How to Start Posting on Social Media Again

Starting over on Instagram was a daunting merely ultimately super rewarding conclusion for me. Here's why I did information technology, and why you might consider it too.

Before I brainstorm, a very important disclaimer. Instagram appointment is by no means important to everyone. If your principal focus is to connect with friends and family, watch fun videos and scroll through memes to unwind, this mail service is probably of no interest to you — and that's beyond okay.

At that place's enough stress out there in the world without calculation unwanted force per unit area into the mix. Social media is a multifunctional tool, and no ii people have the same approach. What works for me might exist the final matter you want to practice — and that'due south okay. Just if you want to use Instagram as a tool to showcase your work, share content and build a community, I hope this helps shed light on how I go about it.

With that in listen, let'south chat starting fresh on Insta.

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Practice any of these sound similar you?

• You experience disconnected from your content, feed, or past posts. Your content doesn't reverberate the real you, and you don't fifty-fifty experience like the person you were when you commencement started. Sure, you could just archive the photos, merely sometimes yous wonder if it would be easier to start fresh.
• Your Instagram engagement levels accept a negative consequence on your wellbeing. Y'all're feeling the pressure to perform. While you know likes don't mean everything, you're bummed that the quality content you work on is underperforming. Yous know that in that location are people out there who would enjoy it — yous just need to detect a way to reach them.
• You want to enjoy social media once more, only feel like you need a fresh commencement to do and so. Starting over on Instagram would offer control over who you follow, and the kind of content you lot most want to run across.
• The majority of the accounts you follow almost never inspire you, and yous merely scroll through your feed out of colorlessness. You don't recognise most of the people in the pictures and don't retrieve post-obit them. Now, y'all want to find and curate a customs of inspiring people whose content provides value to your life.
• Yous have a new vision for a business, a personal make, or a project you've been excited about, and desire to use social media to promote it. Giving it a platform of its own would permit you to go far stand up out as a new affiliate and a new venture in your life.

If any of the in a higher place ring true, starting over from scratch — or at least rethinking your mindset around social media — might be an choice to consider. Here's why I did information technology, and the changes I've seen in my approach to social media over the last twelvemonth.

The ghost of Instagram feeds past

Like many of u.s., I've had an Instagram business relationship since effectually 2012. My determinative years, from teenager to student to member of the workforce, have been framed by ever-changing feed themes, usernames, and colour schemes.

Just like my 2012 feed, Instagram is entirely unrecognisable now from what it used to be. With constant update rollouts and the rise of social media influencers, the look, feel, and role of the app has completely changed and expanded. In this time, Instagram has gone from 40 million monthly users to a whopping one billion.

When I commencement joined, there were no stories or direct letters, and every photo posted had to exist square. The feed was nonetheless chronological. Every Valencia or X-Pro-Two filtered snapshot came with a mysterious moody caption and a million unironic hashtags. (Anyone else remember the days of the unironic #nofilter selfie?) These days, the setup is a little more than sophisticated but as well more competitive. Virtually people steer clear of the in-app filters and focus more than on candid stories than curated feed posts.

The ups and the downs

My first Instagram business relationship peaked in 2015, when every carefully edited picture brought in around 1300 likes. By today's standards, this might not seem similar much, but I was pretty chuffed. When I reached 10,000 followers, I couldn't fathom it. How could so many people exist invested in what I had to say, even in the smallest fashion?

The constant engagement provided my high schoolhouse cocky with the dopamine kicks I needed to feel good about myself. Information technology made me feel more than social, more accomplished, and better understood by my peers. Of course, this was all mostly an illusion, but it was constructive plenty to heighten my confidence when I needed information technology.

Instagram provided a creative outlet I was otherwise missing in my life. Taking photos of flower stalls, Starbucks cups and street art made me realise that I love photography, and have a thing for pretty colours and layout designs. Information technology besides exposed me to inspiring people who were sharing their fine art, poetry, and style on the platform. Seeing all these creatives living and sharing their life and passions fabricated me feel similar I could do all of those things as well.

