Tips & Guides

Spice Up Your Posts – The 8 Best Free Instagram Templates

May 20, 2019 By Ana Isabel

Marketing, brand identity, and a consistent post schedule are all mandatory ingredients to creating a successful Instagram – but having a memorable aesthetic plays an incredibly vital role, too.

A distinct Instagram theme not only helps you stand out from the saturated online market; it also does well in instantly grabbing your viewer’s attention. The better your feed looks, the more people are likely to engage and interact with it. And the more creative your theme (and content!), the higher chance you have of converting random app-surfers into loyal followers.

Instagram Video Templates — Courtesy of Shakr.

You needn’t be the most artistic, experienced graphic designer to achieve this, either. Plenty of online services offer ready-made post and Instagram story templates for you to use and customize to your liking. All you need are valuable content ideas, and these tools help you mold them into professional, eye-catching designs.

Below are some of the best websites that provide stunning Instagram templates – for free!

Instagram Templates – Tool #1: Canva

Simply put, Canva is the perfect graphic design tool for non-graphic designers. Users are able to generate unique, sleek designs in a matter of minutes, using a simple drag-and-drop interface.

Upon signing up to their website (for no cost at all!), you’re treated to a collection of templates for varying social media purposes. Sift through the recommended templates on display (“Instagram Post” being one of these, along with “Pinterest Graphic”, “Blog Banner”, “Facebook Story”, and plenty others) or look up your desired post type in the search bar.

Free Instagram Templates - Canva — Courtesy of Canva.

For those particular on a certain size, you can also add custom dimensions.

Select “Instagram Post”, and you’re then directed to Canva’s editing suite. A wide range of Instagram template designs – categorized by post objective, such as “sale”, “food”, or “travel” content – are available for selection in your toolkit. Simply select one that stands out to you (or fits your brand aesthetic best), and the editing fun begins.

Free Instagram Templates - Canva Editor — Courtesy of Canva.

Canva offers a variety of design tools, including the option of adding graphic elements, text (of a generous range of fonts), background textures, and even your own images. What’s more, is that these available pre-made templates are highly customizable. Delete, resize, or alter each existing design element to your heart’s content.

Free Instagram Templates - Canva Editing Tools — Courtesy of Canva.

When you’re done, simply download your final design in the image format of your choice. Canva has the convenient feature of saving all your designs to your dashboard, in case you wish to revisit previous projects.

For Instagrammers intimidated by the need for good graphic design, Canva is quality choice. It’s an online design service accessible to anyone, and offers some of the best free Instagram templates on the web.

Instagram Templates – Tool #2: Shakr

So you’ve got yourself an excellent tool for generating top-notch Instagram posts – but how about videos? These guys are in a league of their own; designing static images is simple enough, but what if the elements of music and animated storytelling are added to the mix?

Free Instagram Templates - Instagram Video Templates — Courtesy of Shakr.

If you’re after an online tool that pops out gorgeous, expertly-crafted videos that are sure to get audiences watching, Shakr is just the service for you.

Similarly to Canva, Shakr flaunts a large collection of pre-made templates for all your social media video needs. Choose from a wide library of different designs, uniquely categorized by “feel” and “energy”.

Instagram Video Creator - Shakr Video Templates — Courtesy of Shakr.

This takes you to Shakr’s simple editing suite, where you get access to over one million stock images and video clips to edit into your template. The entire interface is a simple drag-and-drop process of arranging your desired media into the displayed video timeline.

Replace the existing text, add in some catchy background music (all of which are pre-licensed; no copyright dramas here!), and download your final production for Instagram!

Instagram Video Creator - Shakr Edit Audio Tracks — Courtesy of Shakr.

If you’re working with a team of marketers, Shakr also provides you with private libraries of all your Instagram video templates, easily accessible to anyone on your team.

Those further pressed for time can even hire some of Shakr’s world-class designers to create your video for you. All you need to do is send over your project files to the Shakr design team, and you’ll have professionals working on the perfect video that fits your business needs.

Free Instagram Templates - Shakr Custom Design Templates — Courtesy of Shakr.

Unfortunately, all these quality features come with a price. Shakr provides paid plans on a basic, standard, and “pro” level – starting from $49 a month.

Instagram Templates – Tool #3: Bannersnack

An image maker of all shapes and sizes, Bannersnack presents itself as one of the simplest, most user-friendly graphic design tools online.

Instagram Video Creator - Bannersnack — Courtesy of Bannersnack.

Just sign up to their website (for free!) and the process is fairly simple – users are guided to their ideal Instagram template through steps that help determine your post type, objective, and dimensions.

Free Instagram Templates - Bannersnack — Courtesy of Bannersnack.

You’re then taken to your “workspace”, where you can edit the existing background, text, and graphic elements of your template. You also have the flexible option of adding your own images or accessing their library of over two million stock photos.

Free Instagram Templates - Bannersnack Workspace — Courtesy of Bannersnack.

An interesting feature of Bannersnack is the ability to animate your final image. Depending on your chosen template, your design may already come with pre-existing animations that easily editable in your workspace.

Amongst your design tools, an adjustable tab labelled “Layers” should display all the items added to your design thus far. Alongside these is a timeline displaying all the existing animations for each text or graphic element.

Free Instagram Templates - Bannersnack Animation Tools — Courtesy of Bannersnack.

You can lengthen or shorten each animation, or rid of them altogether. You can also choose from a range of transition styles (some may require a premium account) with advanced customization options.

For paying users, Bannersnack offers the additional feature of editing a “banner set” – the ability to build multiple images all at once. This therefore speeds up your content creation process and leaves you with a generous collection of professionally-made Instagram templates in a matter of minutes!

Free Instagram Templates - Bannersnack Edit Banner Sets — Courtesy of Bannersnack.

Those looking for a highly efficient, animated image generator needn’t look further than Bannersnack. Whether you’re a free or premium user, their service has plenty offer.

Instagram Templates – Tool #4: Unfold

Unfold sells itself as a toolkit for online “storytellers”. If you’re an influencer going for a simple, yet classy look for your feed, this app offers a unique library of elegant designs suited to such aesthetics.

Users can choose through a series of six collections – each with their own vintage sense of style.

Free Instagram Templates - Unfold App — Courtesy of Unfold.

Among these are the “Clasico Series (CS)”: a template collection patterned after print editorials, “Film Frame (FF1)”: a collection of template designs modelled after film and analog photography, and “Ripped Paper (RP1)”: designs adorned with a “ripped paper” edges for an edgy, grungy look.

Free Instagram Templates - Unfold, Creating Stories — Courtesy of Unfold.

