Make sure your Instagram account has a searchable name, bio, and consistent branding.
Regularly post high-quality content with a consistent brand identity. Create content that is either helpful, entertaining, community-building, or inspiring.
The concept of quality might vary quite widely between different audiences. One audience might value useful, informative content most highly; another might prefer entertaining content with minimal information. Still another audience might value content that builds a sense of exclusivity and belonging, like a group that posts a series of in-jokes which only members would understand.
Pick 2-3 topics that you want to be known for, talk about and build an audience around:
Start with a hook – why should I care? Raise the stakes.
Just talk about the meat, don’t talk about meeting someone or narrate a discussion.
The end. Make sure there is one – if it starts like a story, there should be a payoff.
Optimize content with relevant and trending hashtags.
Follow those hashtags and respond – usefully – to other users’ posts to get involved in the conversation. Keep in mind that your goal needs to be an actual conversation, not a forced interaction where you insert your brand inappropriately.
Post optimized Instagram Reels, Stories, and Lives.
Run a contest or giveaway that asks participants to follow your account.
Collaborate with influencers or other brands.
Ensure that you have something valuable to offer influencers – keep in mind that many have hundreds or thousands of brands competing for their attention.
Run ads on Instagram to promote your posts.
Promote your Instagram to your other communication channels with a call to action to follow your Instagram.
This is easy to say, but what does high quality consist of? To my mind, content has to be either helpful, entertaining, or inspiring. I would be interested in hearing what others consider to be high quality.
Getting the attention of influencers is tough. I get dozens of emails a day asking me to share content. You have to offer the influencers something of value to them personally if you want them to engage.
Thanks paul for your feedback here. Super helpful in fleshing out this playbook. Which is currently more of an outline.
Indeed I recently received some advice by @peep_laja that to post successful and relevant content on social that you should be more strategic. Pick 2-3 topics that you want to be known for, talk about and build an audience around.
And then write about those with a hook your posts from
start with a hook - why should I care? raise the stakes
just talk about the meat, dont talk about meeting someone or narrate a discussion
the end… make sure there is one… if it starts like a story, there should be a payoff
This applies more specifically to linkedin, but I guess the principles are the same.
I think those three points are all very important, but the overarching theme is simply – high-quality content is something that your target audience wants to consume and is in a receptive mood after consuming. It can be dangerous to apply our own criteria of quality too quickly.
Have you ever been in a fan sh!tposting group on Facebook and seen the meme trends that appear and disappear, with dozens or hundreds of people contributing new related in the space of hours? They often don’t seem to be either helpful, entertaining, or inspiring. But they build a wordless conversation and sense of belonging through… weird and confusing memes. The content has a high, if ephemeral, value… to those in the know.
You could argue, though, that I’m talking about high-value content, not high-quality content. Is there a difference to the person consuming the content?