Dress: Old- Anthropologie, Similar, Similar, Similar, Similar Earrings: Here, (less expensive options here and here), Shoes: Here
Y’all I am so excited to announce I hit 10k on Instagram! I hit it on my 5th month blogging anniversary (June 14th), so that makes it even more special. I just cannot believe it. It feels like I have been an Insta blogger forever.
First off, I want to say thank you so much for the support. I would be nowhere with out all of my readers/followers. I never thought I would ever start a blog or would share my outfits on Instagram, so I am proud of myself for biting the bullet and starting this hobby. It is something I have always wanted to do, but I was afraid to put myself out there. Blogging has been a wonderful experience and a complete whirlwind. I am also so thankful I started this because it has given me great purpose while my hubby has had his busiest year of medical school.
Just a little reflection on my time as a blogger, I have achieved two goals I never thought possible: I was accepted into Reward Style and I hit 10,000 followers on Instagram recently. This is going to be a long post, so I apologize in advance.
Lately I have been getting a lot of messages about advice, especially about growing on Instagram. I am so flattered, but I don’t see myself as a expert at all! I have decided with my new milestone of 10k Instagram followers, it is finally time to stop procrastinating and share some tips.
Instagram:
I probably get the most questions about how to grow on Instagram. I want to note I have done it 100% organically. For the first few months my growth was pretty slow, but after I hit a certain point, my account has grown fast. With this being said, don’t get discouraged if your growth has been slow.
- Engage, engage, engage: I cannot say this enough. With the new Instagram algorithm, engaging with your followers is soooooo important. This helps your post to show up and to gain/maintain followers. (By engaging I mean liking and commenting on posts.)
- Consistency: To grow on Instagram, you really need to post at least once daily and 2 times max daily. This helps new followers find you and helps maintain your current ones. I started to do one post daily and have found this is easier for me to manage.
- Hashtags: It is important to use hashtags to make your posts more visible, but you cannot use too many. It’s all about balance. If you’ve heard about the shadow banning, Instagram is cracking down on “misusing” hashtags. I try to use between 5-15 now. I also switched to a personal Instagram account, since I have heard they’re cracking down more on business accounts. I try to not reuse the same hashtags on my posts for this reason. I also made an account that does not follow me, so I can monitor this.
- Similar accounts: Follow and engage with similar accounts. If you think about networking for a business, it makes sense why this helps. I have found some quality followers on Style Collective’s page. I would normally say join like/comment pods, but with all of the rumors flying around I don’t know what to say about them.
- Tag brands: I tag the brands that I am wearing in each post. I really attribute this to a lot of my success, as Target followed me and posted one of my pictures on their awesomeshop page.
- You get what you give: I treat this blog/Instagram as a job. At first I treated it as a part-time job, but lately as I have grown I have really treated it as a second full-time job.
Blogging:
A lot of this advice is important for Instagram too:
- Join Style Collective: This is a network of bloggers. They share helpful tips and articles. Here is my referral link to join.
- Organization is key: At first I was able to do things on a whim, but now that I’m over 5 months deep, I’ve found that that doesn’t really work.
- Follow similar blogs and interact with them. If you make the effort to support them, they will usually support you back.
- Install Google analytics to see where your most common referrals are coming from and focus on that. I have noticed with blogging my most common is Facebook, so I have been occasionally doing targeted ads to help promote my posts.
Collaborations:
Lately I have had a lot of questions about how to get collaborations. For collabs, I used to wait until a brand reached out to me, but lately I have reached out to more. I would say most of my collaborations are brands that have reached out to me, but I am starting to screenshot brands I would love to work with. Also, if you’re wanting to do a collaboration for summer clothes, make sure to reach out when it’s still spring. I am just using this as an example, since I have found out the hard way you need to ask early.
LIKETOKNOW.IT
As you may have seen in this post, I got accepted to Reward Style’s Like to know it program. I have also had many bloggers ask me for advice and what they’re looking for, and here’s what I think is key:
- Tagging products in your blog/Instagram posts: They like to see that you’re showing your followers where your items are from.
- Engagement: They like to see that your followers are engaging with you and that you’re engaging with them.
- Consistency: They like to see you post at least once daily.
- Referral: I am always more than happy to send a referral, it seems to help to have one. Just Dm me or email me 🙂
If you have specific questions, do not hesitate to leave me a comment, email me or send me a direct message on Instagram! I am always willing to help and I strongly believe in bloggers supporting other bloggers. It’s not about competition; there is room for us all to succeed!
I love the pink lace dress! Yay to your all your success with the blog!
Lisa
Aw thank you <3
Love the pictures girl and wow, congrats on 10K followers on IG!! That’s totally awesome and you really deserve it 🙂 Always love your outfits, keep rocking dear <3
OMG thank you so much for the sweet comment! That totally made me smile. <3
Aw np girl! 🙂
Congrats on hitting 10K girly! So exciting!
Aw thank you! I really appreciate your kind words.