Those new to the app are granted 25 free Instagram templates with the option to access 90 more at a premium price. Your toolkit also grants you with font overlays and customization for a further artistic touch.

For Instagram profiles that lean towards a minimal, modern vibe with a tinge of nostalgia, the Unfold app has just the look you’re after. No signups required; simply download their app onto your Apple device or Android device.

Instagram Templates – Tool #5: Kapwing

So far, we’ve discussed the numerous options available for Instagram post templates. If you’re looking for designs specific to Instagram stories, however, Kapwing provides you with just that.

The Kapwing platform is an all-around editor for images and videos online. Among the vast selection of media templates they offer, the website has an exclusive collection for Instagram story templates.

Free Instagram Templates - Kapwing Story Templates — Courtesy of Kapwing.

By selecting this category, users can choose from three Instagram story template groups: basic, color, and text.

If you’re after a simple frame or collage of photos for your story, the “basic” collection has plenty of minimal designs to pick from. “Color” templates are essentially “basic” designs with a splash of various customizable background colors. Finally, if you’re looking to overlay some stylish word art or text onto your story, the “text” collection provides you with such layouts.

Once you’ve chosen your desired template, you’re then directed to Kapwing’s studio, where you can customize or add text, graphic elements, and background designs. Alter and assemble the image to your liking – then save and share your final work to your Instagram story once you’re done!

Free Instagram Templates - Kapwing Editor — Courtesy of Kapwing.

As mentioned, Kapwing has a generous range of other online media designs and templates available. Along with their Instagram story templates, you can also sift through their border designs for standard Instagram posts, meme image templates, and cartoon generator – a feature that turns any photo your upload into a childlike, cartoon drawing.

Free Instagram Templates - Kapwing Cartoonify — Courtesy of Kapwing.

Instagram Templates – Tool #6: Promo

Need a professional-looking Instagram video? With Promo, you can create show-stopping marketing videos in seconds; content that not only captures attention, but drives impressive results.

This is because the service flaunts a rich, gorgeous collection of online-tested video templates for your website and social media needs. Users can get started on their platform for free, no credit card required.

Free Instagram Templates - Promo Template Collection — Courtesy of Promo.

Upon signing up, you can easily search up a video topic – be it real estate, mother’s day, fashion, or food. Promo then generates all the available templates they have under that genre. You can then either preview the video or select it for customization.

Once you’ve chosen your template, the Promo editor allows you to add in your own text, media, and music to create your perfect Instagram video. The editing studio, while simple, is also quite flexible with its options. Users can adjust the length of each footage, add in their desired captions, and choose from a selection of text styles.

Free Instagram Templates - Promo Template Editor — Courtesy of Promo.

When you’re done, select the sizing of your video (“Square” works best for a standard Instagram post, while “Vertical” suits your typical Instagram story template), preview your final work, and save.

Free Instagram Templates - Promo Template Resize — Courtesy of Promo.

While Promo grants users with a handful of free Instagram templates, a premium account is required for access to their entire library of video designs and over 14 million high-quality stock visuals from Getty, Shutterstock, and other renowned providers.

Along with trendy post or Instagram story templates, Promo also helps create eye-catching Facebook video covers.

Instagram Templates – Tool #7: Snappa

Anyone looking for a fully-featured online image editor can’t go wrong with Snappa.

While brandishing a highly flexible, fully customizable studio, Snappa is an efficient, user-friendly platform for creating social media images, visual ads, e-mails, and infographics. Simply create an account on their website, and choose from a library of pre-existing social media, blog, and ad templates – or create one from scratch.

Free Instagram Templates - Snappa Social Media Graphics — Courtesy of Snappa.

Among the social media designs, users can choose from a number of free Instagram templates or Instagram story templates.

Like the other graphic editors discussed on this list, Snappa requires no learning curve with their design features; everything is modifiable through effect sliders and a drag-and-drop interface.

Free Instagram Templates - Snappa Editor — Courtesy of Snappa.

Users can easily customize the default text and images of their Instagram template (or Instagram story template), with access to a library of over one million stock photos and graphic elements and over two hundred fonts – all licensed for commercial use (however, as a free user, you may only have a limited selection available). If you’ve got on-brand project files you’d rather use, you also have the option of uploading them onto the studio.

Free Instagram Templates - Snappa Stock Graphics — Courtesy of Snappa.

Once you’re done editing, you can adjust the post size to your liking, and download to save. You can also resize your final graphic to fit the dimensions of other social media posts – including that of Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or Facebook.

Similarly to Canva, Snappa keeps an entire library of all your previously-created graphics for future editing purposes.

Instagram Templates Save Time, Effort, and Marketing Energy

With all these template tools at your disposal, creating engaging Instagram content has never been more efficient. Not only do these services provide you with ready-made designs, easily customizable to fit your brand and business goals – but plenty are created by industry professionals who know what works best in the world of online marketing.

Whether it’s an image post, a story update, or an ad; these platforms serve you with the ideal Instagram templates for creating content that drives results, gains new followers, and keeps your feed looking fantastic.

How to Save Instagram Photos (and Not Just Screenshots)

May 16, 2019 By Kyle Francisco

When you surf the Internet and come across an interesting illustration or photograph, your first impulse is usually to save it to your computer. It’s not so hard to imagine the same scenario for Instagram, where literally millions of images are uploaded every single day.

Picture this (pun intended): You’re browsing your Instagram feed when all of a sudden, someone you know tags you in a photo they just uploaded. You check your notifications to see what you were just tagged in, and to your amusement, you realize that it’s from an event you recently attended. You like the way you look in the photo, and you want a copy of it that you can post on your own social media profiles. Unfortunately, there’s no save option, so you can’t download it. Frustrated, you end up taking a screenshot and cropping it. You now have a copy of the image, but it’s not as good. You don’t really have a choice, though, and so you’re forced to just go ahead and upload it.

But what if you knew a way to get around that? What if, by simply knowing the mechanics of how Instagram works, you find out how to save Instagram posts?

Believe it or not, saving Instagram photos is definitely possible. Read on to learn a few ways you can do just that.

Why do people save Instagram posts?

Before continuing, let’s first take a look at the reasons why anyone would want to save photos from Instagram in the first place. After all, there’s probably a good reason or two as to why the platform doesn’t allow saving Instagram photos, right?

Some examples of situations in which knowing how to save Instagram photos would be quite useful:

You want a backup collection of your Instagram photos that you uploaded directly from your camera. This means you haven’t set your app to automatically sync or save your posts. (We’ll teach you how to do that later.)
You’re working on your travel goals album. You might want to save photos of your friends’ recent destinations so that you can plan your own itinerary.
You’re making a mood board for your upcoming event. It could be a wedding, birthday party, or any other event that needs to follow a certain aesthetic.
You want a copy of the photos you’re tagged in to be saved to your camera roll.
You want to save decent-quality copies of images from Instagram, and not just screenshots.

