Bad Instagram Advice Authors Should Avoid
It takes a lot to really get under my skin. I’m a pretty even tempered person. But when I see people sharing wrong, highly misleading, or just flat out bad information - stand back because Mama Bear gets angry!
Listen, I’m all for people sharing new ideas or trying a different approach - that’s great! But when ‘influencers’ share advice that a) has not been tested, b) is only their opinion, and c) it only applies to their own account, it’s irresponsible and arrogant.
There is so much information and advice flying around that it can be hard to know who or what authors should listen to.
When it comes to Instagram, I lean on what Adam Mosseri - the head of Instagram - shares in his weekly “Ask Me Anything” segments as well as the official Instagram for Business page. Both of these resources share announcements, answers to questions, and how to’s so we know what will work. It’s straight from the horses’s mouth!
So I wanted to share three pieces of bad advice that I’ve recently come across and what you should do instead.
BAD ADVICE #1: You don’t need to use hashtags.
Looking up which hashtags to use can take some time. But here’s the important thing to remember: hashtags tell the algorithm who to put your post in front of. Yes, Instagram’s algorithm “scrubs” our posts to look for keywords but it’s not completely accurate. When we use specific and targeted hashtags, we are able to give the algorithm more information to make sure we get in front of the right people.
This is especially important when you’re growing your audience. A profile that has been around for years and has hundreds of thousands of followers is in a different position than someone just starting out with a few hundred followers. If you’re looking to grow your audience, using hashtags that target your ideal reader are going to tell the algorithm who to put your post in front of.
BAD ADVICE #2: Post more - don’t focus on quality.
I strongly disagree with this advice for several reasons. But to sum it up, don’t post just to post.
When we talk about quality, yes, you should try to have everything looking and sounding as great you can possibly make it. Does it need to be perfect? No. When we are learning something new (like Reels) we need to flub our way through and figure it out. That’s totally fine!
But when it comes to the quality of your content, that is non-negotiable. Your posts represent you and your books. When we compromise quality - meaning what we share and how we share it - it tells potential readers what to expect in our books.
Readers are not limited on choices - they are bombarded with them every day. Respect your readers time by giving them a great experience with your content. If that means posting less, that’s OK!
Be intentional with what you share. Quality stands out more than quantity any day of the week.
BAD ADVICE #3: It doesn’t matter if fake accounts or bots follow you.
When I saw a post from an Instagram “influencer” I was shocked. Having fake accounts absolutely hurts your account and engagement. The only thing those bots and fake accounts feed is our ego.
The truth is, the Instagram algorithm couldn’t care less about how many people follow you. What it does care about is engagement.
Let’s say you have 100 followers and 40 of those follows are bots, fake accounts, or inactive accounts. In the first few minutes that your post goes live the algorithm shows your post to a small percentage of your followers. If those followers don’t comment, like, share, or save what you just shared, it won’t show that post to more people. So when Instagram thinks that you have 100 followers and nearly half of them don’t even respond to what you post because they are fake accounts, that shows Instagram that your content isn’t worth showing more people.
Instagram wants users to spend as much time as possible on the app. So that means it wants to fill our feeds with content we will like. When our account is full of accounts that don’t engage, it kills our reach, engagement, and overall growth.
Yes, we will all fall victim to having a bot or fake account follow us - it’s inevitable. That’s why I encourage authors to delete or block those fake followers. Are we going to catch them all? No. But if we can take get rid of a percentage of them, it will only help our engagement.
There is no “one way” to grow on Instagram. We are all connecting with different people. Our communication styles, views, experiences, and perspective are different - and that’s incredible! Focus on the quality of your connections, the content that you share, and how you interact with your readers more than the number of followers you have. It will make Instagram so much more enjoyable and more effective!
If you’re looking for more guidance and how to reach your goals with Instagram, I’ve got something for you. Download my FREE Instagram Posting Formula - it’s a game changer!
