Hey guys! Today I am going to share my daily Instagram routine with you. Sometimes it varies slightly, but for the most part I try to stick to this process daily.
I also might add that I currently only post on Monday-Friday so my weekends on Instagram look a little bit different as well.
Ok, let’s jump in!
Jump ahead to...
Getting my content ready to post
I generally try to have my posts ready in advance, but sometimes that doesn’t always happen. I often find myself scrambling to get a post ready 30 minutes before my posting time, even though that is not ideal haha!
Choosing what photo to use
The first thing I do is select a picture. I try to use high quality photos that are aesthetically attractive. Usually I try to plan my content in advance and have my pictures already shot. If you don’t want to use your own pictures, you can also use stock photos from free picture resources like Pexels.
After I’ve chosen what picture I am going to use, I always edit it. You can edit your photos right on the Instagram app, but I prefer to use the SnapSeed and Adobe Lightroom apps for my photo editing.
Personally, I like to use presets on all of my photos to give my account a more unified/aesthetic feel, but presets are in no way required!
Tagging accounts on my photos
When I post a picture that contains anything related to other accounts, I try to tag them. For instance, when I post a picture of our 5th wheel, I am going to tag Keystone RV Company. Or if I post a picture of our new RV shower head, then I am going to tag Oxygenics.
There are also accounts dedicated to reposting other people’s pictures. You can tag these accounts in hopes that they may repost your photo and gain you extra visibility to your account.
Tagging other accounts is totally optional, but it’s a great way to drive extra viewers to your posts!
Writing my captions
Next up, captions! This is probably the most time consuming part of getting my posts ready. Sometimes captions come to me easy, and other times it takes a lot of brain power!
Something I do want to express here is that your captions are EXTREMELY important!! This is where you are going to compel your audience to actually engage with you. You want to make sure you do a really good job with it.
Your caption is allowed to contain up to 2,200 characters although mine rarely ever come close to that. I try to make them long enough to captivate my audience, but not so long that they get bored and scroll past.
Using emojis
When appropriate, I use emojis in my captions. Usually I add one at the end of each paragraph.
Emojis are a really great way to show the emotions you are trying to portray to your readers! A lot of times, when you are reading something, you can misunderstand what the writer is trying to convey, and emojis help keep that from happening. Plus, they’re bright and attractive and can help draw attention to your caption.
Always add a call to action
I try to always include a call to action…usually more than one! At the end of my post I will ask a relevant question that I think is interesting to my followers and I always ask them to answer it! This could be a simple question or a more involved question. I will leave a few examples below:
Do you have any pets? If so, what kinds?
If you could choose to travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Would you rather vacation on the beach, or in the mountains?
Do you like to play games? If so, what are some of your favorites?
These are all simple questions, but they compel my audience to answer and engage on my post. The more engagement you get, the more Instagram is going to show your post to new people!
I also ask people to follow my account at the end of each post. I usually say something like “Follow our adventures here –> @adventures_with_tucknae” That way, if someone is reading my post via hashtag search, they can easily click through my profile and follow me!
Choosing my hashtags
Instagram allows you to use a maximum of 30 hashtags per post.
I have written an entire post on “The Ultimate Guide to Hashtags in 2021” where I go in depth about how I choose and properly use hashtags. You can read that post here.
Properly spacing my captions
The last thing I do to get my posts ready, is make sure I have the proper spacing. Instagram is funny about not leaving the spaces you put between your lines so I use the Caption Writer app. I copy/paste my caption into the app and then select “Copy with spaces”. Then, I paste it into Instagram and it maintains my spaces.
What I do before I actually post
Ok, so I finally have my post ready to go, but I’m not going to post it right away. I want to introduce you to something in my daily Instagram routine called The 30/30 Rule…
The 30/30 rule
You’re probably thinking, what in the world is that?!
The 30/30 rule is simply this…I actively engage with current and prospective followers via hashtags for 30 minutes before, and 30 minutes after I post. If I’m running short on time on any given day, sometimes this ends up being only 15 minutes before, but I always try to engage before I post.
I usually click through about half of my hashtags before, and half after. I scroll through the “Recent” category of each hashtag and engage with the posts there. If an account appears to be someone from my “ideal audience” (blog post on this coming soon), then I will click through their account and like/comment on several of their most recent posts. If I enjoy their content then I usually follow them as well.
This might seem like a waste of time, but I promise you it is well worth it! I’ve found that when I skip this and go straight to posting, my account reach and engagement goes down drastically. Doing this also shows Instagram a boost of your engagement in those hashtags and your post will be more likely to end up in the top nine.
Finally time to post!
Ok, now that I’ve engaged for 30 minutes, I am finally ready to post! You’re going to want to figure out when your followers are most active and try to post at that time.
What now?