All of these reasons are valid when it comes to wanting to save Instagram posts. However, Instagram itself has decided that the arguments against saving photos outweigh those in favor of it — and we’re about to get into why that’s the case.

Why saving Instagram photos isn’t officially allowed

The simplest reason why there’s no official option to save Instagram photos is because the platform wants to protect the copyright of the users.

As the owner of the photos on your Instagram account, you can exercise the right to prevent other Instagram users from sharing or copying your uploaded media, whether for profit or non-profit purposes. On top of that, they also can’t edit your work, nor can they make derivatives of your work, without your explicit permission or a standing agreement that permits them to do so. After all, in this day and age, adding “credit to the owner” (CTTO) to an Instagram post isn’t enough as “consent,” and should never be.

Whenever you upload a photo to your Instagram account, it comes with the unspoken condition that you’re likely the person who took the photo, drew the illustration, or otherwise owns the copyright. These are in Instagram’s copyright rules, and you’ll definitely find them there if you take the time to read them. Preventing other users from downloading your photos — and thus, preventing you from from downloading other users’ photos — is an enforcement of said copyright rule.

There’s also the fact that the “Collections” feature exists specifically so that you could find all of your favorite Instagram posts in a single location. We’ll get into that in a bit.

How to save Instagram photos as screenshots

As mentioned earlier, it’s possible to save Instagram posts via the native screenshot function that pretty much any smartphone has these days. The consequence, of course, is that you end up with a low-resolution file that you’ll have to crop.

Still, if you’re not open to asking for permission and you just want to save a couple of photos from your feed (without any plans to profit from them), this shouldn’t be a problem.

Step 1: Access the photo you want to save from your Instagram feed.

Step 2: Take a screenshot by pressing the necessary buttons on your phone simultaneously (for example, the volume and power buttons).

Step 3: Open your screenshot from the gallery on your phone.

Step 4: Crop the image using your phone’s default image editor.

Oh, and one more thing: While Instagram won’t notify the owner if you screencap their posts, it will notify your contact if you take a screenshot of a photo they shared with you via DM.

But why save Instagram photos to Collections?

The Collections feature is a fairly new one — Instagram only made it live in 2017 — but it’s one of several methods on how to save Instagram photos, and possibly the easiest (short of taking a screenshot). In a nutshell, what the Collections feature does is save Instagram posts in a remote folder that’s stored inside the app itself, for easier access in the future.

Sure, you won’t be able to get an actual copy of the image file in your preferred format and in full resolution, but if your sole purpose is to be able to easily find the image again when you want to check it out, having it in Collections should suffice.

There are three main reasons why you would want to save Instagram posts in your Collections, especially if you’re a business.

1. You can use Collections to monitor what others are doing.

The Collections feature allows you to keep track of what your contacts are posting on relevant hashtags. If you’re representing a brand, this is particularly useful for scoping out competitors and figuring out how they execute their Instagram strategies, as well as see how many likes and comments they’re getting on their posts (thereby gauging their engagement rate and seeing what works for them). It’s like observing what’s going on in your naturally competitive business environment, without the risk of your competition knowing that you’re monitoring them.

2. See who’s tagging you and including you in relevant conversations

Another way in which the Collections feature is useful for brands is that it lets brands keep track of which users and posts tagged or mentioned them. Using unique hashtags or relevant topic searches, you can easily find the public posts that involve you, and save them to your Collections for further observation and study. You can even get user-generated content that you can repost on your account (provided, of course, that you were able to secure permission from the creator/s).

3. Your Collection can be a source of design inspiration for you.

If you’re working in the digital marketing or advertising industries, you can take advantage of the Collections feature for design inspiration as well. Whether it’s a print ad or poster that you want to replicate or homage for your own commercial purposes, you can easily put it in your Collection so that you can revisit it when you’re brainstorming for ideas on how to execute your marketing campaign.

How to save Instagram photos via Collections

That said, it’s incredibly easy to bookmark an Instagram photo and make it part of your Collections.

Step 1: Find the Instagram post that you want to bookmark.

Step 2: Tap on the bookmark icon, located on the lower-right corner of the Instagram post. It’s hard to miss, as it’s the button that looks like a flaglet.

Step 3: Go to your Instagram profile page.

Step 4: Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of your screen. There, you’ll find the Saved option.

If you’re familiar with the image platform Pinterest, then bookmarking should be a breeze for you. And in a similar fashion as Pinterest, you can also compile your saved Instagram photos into a themed Collection. Here are the steps.

Step 1: Tap the Save to Collection option that appears on your screen as soon as you tap the bookmark icon.

Step 2: Write a name for your new collection.

Step 3: Tap Done.

If you want to inspect and organize the posts you’ve saved to your Collection:

Step 1: Navigate to your personal profile. Tap the three horizontal lines at the top-right corner of your screen, then tap the Saved option.

Step 4: Tap on the Plus icon to create a new album, which you’ll have to provide a name for.

Step 5: You can now start moving your bookmarked posts to the new folder.

The Instagram photos that you’ve saved to your Collections will be organized. It would be as if they were photos appearing on your feed. Additionally, if your friend’s privacy settings limit access to their content to just the people they know personally, the content you’ve bookmarked doesn’t suddenly become public. Don’t worry about unintentionally sending some creepy vibes to your friends. They won’t be notified when you bookmark their content.

Yes, you can technically “save Instagram posts”

It’s a different story, of course, if you want to save your own photos on Instagram for backup purposes. Whether you’re on Android or iOS, that can easily be arranged.

Step 1: Access your Instagram profile.

Step 2: Go to your Options page. For iOS users, tap on the gear icon at the top-right corner of your screen. For Android users, tap on the Settings button on the lower-right corner of your screen, then Account, then Original posts.

The Settings icon is at the bottom of the screen on Android phones.

Step 3: Enable all three settings: Save original posts, Save posted photos, and Save posted videos.

Make sure that all three options are enabled.

Now, every upload you make on Instagram triggers an automatic action to save the photo in your gallery as well.

Saving Instagram photos without taking screenshots — is it possible?

With the help of some third-party apps, saving Instagram photos is definitely possible. However, it goes without saying that using such apps would violate the terms and conditions of Instagram. On top of that, it would also put your security at risk.

Fortunately, there is one way to save a photo you found on Instagram without having to resort to screenshotting. It’s a bit tedious, though, and it requires a desktop that’s connected to the internet.

Here’s how to save Instagram photos on your computer.

