I’m certainly no social media expert.   In fact, I get very little blog traffic from Facebook which is the most popular social network.   There are only so many hours in a day so I invest the majority of my social media time on Instagram.   I have been lucky to grow my account rather quickly compared to some and I get messages just about every day asking for advice so I rounded up my best tips into one post for those who might be interest.

I started my blog nearly a year ago and a few weeks later a corresponding Instagram account.  My first pictures are quite amusing but by the time I hit the 1 year mark next month I should be at 30,000 followers.  I never would have dreamed that was possible.  I remember begging my husband to follow me so I could see my follower count hit 100!   So truly I am so grateful for all the support!  Like most things in life – it takes a village.

Tips To Grow A Fashion Blog Instagram Account

1. Content is King: Be choosy about what you post.  In the end you want your pictures to speak for you.  When people click to your feed they only see the first 9 photos.   People you don’t know won’t continue to follow you if you post boring content.  Beautiful pictures will keep people wanting to see more from you.  I personally don’t show many pictures of my kids.  Of course I think they’re adorable but I don’t think people who only know me on the internet care much about pictures of the ins and outs of my children’s daily life.

2. Create a theme: I don’t wear many bright colors or patterns and it’s not something I show in my feed.  That’s my style or “brand” as the fashion world refers to it.  My colors and theme are more muted.  That is my style so it keeps things cohesive and lets people who find me have an idea of what to expect if they follow me.  Whatever your style is – let it drive your theme.  Stay consistent so people who follow you because they like your style will stick with you.

3. Engage with others in your niche:  It’s called SOCIAL media for a reason.  I can’t tell you how quickly you’ll make virtual friends.   Instagram has been like free match.com for girlfriends for me!   I’ve met so many funny and kind people in my blogging journey.  Most of my local friends are moms as well so we don’t have wild nights out very often – so I congregate with my blog pals and share pictures most nights of what (we wish) we wore that day.  Show your appreciation for those who support you!  Thank those who took the time to comment on your pictures and as best you can return the favor.  As a mom of 2 I don’t always have the time to do this on every pictures but I try my best.  Also, making a blog bestie gives you someone to bounce ideas off of and see what’s working for others.

4. Hashtag, hashtag, hashtag:  If you want to be discovered this is how many people stumble upon accounts they might not already follow.  Instagram allows 30 hashtags per pic.  I try to add 30 to every picture.  I add around 5 hashtags specific to my picture at the end of my caption.  I keep a list in the “note” section of my iPhone with about 25 popular style hashtags (#ootd, #outfitpost, etc) and then add that in the comment section below my caption.

5. Crosstag and Geotag: You never know where people are looking for pictures.  Perhaps they’re looking at pictures tagged under Gap’s Instagram feed or wanting to see how someone is styling Abercrombie sweaters.  I also tag accounts that report fashion posts like @ootd_channel, who has reposted me several times and @stilkolik, etc.  There are hundreds.  Find the feeds that might line up with your aesthetic and tag them in hopes of a repost.

6. Be authentic: Are you intellectual? Funny? A health nut?   Whatever you are – let it shine!!!  I try to add some humor into my posts because in the real world I am sarcastic and not on the cutting edge of style.  I want people to follow me and engage with my content so I figure even if my picture is a flop maybe they can relate to my stories about my kids, husband, insecurities – whatever it is I’m talking about that shows I’m just a real girl who is growing the confidence to put herself out there!

7. Quantity:  While you want to put out beautiful content you can’t spend 6 hours shooting every picture.  I have gotten away from pretty filler pictures and instead just put in iPhone pictures of my more everyday outfits that aren’t worth writing a blog post about.  These are relatable because most people are wearing everyday outfits.

8. Ax your face:  Cutting my head out of pictures generally makes them more well received on Instagram.   I tell myself this is because then people can see themselves in the clothes and not just because they hate my mug.   Either way – if you’re aiming for likes and followers – I have found cutting my head off helps me gain more of both.

9.  Mention price: If you’re a style blogger trying to interest people in buying things you’re show on your feed I find it helpful to mention price.  High or low in my opinion people are more likely to check out your items if they have a ball park price range.

10.  Repost pictures that did well:   If I had a picture that got 3,000 likes and I notice the jacket I wore in that picture has gone on sale I will repost to let followers know about the sale in case they were on the fence about purchasing.   Readers who were on the fence might be swayed at a lower price and you have the benefit of gaining more followers thanks to a picture you already know will do well.

11.  What did well?  Repeat it!   Something simple like mirror selfies does really well for me.   Like I said above – brands are not going to reach out to me or repost my content if I’m only posting mirror selfies but they’re relatable and easy.   I do them when my kids nap and I don’t even have to put make-up on because I hold my phone in front of my face!    Find your top 3 pictures and try to recreate similar outfits and photos to repeat your success.

More than anything – be nice!   Not just in the Instagram world but in everything.   “A candle loses nothing by lighting another” (I’m not sure who said this but I LOVE IT!!).  Mean people might get ahead in the game, but not in the game of life, and the game of life is certainly more important than social media.

As always if you have questions feel free to reach out!  I respond to direct messages on Instagram.  I’d be happy to help you if I can.