So I spent hours meticulously planning my feed and watched the force per unit area rising.

When I started college, the chimera popped. Not only was my schedule likewise busy, merely I also had two phones stolen in my first year. I was completely shaken. Months went by without a unmarried feed post, and my engagement halved, then quartered.

With no customs left, social media no longer felt social at all.

And although I worked hard to improve my photography throughout higher, my heart only wasn't in it. Everything I posted left a sour taste, and I felt like I had to perform better — the way I had done before.

The reasons why I started fresh on Instagram

About no business can thrive these days without a robust social media presence. When I started thinking nearly putting my thoughts online and creating a website, I knew I was going to use social media. I besides knew I wanted my primary social media presence to be on Instagram, where visual content is male monarch.

The more than I got to thinking about the goals I wanted to reach with What Now, Nat?, the more obvious it became that I could never reach them with the engagement I was getting. How could I always achieve an interested audience when I never got comments on my posts anymore? How could I form a community of like-minded people when the vast majority of my followers were ghosts?

If I was going to create something valuable, I knew I needed to start over. Social media date may sound silly to a lot of people, but the truth is, information technology'due south the simply mode for small businesses to accomplish their audition and get their anxiety off the ground. I knew this, just still, the idea of starting over from scratch terrified me. How could I find community when I was starting from nil? How apparent would I expect as a blogger with no followers or date?

One 24-hour interval, I ripped off the rough-and-tumble and only went for it. And little did I know that this would be the best conclusion I would make for my business organisation, and for my entire arroyo to social media.

From metrics to community: the biggest mindset shift

When I started over on Instagram with a fresh account most a year ago, I felt liberated. None of the metrics I had tried to live upward to — followers, likes, comments — mattered anymore. I was new, correct? And considering metrics didn't matter, my focus went correct back to my content. And that creative outlet was what made me love Instagram in the kickoff place!

Instead of seeking validation and trying to fit into a mould, I started making connections with agreeing people. I followed creators of positive content that fabricated me experience inspired and motivated every time I scrolled through my feed. I also made a signal of not post-obit accounts that fabricated me feel like I wasn't good enough, prioritising authenticity and value.

Edifice a community became my main focus. In stark contrast to the immature like-for-like interactions of my teenage gram, the principal business concern was not followers, merely conversations. Edifice a real community on social media means listening and providing real value to your audition, showing up to support your peers, and seeking out the realness. This mindset change from quantity to quality has fabricated the biggest difference to my entire outlook on social media.

Now, for the offset time in years, Instagram feels like a positive space again.

Don't get me incorrect: I nevertheless feel pressure to create better content or compare my account to others. I don't think that comparison trap ever actually goes away. And sure, I get a dopamine boost when i of my posts ends up on the Explore page. Equally, I feel bummed when a mail flops. But I don't obsessively judge my own worth based on those numbers anymore.

Past starting from zero, I've had a chance to build new, stiff foundations for my arroyo to social media.

Have you lot been considering starting over on Instagram?

If you feel that nearly of your followers are not seeing your posts in their feeds anymore and you've suffered depression and decreasing engagement no matter how difficult you try, yous might take already thought almost starting over on Instagram. This is peculiarly true if these stats have been negatively affecting your mental health and wellbeing.

Of course, it's possible to revive your account and get back on your audience's radar. The algorithm has changed over the years, prioritising content that people accept been regularly engaging with. That puts many older accounts at a disadvantage — only by no means a fatal i. Through regular engagement with your audience and efforts to connect with other accounts outside of that audience, you can still grow and build a community.

But for me, the 'blank page' mindset of starting from scratch was too appealing to laissez passer upward. I decided to focus my free energy on rebuilding from the ground up. Less than a year later, I've concluded up with a more positive approach to social media, a identify to connect with people who genuinely savour engaging with my content, and a solid feeling of customs.