Step 1: Locate the photo that you want to save on Instagram. You can look for it via the app on your phone. Once you find it, get the URL of the photo. You can obtain this by tapping the button on the upper-right corner of the post.

Step 2: Use that URL to access the post via your desktop internet browser. Make sure to click the time stamp to make it appear on its own, instead of showing your entire feed.

Step 3: Navigate to View > Developer > View Source to view the source code. Alternatively, some browsers allow you to right-click on the image and choose View Page Source. This will show you the HTML code of the entire page.

Step 4: Press Ctrl+F on PC or Command+F on Mac to use the Search function. Type in “jpg” and look for the first result that begins with “https” in the document. Hint: Expect it to be somewhere between Line 160 to Line 200.

Step 5: Highlight the URL, copy it, and paste it in a separate tab on your browser. This will show you the full version of the image on the Instagram post.

Step 6: Save it like a normal image. Voila, you now know how to save Instagram photos directly!

With this simple method, saving Instagram photos is a breeze — and you don’t need any outside apps to get the job done.

Before You Buy Instagram Followers, Read This

May 13, 2019 By Kyle Francisco

More often than not, making it big on Instagram feels like an uphill climb. This is especially the case when you’re new to the platform, whether as a brand or as an aspiring social media influencer. On top of choosing the right photos, monitoring hashtags, writing killer captions, and all the other aspects that play into your success on Instagram, you also need to worry about your follower count.

If you want to be an influencer, your follower count certainly matters.

Before we dive deeper into that, though, let’s take a look at why getting Instagram followers is at the top of most people’s priority lists.

Why you’d want to get Instagram followers

The reason, of course, is obvious: Engagement is (pretty much) everything on Instagram.

Have you ever posted anything that you felt was “like-worthy” and wondered why it didn’t get much attention? Worse, have you ever looked at a friend’s random selfie and found the “likes” reaching hundreds within minutes? That’s exactly what this situation is like, except now, there’s so much more than just your personal pride at stake.

Here’s the cold, hard reality. Advertisers will only want to partner up with social media influencers with decent numbers. By numbers, we mean follower count, average likes per post, and so on.

In the case of brands, users are generally more likely to follow brands that appear to be more popular. And of course, popularity means having more followers.

Filipino-American model Kelsey Merritt has 1.4 million followers as of this writing.

Add that to the fact that Instagram’s algorithm places emphasis on engagement as the most significant measure of how popular a post is (and thus, how likely it will show up when you go to the Explore section of your feed).

In other words, more people will see your posts if you get more likes and comments. And to get more likes and comments, you need more people following you, so that they’ll see your posts. This is pretty much a self-fulfilling cycle — a dog chasing its own tail, if you will.

Sure, you can break your back coming up with awesomely mind-blowing content that beats everyone else’s. However, if no one’s there to see all of it, drumming up excitement for your brand or profile would seem like a fruitless endeavor. You’d be like the proverbial tree that falls in a lonely forest, with no one to hear the sound.

Even worse, you’ll have a huge headache on your hands as you try to compete with other brands or influencers who are way ahead of you in terms of follower count.

That said, what’s a fledgling brand or influencer-in-the-making to do in order to get a leg up in this fast-paced, unforgiving game of getting more Instagram followers?

Can you buy Instagram followers?

The short answer here is yes.

It’s possible to buy Instagram followers, and it doesn’t really come with a hefty price tag. In fact, you can easily find service providers that would be more than happy to sell you followers by the thousands. Typically, these packages cost as low as USD 6 for 500 followers, and USD 10 to get 1,000 followers.

For Instagram users who are just eager to put the pedal to the metal in terms of growing their follower count, it seems like a no-brainer to just buy Instagram followers.

Unfortunately, while this may give you a hefty number boost and short-term satisfaction, paying your way through isn’t exactly the best way to go about this. In fact, you could very well end up tanking your own Instagram brand-building efforts; not only will this waste your budget, but it could put you out of business, too!

And you certainly wouldn’t be the first.

The issue when you buy followers for Instagram is much deeper than you think, though. And it’s not all bad; there are a few benefits when you get Instagram followers by purchasing them. The question is: Do the benefits outweigh the risks?

If you want to know exactly why it’s not a good idea to buy Instagram followers, keep reading.

The problem when you buy followers for Instagram

Here’s the thing: There’s more to building your following on Instagram than just, well, building your following.

Sound confusing?

It may look like you’re doing a good job of growing your follower count when you buy Instagram followers. Your numbers are actually increasing, and you’re probably getting more and more likes and comments than you’ve ever gotten after months of patiently waiting for your following to grow organically. Some Instagram users may even genuinely start following you after seeing your posts raking in all that traffic. They’re probably thinking, “Hey, this brand is legit! Definitely worth following.”

The problem isn’t what you can see in this situation; it’s what you can’t.

Remember when we mentioned that Instagram’s algorithm focuses on engagement? It’s the same series of internal calculations that Instagram uses in determining whether or not to show your post to audiences.

Here’s the thing, though: The algorithm is also smart enough to measure your follower-to-engagement ratio. In other words, even if you have a million followers on Instagram, if only a couple of hundred users actually engage with your posts, Instagram will know that, to quote Shakespeare, something is rotten in the state of Denmark. If that happens, your content will show up on the feeds of even fewer users, effectively buried under everyone else’s.

But wait, you say. You have more followers now — doesn’t that automatically translate to more engagement?

Well, not necessarily. Why? Because most of the users added to your follower count when you buy followers for Instagram are… fake accounts. Meaning, they’re fictitious accounts made for the sole purpose of being sold to shifty brands or influencers to boost their follower counts, with no actual human beings behind the accounts to provide meaningful engagement.

In other words, if your follower count were a hamburger patty, it’s not 100% beef.

Say you just bought a ton of followers and wanted to test this theory. When you add a popular hashtag among your target audience (say, #ketodiet) to your caption, you’ll expect to see your post when you search for it, right?

Unfortunately, the “Top Posts” you’re likely to get are the real top posts — meaning, posts from accounts that not only have tons of followers, but also have the engagement numbers to back that up.

That’s not the only way Instagram can punish you for buying followers, though.

Way back in November 2018, Instagram cracked down on fake likes, comments, and followers. The platform specifically targeted brands and influencers who used underhanded means to boost their metrics. Some found their follower counts drastically cut in half, as if mighty Thanos with his Infinity Gauntlet had snapped them out of existence.

And those users got off lightly. In some instances, users who bought likes and followers got outright banned from the platform. Their IP addresses are also restricted from accessing the site. Still thinking about buying followers?

