5 Reasons Why Artists Hate Marketing Their Art

5 Reasons Why Artists Hate Marketing Their Art

Most artists we speak to can’t stand marketing their work. Is this you? Do you hate posting on Facebook and Twitter, talking about your work in detail – to the extent that you even call yourself an anti-marketer? If you think about marketing as the act of selling something or advertising your product or service for promotional purposes, of course it will make you cringe! You put countless hours into your work, and you want to show it off to the world, but how? The following are five reasons why artists hate marketing their art and what you can do about it.

“I’m not a sales person”

This is a common misconception. You are not selling your art, you’re simply sharing and promoting it. The difference between selling and sharing is often in the mindset of the artist.

The best way to change your mindset about marketing is by reminding yourself that it’s not about you as an artist or what you have to say; it’s all about the audience receiving something from you that will aid them in their journey toward making art or becoming more creative themselves.

There are many examples of artists who hated marketing their work at first but eventually saw its value, including Pablo Picasso, who said: “I do not seek, I find.”

“It’s just so awkward”

Artists don’t like to talk about themselves. It feels awkward for them to do so, and they don’t want to be seen as greedy or unappreciative of their work. The irony is that by not marketing their art, artists are actually being unappreciative of it.

The solution? Make marketing your art part of your creative process. Promote your latest piece in a blog post on an artist website, or tweet out pictures from the studio when you’re working on something new! If you can’t bear the thought of talking about yourself, ask someone else close to you (like a friend or partner) if they’d be willing to help out with social media posts and other forms of promotion so that marketing doesn’t feel like such a chore for you.

“I just want to make art and not think about it after that!”

When you’re trying to create art, you’re in a very vulnerable state. You need space and time to focus on your creative process without distraction. You want to put everything into the work itself and not be pulled away by things like marketing or sales.

Artists often feel overwhelmed by “the business” aspect of their work—it can be difficult for them to figure out how best to promote themselves and their art, especially if they haven’t been trained on these skills yet (which many haven’t). This is one reason why many artists choose self-publishing: they enjoy the freedom it provides them with when it comes down to promoting their books independently rather than handing this responsibility over exclusively to a publisher or agent who may or may not have any knowledge about how best promote an author’s book online today.

For some creators, this feeling of being overwhelmed by “the business” goes beyond just creating content—and extends into other areas like making sure there are systems in place so that someone else could take over if something happened unexpectedly during production or distribution processes that could leave everyone involved at risk financially if something went wrong!

“I don’t want to be pushy or aggressive.”

This is a common fear of artists. They don’t want to be pushy or aggressive, because they don’t want to seem like they’re just trying to make a sale. But being authentic is important in marketing your art and yourself as an artist, so it’s important that you find the right balance between being pushy and aggressive, and being personable. You need to be able to sell your art without sounding like you’re just selling “the product.” Instead, focus on who you are as an artist and how your work reflects that identity.

An artist’s identity is important and being an artist is usually not compatible with being an aggressive salesperson.

When you’re an artist, your identity is important. You need to be able to separate yourself from your art so that you can make the most of it. Artists are not salespeople; they have something more important to offer than just a few minutes of entertainment for someone who isn’t interested in it. Your art should speak for itself and have a message that resonates with whoever sees it—it shouldn’t feel like a generic advertisement trying to get someone’s attention (if only because the person who made it would probably be offended by that).

Being an artist does not mean being an aggressive salesperson who forces their work on people indiscriminately, but many artists think they do because they see themselves as having something valuable or meaningful enough that other people should want to buy into it or learn more about it. This perception makes them want to share their work with everyone they meet—and while this may seem like a good idea at first glance, if you’re always pushing yourself on others without taking time away from creating new works or engaging with those who already appreciate what you create, then there’s no room left over for growth or community building!

Want to learn more? Check out this amazing guide by Porch titled “How to Build Your Online Presence as an Artist”.

How to Up Your Game on Social Media in 2019

How to Up Your Game on Social Media in 2019

2019 is upon us and so much changed in the last year that it’s hard to keep track of all the technological advances… new apps, new phones, new services, new ways of creating content… and new ways to promote yourself on social media. In fact, there’s so many that even social media specialists can sometimes have a hard time keeping up!

So how can artists and creative businesses use the newest tools and trends to make their social media really POP in 2019? Let’s find out!

1 – Narrow your focus.

