Instagram: 3 Questions I Would Ask Myself Before Posting

Before my next post on Instagram, I would ask myself the following 3 questions:

What's unique about this shot?
Does it match my feed's consistency?
Does it provide value to my audience?

chinatown

Model: Carly, 16mm F1.4, 1/1400s, ISO200

1. What's unique about this shot?

There are so many shots posted every hour around the world. In order to get recognized by your potential audiences, your shots need to have some unique elements. Especially when the photo is in a big hashtag like #portraitpage, your photo will be down couple rows in just couple minutes because so many people are posting at the same time.

I have posted a detailed video on how to make your photo unique and create your own identity:

2. Does it match my feed consistency?

My second question helps me to step back and look at the big picture from far away. The tool I use is UNUM planning app. I put my photo in the app and decide whether this upcoming photo breaks my feed in terms of tones or exposure balance.

Here is my video on this topic and how I use the UNUM to plan:

3. Does it provide value to my audience?

My last question is to ask myself whether this photo will provide my audience value or inspiration. Will my audience save this photo to their Saved inspiration? This also depends on the first question because the more unique your photo, the more likely people will save your photo. The more value you provide to your audience, the more likely they will return back to your Instagram feed or turn on the post notification. These factors are all related. Below is my simple engagement relation flow:

More uniqueness -> More Saved -> More engagement -> More Likely in Explore Tab

In summary, these are the questions I ask myself before posting in my Instagram. The more you shoot and practice, the more you will know what elements can make you stand out from the crowd. Thank you all for reading and support! Feel free to subscribe to the mailing list in the bottom of this page.