I get asked a lot how to gain a following on social media, and how to start blogging. If you don’t know where to start, it can seem kind of unattainable. When I was trying to figure out what I was doing, I was kind of stumbling through the dark. There are a lot of things I’ve been able to learn over a relatively short period of time. I’ve gathered up some of the questions I get asked the most about social media and blogging, and I’ll answer a few of them today! I know this isn’t the kind of blog post I usually write, but if my readers want it, I’ll give it.
I started trying to gain my following on Social media about 18 months ago, in December 2015. By December 2016, I went from around 200 followers on Instagram to 10,000. It’s been considerably harder to gain new followers ever since the implementation of the new Instagram algorithm, and the algorithm definitely favors personal accounts with less than 10,000 followers. That being said, growth is still possible on social media!
1) One of the most valuable things I’ve found for growth on social media is hashtags. It’s a necessary evil. I know I hate seeing posts littered with hashtags, but I quickly realized that growth was so much easier WITH them. My biggest tip for how to use them is to NOT put them in the body of your caption. Especially not dispersed throughout your caption. The least annoying way I’ve found to use them is to put them in a comment on my photo. This way they’re generally pretty hidden, but you still get the attention to the photos you want.
Different hashtags are going to work for different people, depending on what your niche is. One of the easiest ways to find the rights hashtags for you, is to find another Instagrammer that is within the same niche as you, and copy their hashtags. Especially if the account has relatively good engagement. Obviously they’re working for them.
Try to avoid hashtags that have more than about 500,000 tags. The more photos within a hashtag, the less likely your photo will be seen.
2) Content, Content, Content. You could have thousands of followers, but if the content you’re posting isn’t appealing, your followers won’t give it the attention you want it to. Make sure you only post good quality content.
3) Get to know your audience. This goes hand in hand with content. If you’re a food account but keep posting photos of your food, your followers will get confused.
4) Don’t get discouraged! It’s so easy to feel like you’re not doing well, not growing fast enough. Hell, I feel like that all the time. But it’s important to not let those feelings of inadequacy get to you, and just keep working.
5) Start now. Seriously. Don’t put it off. In six months, if you’ve done nothing, you’ll regret it. Imagine how many followers you could gain in six months if you started today.
These are just a few of my tips for success on social media. I have a ton of other tips and tricks that I’d LOVE to share with you, including how to work around the dreaded Instagram Algorithm. Because this is one of my most often asked question, I’ve decided to open up a workshop!
You can choose from two options: The first will be the downloads to a pre-recorded two hour workshop where I’ll walk you through my story, and go into detail on how exactly I gained my following, how I make money on my social media, and what did and didn’t work. This also will include a PDF of my ebook.
The second option will be a live video workshop! It will be the same material, but will be open to a Q&A at the end, so I can get more specific with you and your concerns.
Anyone who purchases either workshop will have access to quarterly Q&A sessions where we can discuss questions and any hurdles you’re experiencing with your social media growth. This will also be where I’ll discuss any changes that I’ve had to make to continue my growth due to the Instagram Algorithm. In addition, if you can’t wait until these sessions, you can always email me and I’ll answer your questions then.
Each of these workshops will be only $200. And because I’m so excited to start sharing my story with you all, the first 10 people to sign up for a workshop will get 25% off the price. And every single person who registers will get $10 off/$10 back for every single one of their friends that registers.
I’m seriously so excited about this, because I’ve had so many people asking about this! To register, comment below with your email, or you can send me a direct email at auroramccausland@gmail.com.
ashcapitallyn@gmail.com