With so many different platforms available and so much strategy necessary for each one, unless you have a small team it can be a full-time job just trying to keep your social media updated. Your best bet is to figure out what the best platform(s) is for you and your brand.

Choose a select few channels and focus on them – don’t try to spread yourself too thin over too many channels. Focus on developing those few specific channels over the next year and tracking the analytics to see what is working and which platform is really giving you great engagement from your audience.

If you’re not sure where to start, get some tips from our recent article The Secret To Social Media Success For Creatives: Original Content!

2 – Rise of the “chatbots”. 🤖

Bots and automatic messaging are becoming more and more useful. The best part of a chatbot is that it can give the same information over and over to individual customers without you having to repeat the same conversation over and over again. With everything being automated it saves time, whilst still engaging and building a relationship with your customer.

Here’s a great example of a chatbot from online clothing brand, Kindred Bravely:

It can also be much quicker than your customer trying to find the FAQs page on your website, and of course negates the need for having to keep up with replying to all the messages being sent to your FB page (or website), without losing your high response rate. See more about what chatbots can do here.

3 – Organisation.

If you haven’t already, create a content calendar – or refresh the one you already have.

Pay attention to key dates in the new year (for example, if you’re an actor, September 8th is National Actors Day), and plan your social media accordingly. You can also use plugins and apps to automate things like publishing your blog posts on your website, managing multiple social media feeds, and creating simple but effective content.

4 – Consistency.

Make sure that the social media channels you are using are all consistent, paying attention to: consistent handles (names you’re using), brand colours being the same throughout (if you don’t have brand colours, create some!), ensuring all platforms link to each other (with all of them indicated on your website too), and of course, making sure your ‘story’, or what makes you unique, is exactly the same throughout. Lack of consistency will make you look amateur and can lead to losing interest from your audience.

5 – Commit to engaging with others.

It’s advised time and time again that engaging with others does wonders for building an audience, but still sometimes with all the other tasks and things we have to do, engaging with others can be pushed to the side. Whether it be commenting on other accounts on Instagram (particularly those in your niche), answering Facebook comments, or making sure every comment on your blog posts gets a swift reply, engaging with others should be seen as something that is absolutely crucial to success.

If you are already engaging with your audience and instead want to focus on networking and making connections, writing articles or having ‘your say’ on specifics of your industry can help (LinkedIn can really help here).

Even as a creative type, offering your opinion or knowledge of your niche can really portray a sense of authenticity and being a ‘master’ in your field, which can only improve your professional image. Try sprucing up your LinkedIn profile and start posting articles there about the industry you work in, and/or your take on current events in your niche.

6 – Videos!

If you haven’t already, start investing in video content. It has been said that video will account for 85% of social media content output in 2019… so do not underestimate using this type of content! People are getting busier and busier, with less time to invest… so give them content that’s quick to ingest! Not only that but live-streaming, VR & AR are set to explode too so keep an eye out for how you might be able to use these types of content too.

If you’re not familiar with creating videos, try a simple online tool like Animoto (click here to visit and get a free one-month trial). It’s a super simple way to make videos that look really professional!

7 – Instagram ‘stories’: time to invest!

Time to really focus on your Instagram stories! This tool blew up in 2018 and 2019 is looking to be only more prolific! If you’re not already making the most of the stories feature then try to focus more on it to build your audience on Instagram.

Stories is a great way to truly express your personal or brand personality, and is perfect for mixing video, gifs, emojis and more to create media that your audience will really love to follow – Stories makes your audience feel like they’re really there with you!

So, which one of these do you think will be the most important for you this year? Or are you already having success with some of these tips?

Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below!

And also… HAPPY NEW YEAR!


Please note, this blog post contains affiliate links. 
The Secret To Social Media Success For Creatives: Original Content!

The Secret To Social Media Success For Creatives: Original Content!

No matter what type of art you create or are involved in, when it comes to building an audience that really appreciates your work, having a presence online will no doubt help you reach that goal. But with so many different ways to connect with your audience, which is the best? And how can you build an audience that really loves what you do? Here’s where original content comes in.

In this article we are going to explain exactly what original content is, what it means for you, and how you can start to create content that works for both you and your audience. Let’s go!

So, what exactly is “original content”?

Social media marketing expert Kimberley-Ann Jiminez describes original content as:

“Any piece of content created by your brand used to instruct, educate, entertain or empower”.

