An Authentic Lifestyle and Travel Blog

My Instagram Experiment – What I Learnt

April 3, 2018

As many of you know that have been here a while, I have a love/hate relationship with “The Gram”  I can literally love it one day, hate it the next. I love the people that I have found on there, but it frustrates me, (don’t get me started on the follow/unfollow twaddle) and it is SO difficult to grow on there. I wasn’t around in the good ole days of Instagram that some of my lovely Insta friends tell me about, so I know that apparently, I joined it at its most rubbish time. Just my luck! A friend of mine that loves Instagram, told me I hadn’t yet “found my way” with it, so, I decided at the start of the year that I would try to find that way. Here is what Iv learnt in my Instagram experiment these last few months.

The Instagram Experiment

So, what I decided I was going to do was try a few different hats on with it, as well as understand my figures better. I wanted to see if I could find a way of sparking some enjoyment in what I post, not just what I look at. I have always enjoyed looking at posts on there, especially something arty, or beautiful travel photos, and find inspiration on there. I have no issue with losing an hour scrolling! Its just the posting side that wasn’t floating my boat. (although I do love being totally relaxed on stories, im happy in my morning minger moments)

Instagram theme white and pastel colours

Starting a theme

Starting a “Theme”

So, my Instagram account was random and non-themed (its here if you are not familiar) I started with looking at all the Instagram accounts that I am drawn to and enjoy, to see what it was I liked about them. I saw that I seemed to quite like continuity and flow in the over all look of an account. I was attracted to accounts that had a colour scheme going on (but not boringly so) etc. As I personally love light, soft pictures I decided that this is what I would try to aim for. During this “phase”, I absolutely loved some of the photos I took, (and as we well know, I am NO photographer) but I enjoyed the challenge and the “arty” side of staging a photo and looking for a good shot. It spoke to my creative side. But, maaannnnnnn was it restrictive! I found myself stressing about taking photos to get a little stock pile of Instagram pics, and blimey o riley I don’t have that sort of time on my hands! I did really like the look it was giving to my account, but, unless I gave up my job, never went out, and spent my life thinking about Instagram, that was never going to be sustainable for me.

Lesson learnt – Im not the sort of girl that can stick to a theme. I love the look, but in practical terms, its way to hard and Im just not that time rich, Insta obsessed, forward thinking or organised!

simple white tray and flowers

A popular photo from the last 3 months during my Instagram Experiment

Time of day I posted my picture

I read an article that said that you should look at your analytics to see when the majority of your followers are on Instagram. According to mine, between mid day and 3 was my “busy” time. Now, I usually post around the morning time as Im an early riser and its when I have the most time. I’m not one to jump on Insta throughout the day really, so posting in the middle of the day didn’t seem the most practical of things. However, in the interest of experimentation, I gave it a whirl. Did I see a difference in my post interaction? Nope! None at all. Great news for me as it was a pain in the butt trying to faff about on Instagram in the middle of the day. I do wonder if this would change for accounts with more followers, as there would be more numbers to judge it by, (I suspect it would to be fair) but for little ole me, no difference.

Lesson learnt – It seems I can post whenever I like. It made not a jot of difference to me.

Using more hashtags

In the same article, it said that you should try to use the full amount of hashtags that your allowed, which I believe is 30. Thats a lot of hash tagging! I struggled to use 30, and never did but I did try to use a few more. Again, it made no difference to my engagement of likes how many hashtags I used. Thank gawd for that, there is only so many times you can write “make up lover” in 15 different variations!

Lesson learnt – Hashtags are important, but I didn’t see a difference in how many I used. It also made me hashtag crazy and started turning me mental by hashtagging everything in my mind! (#workready #getyourarseoutofbed #cleanyourcrapup #tescostime #comeonluluwalkies)  You get the picture……………..