Let’s be fair, though. If you really wanted to get to the heart of the issue, buying Instagram followers isn’t really the problem. It’s buying fake followers. Sadly, it’s impossible to tell whether the followers you’ll be getting are genuine or not. In reality, you’ll only really be able to find out when they’re already there. Ask any brand or influencer worth their salt, and they’d tell you that this risk isn’t one worth taking.

Still not convinced that you should never buy likes, or don’t think you’ll get caught? That’s not the only way you could find yourself in a hot mess for buying fake Instagram followers. Keep reading.

No one’s really happy when you buy followers

Here’s the reality of the situation: You’ll want both your audience and potential advertisers to be happy with your brand. Growing your follower count through your wallet is tantamount to deception, though, and you can be sure that neither of those stakeholders will be pleased when they find out about it.

Nobody likes getting tricked, obviously. These days, with the rampant misinformation and fake news on social media, authenticity and sincerity are valued more than anything else. So how do you think your real followers would feel when they find out that a good chunk of the accounts following you are fake?

Before you ask — yes, they’ll definitely be able to tell if you have fake followers. Some of the most telltale signs are if:

The number of likes compared against the number of comments is disproportionate;
You have way too few likes or comments on your posts despite having a high number of followers;
The accounts that follow you aren’t active or don’t have profile photos; and
You have followers that are clearly just fronts for follower-purchasing operations.

It’s painfully obvious when you have 100,000 followers but only 20 likes that most of those followers aren’t interacting with you. But if they aren’t interacting with you, then why are they following you in the first place? And for the discerning consumer, it wouldn’t take long to piece together the clues and find out what’s really going on.

And then, when they do find out, how do you think they could go on trusting you? If you aren’t even genuine enough to get real people invested in you, then what does that say about whatever it is you’re selling? Your real followers will then start unfollowing you, one by one or perhaps even in droves, until all you’ll have left are your fake, non-interacting followers. Your content will show up less and less on the feeds of the rest of the Instagram world, and you’ll eventually find yourself stuck in your own little echo chamber of fraudulence.

That’s just from the point of view of the audience. What about advertisers? Think about it: If you were an advertising agency, would you want to partner up with someone who has fake followers? Isn’t that a waste of money? Why would you bother pouring your advertising budget into someone who wouldn’t even be able to deliver the results you need? All they need to do is check your engagement ratio, and you can bet that they’ll be running away from you faster than you can say “fake following.”

Buy followers, fool yourself

Here’s another problem with buying Instagram followers: If you don’t get Instagram followers the authentic way, you won’t get authentic results.

The best thing that those fake followers can do for you is like your posts. This creates the illusion that your posts are gaining more traffic than they actually are. Unfortunately, your fake followers can’t and won’t buy anything from you, because, well, they’re not real! They have neither the capacity nor the intention to spend money on your products — which is why you’re on Instagram in the first place — and thus can never become advocates of your brand.

Now, imagine how much havoc that wreaks on your marketing strategy. How will you be able to find out what works and what doesn’t if your only way of measuring your success lies in the imaginary hands of a bunch of Instagram bots and fake accounts? You won’t be able to identify the weak areas of your marketing. Thus, you’ll keep repeating the same mistakes and getting the same results.

Eventually, your follower-to-engagement ratio will be so skewed that you’ll wish your fake followers would just stop following you. Hear that? That’s the sound of your Instagram marketing budget flying straight into the garbage bin.

So, should you buy Instagram followers?

In a nutshell, any plan to buy Instagram followers should be the very last thing on your mind.

Instead of wanting a large follower count the fast and easy way, work hard on it. Earn it. Deliver fresh and helpful content that appeals to your audience; pour all that money into market research instead of fake followers, and you’ll get a better return on your investment.

Don’t risk your account and your reputation on a “solution” that could even get you banned from the platform. Besides, you’ll feel a lot better knowing that the people who follow you genuinely, sincerely like you and what you do.

The Top 7 Instagram Video Creators You Should Be Using Right Now

May 10, 2019 By Ana Isabel

It’s no surprise that Instagrammers love their video content. The platform has churned out millions of video hits in recent times – from time-lapsed recipes to comedy skits. With social media data revealing how videos garner an overall higher engagement than actual image posts, it’s no wonder that 81% of businesses have hopped on this surging trend.

Instagram Video - Lady Gaga — Courtesy of ladygaga (Instagram account).

Research also shows that while videos may have been huge in 2018, they’re bound to grow even bigger for the year ahead.

With all this in mind, it’s important to know just what it takes to make a quality Instagram video. Where does one begin? We break down a few key ingredients below:

The Key Components of A Captivating Instagram Video

A clear message. Videos with no clear goals have little chance of sticking with your audience – and chances are, they’ll forget it as soon as they watch a new one. Identifying your desired takeaway from the video will help shape the tone, story, and call-to-action of your post.
A unique story. Think back to all the memorable commercials that struck internet virality. What did all these ads have in common? Chances are, each one shared its message through a compelling or clever short story; one that audiences wanted to share themselves. Try and incorporate some original storytelling in your video – remember that Instagram’s videos are only 60 seconds long, so make each second count.
Good lighting and audio. An amazing message and story can get lost in terrible audio and video quality. Ensure your viewers can clearly see the contents of your post, along with whatever music, dialogue, or sound effects you’ve included. It’s thus a good idea to invest in a good quality mic or lighting, if necessary.
A clear content type. And finally, it’s important to identify what type of video content you’d like your post to be. Is it an ad? A behind-the-scenes peek at your current projects? A tutorial? Pick a content type, and let your creativity shine.

Now that we’ve discussed the fundamentals of an engaging Instagram video, it’s time to talk Instagram video creators.

Instagram Video - Create Instagram Videos

We fortunately live in a time where most social media tasks can be automated, outsourced, or simply made easier. Videos are no exception – there are a wide variety of apps and websites that help newbie Instagrammers create stunning video content, and you don’t need the skills of a top-notch videographer, either!

Below are some of the most highly-recommended video creators to get started with. Each one has their own set of unique features, so have a feel around to find out which works best for your goals and brand style.

Instagram Video Creator #1 – Animoto

Animoto is a video marketing platform for quick, simple video creations that look clean, stylish, and professional. Their drag-and-drop interface makes the whole process incredibly easy, allowing users to generate impressive social media videos without prior expertise or experience.

All you need to do is sign up to the website and pick from one of their pre-designed storyboard templates. There are plenty of options to choose from depending on your video goals – including product testimonials, birthday videos, event recaps, and even Instagram tutorials.

Instagram Video Creator - Animoto — Courtesy of Animoto.

Or, if you wish to have all the creative control, you can begin creating a video from scratch.

Simply upload your media onto the platform, and drag them onto the video timeline to create your story. You can also add music, filters, and creative texts to your liking. Animoto also comes with over a million stock photos and videos to make use of, provided you sign up to their Professional or Business plan.

