Over the past month and a half, I've given you tips on using LinkedIn and GoodReads. Today I want to talk about Instagram. Instagram has more than 200,000 million active users. Young people, in particular, are flocking away from Facebook to Instagram and texting apps like SnapChat, WhatsApp and WeChat, forming their own social networks through groups. While YouTube is still very popular with teens, Instagram is their preferred social network. Something else to note: young adults aged 18-29 are doing most of their networking on mobile devices. But does that mean YOU need to be on Instagram? It depends. Do you like taking photos? Are you good at it? Can you think of a way to market your book through your pictures? Then yes, you should be on Instagram!

A few pointers for getting started:

1. Read these Instagram tips for taking better Instagram pictures (Eg: Experiment with different borders.)
2. Try out different photo editing apps for more filters and borders and to create unique compositions like grids. 
3. Focus on your photos, not your number of followers. Experiment, play, discover your “voice,” and the followers will come.
4. Take your time. Instagram really is about great photography. So shoot a lot of photos until you get one that’s great. Don’t settle for mediocre.
5. Don’t follow trends. Do something different. Experiment. Play.
6. Have something that unifies your photos—a style, a “thing,” so people know at a glance what you’re about and why they may want to follow you.
7. Follow people whose photos you would like to emulate.
8. Be generous with your “like”s of other people's photos.
9. Using hashtags to get your photos found. #hotairballoon
10. Be specific with your hashtags. For example, use #vwvan instead of #van. Look at other hashtags on photos similar to yours to discover popular hashtags you didn’t know about. (For example, #vw has twice the number of photos as #volkswagen).
11. Have fun!

 What about you? Are you on Instagram? What type of pictures do you post most?

* This post was originally published in October 2016.