This was on of the talks I enjoyed in Traverse 17 conference in London. 

HOW TO GAIN FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM WITHOUT LOSING YOURSELF
Speaker: Nicola Easterby

Nicola aka polka dot passport is a brilliant blogger and instagramer and she shared some of her tips with us after three years growing her audience on instagram: 

How to post on Instagram

• Only post high quality relevant photos

• Photo orientation should be portraits or square. They take more of the screen, which leads to better engagement 

• Hashtag photos. Also, find official hashtags and tag for feature accounts. 

• Post at peak times 

Tips for better photos on Instagram

• Content is key! 
• Shooting during golden hour 
• Finding unique perspectives 
• Adding a subject to your photos 
• Having both a foreground and a background 
• Capture a sense of movement 

Making money on Instagram

• Sponsored post- promote something for a brand 
• Disclosing with a hashtag 
• Creating product into your feed to tell a story that relates to your audience
• Gifting / Contra exchange - only good when starting but after 10k you should get paid! 
• Instal takeovers for brand accounts 
• Long term ambassador roles
• Hustle hard when you are starting. You can pitch to you dream brands 
• DM brands asking for the PR contacts 
• Find platforms to get noticed and to find work opportunities
  Example: tribe group for influencers. 

Let's getting gramming!
You can find me on instagram on Designer Esra! 

Over to you: do you have any useful tips and highlights for instagram that have worked for you?