Be funny or necessary

The relationship between Instagram and you is like the relationship between a politician and the media. They need each other. Instagram needs you to be active on Instagram. In return, it will love you and push you forward. 

At the beginning, let's talk a little bit about Instagram. It's a monetization mechanism. You get space for free, and when you start to enjoy it, Instagram will arrange for that to change. You immediately think of paying for your posts, after all, it doesn't cost that much. Naturally you want to be seen, heard and for your followers to respond to you. But there are other ways to do it and you don't have to pay for your posts. Not to mention that paid advertising doesn't work. Let's break down step by step what you need to do to succeed on Instagram.

Every day

Mark Zuckerberg needs you to be on Instagram often, post interesting content and get your followers to respond to that content. The more time you and your community spend on Instagram, the more likely you are to see advertising from those who aren't active and are paying for their posts. This is how Instagram makes money and why it wants you to be active. I recommend adding posts every day.

Hang in there for a month

When you start adding posts every day, the change won't come right away. Instagram has to register the change and that will take a while. It's like a workout. Be patient. You'll see the first change after 2 weeks and after a month you'll see that it was worth it.

Funny or necessary

There are millions of dogs on Instagram. And let's face it, millions of unsuccessful dogs. Boredom is their main theme and that's wrong. So the next step to success is through the content of your posts. It's not enough to just post photos and videos of your dog in different situations. This is the hardest thing to master. You will be successful on Instagram if you are funny or necessary. Is your dog funny? Or can you describe what the dog is doing in a funny way? Bingo. You belong in the group of entertainers. But if dog training, dog care, dog food, recipes are close to your heart, then you are needed and followers will use and expect your advice on a regular basis. Believe me, figuring out what path to take is really hard. But when you figure it out, it will be a huge step forward for you. Think it through properly.

Interactivity

We get hearts for our photos and videos, occasionally a comment, and in rare cases, sharing and saving a post. This is what Instagram prides itself on, so it's important to try to provoke your followers to be interactive. Why is this? Nowadays, we all just scroll. When something catches our eye, we stop and Instagram likes that. Instagram wants and encourages interesting content. It forces you to be on Instagram longer. That's why videos, for example, are more successful. Give your followers questions, polls, do challenges. And reciprocate by answering, commenting, liking. I'll give you an example from my Instagram:

I got a radical haircut at home and the video of my new face caught my eye. I added a caption and increased curiosity. So you stopped scrolling and read the commentary. It even provoked a few to comment. It all contributed to higher numbers. Oh, and to top it off, I responded to every comment. The authors of the comments got a notification that I had replied to something, so they in turn clicked on the post and found the reply. The video got a few thousand views. Anyone can do this, and it doesn't matter if you have many or few followers. You have to engage and provoke interactivity.

In the next blog, we'll learn how to set up a BIO, talk about stories, videos, photos and about the overall look of a dog's Instagram profile.

Also read the blog How do you write an interesting BIO