photographer.
4. Using wrong and too many hashtags
This is one of the most common Instagram mistakes I see people making.
Hashtags should be about the content you’re posting. The words that are related to the photo/video you’re publishing.
Don’t use a hashtag just because it’s popular and has many posts in it. The more posts there are in a hashtag, the more difficult it will be for your post to actually gain traction through that hashtag.
A tip that I often use myself is to put hashtags in the comments.
It keeps the caption of the post clean and makes it look better. Don’t worry, hashtags still work in the same way even when they’re in a comment.
Use a maximum of 10-15 hashtags.
5. Losing the will and being inconsistent
Slow and steady wins the race.
It takes time to build a loyal audience and to create a signature look for your content that people start to recognize on Instagram.
Your Instagram reels might not get good views from the start. But the results will start showing up once you’ve been consistent for 30 days!
Don’t just post content. Think of what are your goals with each post that you’re making. Is it interesting? Will it urge people to share or save it?
6. Not replying to comments and DMs
Getting comments and DMs means people are looking to connect with you.
Don’t shy away from making conversations with them. Vanishing from Instagram after making a post isn’t going to be helpful.
You need to be present on the platform and engage with fellow creators. How else will new people stumble on your profile?
You never know what opportunities come from where.
Reply to the comments you get on your posts and when you’ve got the time, visit their profile and leave a few comments on their posts too.
It’s just general etiquette you can follow if you’d like. And I think you should.
You can’t expect to go far on a social network without interacting with other people. So it is a mistake to disregard the responses to your posts.
Also Read: Guide To Social Media Collaborations: Listen up Creators!
7. Not posting video content
Not posting video content is a huge Instagram mistake.
I know, I wasn’t fond of videos that much too. But it is as clear as it can be that Instagram is actively pushing video content to its users.
Go to your home feed and scroll for a while.
See how many video posts come up compared to photo posts.
You can post Instagram reels even if you don’t shoot videos much. There are plenty of ways to use photos creatively to edit an Instagram reel.
Here are some Instagram reels ideas with photos:
Use this template and add photos instead of videos-
Show off your photography skills or pictures from a day out like this one-
Show before and after –
8. Being inactive on Instagram stories
Stories are the place where you should be sharing your raw and candid self.
Create interactive & engaging Instagram stories using polls and other stickers.
Ask people questions, start up a conversation on a trending topic, etc. Share what you’re doing in your day, what books you’re reading, what you’re currently bingeing, and the new cafe you found and loved.
Also Read: 7 Apps For Making Catchy Animated Instagram Stories
9. Not using analytics, the GOLD MINE!
You can get access to the professional dashboard by converting your account type to professional/creator. Private accounts don’t get access.
Using the analytics, you can figure out which kind of posts attract the most number of shares and saves, what timings work for you, and where is most of your audience from.
10. Spamming in DMs
Now, this happens to me every day.
People DM me their every Instagram post and Instagram reels, I don’t know why?
It looks extremely spammy and too desperate. If you want a fellow creator to drop by and discover your content, engage with their content first and they will most probably return the favor.
Absolutely don’t DM or comment asking people to follow you back.
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