That means basically anything that you create from scratch, whether it be a blog post, an infographic, a photo, or a video; all of these are original content.

Why do I need to create “original content” when I’m an actor/ singer/ artist/ other?”

When it comes to your online presence, there are so many reasons why it’s important to always be creating and sharing fresh, new content with your audience (and a variety of types, if you can!). Let’s outline the main reasons:

1 – Helps you stand out in a crowded online space 

Even though there may be thousands of people all working in the same niche; it’s your individual story and experience that can really create and provide value to your audience. A good way to stand out is to truly show your personality and what you have to bring to the table.

Even in an industry where there are “industry standards” for work or for content creation, adding your personal flavour to the conversation can really make you stand out.

2 – Become a subject matter expert

When you give your audience more information about your topic you are establishing yourself as someone who really knows what they’re talking about. Your confidence in your knowledge shines through, which in turn makes people trust you. When people trust your opinion and advice (and it works for them) they will come back time and time again to seek out more information. For a lot of people starting out in your industry or niche, they want and need all the help they can get. That’s where you can provide real value to them, in turn building an engaged audience!

3 – Build your community

Original content that your audience enjoys and can utilise helps forge relationships – they trust you and they want to know more about what you have to offer. Similarly, even if your content is something that entertains or inspires your audience, it’s still eliciting a response from your audience, and that’s what helps build your audience. Similar to how your art can make the audience feel or think in a different way, your posts should do the same.

The more your audience love your content the more comments, likes, shares and mentions you’ll get. Not only that but people will trust you and feel like they know you, which in turn will make them comfortable approaching you and initiating conversation via social media. Interacting with your audience will make potential fans think you really care about the people you’re interacting with, which in turn will make them want to join the club. The more engaged your audience is, the more you’ll attract more!

4 – Add value to your audience

When creating original content, whether you entertain, inform or educate, you’re offering your audience something of value. It could be knowledge that helps them in their industry, information that helps them progress in their niche, or just something to entertain them when they have some free time. Whatever role your content has for your audience, it’s important to maximise it so they keep coming back.

5 – Builds rapport with your audience which potentially leads to sales

Although we’ve already covered building a community (see #3), it’s important to note that building an engaged community can also lead to potential sales. If you’re a creator who is selling your products or work online, a thriving community will be more likely to buy.

It can be particularly hard for independent artists to make sales online, but if you have a community that like and trust you, they will want to support you, and in turn feel much better about parting with their money for you.

So how do I choose what type of content to create?!

The easiest thing to do is to look at what others in your niche are creating and pay attention to the pieces that have had a lot of likes, comments and shares.  If it works for your competitors, it’s probably going to work for you. 

However, this isn’t a fail-safe method. Others in your niche may have more fans, or may be more established, and therefore it’s hard to tell whether their audience are really enjoying the content, or whether they’re more inclined to like it because they already support the person.

Ask yourself the following four questions to help figure out the best way to create original content that works for your target audience:

1 – How does your target audience normally (and prefer) to consume content?

How does your audience consume content? Do they prefer video content? Are they avid readers? Do they need direct and informative infographics? Pay attention to what has worked for you before – and what works for others in your niche. This will give you hints as to what type of content your audience actually enjoys. And therefore you can modify your social media offering to incorporate that!

For example, if you are a comedian that makes jokes about the lives of Millennials, you may find more luck sharing short videos, sketches and jokes on a platform such as Snapchat. After all, it has been proven that some 78% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Snapchat, and a sizeable majority of these users (71%) visit the platform multiple times per day (Pew Research Center, 2018). Therefore, clearly your target audience prefers to consume content on Snapchat, so start to invest time and effort on that platform!

2 – How often and when do you want to post?

There is no specific formula to how much you should be posting, or when, although studies have shown that there seems to be some trends. Check out the graphic below to help you figure out the best time to post: 

3 – What feels natural to you?

Above all, an important thing to keep in mind is what feels natural to you. What type of offering actually suits your personality? If you’re quite a shy person videos are probably not going to present the best version of yourself. If you prefer to write your ideas down than to share them vocally, writing could be the best option for you.

The great thing is that there is something to suit every personality type, and whatever your strengths are, you can find a media format that really can connect with your audience whilst also encouraging you to offer the absolute best of your personality, and in turn, help to cultivate your relationship with your audience.

4 – What are your audience actually going to be interested in?

There’s no use sharing original content if nobody who sees it is going to be interested in it; it’s a waste of time and effort.

