Having a strong Instagram game isn’t always easy. There are unspoken Instagram rules that must be followed. You probably broke some of these rules in the past. Heck, I’m guilty of most of these offenses. Whether it’s a drunken night and you upload that bad photo, or you had a momentary lapse of judgement, we’ve all been there. But, sometimes it’s important to have a reminder of what pics drive your followers crazy. Take note before they do the unthinkable — unfollow you.
Too Much
Too much of a good thing on Instagram is just, well, too much. Nobody wants to see you posting more than 3 photos in a row. Unless it’s your mom — she loves everything you post. And don’t even think about posting more than five in a row. That’s the fastest way to unfollow land. Pick one photo and trust it. Less is more, remember that.
Food and Beverage Pics
Okay, okay, we’ve all been guilty of this one. Sometimes you cook up something wonderful and yeah, you want the whole world to see. Or maybe you want to show off your Martha Stewart skills. It’s okay to post certain food and drink photos — but there are restrictions.
We’ve all seen what a bloody mary looks like. If you have to post a picture of your meal then it better be an out-of-this-world good-looking meal. Another option is to have a killer caption. So think twice before you upload that picture of your tuna sandwich.
No Variety
Everyone loves variety, and so do your Instagram followers. We all know you just had a baby or you got a new dog, but don’t overload us with too many pics. I get it, I’d want to show that off to the world, too, but maybe the world isn’t quite as enthusiastic. Post all you want of whatever you want, but throw some other photos into the mix as well.
Vacation Overload
“Vacation all I ever wanted, vacation had to get away.” Too many vacation pics may make your followers want to get away from your Instagram feed. We all love to see a nice travel photo. Just don’t overdo it. We don’t want to be reminded that while you’re having the time of your life, we’re at our 9-5 job, bored out of our minds. Thanks for rubbing it in. Keep the max at three each day and you’ll be fine.
Collages
Okay I’m gonna say it, not many people are fans of those picture collage apps where you can upload seven photos into one. We don’t want to see seven little tiny photos we came to look at one.
PDA
Not everyone loves to see PDA, especially all over your Instagram. Thou dost post too much? Sometimes the happiest of couples are the quietest online. And sometimes the couples who feel the need to show their love to their followers all the time are doing it for other reasons. PDA posts are perfectly fine here and there, but try not to make them everywhere.
Caution With Captions
Captions can either make or break your photo. Everyone loves a good caption. Maybe it’s a clever use of a hashtag, or maybe it’s a smart pun. You’ll get more likes with an impressive caption. However, the opposite can happen as well. Leave the story-long drawn out captions for rare occasions. Think twice before posting those dramatic lyrics. And make sure you control yourself with those hashtags. Be cautious with your captions.
Hashtags
The fastest way to get people to unfollow you is by posting one too many hashtags. If you’re looking for more followers and want to go to hashtag heaven, I can respect that. However, use them sparingly. An appropriate amount is fewer than five. Change them out and no one will even notice. If you want to get down with some hashtags, that’s okay. Just make sure they are either funny, ironic, or there’s a minimal number.
Spice up Your Selfie
Ahh, the selfie. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. But we can all agree on one thing — some selfie pics are just outdated. Yes, I’m referring to the car selfie or the classic bathroom selfie. Don’t even get me started about the gym selfie. Spice up your selfies, ladies!
Videos
A video always seems to be better in our heads than in reality. Videos never come out the way we want them to. We are usually drunk or laughing in them and our followers are definitely not. Unless you’re posting a workout video, stick to photos. That’s what Instagram is really all about, anyway.