Posting more photos of myself

This is a hard one for me, as I really don’t enjoy being in front of the camera. It just dosent come naturally to me and I always feel so awkward. Im happy to chat away on Instagram stories, but am just not a selfie queen. My friend thats into Instagram told me that people like to see who is behind the account, so I should try to post a pic with me in it once a week. I struggled with this, but did commit to once a month at least. I did find that people left comments on photos of me, but in “likes” numbers, they were pretty average. The photo of me in the beautiful tea rooms that my hubby snapped on his old iPhone, was however one of my most popular photos in the last 3 months. A simple, not particularly good quality Iphone snap! I did find I got a little easier with seeing my face on my grid, so in terms of personal development that was a step forward, but its certainly not something I will be doing on a daily basis. I get no enjoyment or creative satisfaction from that.

Lesson learnt – No one dies if I post a snap of me now and again. Its ok, its not so scary.

flower wall, tea rooms

Iphone snap from my Instagram

Interacting on other accounts

Iv always done this. Always, from day one. If I genuinely like a photo or feel Id like to comment on a caption, I always have done. I was NEVER going to start leaving disingenuous or insincere comments on photos, I cant stand that. However, what I did notice was how many people are obviously doing this as their tactic! I cannot tell you the amount of similar or the same comments I saw from the same people on accounts! There was also a lot of sugary sweet fawning going on, especially on bigger accounts than the people doing the fawning!  Now, maybe Im just old and past all that but once I spotted it and it was apparent to me, I couldn’t unsee it! Thats not a bit of me and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

Lesson learnt – Never, ever, ever, ever be insincere. It sticks out a mile!

Posting every day and scheduling apps

Apparently we should be aiming to post every day. I fail miserably at this. Again, mainly lack of time and general business of life! I think I probably manage 4/5 days out of 7, so Im not going to beat myself up over it. I did do a month almost of posting everyday, and I do think your engagement drops slightly if you don’t post for a couple of days. I assume the algorithm comes into play with that. I might look at a scheduling app to set them up to post so I dont physically have to, but to be honest, that just feels like a chore!

Lesson learnt – If you have the time, post every day. It did make a small difference.

What the “subject” of my Photo was

I have always tried to keep my photos on my ‘gram, relevant to my blog posts if possible. Its not always possible as sometimes, as a beauty and lifestyle blogger, the topic Im writing about isn’t very Instagramable, so thats where a staged type pic comes in. I seem to have developed a thing for taking pictures of hot drinks!!! (maybe its my vast collection of pretty tea cups people tell me I have haha) Iv also often been asked me about my shoes and handbags on Instagram stories, and I did a little poll on there to see if people would want to see pics of them now and again. As we well know, handbags and shoes are my kryptonite, but I don’t ever want to come across showy-offy, so never really featured any of my babies my collection. I save long and hard for my items, and its taken 15 years to build my collection (I started when I was 30). I did however, get a resounding yes, so have popped a couple of photos on in the last few months. One of the photos of a bag, (the photos that is the header photo for this post) was my second most popular photo for engagement in the last 3 months, (my old wedding photo for Nik’s last chemo was my most popular, that made me happy, so many of you have been on this journey with us and so kind). Now, Im not sure if its the caption that causes the engagement or the photo itself. I suppose, in theory as Instagram is a visual platform, the photo must be the thing that catches the eye, but the caption can be the thing that results in a “like” or a comment? I have definitely found that if I don’t leave much of a caption, I don’t get as many comments.

Lesson learnt – Post what I like! However, so many of you are obviously fellow handbag lovers. High five sistas!

Mulberry medium Lily in blue

Your Insta Friends

Just like in blogging, on Instagram your vibe attracts your tribe……..if they can see you! I think of many of my Insta buddies as friends, and show them as much support and love as I can. They also do to me which is lovely. However, I have discovered that just because I liked their last picture, that dose not ensure that I will see their next one! One of the accounts that I follow, always posts beautiful imagery that inspires me. I thought I hadn’t seen her for a few days, so popped over to their account. Although they had posted daily pics, I hadn’t seen them in my feed. I had missed three of their pics! Now, I don’t understand the Instagram algorithm, but thats just bloody annoying! Im getting shown photos that Im not that interested in or are sponsored, but not seeing accounts I follow and that I interact with! Bore off Insta! Show me the good stuff!

