HOW TO CREATE AN BEAUTIFUL INSTAGRAM THEME
5 WAYS TO CREATE A CONSISTENT INSTAGRAM THEME
I truly believe an Instagram theme is one of the single most important strategies to growing your account. Why? Because it is like any aspect of marketing it is what makes you recognisable and lets you stand out. You need to think of it as part of your overall brand.
If you don’t have a theme people will struggle to remember your content because it just looks like everyone else’s. It won’t stand out and it won’t encourage people to follow you because they don’t know what kind of content you will be creating on a regular basis. People are creatures of habit and they want to know that when they click follow they are going to get more of what the content they already like.
Hint: Think about the accounts you go back to time and time again, chances are their content is pretty consistent.
Think of your Instagram feed as someone’s first glimpse at your business or brand. You want them to be drawn in by it and captivated right off the bat before they ever watch your stories or read through your well thought out captions, right?
Having a good looking and cohesive feed on Instagram is really important when it comes to building loyal followers. Aesthetic is everything but remember you can still be authentic to be true to yourself as well! Having an aesthetic doesn’t mean you’re not being real, it just means you understand how important it is for a business to have a brand and that doesn’t just mean a pretty logo.
I have a interiors and lifestyle account because that is my niche but these tips can be applied to any type of account so don’t worry!
TAKE GOOD PHOTOS
A great instagram account always starts with great photos. There really isn’t any way around it, Instagram is a visual platform so the better your images are the better your account will perform. That doesn’t mean you have to go invest in super expensive camera though. I personally have only ever used my iPhone and it hasn’t stopped my account growing.
Work on angles and get creative. Always take photos in good natural daylight and watch as many photography tutorials as possible. I still learn new things everyday so don’t ever think you know everything. Photography will probably be the hardest part and after you master the basics everything else will get mush easier.
If you really don’t know where to start the key things to remember is avoid the harsh light of the midday sun it will over expose everything and very low light which will make your image dark and grainy. If you shoot indoors remember that mornings will have a cool tint and afternoons a warm tint (you might hear this referred to as golden hour). Shooting in the shade with the light coming from the front will give you nice sharp bright photos while shooting with the sun behind you will give you softer photos.
If you are struggling with what to shoot start scrolling Instagram or Pinterest and check out what inspires you to hit ‘like’ and come up with a few ideas. Then try and recreate the shots with your own spin and work on the different photos you want to take.
BE CONSISTENT AND COHESIVE
- Find a colour palette that you like and work with that. I have a lot of warmth and texture in mine. If you don’t want to do a specific colour palette you can also have a theme throughout your photos ( for instance you are always in the pictures etc )
- A colour palette could also mean your pictures are all slightly faded or slightly desaturated giving them all a similar feel even though your colour palette isn’t always the same.
- To help with this edit all your photos in a similar way using apps like VSCO on your phone or presets on lightroom. You can create your own presets or buy ones that will suit your style (check out Etsy if you are thinking about buying some)
- Alternate between a few different styles on your feed. I usually like posting something like a bathroom shot, a close up shelf shot with a fun quote and then something different in between like adding myself to the shot. Be creative with it so your account is interesting just remember that they should clash, we are aiming for a flow.
USE AN APP TO PREVIEW YOUR FEED
I don’t know what I would do without the ability to easily preview my feed with each new photo added prior to actually posting. A lot of people use apps like Planoly but for me it’s got to be PLANN. I have it linked to my account so that I can then add my latest photo to see how it fits in. From there I can see if I need a completely new photo or if I just need to maybe increase the temperature for example.
I can’t stress enough how lost I would be without doing this, it’s a definite must for anyone who is serious about a curated feed.
It is unfortunate that Instagram doesn’t let you preview your post to be able to compare it to your current grid so until then I swear by a planning app.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE IT UP
The worst thing ever is getting stuck in a theme you created and now hate. My theme changes gradually all the time with my photography and editing styles changing. You can either do it like tearing off a plaster and completely start over or more subtly by changing a little bit more with each photo you post until you get to exactly where you want to be. Remember if its not working for you stop and reassess everything and start again.
Check out the difference between how I first edited and how I now edit, whilst my original edit was very bright and overexposed and not something I am a fan of now, it still helped me grow because it was consistent and cohesive.
Bottom line is having a consistent theme is hands down one of the best ways to grow. Instagram is such a visual platform and the accounts that always perform the best have their unique way of editing.
Top Tip: See an account with a beautiful edit that you love? Message them and ask how they achieve it – most accounts are happy to share how they edit