Immediately after I post, I share my post to my stories and let people know I have a new post up. I usually cover at least part of the photo so that people are intrigued enough to click through and see what I’ve posted.
Another thing that I do, is go to my other personal accounts and like/save my new post. This helps give it a little boost right away!
Staying active & engaging
After I post, I try to stay active on Instagram for an hour. Sometimes I can only stay on for 30 mins or so, but it’s important that you remain active for the first period of time after you post.
I usually spend this time flipping back and forth between engaging with people on my new post, and engaging on other people’s posts. If I didn’t have time to work through all of my hashtags before I posted, then I try to finish that as well.
It is SUPER key for you to reply to comments as soon as possible! If I reply to a comment right away, then that person is likely to still be active on Instagram and I can engage back and forth with them. If it’s fitting I might ask them a question in return or even just chat back and forth right there on my post. This increases the amount of comments on my post, and in turn boosts my post in the Instagram algorithm.
The first 30 minutes to an hour after you post are generally what is going to determine the reach of your post. If I end up with a lot of engagement on my post right away, then Instagram recognizes my post as something people are enjoying and it shows it to more and more people. This is also going to give me a better chance of trending in hashtags and reaching more people.
Another thing I try to do is return engagement. If someone likes/comments on my post, then I generally go to their page (if it’s public) and like their recent posts and comment if I want to. This shows people that you genuinely care about them and that you’re interested in their lives as well.
After an hour or so, I generally hop off of Instagram and work on other things. However, if I see a comment come through, and I’m able, I will reply to it.
Other things I try to do daily
There’s a few other things that I try to do on Instagram every day.
Being present on Instagram stories
My daily instagram routine also includes being present on Instagram stories. Stories is where I try to give my followers a little glimpse behind the scenes into my daily life. This might be pictures of my dog, what I’m cooking for lunch, or just sharing a funny story about something that happened.
People enjoy seeing/hearing the person behind an Instagram account. As often as I’m able, I try to post short video snippets as well. This actually builds a bond with my followers and helps them feel like they know me better and trust me.
I like to post daily quotes as well and I’ve had really great feedback about that!
People also enjoy engaging in polls and asking questions on stories. This or that polls have been especially popular in my experience!
Engaging with new accounts
Every day I try to engage with new accounts either via hashtags, or from connecting on other people’s posts. I absolutely love “meeting” and talking to new people! It’s a lot of fun to connect with them and learn what you have in common!
In a post coming soon, I will be teaching you a lot of my Instagram growth tips and tricks. One of them is how you can engage with 100 new accounts in your niche everyday–It’s a lot easier than you may think!
Reply to DMs
A part of my daily Instagram routine, I try to reply to all of my DMs and message requests. Unless they’re spam, I try to reply to everyone that takes the time out of their day to message me…the least I can do is return the favor!
Keeping track of my Instagram growth
One of the last things I do before going to bed every day, is write down my ending follower count for the day. I really love being able to look back over the month and assess my account growth! I have created a free printable Instagram growth tracker for you that you can enjoy below!
And that’s a wrap!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my daily Instagram routine. I hope that you’ve learned something useful!
If you would like to learn more of my Instagram tips and tricks, then please sign up for my email newsletter! I promise, I’m not going to spam you and you can opt out at any time π
If you have any questions feel free to reach out!
You can find me on Instagram here or you can send me an email here!
Great job!!! ππ»ππ» Learned so much that I will be implementing on my Instagram page. Thanks for sharing!!! π
I’m so glad you found it helpful! π Thanks for taking the time to read!
Great post! Thank you for sharing all of this! I never thought about tagging accounts on our photos and see how this could help to increase engagement. I also love your tip about thoughtful comments; this is something we focus on too! Itβs always interesting to see folks that donβt put in much effort there, have spelling mistakes, etc. β this deters me from wanting to engage with their content at times. And, who doesnβt love emojis! Good tip π I also never thought about having a specific call to action to follow our account, but again, what a great idea, especially if you are using hashtags where lots of people who are seeing your content probably donβt already follow you. I canβt wait to hear more about your hashtag research; that would be a really helpful post!
XOXO
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post! π Iβm so glad you found it helpful! β₯οΈ I canβt wait to share more tips soon! I will try to have my hashtag post up in the near future βΊοΈ
Thank you so much for sharing!! Great article, easy to follow and fun to read. I learned several things from this article. Looking forward to following your blog and adventures on IG.
Hi Cory! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post. Iβm so glad you found it helpful! π
Great info! Love the inside scoop on your posting strategies. 30/30 is awesome π Will give it a try, thanks for your tipsπ – @bluemoon_rv
So glad you found it helpful! Thanks for taking the time to read! π
Thank you! I havenβt been interacting with my hashtags but will do it from now on!