This was such a helpful post! So proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished so far! 🙂
Katherine | http://www.oneswainkycouple.com
Thank you so much, Katherine! I am so glad to hear it was helpful <3 I was hoping for it to be. I really appreciate all of your kind words and I think you're doing amazing things over on One Swainky Couple.
i’ve been trying to get more growth on social media and my blog so this post was really helpful. great tips! & congrats on 10K!!!
Thank you for reading, Claudia! I am so happy to hear you found it helpful <3
Congratulations!!!!!!
Thanks, lady <3
Congrats on reaching 10K! I have been struggling to even reach 1,000. I spend hours a day on there! How long do you spend per day on Insta connecting and engaging?!
Thank you so much, Courtney! You’ll get there. It can be discouraging, but you’ll get there <3 It varies each day, but I would say a few hours a day for sure. For a while I was spending each moment that I could and felt like I was going crazy. I decided I want to be present and not let this take over my life, so now I probably do 30 minutes to an hour in the in the morning, maybe 15-30 at lunch and then a few hours in the evening. When I am about to post a picture I try to catch up in my feed for a least 30 minutes. It can be a lot of work, but I am so thankful for all of the blogger friends I've connected with.
This is so helpful! I follow you on Instagram and have been wanting to start a blog of my own for a long while now.you pictures and looks are amazing ! I am so happy that your blog and Instagram are thriving! I wish you all the best and continued sucesss !!
OMG thank you for that sweet comment, Christina. You made my day <3 Aw I think you should absolutely start a blog. It's been such a fun experience and a lot of work, but I love it. <3
Hi Dear , congratulations on getting to milestone! I don’t have instagram , I love wordpress though! Thank you so much for the advice . I like your ending where bloggers can support other bloggers and we can all succeed. So sweet! Your dress is absolutely gorgeous too, with the flawless hair and pretty earrings! Have a great day, Hugs, Terri xo.
Thank you for your sweet comment, Terri! I am so glad you stopped by and saw my post. Aw thank you! I hear of girls being unsupportive and it makes me sad, so I am definitely of the mindset we can all help each other succeed. Thank you so much. This was actually my bridal shower dress and I LOVE it. I hope you have a fantastic day.
Thank you so much Courtney ❤ I will do What I can to support you, looking forward to a WordPress friendship. Have a beautiful weekend, hugs, Terri.
Wow❤❤
<3 <3
I have been wanting to start a blog for the past year and found this to be so incredibly helpful! Thank you for posting this!! Do you have any advice on picking the right camera for pictures on your blog?
Aw I am so glad you found it helpful <3 You're so welcome. I am still in the process of picking a new camera myself. I shoot with another blogger who has a Canon DSLR and its wonderful. When I started I had a little Canon that has WIFI, but the picture quality wasn't fantastic. I am now using my mother-in-laws Nikon D3200 that she didn't use. I think for Christmas I will get a Nikon or Canon DSLR. For picking the right camera, I recommend reaching out to other bloggers who's photos you love. That's what I have done. Most of them have recommended Nikon DSLRS.
OMG, your success seems surreal! Congrats! I can only hope that one day, I will be as successul as you are. I started blogging yesterday and I am really motivated! Check out my posts and keep up with the good work!
xx, Kris
https://dreamingofpink.wordpress.com
I know, I cannot believe it! The past 5 month I have lived and breathed Instagram and blogging and it’s finally paid off. This has been the hardest year in medical school for my hubby, so I am glad I started this. Aww congrats on your new blog. How exciting. I will definitely check it out. Best of luck. XOXO
Congrats lovely!!
Aw thank you
This has been so helpful! Thanks for the tips. I might be messaging you for a reward style referral soon!
Thanks!! 💜Maggie
Thank you so much, sweet Maggie! Yes, please do! I am always happy to send one <3
Congrats, Courtney!! So excited for you! Thanks for the great tips!
Taylor | http://www.livingtaylored.com
Thank you, sweet Taylor!
Such a great post Courtney! It has been so fun watching you grow and supporting you along the way! 🙂
Aw thank you, sweet friend! I have loved getting to know you <3
As a new blogger and instagramer this really helped 😺
Aw yay I am so happy you found it helpful <3
Congratulations on reaching 10K! I have just started out so your advice is invaluable. Thank you for being so open with your success story and I hope you continue to exceed your dreams. x
Thank you so much! You’re so sweet. I am so glad you found my tips useful 🙂 I wish you great success <3
Amazing post!!
Thank you so much <3
What are the best hashtags to use in your opinion
I try not to repeat the same ones in each post, I try to make mine unique to the picture/outfit or product. I try to not use more than 15. For example, if I am wearing a swimsuit coverup with tassel/ stripes I would probably do #summerstyle #stripes #tassels a hashtag with the brand name. I like to use ones like #bloggerstyle #myootd #fashionista too. If I have a blog post up I like to do ones like #ontheblog #blogged #liveontheblog.
Thank you so much for your help!! And congrats again!!