Try to think about what your audience would really love to see; for example, if you’re an artist, perhaps you love seeing behind-the-scenes of how particular artists work, the paint brands they use, how long it takes to make their pieces…. and so on. Why not create the same thing for your audience?

Ask yourself: what kind of value can you create for your audience that will keep them coming back again and again?

Examples of original content

  • Blog post 
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Infographic
  • Newsletter
  • Social Media Post
  • Webinar
  • Gifs
  • Films
  • Memes
  • Live video or chats 
  • Ebooks
  • Online events 

Some examples of original content for creatives

ACTORS: A video explaining how you grew a passion for acting, a blog post with your top tips for successful auditions, a photo diary of tips for taking headshots. Here are some more content ideas for actors, including a 30 day calendar!

SINGERS: A fun video where you do impressions of famous singers, a Spotify playlist of famous artists in your genre that your fans may like, an Instagram story of a day in the studio recording

MUSICIANS: A video of a band practice, a curated Spotify playlist of your musical inspirations, a blog post about your songwriting process

ARTISTS: A blog post about what inspires your work, a video behind-the-scenes in your workspace, a product review of paintbrushes you use or have used

WRITERS: A blog post on how your career as a writer started, a video interview of yourself so your readers can get to know you better, host a writing competition on one of your social media platforms, a webinar about how to find ideas for writing fiction

PHOTOGRAPHERS: A behind-the-scenes video of a photoshoot, a blog post about how you edit your photos, a webinar on photography basics for beginners

Now you’ve asked yourself some key questions, take some time to analyse what sort of value you want to offer your followers and what you think they may like to hear about. Research other people in your niche and see what’s working for them. Also take some time to self-reflect; ask yourself what’s going to work best for your personality and what you feel comfortable with. Once you know the answers to these questions you’ll better know how to provide quality content that your audience will love!

5 Great Tips For Writing Engaging Instagram Captions

5 Great Tips For Writing Engaging Instagram Captions

Trying to build an engaged audience on Instagram but can’t seem to get people to care?

Constantly looking at other successful social media accounts wondering how they get so many comments? Want to get more people to notice you?

Oh, the wonderful world of Instagram.

Having a bright and engaging Instagram account is one of the best tools for building an audience, creating awareness of who you are, and communicating with others who are also interested in (or part of) your niche. But like all businesses trying to build a brand (and as a “creative”, YOU are your personal brand), you have to have a strategy for success.

So how can Instagram captions help? Do they help? Does having a long or short caption make a difference? Should you use emojis? How many hashtags are acceptable in a caption? How do you even write a good caption?!

Have no fear, because we are going to tell you everything you need to do to create the BEST Instagram captions.

Why are good captions important?

The new Instagram algorithm favours posts that get lots of engagement. So the more people like and comment on your photo, the more your photo is going to show up in people’s feeds. Makes sense right? The more people comment on your posts, the more your post will show up on their friends’ feeds. The caption is just one of the many factors that can encourage more people to interact with your post – as well as showing people who you are! And social media is all about personality.

So how can we use our captions to get engagement?

1. Adding value

Look at your caption as something that should add value – for your audience and your post.

We can add value to our Instagram photos with a few specific things (or a combination of all three):

  1.    Giving some context

Explaining what’s going on in the picture not only helps the reader to understand who you are and why you’re sharing it, but also gives you the opportunity to give them more valuable information. It also builds a relationship between yourself and your audience, who begin to feel like they know you better.

  1.    Showing off your personality!

When we make friends with people, we show them who we are as a person. That’s what people are attracted to – whatever makes you uniquely you! Just like the way we make new friends in real life, we want to approach social media in this way too in order to build relationships and show people what makes you unique.

  1.    A call-to-action

Or in other words – asking your audience a question!

When you ask someone a question you’re inviting them to engage in a conversation with you. This builds the relationship between you and your audience as they feel you value their opinions and are interested in what they have to say. With Instagram cutting off your caption after a few lines, the need to suck your readers in super quick with a really engaging first line is paramount. Add a call-to-action!

But note…

Don’t think you have to use this formula for every post. Sometimes just a simple statement will suffice. Or even just a single emoji. It’s all about trying to gauge how your followers will respond to it, and whether it’s going to be beneficial to both your audience and your brand image.