That's why, at least to me, starting over on Instagram was worth the effort.

A twelvemonth afterwards: how my mindset has inverse

Subsequently almost a year as @whatnownat on Instagram, I couldn't be happier that I chose to start over.

While building up an audition from scratch wasn't like shooting fish in a barrel, trying to revive my flailing old account would have taken far more effort and negative cocky-talk. No doubt I would take been stuck in comparison style.

Now, the pressure is almost completely off. Instead of worrying about the engagement of my photos, I accept been able to focus on creating a community. I now choose the accounts I follow based on my interests, my visions for What Now Nat, and also simply what feels correct. This means that I only view content that inspires me, directs me toward other interesting material, or makes me think.

I likewise put more thought into the content I publish. I took Skillshare classes to acquire how to apply Adobe Lightroom and create presets for my photos. I brand an attempt to create a cohesive and visually highly-seasoned feed. I think about the captions I share. (And by the way: if you're interested in taking these classes for free, you tin can get a free 2 week trial on all Premium Skillshare classes with my link!)

If my content is thought-provoking, loftier quality, and true to my vision, I know engagement will come along with it. Information technology might take some time, but value and quality must come starting time. At this phase, this is a non-negotiable.

And if you are curious virtually the stats…

Well, they speak for themselves.

While my previous Instagram account hit 10,000 followers at its peak, my current one hovers around 2,000. At first glance, this seems like a loss — and I've missed out on opportunities to collaborate with certain brands based on this figure alone. Merely behind the scenes, the value of this alter is obvious.

According to the Phlanx Instagram engagement figurer, my date charge per unit has increased from iii.5% on my previous account to around 20% today. My average likes have doubled. I've gone from virtually no comments to having conversations with around twenty people every solar day. Each week, my posts attain around 8,000 people and 25,000 impressions.

I won't lie and say these numbers don't matter — they practice. In fact, they've even offered me the opportunity to collaborate with small businesses I love.

Simply while the stats validate my efforts, the most positive modify I've seen is in my approach to them. By starting from scratch, I broke the link betwixt my own worth and the stats. I've gotten a chance to build new, strong foundations for my arroyo to social media.

My biggest tip: get your hashtags in club

My success after starting fresh on Insta is mainly due to a slap-up hashtag strategy that gets my posts thousands of impressions from hashtags alone.

If y'all're looking to build a hashtag strategy that grows your reach and connects you to your people, I recommend trying out a hashtag tool called Flick.

Moving-picture show allows you to research relevant hashtags in your niche and grouping them according to the type of posts you lot share. This means your hashtags are always relevant and authentic. Whether you're sharing a flatlay or a travel shot, you'll always capture the right people.

I used to recollect hashtags were cringy and difficult to find, but a tool like Flick makes it super easy to reach a wider audience. Why not exam information technology out for 7 days and run into if it's for you lot?

Was losing ten,000 followers and a bit of ego worth information technology?

Here's the thing: I've plant community and support where there once was silence. I've establish positivity in a part of my day-to-solar day that was in one case a brunt. I feel creatively inspired every day, and almost never feel like crap after scrolling. And then if you ask me, it's paid off more I ever could take imagined.

Have you ever started over on Instagram, or have you considered it? I would love to hear your thoughts on the changes in the algorithm over the last few years and how they accept affected yous. Perchance engagement merely doesn't phase you at all? Let me know in the comments below, or over on – yep, you guessed it – Instagram.

A huge cheers to all of y'all lovely people who have connected with me in my footling corner of the internet — I am grateful every mean solar day to be able to engage with such a talented, caring and supportive grouping of people.

And while I have you here, why non have a browse effectually my contempo posts!

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Source: https://whatnownat.com/a-fresh-start-on-instagram-redefined-my-social-media-experience/

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