Awesome!! Youβve got this girl! βΊοΈπ
This is a great post. Thank you for sharing your routine! I will definitely be putting them to use! π
Iβm so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for taking the time to read it! βΊοΈβ₯οΈ
Thanks for these tips. I’ve been active on instagram for a while but I never heard of these tips before.
Iβm so glad you found it helpful! π thanks for taking the time to read it π
You covered so much good information! I need to implement the 30/30 rule for sure and I agree it is so hard to come up with good captions
Thanks so much for reading! Iβm glad you found it helpful π
Great tips, thanks for sharing! I’ll admit I’ve been slacking a bit on Instagram lately, I will definitely implement your tips going forwards π
Iβm so glad you enjoyed it! π youβve got this, good luck! ππΌ
I loved this list! It’s so through and detailed. You listed everything that needs to go into maintaining an Instagram as a blogger. I never knew about the 30/30 rule so I’m going to start to use it from now on.
Thanks! π thatβs made a big difference for me! ππΌ
Great post, Janae!!! Thank you for all the tips, I’ll try them for my instagram which needs all the help it can get haha
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and Iβm glad you found it helpful! π₯° good luck with your Instagram! π
These are fantastic tips! Love the 30/30 rule!
Thank you so much! π₯°
great post I need to learn insta and this will definitely help
Iβm so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for reading! π
Enjoying reading your thoughts and how you plan, engage, etc. We are about to embark on our FT RV journey and I will put this info to good use! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for reading, Iβm glad you found it helpful! π
Full time RV life is amazing!! Youβre going to love it βΊοΈ Feel free time reach out if you ever have any questions…weβve been full time for 15 months ππ
Thank you for informative post! I have instagram , but I don`t really have time to pay attention on it. Plus I didn`t know where to start. I will follow your tips!
Thanks for taking the time to read! Good luck π
I didn’t know you could leave spaces in your captions like that – great post!
That was such a relief when I found that app haha! π thanks for reading! ππΌ
This was really helpful information, especially because Iβm new to IG. Thank you!
Iβm so glad you found it helpful! Thanks for reading! π
These are great tips! Iβve been struggling with engagement on Instagram so Iβll definitely give these a try! Thanks!
Awesome, good luck! π
Great post! Iβll definitely try out some of your tips!
Thank you so much! βΊοΈ I hope you find them helpful!
Such great tips!
Thanks so much! π
Thank you, these are great ideas!!
So glad you found it helpful π
These were great tips! I’m definitely going to try the 30/30 rule next time I post!
Awesome! I hope it helps you out π
Hey this is a great post! I tried to share it to Pinterest but you dont have a Pin image to share?!
Also, I tried to Follow you on Twitter and you dont have Twitter either?!
Twitter is the BEST Social for Bloggers to share conent! Its the only social media that allows you to post text AND Links ANND have people ReTweet it!
Thanks so much for the feedback! I will get a Pin image up shortly π
Yes, we actually do have Twitter! @tucknae
I still have a lot to learn about Twitter. It probably stumps me more than any of the other social media sites haha!
This post was so helpful! I loved it. Thank you for sharing!! I will definitely be implementing these strategies asap π
Iβm so glad you found it helpful Camila! π
Brilliant!
Glad you enjoyed it! π
Thank you ! I love that you provided real actions to take! Iβll follow through and letβs see what happens!
Iβm so glad you found it helpful! π
I’ve been working on upping my Instagram game and I’ve learned so much reading through your routine. Certainly with be trying out your 30/30 rule with hashtags and seeing how they work our for me. It takes hard work and consistency but I get the feeling there’s a silver bullet waiting to be discovered. I hope this is it π
Johnny | Johnny’s Traventures
https://johnnystraventures.com
So glad you found it helpful! Good luck!
Great tips! I will try these out this week!
Good luck! π
This is super helpful, thank you!
Youβre so welcome! Thanks for reading! π
Great information! Thanks for sharing.
Iβm so glad you found it helpful π
Loved this whole post, thank you! Even though I have been on Instagram for a year or so, I don’t feel that I am utilizing it the best way possible. It takes time to learn all the ins and outs, and being a Mama of 2, momprenuer, and now roadschooling teacher, it’s extremely hard to manage it all. This being said, your post was very easy to read and incredibly useful! I enjoy reading your posts on Instagram and hopefully someday, we will cross paths. Blessings to you!
Hi Tamera! Instagram is definitely a lot to learn and manage and it takes a lot of time! Iβm so glad you enjoyed the post! π
Such great tips love it!!
Thank you π
Oh, my goodness… there are so many great tips here. I need to engage more on my Instagram account, and now I know where to focus. Thank you.
Yay! βΊοΈππΌ
GREAT article!!! II learned so much. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much Kathy! π