2. Creating a consistent ‘brand voice’

Are you going to write informally or formally? Do you want to sound like you’re talking to a friend, or like you’re informing people in a professional, formal manner? Are you going for a laidback tone or a serious one? Do you want to be jokey or do you want to be informative?

Whatever you choose, try to stick to it. A consistent brand voice will make your profile look more professional, and like an honest representation of you. Viewers know when you don’t sound genuine, so speak your truth!

3. Using emojis 😊😄🤔

Did you know that emojis were created as a way to mimic non-verbal communication online?

Whether to use emojis is really dependent on what sort of image you are trying to portray. In general, emojis are more colloquial or lighthearted way to express yourself, so they may not be appropriate for those who want to portray a more formal tone.

Try to remember that when people are reading a caption, they are reading it as if you are sitting right opposite them, saying it to their face. Except, on social media they can’t see your facial expressions or body language as you’re talking. Using a smiley or angry emoji face can be a good way to express body language when the other person can’t see you.

Using emojis can also be a fun way to add some lightheartedness, sarcasm or informality to a post. For example, if you’re eating sushi you might want to add some sushi emojis to your caption, or if you’re going on a trip somewhere a plane emoji is fun to add. The point of emojis is to make the text the person is reading more fun, more light-hearted, and more interesting. It also makes the person reading feel like a friend is talking to them – and that’s a great way to build an audience that really cares about you and your projects!

4. Tagging people

If somebody’s in the picture, tag them. If somebody took the picture, tag them! If the picture is related to something in particular, tag it! When you tag another account it’s like you’re recommending other people for your audience to follow. It can also give the appearance of you being “well-connected” or… social! Use common sense when tagging. You don’t want to tag users in a post that is not relevant to them.

5. Using #hashtags

You can add some key hashtags to your caption (3-4 max) but any more and the caption starts to look messy. If you want to post more hashtags, put them in a comment. That way your audience don’t get distracted by useless text, yet you can still make the most of the hashtag discovery tool.

Using hashtags can make a huge difference to the amount of engagement you get on your post so don’t be afraid to use them – just make sure they’re relevant to what you’re posting. There are people out there looking for what you have to offer – and hashtags are going to lead them to you!

With these tips, you should be able to now go on and write amazing Instagram captions that actually engage your followers (and potential followers!). But remember – great captions are just one piece of the Instagram success pie. To build the audience you dream of it takes time, patience and commitment. Good luck!

Did you learn something new? How do you create engaging Instagram captions? Let us know in the comments below!

The Social Media Artist 2.0

The Social Media Artist 2.0

Hi everyone! Lara here.

Big news for The Social Media Artist. I’m happy to announce our transition from solo-preneur to team-based social media agency! 

From solo-brand to creative social media agency!

Now, some of you might be confused. “I thought The Social Media Artist was your pseudonym”, “Isn’t this a personal brand”, “I never knew you did social media management – I thought you were only an instructor”. Yup. My brand has been in transition for a while. In any company, your branding grows and changes over the years. Though I’m sure my branding will change again in time, this is the first time I feel REALLY good about it.

After doing some research and evaluation of my time, energy and skills – I figured out what was missing. I needed a team to help me with the goals and plans I have for my company. I’m happy to say that I now have my #smartist dream team: Meredith and Carla!

Meredith and I met performing in a musical a few years ago and we hit it off right away. She is a scenic artist, illustrator and performer who creates sets, props, and costumes for theatre companies across Toronto, and she recently illustrated her first children’s book, “The Adventures of Ludwig and Imogen” which will be released this winter! Our values and the way Meredith and I see art are very much aligned, which is how I knew she would be the perfect fit for the team. Meredith’s speciality is in creating dazzling graphics for social media. Check out her website and Instagram. She is the Queen of Instagram Stories!

 

I met Carla through GenM, an apprenticeship matching service. I was looking for a blog writer and someone to help me with my own brand. Since this year has been so busy, I was guilty of putting my own brand on the back burner and really needed some help. Carla is an English girl living in France, where she teaches English and spends her time painting, learning languages and writing for her travel blog, Cosmic Traveller.  I had such a good feeling about her during the interview that I offered her the position on the spot!

Why this change?