Lesson learnt – Pop on over to the accounts that you love if you haven’t seen a post, it may be thats its just not showing in your feed.

 

In conclusion

So, what has my 3 month study revealed to me………..

 

 

 

 

So, thats it! The first 3 months of my experimenting. What do you think? Do you enjoy Instagram? Have you found your way with it? Has any of these results surprised you? Are you looking to grow your Instagram account or does it not bother you? Does it generate a lot of traffic to your blog if you are a blogger? Id love to hear how you find it.

 

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pinterest graphic 3 month instagram experiment

62 responses to “My Instagram Experiment – What I Learnt”

  1. Kylie Bawden says:

    I love this post and think you’re so right about posting what you want when you want to. I’ve been more mindful of doing this in the last few months. I fell down the trap of getting obsessed with themes, times of the day etc and it was making Insta into a chore rather than something I really enjoy. I love your grid and that Mulberry Lily in the gorgeous blue literally screams ‘you need me!’ xxx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ah thank you, and thanks for visiting! Instagram is easy to get obsessed with! Whilst I have never got obsessed with numbers as such, I found I just could’nt find my love of posting on it. I became obsessed with trying to find my enjoyment in it. As I say, Im a huge over thinker and things I dont understand, frustrate me! I also became obsessed with thinking I need to post every day, when actually, no puppies die if I dont! Thank you for saying you like my feed, I think Im learning to. Who couldnt love that bag eh! That yellow one I saw at the fashion event would fit in my collection nicely I think………

  2. This is really useful. I was talking to my father and brother-in-law only yesterday about Instagram, as I don’t have an account, and i have been wondering whether it would be useful, for the sake of increasing traffic to my little blog. Lots to think about, thanks 🙂

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Thanks for stopping by xxx. The thing is, although for me, my Instagram isn’t a huge driver of traffic to my blog, the 3% it does generate, I wouldn’t want to lose so I suppose in that way, its a great tool. I do also find that my Instagram traffic tends to be pretty engaged traffic, (as in the bounce rate is low with them). I think its definitely worth setting up an account, you have nothing to lose! (Id follow you) xxx

  3. I’m going to be honest I don’t enjoy instagram at all now, not only that all the algorithms changes are annoying me, but I just got tired of it. So now looking through feed is like torture to me, I decided to have a little break, not check out my instagram for 2 weeks or so and see will my opinion change. I love your new pics btw, they are really nice. xx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ohhh I will be interested to hear what you find after your two week break. I just took two days away from all social media over Easter, and it was lovely. I do tend to have Sundays with no social media anyway, but two days was nice. Have you looked at your figures to see how much traffic actually comes from Instagram for you? I was surprised at how low mine was, but it was also reassuring as my blog traffic Im really happy with. Might be worth a look, it has taken the pressure of me knowing its so little percentage. Thanks for reading xxxx

  4. lifewithmrst says:

    I also have a love hate relationship with Instagram, I cannot get my head round it at times. I get really annoyed with everyone following you. So you follow them and then they unfollow you shortly after. I have been trying to stick to a theme but I get a little bored.

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Yes I was the same, I got a little bored with the theme. My followers go up and down like a yoyo! I have relaxed a little with it, and feel better for it. Thanks for reading xxx

  5. Lise says:

    I love your posts on IG, reading your short little stories are always a nice break from the consumerism culture of IG. I don’t use instagram for much other than to keep up with regular friends and blogger friends alike.. And watch funny videos of kittens and stuff like that. The non chronological feed is super annoying but everything else i don’t really use.