Instagram Video Creator - Animoto drag-and-drop customization — Courtesy of Animoto.

With trendy designs and the flexibility to customize them as you wish, Animoto is a useful Instagram video creator that can bring your ideas to life in minutes.

Instagram Video Creator #2 – Shakr

Those intimidated by the impressive skill of video creation can also give Shakr a try. Like Animoto, no previous experience is needed for creating an absolutely eye-catching Instagram video tailored to your unique brand and style. Unlike Animoto, Shakr boasts a library of over 2,000 videos designs to pick from – created by professional designers, with even more added each week. These designs can be filtered through “feel” or “energy”, depending on your objective.

The Shakr platform makes creating Instagram videos a breeze through yet another a drag-and-drop interface; simply upload your media files and place them onto the video timeline any way you wish.

The website also provides over 1,000,000 stock images and videos to choose from. Pre-licensed music is also available, letting you add professional background tunes without fear of copyright infringement.

If you’re working with a team, you can also turn your video creations into reusable templates for other members to use.

The downside to Shakr is that while it serves thousands of professionally made, gorgeously-stylized templates, customizations are sadly limited. Users are restricted to editing the existing text, template media, and music; with little option of editing the length of clips, text fonts, and transitions.

Instagram Video Creator - Shakr Video Creator — Courtesy of Shakr.

Still, it’s a highly useful website for creating Instagram videos in quick span of time – and making them look beautiful at that.

Instagram Video Creator #3 – Canva

Lauded by content creators everywhere, Canva is a one of the #1 design tools online that can help you generate gorgeous logo, animation, presentation, and banner designs with simple drag-and-drop features. All you need to do is sign up, redirecting you to a dashboard with a selection of social media templates to choose from.

Through the platform’s “Canva Animator”, users can easily create simple GIFs or video content in a matter of clicks.

Instagram Video Creator - Canva Animator — Courtesy of Canva.

After designing your standard Canva text image on the website, you have the option of downloading your content as an “Animated GIF Movie”. Upon clicking on “Preview Animation”, you can view the final animated output of your image, along with a collection of animation styles to choose from.

Among these are “Rise”, “Bounce”, “Slide”, and “3D” – each with their own unique movements and transitions.

Instagram Video Creator - Canva Animator Styles — Courtesy of Canva.

After selecting your animation style, all that’s left is to download the content as a “movie” or a GIF file type. And there you have it – a quirky, moving text image to use as an intro card for Instagram videos, or as sole, Instagram ads themselves.

Instagram Video Creator #4 – Bannersnack

Online videos often come with a snazzy intro card or thumbnail photo to grab audience attention. Here’s where Bannersnack comes in – an online banner maker for high-resolution visuals to add to your Instagram ad campaigns, image posts, or Instagram videos.

Bannersnack provides you with a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface with hundreds of stock photos, graphic elements, and fonts to use to your liking. You can even upload your own images (including .svg files!) for maximum creative control.

Unsure of what your image dimensions should be? Simply choose from their many available Instagram templates, and whip up professional, branded visuals in minutes.

You can even create an entire video using tools provided by Bannersnack. Through their online photo slideshow maker, users can put together eye-catching presentations with quality, animated designs. Previous experience in graphic design or coding isn’t necessary – this feature is easily navigated through drag-and-drop options, too.

Instagram Video Creator - Bannersnack Slideshow Maker — Courtesy of Bannersnack.

Those pressed for time can also select from the ready-made slideshow templates available. All you’ve got to do is replace the default media with your own, and you’ll have an Instagram video ready in no time.

Instagram Video Creator #5 – Biteable

If you’re drawn to trendy, minimal, modern-looking animations – Biteable lets you create Instagram videos with just this contemporary sense of style.

Produce a clean, memorable Instagram video in seconds with the platform’s step-by-step process: choose from the ready-made scene templates available, add your text, edit the default color schemes, and choose from Biteable’s collection of pre-licensed background music.

Instagram Video Creator - Biteable — Courtesy of Biteable.

Your final step is to simply preview your Instagram video, ensuring it fits your vision and feed. Once you’re ready, Biteable put your entire video together, converting it into a shareable file for your online networks.

The entire website is incredibly easy to use, with one of the simplest procedures to create professional-looking, Instagram-worthy videos. If want to save even more time, there are plenty of ready-to-use templates available. All you need to do is edit the text, images, and voila – you’ve got a video.

Instagram Video Creator - Biteable Video Templates — Courtesy of Biteable

With a team of Instagram experts working behind the scenes, Biteable boasts a library of designs and video templates that optimize the best marketing tactics; from perfect colour schemes to the best eye-catching fonts. With all the guesswork done for you, all that’s left is to customize it to your brand style.

Instagram Video Creator #6 – VideoScribe

If you’ve been on social media long enough, you’re almost certain to have come across those “whiteboard”-esque videos. You know the kind: informative, animated videos in the style of drawings on a whiteboard. If this fits in with your brand aesthetic, then VideoScribe is the Instagram video creator for you.

Instagram Video Creator - VideoScribe — Courtesy of VIdeoScribe.

Whiteboard videos are a unique way of telling stories online, guiding your audience through a sequence of a cartoon images and text art that sell a message or serve valuable information. Using VideoScribe’s user-friendly tools, users can easily create one of these videos for business, educational, or entertainment purposes.

Simply choose from the thousands of stock images provided by VideoScribe – or upload your own. The platform converts your personal media into cell-shaded SVG files, ready to be animated in your video.

Instagram Video Creator - VideoScribe features — Courtesy of VideoScribe.

Once you’ve arranged your sequence of images, all that’s left is to add your text and music. You can easily pick from a library of pre-licensed mp3 files or upload your own. When that’s done, you can download your video as an mp4, mov, avi, or wmv file to keep – or share it directly to your Instagram (and other social networks!). If you’d prefer you can also download your file as an image sequence.

VideoScribe works on the idea of “showing”, not “telling”, when it comes to online video. With quirky visuals and animations that make your video pop, you’re sure to create Instagram videos that app surfers will stop to watch.

💡 Related Post: A guide to get you started on Instagram giveaways

Instagram Video Creator #7 – PlaceIt

When it comes to optimizing Instagram video, you can’t forget your Stories. Remember, Stories allow you to create temporary, engaging image posts for important announcements or updates on your day-to-day – but they also allow video-based storytelling.

With 500 million users every day using Instagram stories, and Instagram videos receiving 38% more engagement than your standard image post – it’d be a shame not to optimize the medium when creating stories for your own profile.

