Getting Started on Instagram
You can create an Instagram account by downloading the app or by using the desktop website. Create a username and password, and add your name, a profile photo, biography, and a link to your website by selecting ‘Edit Profile.’ These are editable afterward. Adding contact info such as your email, phone number, and website are optional.
You can choose to follow friends and contacts through the upper-right hand hamburger menu > Settings > Follow and Invite Friends, or simply search for names and usernames. You can add friends at any time from within your account. You have the option to make your profile private, but for the profile to support your professional identity as a writer you would want to keep it public.
Let your Facebook and Twitter followers know you are on Instagram by sharing your username.
Types of Accounts
Personal, Business, and Creator accounts are the three types of account you can use. Personal accounts are the default. Switching between types of accounts can be accessed through the upper-right hamburger menu on your profile page. In Settings > Account switch to other account types by tapping on the blue text at the bottom. Select a category and tap Done.
Read more about the different capabilities of Business accounts and Creator accounts/tools in these two articles:
Interface
- The home tab shows a feed of photos posted by you and your friends. You can like and comment on photos in this feed. Swipe right to view Direct Messages and swipe left to access the Stories camera. Add and view other IGTV videos by tapping the TV symbol at the top right of your Feed.
- Use the Explore tab to find new and interesting people to follow, search for other users, and explore hashtags.
- The Camera tab allows you to take photos with the Instagram camera, or share photos from your device's image library.
- News Feed displays likes and comments on your own posts, and lets you see photos and videos that your followers are liking and commenting on. It also lists follower requests if your profile is private.
- The Profile tab shows your bio and Instagram photos/videos. It's also where you can edit your Profile information and adjust your Account Settings.
Posting Photos
- To create a post on Instagram, you can select a photograph from your library, or take a photo or video with your mobile device. If you are taking a new photo you have the option to use a flash, reverse the camera, and tap to adjust focus and lighting. Once you have the photo selected you can edit it by applying a filter and editing aspects like brightness, contrast, and saturation.
- After editing, you have the option to add a caption, include your location, post to other Instagram accounts you may have and post to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. You can also Turn Off Commenting and more in advanced settings.
- Tag other users by either tapping and tagging them within the photo or typing @ and their username within the caption, and use hashtags to connect to similar Instagram posts made by other users.
Delete a Caption or a Comment
You can delete a caption or a comment by tapping the “View Comments” grey text on a post and swiping your finger to the right in order to reveal a trash can icon and a reply icon. To delete an entire post, tap the “...” symbol and hit the red Delete text.
Sharing Through Other Platforms
Link other social media network accounts by going to the upper-right hand corner hamburger menu on your profile page > Settings > Account > Linked Accounts, and proceed to sign in.
Posting Videos
The video feature allows you to record and post videos within the app. Your video can be 3-60 seconds long. After recording, tap Next to add a filter, trim, edit the cover, and share your video.
Best Practices for Using #hashtags on Instagram
- Be Specific. Choosing specific tags will help you connect with other like-minded people on Instagram.
- Be Relevant. Relevant tags will help you attract new followers who will take a genuine interest in your posts and continue liking and commenting on your photos and videos over time.
- Be Observant. Pay attention to the other hashtags used on posts that use the same tag as yours. You may discover a popular hashtag you hadn’t thought of on your own.
Ways Authors and Publishers Can Utilize Instagram
Like most social media platforms, sharing unique and interesting content on Instagram is the essential strategy to attract more followers and fans. Instagram can be just as interactive as Facebook and Twitter, giving your followers a glimpse into the writing/publishing process and letting them share the experience with you. With the photojournalism aspect of this platform, it’s an exciting and creative way to forge a personal connection with your readers.
- Share a photo of a writer’s workspace—give sneak peeks of excerpts, cover ideas, etc.
- Share photos or videos from author 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 or your staff
- 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” are 15-second long videos 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.
- Try the Instagram Live feature! Instagram Live is also accessed in the left-most option in Insta Stories. When going live, Instagram will notify a selection of your followers to join the session. Learn more about starting a live video on Instagram here.
- For longer videos over 1 minute, you can upload via the IGTV icon next to the direct message icon in the top-right corner of your home page. Videos can be up to 15 minutes long when uploaded from a mobile device. IGTV videos appear on your feed and in a separate tab on your profile. Learn more about IGTV here.
Instagram Sample Content Ideas
- To help build your Instagram following, consider doing some galley and/or finished copy giveaways, where readers must ‘like’ the post and follow you to enter for a chance to win.
- We recommend using hashtags on Instagram for both book and non-book related content. You can use up to 30 hashtags per post, and we recommend using a minimum of 11 to improve your engagement and discoverability on the channel. Below are some of the most popular book-related hashtags:
- Books: #books #bookstagram #book #reading #bookworm #booklover #read #love #bookish #instabook #bibliophile #booknerd #bookshelf #bookaddict #author #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookphotography #booksofinstagram #booksofig #igreads #igbooks #bookstack #weneeddiversebooks #bookstack #booksinthewild
- Writing: #writing #writer #writersofinstagram #words #quote #life #writersofig #writingcommunity #writers #writerscommunity #amwriting #authorlife #authorsofinstagram
Instagram Analytics
To access your Instagram Analytics, you must first convert your profile to a business account by following these instructions. With a business account you’ll gain access to your analytics in two ways:
- On your profile page, click on the drop-down menu in the top right corner of the screen to gain access to your account-related analytics.
- For data on individual posts:
- Click into your post from the profile page
- Click “View Insights”
- Swipe up to see the full report on that specific post
Author Instagram Account Examples
Helena Hunting
Jodi Ellen Malpas
Jennifer L. Armentrout