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ah thank you, thats nice to hear you enjoy my ramblings haha. Yes I have a personal account that I use to share my drunk photos and silliness and dont stress at all with that one. I think I always feel like I have to be more professional on my blog one, not sure why! Thank you for your input, and for reading xxx

  6. Kerry I absolutely love this post:-)Instagram is literally such a pain in the butt and such hard work sometimes it’s so easy to feel like just not bothering. I have recently made a list of my favourite accounts (you’re one of them obvs😉) as like you said, sometimes I don’t see the posts from the people I’d like to. And as for the hashtags😂That made me lol as I hashtag everything in my head😂I love your account and the sincerity in which you post and I look forward to seeing many more future posts😙

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ohhhh you, you have made me blush! Thank you xxx. Thats a really good idea about writing down accounts, Im going to do that too. I have a little pad by my lap top, for noting those must have buys that I see while scrolling or blog reading, (dont judge) so Im going to put the accounts in there. Blooming algorythm. Well, #instabudby, thank you for redaing my #newontheblog post. Thank for your #muchappreciatedcomment hahahaha (ok, I’ll leave now) xx

  7. I was like you, Kerry, and came to Insta late after the heady highs … story of my life .. lol! We’ve missed the hashtag boat, doll xo

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Haha. Oh well Sharon, we shall just swim in the shallows together. Im game if you are? i’ll bring the gin……….! Thanks for visiting my lovely xxxx

  8. Laurie says:

    I’m a hater and a lover! But more of a hater. I’m a very slow grower on there too! Having said that I have made some good friends on there, some right from day one.
    It would make my day if Instagram removed the grid and we just had stories. I find them so much more fun.
    laurie xx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Yes Laurie! Thats me, I literally swing like a pendulum on there! I find stories fun too. Its like little snippets of conversation isnt it, and I never, ever take myself to seriously on stories. Its incredibly hard to grow on there, and it seems the days of good growth are behind us. It made me happy that it was such a small amount of my traffic that comes from there. It took the pressure off! Thank you so much for stopping by, much appreciated xxx

  9. Great post Kerry. Really interesting to read. I have to admit to loving Instagram and am totally addicted to it. My posts are totally random and for me it’s what I say and not the image that’s more important so I tend to ramble on. One of my pet hates is people who just post pictures with no comments. Being a nosey creature I like to read the story to go with the shot. The longer the better! Connecting with my IG buddies is the best thing about using IG and getting to meet them in real life is the icing on the cake.Has using it increased my blog readership? Yes, not hugely, but that’s fine by me. The fact that anyone reads it is rather amazing! xx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Well thats brilliant that you have found your love with it, and your “fun not chore” attitude towards it is probably spot on. I do love looking at pics on there, and have found lots of inspiration for my home, meal ideas etc on there, (although I prefer Pinterest for that). Its been an interesting experiment, and certainly relaxed my attitude towards it seeing how little of my blog traffic comes from it. I like the little captions that accompany a pic too, its like a snippet of someones day isnt it. I do often just scroll though, purely looking at pictures if Im killing 10 minutes drinking a cuppa. Im sure my love/hate relationship will blossom into something meaningful……eventually haha! Thank you for stopping by and reading, much appreciated xx

  10. Instagram honestly does my head in, and sticking to a theme is so much hassle – I don’t think I have the patience (or the time) to be so committed to it! xx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      I really liked the theme for the way it looked, and it spoke to me aesthetically, but blooming time consuming and hard work! I don’t know how those people do it! Thanks for stopping by lovely xx

  11. I have been loving your Instagram shots – soft, pretty and they make me happy. Good to know about the hashtags are I never have enough and time of day. My motto if we are enjoying it do it and yeah don’t overthink it.

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Thank you, Im so glad you like my pics! I do get some satisfaction out of creating a nice picture. I think that is where my enjoyment of posting on Insta will come for sure. I overthink everything hahahaha. Thank you for stopping by, much appreciated x

  12. Deborah says:

    I’m rather blase about my IG and do my own colour – throw in personal and blog related and don’t stick to my own time and number if any of daily posts. Maybe 3 a week. Am I rebelling or what??

