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Info for Authors – Social Media Guide – Instagram

Instagram Guidelines & Recommendations

Introduction to Instagram

Instagram is a free photo and video sharing app that is part of the Meta network. People can upload photos or videos on the platform and share them with their followers or with a select group of friends. They can also view, comment and like posts shared by other users on Instagram.

Getting Started

Creating an account

You can create an Instagram account by downloading the app or by using the desktop website. Click here for more detailed instructions and if you wish to connect it to an existing Facebook account.

Types of accounts

Instagram offers three profile types: Personal, Business, and Creator. All Instagram accounts start as Personal profiles by default. You can choose to convert a Personal profile to a Business or Creator profile at any time. For most authors, a Creator profile will be the best type of account to have. Here is more information about a Business account vs a Creator account.

Types of content you can share on Instagram

Feed posts: The original form of content on Instagram, photos, videos, and carousels that appear in the main feed of accounts the user is following. Feed posts are viewed in the main home feed, on the explore page, in guides, and sometimes when they are shared to stories.

Carousel post: These are posts with up to 10 images in a single post for viewers to scroll through. Carousel posts are great for posts like sharing a roundup of images from influencers about your book, interiors from your book, or designed graphics such as a recipe that won’t fit in a single image feed post.

Reels: These are a form of short length video, similar to TikToks. The Reels feature allows you to create short videos, to which you can add filters, effects, music, and other creative tools. It is possible to include reels in the classic news feed, where photos and carousels are displayed, but these videos will also be displayed on your profile in a dedicated tab. Reels are generally great for reaching a NEW audience. While your current audience can and will see them, Reels are more about reaching users who don’t currently follow your account.

Stories: With Stories, you can share photos and videos that disappear from your profile, Feed and messages after 24 hours, unless you add them to your profile as story highlights.

Instagram User Tips

Be authentic
People want to follow you, not an internet robot. Make sure your voice and tone are genuine and appropriate to be shared, potentially (hopefully!) widely.

Be an expert and do your research
Build an audience of readers in your area of expertise. Make a list of trendsetters and colleagues within your categories and follow them.

Engage with your audience
Respond to questions and comments from your followers—your audience will love to hear directly from you. You can also ask questions to your followers—Instagram has a few different tools that allow you to do this easily; you can either ask a question as a regular post or go use the “polls” or “questions” feature on Story. Other ways to engage with your followers and the larger audience is to like and comment on posts you enjoy. Reshare on story posts that feel relevant. Build rapport with your followers and the people you follow.

Engage beyond your page
Participate in conversations online by commenting on the posts of people you follow or on posts you are tagged in by others. Follow people who inspire you—this could be anyone, not just fellow authors! Be mindful that you’re not only promoting your content but share interesting articles and participate in conversations that aren’t just about you or your book.

Hashtags—feel free to use them, but use them sparingly

A great way to get more eyes on your post is to use hashtags on your Instagram in-feed posts. You don’t need to do too many—choose three to five relevant, popular hashtags that you think will attract people interested in your content. To see what kind of traction a hashtag has you can type it into the search box and see what comes up.

Tagging people and businesses

A great way to engage with other accounts online is by tagging them in your post. Some examples of easy tagging include:

  • You’re sharing your book cover—feel free to tag the illustrator/artist if they’re on that social platform.
  • Tag the bookstore you had an author event at or spotted your book in.
  • All major publications are on social media and you can tag them if you’re sharing a press hit that mentions you or your book.
  • Always feel free to tag your publisher in any posts about your book!

You can also tag that celebrity or brand you think might love your post. Just be thoughtful and selective about it because if they do see it, you want it to be the right one. A reshare by someone who has a large audience can be invaluable.

It doesn’t always have to be original content

Share videos or photos to something you find interesting through your stories posts. This may be in line with what you do or just in relation to it. The goal is to be consistent in your posting so that when you do have personal and promotional content that you are proud to share, your audience will see it because they have been engaging with your page on a regular basis.

Link in profile bio

Links in feed posts, carousels and reels are not clickable. You’ll often see the phrase “link in bio.” or “link in profile” in users captions on the platform. This is because URLs on these post types are not clickable in the platform, but you can include links in your bio.

You can only include up to five links in your profile through the Instagram platform. Because of this limitation many creators use a third-party tool to create extra page links. We recommend linking to your author site (if you have one) or your author page.

Content Tips and Ideas

Like most social media platforms, sharing unique and interesting content on Instagram and engaging with relevant posts is the essential strategy to attract more followers and fans. Below are some ideas to help you get started:

  • Share a photo of your workspace—give sneak peeks of excerpts, cover ideas, etc.
  • Share photos or videos from events or conventions
  • Share the exciting moment you hold a copy of your book for the first time
  • Share photos that let followers get to know more about you as an author
  • Share pictures of places that inspired your book, share what you are reading, always take a picture of your pet with your book (seriously!)
  • You can also showcase a little more of your personality using the “stories” feature. “Stories” can be a still photo or a video that’s up to to 60-seconds long accessed on the home page of Instagram by swiping right on your feed. Once opened, the Story camera allows users a variety of filters and cameras to experiment with. Swipe up in the camera to add interactive polls, stickers, and more! Learn more about Instagram Stories here.
  • Be sure to save your “Stories” and use the highlight feature to pin important stories to your profile.

To sum up, remember the CARE tactics to keep in mind for success on Instagram:

Consistency: Try to post at least once a day or multiple times per week. Don’t forget that there are multiple content types and it’s important to post across the content types (feed posts, Stories, Reels, longer videos).

Authenticity: Be real—what are you up to? What are you interested in? What behind the scenes looks can you show? Followers want to feel like they have an inside line to an author, like a friend that they have a personal relationship with. Content does not need to be super polished—engagement is typically higher on content that feels more behind the scenes/casual. But photos shared should always have a high resolution and optimally sized for Instagram.

Relevancy: Join the conversation during culturally relevant moments. If there is a conversation happening online that is relevant to all of you, you should be chiming in—maybe this manifests itself in talking about advice or an article that’s making waves, or there’s a video going viral related to your expertise/the book—those are great opportunities to join the conversation.

Engagement: Responding to comments is essential and can help lead to better distribution of your content (AKA it’s good for the algorithm!). Commenting on content from other accounts can also help build follower account, so it’s a great idea to jump into the conversation in the comments on other accounts!

Instagram Shop

  • Product tags allow you to highlight items from your catalog directly in your images and videos, so your fans can easily tap on a tag and learn more about your product.
  • Reach out to your specific imprint’s social media manager/team about their Instagram Shop catalog.
  • Learn more about Instagram shopping here: https://business.instagram.com/shopping

Resources

For the latest in product development, trending topics and app updates, follow the Instagram Creators account: https://www.instagram.com/creators/

The Instagram Help Center provides FAQs and other ways to support questions or account issues: https://help.instagram.com/

The Instagram blog (or newsroom) is a fantastic resource for new products, app updates, trends and updates on what is working on the platform: https://about.instagram.com/blog

Best practices on image sizes for Instagram: https://help.instagram.com/1631821640426723