Creativity, entertainment and a modern yet grounded aesthetic is what makes poetry on Instagram so appealing. As a result of its growing popularity, more and more aspiring poets are looking for ways to get followers. But with the right strategy, a little bit of hard work and careful consideration of the platform, accumulating followers is simple and straightforward.
If you are a poet using Instagram to share your work, consider these tips to gain more followers:
Interact With Others
Interaction is key. Showing appreciation for others’ work by liking and commenting on their posts is a great way to draw attention to your own profile. It is also more likely to lead to mutual interactions, further growing your network. People are more likely to follow someone who has already engaged with them.
Engaging in conversations, taking part in comment threads, and voting in poetry challenges are just some of the ways to interact.
Regularly Post Content
Posting content regularly is key to engaging your followers and keeping them interested. Without regular updates, followers are more likely to forget you. Regular and consistent posts help maintain the profile’s audience. According to research, over 17% of Instagram posts that contain poetry and literature get rewards.
To ensure the quality of posts, planning is crucial. Allocate time to research, create and post content, and ensure that the time spent is productive. Try to use different mediums to add variety to posts – this is especially relevant when using platforms such as Instagram Live.
Create Visuals For Each Post
Visuals play a great role in posts, because they encourage users to read and engage with the content, as well as making it more aesthetically pleasing. People are drawn to the visuals on Instagram, and this concept, known as ‘Behavioural Objectives Theory’, states that visuals play a vital role with regards to influence and persuasion – users are inspired by images that are powerful, emotional, nostalgic and entertaining.
When creating visuals, try to be creative, unexpected and consistent with colour schemes, backgrounds and aesthetics. Instagram Stories is an excellent platform to uploading visual poetry – often, videos perform better than static imagery, because they engage followers and make posts more accessible.
Grow Your Network Online And Offline
Online marketing is ideal for growing a profile and steadily gaining followers. Using other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok is effective for developing conversions and providing more sources for followers. For example, this could be done with shoutouts and collaborations across different platforms.
Offline marketing involves getting involved in the poetry community, such as attending readings and open mics, attending competitions and joining local writing and poetry initiatives. Networking with other poets and industry professionals is a great way to grow your following and build relationships.
Track User Engagement Statistics
Analytics are essential in monitoring user engagement and success rates. This provides feedback that helps both determine the performance of a profile and gain an insight into user behaviour. Tools such as Google Analytics, Instagram Insights and Simply Measured help track posts, interactions and return on investment.
Be Yourself
Most importantly, be authentic. People are more likely to be drawn to a profile that exudes individuality, originality and creativity, which calls for a distinctive visual brand. Give followers an insight into your life, values and motivations to give context to your work by taking advantage of the available features in Instagram, such as question boxes and stories. Connecting with viewers is an art form – appealing to them on a personal level is an effective way to gain followers.
Have Fun With It
Poetry is an enjoyable source of expression and creativity. Take ownership of the experience and remember to have fun with it. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different approaches and styles, as this helps engage followers. Consistently posting work can become exhausting, so it is important to nurture the creative process and enjoy the pursuit of success. It is this same freedom of creativity that will eventually attract followers.
Stay Open to Constructive Criticism
Constructive criticism aids in growth and development as both a poet and a person, so encourage it by frequently questioning and engaging with followers. Ask whether they are benefiting from looking at your work, and listen to the feedback they provide. This helps build a supportive and helpful community through conversations, which ultimately strengthens your brand.
Be Strategic
It is not only about producing content consistently; it is about being strategic. Make sure that each post serves a purpose, whether that’s to inform followers, entertain them, engage them or offer poetry commissions. Align your strategy with your brand and each post should be used to hone its aesthetic, engage followers and ultimately, grow.
When Is The Best Time To Post?
Timing is vital for getting followers on Instagram – if content is not released at the optimum time, then it may go unnoticed. A great tool for understanding when the best time to post is is Later – an analytics tool that provides comprehensive data such as times when people are most likely to interact across all devices.
Timing your posts based on user engagement data can help gain potential followers and enable a better grip on the target audience. This strategy is key to boosting likes, comments and overall engagement.
Collaboration
Collaboration is a fantastic method to leverage a wider following base and gain more followers. Cross-promotion allows both parties involved to benefit from each other’s networks, which can lead to an increase in followers, relevant content and even business engagements.
Teaming up with like-minded creators, influencers and large organisations is a great way to broaden your reach. Short term collaborations are also effective in this aspect – for example, an Instagram Takeover allows a guest account to post on an account for a determined timeframe.
Adverts and Content Promoting
Organically gaining followers requires a significant amount of patience and effort. Adverts offer a different approach in terms of content promotion, and they provide an opportunity to increase visibility in a matter of days. Instagram Ads can easily be set up using the Facebook Business Manager, or by using external parties such as AdEspresso.
The initial investment of adverts may be costly and require time maintenance, but this strategy is often a reliable and effective way to boost followers. Promoting content, whether via ads or not, encourages people to view content, creating an opportunity for users to engage with not only the post but the account itself.
Hashtags are essential in growing an account and gaining followers. They facilitate great and ongoing communication with both followers and potential followers. Hashtags belong to specific categories, and by using them regularly, followers with interests aligned with yours are likely to find your posts via the hashtag.
Labeling posts with relevant and timely hashtags also boosts engagement, which makes it easier for people to find specific posts. They even offer followers a chance to interact with a wider audience on the platform itself. Use up to 30 hashtags, use a mix of location and topic- responsive hashtags, and try to use a range each time.
