Bookstagram 101: Gaining More Exposure

   When you're part of a community for a while, you start to learn and notice some things. And I wanted to share some tips on how to grow your bookstagram account.

   Keep in mind that if you try to dive into Instagram like you do on Twitter, then it's going to be hard to grow your account. They are completely different platforms. Posting promotional graphics or book teasers on IG isn't going to be as effective like Twitter unless you're some celebrity or author. There are better ways of promoting books on IG than using graphics.

   For example, if I want to share my newest review on my blog, I'll post a picture of the book I'm reviewing and I'll say how the link to the post is on my Instagram bio. Or post it in the caption of the photo.

   Instagram is all about posting the best photos you can take. It's a platform to share stories through photos. People are attracted to Instagram to look at photography so seeing things that isn't that can be a bit of a turn off. 

   You don't have to have a complete basket of props to take nice photos. It's possible to have such a simple but gorgeous feed. I've seen so many beautiful accounts that are different yet all so amazing. And keep in mind that all it takes is time to learn the way you want to take photos. 

   I'm still learning. I started bookstagram like 1 year ago and I'm barely discovering my style.

Take Nice Photos

   This first tip is pretty self-explanatory. You need to take good quality photos like I said and people will notice.

Post Regularly 

   You don't have to post every single day of the week. Maybe like three days a week is fine. But don't just off and disappear or people will start to unfollow you. I've had this happen to me and I'm sure I'm not the only person to experience that.

   But don't feel obligated to post if you're not feeling it just because you're scared of losing followers. I've had days where I haven't felt motivated to post and I didn't because I feel like I'm not pouring the same love or feeling into the photo like I would when I am in the mood.

Comment & Like on People's Photos

   This is pretty much the same thing with blogging. You like and comment on someone's stuff and they'll probably notice you if you do it consistently. And they'll want to check you out. But don't do this because you want more followers. Do it because you actually love their photos and genuinely have something to say.

   Also "follow for follow" is very annoying. Maybe some people will do it but not me. I think it's tacky thing to do. I want to people to follow me because they love my photos. I don't want people to follow me because they think I'll follow them back. 

Join Book Photo Challenges

   Every month, bookstagrammers are always hosting many monthly book photo challenges. This is very helpful so you have something to talk about in your caption and post about something everyday. And this is a great way to be involved in the bookstagram community. 

Feature Accounts

   There are some accounts such as bookish.features, igreads, bookstagramfeatures, becauseofreading, and total_book_nerd, that basically repost photos from other accounts like a shout out to spread love to accounts when you use their hashtag or tag them in your photo. This can be big for you because it'll earn you exposure. It's happened to me several times and it really helps.

Be More Engaging In Your Captions

   People are more likely to comment on your photo if you're talking about something specific under your photos. Try asking a question relating to your photo like what's you Hogwarts house? Or what are you currently reading?

   Honestly, the question thing is either a hit or miss depending on the photo you post. Some of my photos get people more engaged in the comments and other times it's blank. 

   Most of the times, I'll post a question and people will still comment but they won't answer it. I guess it could really depend on if the question is really interesting too.

Post at The Right Time

   Try to post when people are more interactive like somewhere around the evening. I love to post around 11AM - 6PM. And I try to avoid posting really early in the morning or after dark.

   There have been rare times where I've posted when it was really early in the morning and interaction was slow but people still checked it out. And so it worked out in my favor but it's going to be different for everyone.

   I try to post when it's the best time according to Squarelovin. It's a great site for Instagram users that shows your data and growth based on your account. The more you post, the better it will be able to tell you the best and worst times to post a picture like in the picture shown above.

What do think? Have you tried any of these tips?