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How to Take Your Instagram to the Next Level

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at York U chapter.

Social media has quickly become the main source through which we express ourselves, share our lives with others, and can even make a living. While Instagram was used in a more casual manner in the past, its potential for aesthetic profiles and influx of followers have become increasingly apparent. In this article, I outline ways to take your Instagram to the next level. Whether it’s for pure aesthetic or for a hope of turning it into a source of income by gaining a large following, these steps will help you on your journey of kicking your social media presence up a notch! 

consider a theme

A crucial aspect of achieving an aesthetic Instagram feed is by following a certain kind of theme. This will help ensure that your feed is cohesive and looks good together, each post complimenting the next. One of the most popular ways of incorporating a theme into your feed is related to color. This would mean that each post on your profile integrates a specific color into it, whether it be through your clothing or the background. Another way of achieving a theme is through utilizing a specific filter on all your posts. This allows you to have more freedom in what you post, as you can take any picture you like and simply apply the filter to it for cohesiveness on your page. There are endless ways to make your Instagram profile look aesthetic and having a theme is central to this!

FILLER PICTURES

While Instagram is notorious for continuous selfie posts and memories with friends, it’s always a great idea to shake this pattern up a bit. Filler pictures are a great way to do this. They’re images that don’t have you as the focal point. They could be images of things you love, or things you’re doing – the options are endless. Filler pictures are a great tool for expressing your interests and personality outside of the usual selfies and friend posts. It also helps achieve that aesthetic feed by working to fix the clutter from constant pictures of faces! 

PLANNING YOUR POSTS

When considering using a theme and implementing filler pictures into your feed, it may be hard to visualize it all put together to know whether or not you are satisfied with your profile. Lucky for you, there are many apps out there that you can use to visualize your feed before you even post something! Apps like Planoly allow you to organize pictures to see how they look together, and move them around until you love how they look. From there, you can gain confidence in what you want to post before you even post it. Take advantage of apps like these to plan your profile! 

POSTING CONSISTENTLY

When it comes to gaining a following on Instagram, it is crucial to be consistent in your posting. If you are trying to get eyes on your page and maintain your new and current followers, you have to remain memorable and present on social media. This is especially crucial considering how fast-paced social media apps are, with an endless amount of posts being accessible to anyone who is willing to scroll. Like anything else, gaining a following on Instagram requires commitment and consistency. Stick with it, and success will be on its way! 

LOVE YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER

Although Instagram is an incredible tool to use to express yourself, it can also be a harmful source of social comparison and self-esteem issues. Social media makes it incredibly easy to compare yourself and your life to that of others. With this in mind, it’s important to stay true to who you are and what you want to post, instead of trying to be like others who appear on your feed. Love your uniqueness and what you bring to the table! Taking your profile to the next level won’t be enjoyable or worth it if you aren’t being yourself in the process. 

While Instagram is fun when used casually, taking advantage of its potential in a professional sense is just as enjoyable. Whether you’re interested in using Instagram for aesthetic or financial purposes, the advice highlighted in this article guides you towards achieving this goal. Although it takes time and commitment to achieve success on Instagram, it’s a perfect way to express yourself and enjoy your presence on social media!

Megan Weise

York U '23

Through its many forms, writing has always been my outlet for expressing myself and my thoughts. Through my contributions to Her Campus at York U, I'm excited to share my passions and ideas with others!