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ohhh you are a little rebel hahaha! I think blase is good, and my experiment certainly showed me that doing what and when I like is a better approach for me! It was also a relief to see that while I dont want to lose the 3% that come to the blog via Insta, its not a huge traffic source for me. You keep being a little rebel, why not! Thanks for reading xxx

  13. I find hashtag really tiring to put in, and can never think of good ones! The follow/unfollow thing I don’t understand: Ill check my number of followers occasionally and it’s gone down by 5 or 6!

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      I totally agree Niall, hashtags are annoying! You do get suggested ones when you put in your word. So for example, if you put in “book” it might suggest bookworm, booklover, bookreading etc as suggested hashtags. You can just nick them! Much easier. Yes I get that too, my followers go up and down like anything. people follow your account, hopping you will follow them back, then unfollow you. They will also unfollow if you dont follow them back. Its all balmy! Thank you for popping over for a read, much appreciated

  14. Well I love your Instagram feed 🙂 You always have such beautiful pictures. I completely agree with you though, I have tried all different ways of doing it and attracting more interaction but noting really makes much of a difference. I would love to have the confidence of putting more photos of myself on too, but like you, I feel a bit awkward. Great post, as always 🙂 xx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Thank you so much Louise, thats kind of you to say x I defo prefer the challenge of trying to create a pretty pic, and dont find much joy in endless selfies. I suppose we just need to carry on doing what we enjoy. I have a couple more things I am going to play about with, I will let you all know how it goes. Thank you for reading xxx

  15. Losing the Plot says:

    Well done for taking the time to work all that out, it’s hard fitting everything in to limited time!

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Im one of these people who likes to understand everything. if I cant understand it, it bugs me! Im on a mission with Pinterest at the moment too. Thank you for reading, much appreciated x

  16. Blush and Brews says:

    This is a really cool experiment! And I’m impressed that you stuck to it for so long. I think your photos are beautiful, even the selfies! And I totally agree about people leaving insincere comments. I get those a lot and I wonder why even bother?

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ohh thats so kind, I am trying with my photos, I have a long way to go! I still have a few more things I want to try, I am one of these people that hates not understanding something! Its my mission haha! Thank you for reading, I appreciate your comment x

      • Blush and Brews says:

        I’m the same way! I’m determined that I could teach myself how to do brain surgery with google and determination 😂 I always need the answers. You’re doing great! Always a pleasure to read 🙂

  17. susielindau says:

    I forget about Instagram and have been making an effort lately. Love your photos!

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Well that is so kind, thank you x. Its so hard to keep up with all the socials for our blogs isnt it, if we want to do it to fully utilise it! Its like a full time job haha. Thanks for reading x

  18. Susanne says:

    You are wrong. You ARE a photographer. Anyone who uses a camera and consciously plans their shots and how to make them, and takes them in an organised way (not just snapshots) is a photographer.

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      ohhhh you! Thank you so much! That is such a lovely thing to hear and your right, Id not thought of it that way. Thank you xxx Im keen to do a few courses to up my game. I crave the technical knowledge! x

  19. Amellia Mae says:

    This post is fab Kerry. The key thing is to just enjoy what you’re doing, sod the likes. I’ve been trying to post more frequently (and epically failing 🤣) and my like have been so low, but I’m learning not to care 💁🏽‍♀️ Doing it for the love of it is way more fun xxx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      I totally agree with you, its crazy chasing likes! I do like creating the photos, so I am going to just keep posting what I fancy! Thanks for your input xxx

  20. This was so so so useful! Thanks for sharing!

    Katie | katieemmabeauty.com

  21. Karalee says:

    I have a love hate relationship with Instagram too. I love looking at what other people posted, but I hate the algorithm!
    It’s good to know that posting at a certain time or using more hashtags didn’t matter. I also think sticking to a theme is difficult & I found that Instagram is the most fun when I just post whatever I want!