Instagram Video Creator - Instagram Stories (taylorswift) — Courtesy of taylorswift (Instagram account).

But with each story running even shorter than your typical one-minute video post, how do you hook audiences in a matter of seconds?

With PlaceIt, the time and effort put into brainstorming, designing, and creating eye-popping Story videos from scratch is alleviated through their Instagram Story Video Maker. Users can create impactful story animations and videos with ease, choosing from the platform’s generous library of pre-made templates, fonts, colors, and music.

Instagram Video Creator - PlaceIt Instagram Story Video Maker — Courtesy of PlaceIt.

Simply customize the provided text, audio, images, and fonts to your liking.

With sets of vibrantly-colored, flashy layouts to choose from, Instagrammers can successfully advertise their time-sensitive updates – whether that be business giveaways, promotions, or simple brand announcements – with striking designs that’ll surely stand out to viewers.

If you’d rather use their platform to create a standard post – not to worry. These templates are also available for your typical Instagram video, keeping to the same stylish quality as their Story designs.

Instagram Video Creator - PlaceIt Instagram Video Creator — Courtesy of PlaceIt.

Create Spectacular Instagram Videos!

With an array of tools at your disposal, creating Instagram videos is as easy as a sequence of clicks. All you need are clear content goals and an established brand aesthetic; these platforms do rest of the dirty work. Previous professional experience likely won’t be a requirement either – whether it’s 60-second tutorials or animated story advertisements, each tool can easily bring your ideas to life.

Create Instagram Videos - People watching video on laptop

With the right media, message, and marketing, you’ll be churning out Instagram videos that are sure to boost your engagement in no time.

Instagram Influencer Marketing – The 4 Tools To Boost Your Growth

May 7, 2019 By Ana Isabel

For the true content creators of the platform, building your feed can oftentimes be the easier part of Instagram. If you know your niche, your audience, and the message you’re willing to spread – constructing photos, videos, and Instagram stories all come down to the right tools and some imaginative brainstorming.

Though just because one’s got the skills to bring their ideas to life, doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve got the smarts to market them. There are exceptions, of course; some of us can whip out amazing content while at the same time hatch a top-notch marketing strategy.

Instagram influencers - Zoella (zoesugg) — Courtesy of zoesugg (Instagram account).

But for the budding influencers out there just starting out – don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Below are the must-have categories of Instagram influencer tools that’ll grant your quality content both the social exposure and platform recognition it deserves. Some may even further inspire your creativity, while giving your profile a quick boost in engagement, reach, and followers.

Instagram Influencer Marketing Tools #1 – Automated Marketing

The marketing tools discussed below involve both human and bot-managed services that automate engagement from your profile. They’re incredibly handy for saving time on menial marketing tasks, particularly those that require you to connect with other users in your niche. This is a popular way of reaching out and increasing profile visibility among your audience.

Some of the most effective services that are sure to skyrocket those numbers include:

Upleap – Grow Your Account With Your Own Instagram Manager

Upleap is quality management tool that matches you up with a dedicated account manager. This person is responsible for engaging with people in your niche, increasing your social exposure and growing your follower count along the way.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Upleap — Courtesy of Upleap.

Getting started with this service is simple: just sign up, and the platform assigns you your very own Instagram “guru”. You will then be asked a few questions regarding your content – what you’re about, what your profile goals are, your target audience and hashtags, etc.

With your given information, your manager then gets to work connecting with users related to your content – users who are likely to take an interest in your profile, and engage with or follow you back. This could include users under specified topics, hashtags, or the audience base of a high-profile competitor in your niche.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Upleap features — Courtesy of Upleap.

As such, Upleap is an effective Instagram influencer marketing platform that helps you grow your account in organic followers and interaction. Try it today – they’ll provide you with a 3-day free trial.

Kenji – Your #1 Instagram Influencer Marketing Bot

Unlike Upleap, Kenji uses cutting-edge AI technology to help Instagram profiles grow with a similar marketing strategy.

While Upleap account managers may employ a various methods to engage with potential followers, Kenji functions on one mode of interaction: Instagram “likes”.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Kenji — Courtesy of Kenji.

Upon signing up, Instagram influencers are asked to specify their target hashtags, locations, and niche competitors. Kenji will then use these indicators in finding users relevant to your content, liking posts on their feed and getting your name on their radar.

By reaching out in this way, you’re likely to have a handful see your profile, give it a visit, and engage with or possibly even follow your content.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Kenji features — Courtesy of Kenji.

The service also works well within Instagram’s restrictions, making it 100% safe to use. Those interested can also give it go with their free 3-day trial offer.

Ampfluence – An Instagram Influencer Marketing Platform

And finally, Ampfluence. A “100% human-powered service” that aims to launch influencers to online success, this marketing platform is guaranteed to do wonders for your Instagram profile.

As a social agency, Ampfluence sets you up with an Instagram manager who does all the heavy-lifting in engagement and user interactions for you. Their service comes in 4 stages: consultation, research, engage, and measure.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Amplfuence — Courtesy of Ampfluence.

You will first be asked to discuss your target audience and account goals, allowing your manager to plan out their marketing strategy. They will then conduct research on your target market – including trends and popular accounts – for further information.

Then, the fun begins: your manager will maintain consistent interaction with your potential audience through:

Likes
Comments and replies made in your voice
Follows (and unfollows of unengaging accounts over time)

Instagram influencer marketing platform -Ampfluence features — Courtesy of Ampfluence.

Every month, your manager will then report to you on your account performance to keep track of your progress.

Ampfluence additionally offers scheduling and even content creation services at additional costs. Due to all their features, they are much pricier than the others on this list – though promises real, organic results, and fast.

Instagram Influencer Marketing Tools #2 – Schedulers

With all the busy lifestyles Instagram influencers lead, posting on a consistent basis can often prove a struggle. Luckily, there marketing platforms out there that allow you to plan and schedule your posts ahead of time, leaving your profile constantly updated, active, and engaging for audiences.

The following third-party schedulers are reliable, easy to use, and handy for anyone who finds manual posting a hassle.

Later – The Ultimate Visual Planner

Later has become a holy grail among Instagrammers in recent years. Both a scheduler and a visual planner, Later boasts a ton of features that not only provide automated publishing – but the ability to plan out your feed aesthetic, organize your media into one library, repost other user’s content, too.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Later scheduler — Courtesy of Later.

The platform provides you with an extremely user-friendly visual calendar, where you can drag and drop media from your Later library into designated time slots. You can then preview your feed to ensure each post fits well with your Instagram’s overall visual theme.

Your media library grants you easy access to your content, allowing you to label them for easier navigation. You can even download a Chrome extension for collecting and curating photos as you surf the internet.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Later media library — Courtesy of Later.

