Maddy Washburn June 9, 2018

How To Brand Your Instagram Profile Like Your Idols

It can be difficult to stand out from the crowd in a sea of photographers, models, and creatives. Branding is more important than ever to set yourself apart and create your own niche. While many artists have a separate website and such for their brand, your social media should also act as an extension of that. From choosing a color scheme to finding what content works best, here are some best practices for branding your own Instagram profile:

How To Brand Your Instagram

CHOOSE A COLOR PALETTE

Commonly referred to as a “theme”, many of the most successful Instagram accounts have a consistent color palette they use each time they post. From bright and colorful to more muted and desaturated like Alyssa Shreeve above. Choose a theme you love and try to stick with it for all of your posts.

You can even match these colors up with your blog, website or any other branding you currently have. Another way to create a more cohesive color scheme on your feed is to use the same filter for each photo. We recommend a simple phone app such as VSCO. You can even make your own presets in Lightroom depending on your skill level or buy a pack off of sites like Etsy and Filter Grade.

ADD SOME PERSONALITY

One of the many benefits of Instagram is that it allows us to be social and interact with people from around the world. Use this to your advantage by putting a face to the handle, so your followers know exactly who runs your account.

One of the easiest ways to show off your personality is by doing live streams or even just Instagram Stories.

Posting photos of yourself is great too, but video is a better way to let your audience see the real you. You can even cross-promote your other platforms as well such as your YouTube or website if you have them. Don’t forget to keep everything fun and professional when adding your own creative spin. Showing some personality on your feed might just be the deciding factor when brands are looking to work with you as well.

USE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS

How To Brand Your Instagram Profile Like Your Idols

While Instagram Story Highlights can only be created if you have a Business Account. They are a great way to engage with new and current followers.

A simple way to add more branding to your profile is to create your own Highlight cover images. They’re quick and easy to whip up in apps such as Canva. Or, you can buy cheap ones from Etsy for added detail.

Many photographers choose to add before & after edits to their Highlights. Along with their preset packs for Lightroom. Travel bloggers can also create different Highlights for each country they’ve visited like Ravi Vora above. Or, even do a Q & A. Try sticking with the same color scheme for your Highlight covers as well and similar branding for a more cohesive look.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

At the end of the day, your followers are only going to like and engage with content they find appealing on your feed.

If you know what your followers like ahead of time, you can usually gauge which photos or videos are going to perform better than others. One way to track this is to check out your analytics if you have a Business Profile.

Go through your recent posts and note which ones received the most comments and likes. Did they have something in common? Maybe videos did better on your feed or straight on shots of people smiling. Once you know what your audience likes, you can try to incorporate more of that into your feed.

With more than 600 million users on Instagram, it’s important to create a profile that stands out above the rest. Whether you create your own branded Highlight covers or stick with a cohesive editing process, branding your Instagram account can help you gain new followers and even clients. What are some ways you’ve branded your own profile?

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