When you’re an entrepreneur who has flexibility during your day, you get in tune with your personal flow. There are times when you feel more productive and creative, and there are moments when you’re not. After a while you tend to notice patterns; do you get the majority of your work done in the evenings? Are you better meeting with clients in the morning/afternoon? What energizes you and makes you feel excited about your work? For me, working with a team really helps. Most of my students would argue and say that they hate group work, but the trick is to have a team that compliments each other. When you have the right team, it feels like you are all puzzle pieces fitting together perfectly! And these two ladies are the missing puzzle pieces I was looking for: both creative, strategic, and genuinely want to help other artists and creatives succeed. They are so aligned with my brand and messaging it makes perfect sense that we are all working together!

How we work

When we work with clients, instead of having one person manage one client, we are all involved. From creating a social media calendar and designing content to analyzing results, we all are on the same page. Taking this approach, I have a lot of ‘aha’ moments and it makes me genuinely love what I do every day.

Working remotely is the way of the future. I’m a huge believer of alternatives to the 9 to 5. Our team has weekly meetings and training sessions where we go over our tasks and discuss what we need to prioritize and where we may need support. Since social media is always changing, we also have weekly training that we can take back to our clients and apply to our own brand. I always look forward to our weekly meetings because I know they will be productive and we will be learning something from each other!

You will be seeing some changes on our social media and website to better serve our audience – artists and creative entrepreneurs! *cue makeover song*

 

5 Tips For Creating A Compelling Instagram Feed

5 Tips For Creating A Compelling Instagram Feed

Does having a standout Instagram feed sound like a job that requires constant dedication and extra time that you don’t have? Well don’t fret, because that’s why we’re here! We’ve put together this list of 5 Tips For Creating a Compelling Instagram feed that is sure to get you started off on the right track; you’ll be killing it on the gram in no time!

Find Your Insta-Aesthetic

Finding your Instagram aesthetic and creating a common theme throughout your content is a great way to stand out amongst the crowd and have a recognizable style that followers will come to know you for. Are your shots clean and sophisticated, or colourful and full of energy? Figure out what it is you are trying to say with the content you are creating, and try to reflect that through your posts. The same goes for your captions; short and sweet captions pair well with simple shots, while more engaging, longer captions may pair better with posts that tell a deeper story. Neither option is wrong, it just depends on your brand and the persona you are trying to create for it. Think of your Instagram page as an art gallery for your brand; everything should be reflective of the message you’re curating.

Get Creative With Instagram Stories

The Story feature on Instagram just keeps getting better. Posts on Stories last only 24 hours and appear on top of the home feed. From starting off as a basic photo and filter method for sharing a quick moment from your day (think Snapchat), it has turned into a storytelling tool that can really let you flex your creative muscles when it comes to producing quick content. Polls, gifs, and photo in picture tools all allow for fun content creation, and provide a space for letting your imagination run free! Not to mention, using polls or posing questions is a great way to stay engaged with your followers, and keep them interested in your Instagram page as a whole!

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories Are Awesome!

Mix Up Your Content

Getting too repetitive with your content can be a quick recipe for disaster when it comes to any social platform. Unless posting the same content over and over again is somehow churning up engagement for you time after time, you will want to get creative with your post variety. For example, if you’re a painter, posting nothing but your artwork can be great for showcasing your talent, but this method misses the potential for showing off the many other aspects of being an artist! Creative studio setups, time-lapsed videos of art being made, and stylized shots featuring your tools of the trade are just a handful of prospective ideas for content that can bring your followers a little closer into a day in the life of you!

Quality > Quantity

This is a pretty consistent premise in many aspects of life, and it continues to ring true when it comes to creating content. While it may be tempting to pump out post after post from fear of missing out, there is nothing worse than spamming out content that tries to make up for lack of quality with overcompensation in quantity. Take your time, create a post you love and are proud of. Your hard work and patience will definitely pay off this way!

Spend Time In Post Production

Spending that extra bit of time using Instagram’s photo editing tools can sometimes be the deciding factor between a good post and a bad one. Luckily, Instagram makes it easy to tighten up any photo before showing it off to the world. If a basic filter isn’t enough to do the trick, you can manually adjust the brightness, contrast, colour and so much more, with a variety of tools that can have a huge effect on your content. Even the dullest of photos have a chance to be livened up in the editing suite, and spending the time adjusting the multitude of settings can go a long way in prettying up any picture.

Long story short, Instagram is great. It’s a platform that allows for complex creative expression without being overly complex. If you stick to these tips and continue to post regularly, engage with followers, and follow trends, your Instagram page will definitely be turning some heads before you know it. Now get posting!