Have you been thinking about how to use Instagram to get more eyes on your work, more followers and more sales? So many people make it look easy but for a lot of artists, it doesn’t feel that way.
Many artists post photos of their work and their practice and think that since it’s such a visual platform, that’s all they need to do to get more followers. Then they wonder why it’s not working for them.
It comes down to learning how to use Instagram as a tool for outreach and connection. Just like with any tool, say for example, a potter’s wheel, learning the ins- and outs- of how it works will vastly improve your results. Luckily, there are a lot of techniques that are pretty easy to learn that can help you make the time you spend on Instagram a lot more valuable.
So, if you’re not getting the comments, likes and followers you want, there’s a trick to help. I’m sharing it with you because I want you to make that platform sing for you. It’s a tip that’s overlooked in almost all articles on Instagram posts (I just googled it and got no hits on it). And, it’s a super powerful strategy to learn and implement.
What’s the strategy??
When you open your Instagram feed, you start scrolling and you see photo after photo. Below each photo you see two lines of text and then often a link that says “.... more.” THIS is where you can draw people in. All you have to do is create two interesting lines.
These two lines are the only lines of text that give your post context. They act like a magnet that attracts people into your post and what you’re sharing.
So, make sure those two lines sound interesting to a reader.
When you write a caption for an Instagram post, you can do this in a few ways. The way I like best is to write the caption as I normally would. Then I like to re-read it and look for ways to move something interesting to the top two lines of it.
To help see it in action, open your Instagram account right now and start scrolling. What text jumps out to you and makes you want to click on it?
Also, what text looks like it could have been given a boost to make it better? Watching how this works in real time will help you create better initial lines of copy that will encourage your followers to click through and read the full caption. This means more eyes on your work and that the Instagram algorithm will send more people your way because your posts are engaging.
If you give this a try, share an example of two lines of text that encouraged you to click on the image in the comments. I’d love to see what you find!
Cheers,
Kate