With a wide range of features that allow you to organize, plan, and automate your posts, Later is one of those Instagram influencer tools you can’t miss out on. Upgrade your content strategy in no time at all by signing up your account today.

Hootsuite – Third-Party Scheduler For All Social Media

Though less of visual planner than Later, Hootsuite also works well scheduling your Instagram content. It’s also a platform that lets you hook up other social media accounts, allowing you to view and schedule their post activity all on one dashboard.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Hootsuite scheduler — Courtesy of Hootsuite.

Their interface is incredibly easy to use: just upload your photo or video onto the platform, and you’ll be given a preview of how your content will appear as an Instagram post. Type up your caption, enter your hashtags, and select a desired time for Hootsuite to publish your content. (You can even post instantly onto Instagram, if you wish. This is helpful when managing posts across a range of social media accounts).

Best automation tools for Instagram - Hootsuite scheduling — Courtesy of Hootsuite.

Hootsuite also lets you crop your photo to your liking prior to scheduling. This can help you achieve the standard “square” size of most Instagram photos when dealing with an image excessive in length. Videos can also be previewed before scheduling your post.

For Instagram influencers that deal with a social media presence everywhere, Hootsuite is helpful in managing and keeping track of all your scheduled content. Other networks include Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Instagram Influencer Marketing Tools #3 – Hashtag Generators

If you want to grow your reach, you’re going to need to optimize your hashtags. Knowing the best appropriate hashtags to add to your post will ensure your content is seen by all the right audiences, boosting engagement and, hopefully, your follower count as well.

Choosing the right hashtags can come down to your own creativity and common sense (plus, Instagram does generate suggestions with each search – along with the amount of post competition), but with the plethora of hashtag generators available online, all the hard work can be done for you. We outline some of the best ones below.

Hashtagify – Track Others’ Instagram Influencer Marketing Strategies While Upgrading Your Own

If you’re looking for a service that not only yields the most effective hashtags for your niche – but allows you track hashtag performance as well as various user and competitor data, Hashtagify is your best bet.

The platform is simple – just type a hashtag into the search bar, and Hashtagify pulls up information on its popularity (both monthly and weekly data), as well as other related hashtags in the same niche.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Hashtagify — Courtesy of Hashtagify.

The website also displays some of the top Instagram influencers using this tag, allowing you to peek into their content marketing strategies. Hashtagify can also determine whether the popularity of your hashtag is seasonal or constant, displaying charts tracking its monthly or weekly trends. Other information includes languages used, top countries, and top spelling variants.

Through their service, you can easily identify some of the most successful hashtags to use within your niche for greater profile traffic and engagement.

RiteTag – An On-The-Go Instagram Influencer Marketing Tool

Ritetag is handy app and Chrome extension for any Instagram influencer, allowing you to generate top relevant hashtags wherever you are on the internet.

Unlike other hashtag generators that require your image or text input on their platform, all you need to do is install Ritetag to your Chrome browser or phone. Any content post you make online – whether on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or even on third-party schedulers – can automatically suggest hashtags for you based on your text or image context.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - RiteTag — Courtesy of RiteTag.

It’s as easy as right-clicking on your highlighted text or image, hitting Ritetag’s “Get hashtag suggestions”, and selecting or copying all tags you’d like to use. You can even view their potential engagement based on the color of the tags displayed (green for popular hashtags, blue for seasonal hashtags, grey for low-competition hashtags, and red for bad hashtags).

Instagram influencer marketing platform - RiteTag hashtag legend — Courtesy of RiteTag.

Instagram Influencer Marketing Tools #4 – User-Generated Content Tools

Finally, we’ve come to user-generated content (UCG). These are Instagram posts related to your brand, created by loyal customers or followers. They can take the form of reviews, affiliate marketing posts, content using your brand hashtag for a chance at a feature, or submissions for a contest.

Instagram influencer marketing - affliate marketing (Body Shop) — Courtesy of lifebychloe_ (Instagram account).

UCG is a highly effective marketing strategy for getting your brand name and product out there. Millenials have currently swayed from the overt sales tactics of traditional advertising, and are more inclined to trust consumer reviews, ratings, and recommendations.

Encouraging users to post content under your brand name can also be used to spread a message while gaining social exposure. Women’s clothing brand Aerie does this well in their campaign promoting healthy body image among young women – asking them to post raw, unedited swimsuit photos with the hashtag #AerieREAL.

Instagram influencer marketing - #Aeriereal campaign — Courtesy of daytoncarrie (Instagram account).

They’re also a great way of spicing up your feed – spotlighting loyal followers of your brand and in turn, making them feel valued.

Below are some of the best apps to use with curating and managing UCG.

Wishpond – Managing Contests for Instagram Influencer Marketing

Instagram influencers aiming to host photo, video, caption, or hashtag contests on their profile can’t go wrong with Wishpond.

The platform compiles all Instagram contest entries into one gallery for you and others to view. Simply encourage all applicants to submit their content via a branded hashtag, and it’s immediately displayed with the rest. You can then enable voting options to collect data on the most popular submissions.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Wishpond — Courtesy of Wishpond.

You can even require voters to enter their e-mail addresses before participating, expanding your e-mail list.

Instagram influencer marketing platform - Wishpond email marketing — Courtesy of Wishpond.

Other Instagram activities accommodated by Wishpond include sweepstakes, referral contests, and even coupon promotions – so get creative, and decide which campaign will work best for you.

Repost – Sharing the Best UCG Content

When users post content in the name of your brand, what other way to say thanks than by giving them a shout-out or feature? Resharing other users’ content on your own feed is a win on both ends – it makes your followers feel appreciated, encouraging more UCG under your brand; and it’s a wonderful way of giving your feed a more human, personal touch.

Instagram influencer marketing - user-generated content — Courtesy of urbandecaycosmetics (Instagram account).

That said, Repost makes the whole re-sharing a process as easy as pie. All you have to do is copy the original post URL, enter it into the Repost app, and the platform turns it into a new post – attribution and all – for you to easily share on your Instagram feed.

Instagram management tool - Instagram repost app — Courtesy of Repost.

Got All The Influencer Tools You Need?

Being a successful Instagram influencer’s no easy gig, but with the right marketing and creativity, you’re sure to grow a following who take a loyal interest in your product, business goals, and content creation.

Each of these Instagram influencer tools can make the journey a little easier, cutting down on some of the more menial, mundane tasks of maintaining an Instagram account. All that’s left is to hone an original brand style, aesthetic, and message to keep viewers wanting more.

Instagram influencer marketing - woman taking selfie

So get out there and start creating – with these marketing tools (and consistent hard work!), “influencer” status is just right around the corner.