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      yes I was quite surprised, I thought the time I posted would make a big difference. I do think if I had a larger following, I might see a change. If I ever get a larger following, I will know haha! I do still want to understand how to make it work, but I certainly dont stress over it, life is too short eh! thanks for reading xxx

  22. gemmaorton says:

    I enjoyed this little experiment of yours! I must admit I enjoy using Instagram but it doesn’t seem to boost my blog stats at all. Partly because I don’t do it right, and am probably too lazy to streamline everything into a brand. Like you I enjoy browsing beautiful photos, I interact with things I like. But I don’t see much Instagram growth at all.

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ah good, Im glad you enjoyed it x. Im such a nerd, I really enjoyed experimenting! I do enjoy it more when I post photos that I have created, but time is always a problem! Thank you for reading my lovely xxx

  23. honorgreenwood says:

    I really enjoyed reading this and it’s very relatable! Thank you for sharing xx

  24. Great post as always hun. I love instagram and find it so hard to grow also. I love your experiment! I thought you had been doing a bit of a theme recently. I just can’t stick to a theme lol I do find I get followed/unfolllowed a lot but I think that’s everyone at the mo and something that’s not gonna really change unfortunately…. also with the hashtags I have a bunch saved in the notes on my phone so I can copy and paste each time and then just add a few more that are really relevant to the actual pic. I find I’m not posting as much as previous but I just think that’s because I’ve not got much to post at the mo other then my cats but I think that bores people! I think I need a separate cat account lol haha..
    Heather xx
    http://www.suncreamandsparkles.com

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ah thank you x. I really liked the look of the theme, but it was so limiting. Hats off to those that can do it! I dont post many selfies or outfit shots either, so I think that makes it harder. Instagram is a selfie feed isnt it. I will just keep doing what I like, post when I like and see what happens haha. Thank you for reading my lovely, much appreciated xx

  25. Instagram really bothers me! I like looking at pics for inspiration but like you I hate all the follow/unfollow and the fake ness of it all. It is so upsetting when people follow you just so you follow them back and then they unfollow you. It makes me sick!

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Thank you so much for visiting and your input, we love a good ole chat over here. yes it is a frustrating platform for sure. I have to say, since my experiment, I have relaxed a bit with it. Its a platform that I think is going to always be a tricky one, so Iv stopped trying to understand it haha! I just follow accounts that interest me, and keep posting what I like. It can drive you mad otherwise cant it! thanks for your comment xxx

  26. Beth says:

    I love how you’ve written this post, very refreshing! It’s nice to see a guide tried and tested and not just put forward as a bible by someone with 10k onwards followers. Also love your writing style, there’s humour and ease of reading, perfect!

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Oh thank you so much! Thats such a lovely compliment, I appreciate it. Instagram is the beast that I love and loathe in equal measure. I was quite surprised by the outcome, but unless you have an infinite amount of hours to spend on that platform, I think growth will be slow. Thank you for stopping by xx

  27. Instagram literally took over my life!!;-) I think in my head I had set it as a personal goal to get to a certain amount of likes. So I started at zero, then got to 100, then 200 etc. It then completely took over and at times I have been known to be so disheartened by losing 12 followers to gain 3..BUT I have noticed that the unfollowers are usually the phoney type accounts that you seem to get so I’ve told myself not to get upset by that and be happy with the 3 “genuine” followers I have gained! Not going to lie…mentally exhausting it is!;-) Also, I, like you have the business account and I love being able to see the statistics. I find it totally intriguing and also like you, a lot my blog interaction doesn’t come from Instagram at all but Facebook of all places! The place where I haven’t even hit 200 followers yet.. but it seems to be the place to get my stats! it’s definitely a bit of a mystery but it’s fun trying to work things out I think:-) xxx

    • kerrylifeandloves says:

      Ohhhh I am so glad you are a numbers nerd like me. I blooming love it! I love looking at and trying to work out the stats. Google has been my biggest traffic provider for the last 4 months, then facebook. Its so weird isnt it! I have started being braver and sharing my posts on my personal facebook account, so maybe thats why. Thank you for reading and giving your input, I really appreciate it xxx

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