I wouldn’t be writing a home decor blog if it weren’t for IG. And it seems sorta crazy that it’s only been a year that I’ve been apart of the fun and supportive IG community. IG inspires me on a daily basis…but not just because of your beautiful homes, but because it really is a tight knit community where people actually care and “get” why going to an antique store is the highlight of your week.

In my IG stories, from time to time,I share about what I’ve learned during my first year. And those chit chats always get a lot of responses. I’m glad I can help and I’m happy to help. But I thought it might be helpful to actually write some of those thoughts on here.

Before the fall of 2016, I had an IG account, but I knew very little about IG. I was a Facebook girl, even though FB was beginning to be the root of a lot of anxiety. I loved keeping up with people, but the crime posts, and political posts, and conspiracy theory posts nearly gave me panic attacks! I had just begun to decorate our home and a friend suggested I start following some home decor account on IG.

I was hooked almost instantly! I loved seeing pictures of people’s homes. I loved decorating and sharing pics of my home. I loved making friends with people that also loved home decor and understood what RD was! It took about six months for me to hit 500 followers. I was doing so many things wrong. Now, eight months later, I have close to 11,000 followers. If you’re having trouble growing your account, you may want to see if you are making some of these mistakes.

1. You have to have a public account. You have the option to set your profile as public or private. If you are private, people have to request permission to follow you. I never ever request to follow a private account unless I know the person or have established a relationship with them through many DM conversations. Private essentially tells people you only want people you know in real life to follow you….which is totally cool. But you can’t expect to grow your account with a private setting.
2. Your IG handle needs to be something that invites people to follow. Disclaimer: I know a handful of people who have been successful growing their accounts under their name (I’m looking at you, Karlee). So it can happen. BUT, I think most people will do well with having their account name linked to what their IG page is about. My handle is @thefrontporchfarmhouse. My house is a farmhouse with a front porch that I sit on and chit chat with my followers during my stories. However, if you can’t think of a good name, just use your name and make sure you follow #3.
3. Do not post personal photos. At least not at first. Unless you are like a fashion blog where you share your outfits. When I click on a name and see a lot of personal photos, I second-guess whether you want random people (like me) to follow you or not. Plus, I follow people initially because I like the way they style their home. And then, after I get to know you, I love seeing the occasional personal photo! If it bothers you to not share personal pics, lots of people have two accounts, one they share their personal pictures on and another to share soley their home decor.
4.  Write a catchy profile description. People read those things! At least, I do! Again, make it clear that you want people to follow along with your page!
5. Use hashtags on your pics. It’s the only way random strangers will find you!
6. Go out there and comment! Make friends! Search a hashtag and go comment on people’s pics. The number one way I’m introduced to a new account is when they comment on a pic and I go check them out…and then I’m looking at all of those things I’ve previously mentioned.
7. Share quality pics. The number one reason why people follow you is because they see your photos and like what they see. You need to share pictures that are clear and pleasing to the eye. Go take a gander at one of your favorite accounts. What draws you to it? I love seeing a page with bright, clear, photos…with mostly neutrals going on. heehee

I hope this has been helpful! I’m planning on writing more of these IG types of posts so if there’s a topic I can help you with, please let me know!