Creating Quality Instagram Content – A Letter of Encouragement

Let me be the millionth person to shout off the virtual rooftops about how much Instagram sucks right now! Reach and engagement are both down 90% of the time and the other 10% of time, when a post is successful, it’s unexplainable and unrepeatable. Posting a new picture on your gallery causes the most useless and preventable anxiety on the planet. Thoughts race: “Did I post at the right time?”, “Have I changed up my hashtags enough?”, “I should have posted another burger pic.”, “How is my burger pic not doing well?”. I can’t tell you how many times in the past few weeks I’ve said “I’ve never seen engagement this low before.”.  I don’t even love burgers that much.

How did I get here?  

Matcha ice cream waffle cone sandwiches from @asahiimports. 📸 @foodfash. Tag #eateratx for regrams.

A post shared by Eater Austin (@eateraustin) on Sep 25, 2017 at 1:42pm PDT

I’m in a constant state of reeling in out of control, social media-induced emotions. There’s a cool down period that’s followed by asking myself, “Why did I start FoodFash in the first place?”. And the answer to that is so simple. Before page views and new followers and email subscribers and likes were a thing…

 

I started a blog to CREATE.

A serious upgrade from those summer camp #icecream sandwiches. @infatuation_atx #EEEEEATS #SWEEEEETS 📸: @foodfash

A post shared by 🍦Ice Cream (@icecream) on Sep 18, 2017 at 11:05pm PDT

I started a blog to get comfortable hanging out with my bad, bad self. I started a blog to pick up a camera and re-familiarize myself with the world of apertures and shutter speeds. I started a blog to document the life I wanted to live. I started a blog to become more comfortable in the kitchen and better able to nourish my body, a body that felt worn out and sick in my mid-20s.

I started a blog with the intention of giving, not getting. 

The #secretmenu burger at @bonhomie_austin is what brunch dreams are made of ✨🍔✨ double meat, cheese, pickle, onion, and dijonnaise stacked between pommes rosti with a sunny side up 🍳 on the side 😋🙌🏼 #cheeseburger #🍔 #burgers

A post shared by Food 🔅Travel 🔅Photography (@foodfash) on Aug 12, 2017 at 7:24am PDT

I haven’t yet come to terms with low engagement, but I assure you that coming to terms is in progress. For one, I’m posting less. I used to post on Instagram every day before 8am, which turned out to be a really sh*tty way to start the day. Lately, I post 3-ish times per week at whatever time of day I can afford an hour of comment moderation and engaging with other accounts.

In addition to posting less, I’m switching the focus back from getting to giving. I will…

Continue the commitment to create quality content.

Burger patty between potato-y pomme rostis because why not? From @bonhomie_austin. 📸 @foodfash. Tag #eateratx for regrams.

A post shared by Eater Austin (@eateraustin) on Aug 14, 2017 at 11:03am PDT

There was a brief time when creating quality content was incentivized by the hopes of getting reposted by an account with a massive following. And while reposts by large accounts yield little to no new followers in 2017, they still serve a purpose for an account like mine, an account that currently has a large focus on highlighting local food businesses.

My account’s reach may be the type of low that gets me down these days, but creating repost worthy content gives businesses I love a greater chance at exponential exposure. For Austin locals, Eater Austin posts a ton of community generated content and they are rockstars at providing visible photo credit. And nationally, I’ve had luck with FoodBeast and food-specific Infatuation accounts (@icecream, @burger, @tacos, @pizza). The reposts embedded within this post have literally provided nothing other than a virtual pat on the back. But when I switch the focus back from getting to giving, reposts fulfill my original intention.

What was your original social media intention?

The #SecretMenu burger at @bonhomie_austin looks delectable, double meat, pickles, cheese, onion and dijonnaise nestled between pommel rosti buns and a sunny side egg because WHY NOT?! Thanks for the tip and gorgeous photo 👁@foodfash, we’ll be in Austin shortly. DM us your favorite foods to eat out there!!

A post shared by foodbeast (@foodbeast) on Aug 12, 2017 at 10:03am PDT

And because not all of my content is repost-able {I still have some home-cooked meals and sponsored content sprinkled about}, I’ve come up with a list to skim down when I’m frustrated. Because when I’m frustrated, it’s likely that I’ve lost sight of my original intention.

• Use creating content as an opportunity to hone your skills. The more content you create, the better you’ll be at composition, styling, editing, etc. If you’re avoiding a certain style or technique, research tutorials or sign up for a class.
• Engage with your local Instagram community in real life. There’s comfort and joy in surrounding yourself with like-minded creators.
• Use low engagement as an excuse to explore content outside of your niche. If engagement is low regardless of what you post, the pressure of posting that burger pic is greatly reduced.
• Don’t be a slave to content. If creating content or posting content results in more negative feelings than positive, take a break.
• Create more blog content. You own your blog and you own your subscriber list. Also, remember how it felt to write this post, a post not intended for Instagram.
• Avoid comparing yourself to others. People display the best parts of their lives on social media, but rarely show the sacrifices and struggles that made the best parts possible.

Find a way back to your original intention.