Optimize Your Instagram for Growth with a Self-Audit: Your Detailed Roadmap for Social Media Success

1. Introduction - What to Expect: Have you been running your Instagram profile for a little while now, got a lot of posts back there, and you've tried different hacks and strategies Instagram Gur told you to But it feels like your Instagram isn't growing... No matter what you do? What if you could make a few small changes and see an increase in your engagement? Then listen up. It's probably high time to do an Instagram audit. It's frustrating when you create lots of amazing content, but it doesn't attract new followers the way you dream of. So why bother with this? Well, this self audit will arm you with indepth insights about your growth and its patterns, and it will help you identify as. You should improve, change, and optimize. It may sound like a big project. And well, it is. But at the end of the course, we'll have a better idea. Of where you want to take your Instagram profile and what actions you need to take to quicken organic growth and make a better experience for your potential followers. Oh, it would be good to introduce myself, right? I'm Kasia Pilch, marketing specialist and online strategist. I work in tech, and I also work for one of the biggest influencer marketing tools in Europe. I've conducted over 250 Instagram audits for corporate and individual clients And let me tell you, today, I will spill the tea about the insights and patterns I've noticed, and how they can help you reach your Instagram goals more effectively. I will walk you through the process of auditioning your Instagram profile. Step by Step. You will learn actionable steps to move forward with your Instagram profile. Today is the beginning of our journey to optimize your Instagram. We will evaluate your current processes and identify what's holding you back. This will help you understand why your posts aren't performing as high as they deserve to perform and provide you with a detailed roadmap to boost your results. Excited, you should be. Your concentration workflow is about to get a whole lot smarter and your target audience happier. So let's go. 2. Class Project: Class project. I want this class this course to be as practical as it could be. We'll discuss all the most important areas of your Instagram presence, you can optimize in each chapter, I will also share good and bad examples to show you exactly what I mean and arm you with this additional inspiration. Do you need an Excel spreadsheet to conduct this audit? No, I don't think so. But of course, if you prefer it that way, go ahead. If Excel spreadsheets are your thing, don't hesitate to create one. But to be honest, a notebook note pad or a node app of your choice will be a great choice as well. The most important thing is, be honest with yourself. Answer the question openly and vulnerably. Look at the data we'll discuss with care. Improvement and organic growth is an absolute goal of this audit. So remember to answer honestly, and don't be your own harsh critique. We need to discuss all these areas of your Instagram presence so you can meet your goals and go forward. It's not about complaining or about critique. We just need to be very honest and objective with the data. So what's your homework? What's your class project? I encourage you to share a part of your notes. What you are going to change after you finish this course. It could be a one screenshot or maybe photo of your nose. To let me know that this course was helpful, and you are going to implement the changes from the insights you gathered from this course. I feel like this homework will motivate you to analyze your data to reflect on the topics we'll discuss, but also it's a chance to inspire our audience here on skill sure. So we can be proud of you and we can inspire each other in the process. So I really hope to see you right there with your notes with the things you've noted down, and the things you are going to change. 3. What Exactly is an Instagram Audit and Why This Process Will Give You a Fresh Perspective: Exactly is an Instagram audit and why this process will give you a fresh perspective. Before we dive into the in depth investigation of your profile and all the optimization suggestions from me, let me show you and let me discuss a little bit how the process will look like. And what exactly do I mean by repeating all the time Instagram audit? Because for some of you, it may be a mystery, right? So what is this Instagram audit? And Instagram audit is the process for reviewing the important elements of your profile and content. To assess how you are doing and what you can improve on. Today's audit will be a high level high level deep dive into your profile details like your profile picture, your bio, your display name, link in your bio, the way you organize, your highlights, the aesthetics of your feet, your captions, your CTAs, as well as an analysis of what kind of content have performed the best for you in the last period. What topics your audience enjoy the most, what content reached the most people. So which content made you most discoverable? And what kind of posts did you get the attention they deserved? We're going to focus on each element, then the numbers and patterns standing behind your growth. Or the lack of it. So it's going to be very complex, but don't worry. I'm here to explain everything step by step. So even though we are going to discuss and analyze a lot of things, and I know it might sound very complicated. I hope the process is going to be easy and straightforward after all. That's my goal. Because I know it from my clients and the people I work with that sometimes it may sound super overwhelming at first. But we are going to break down exactly how to do this process in the most simple way. I will break it down chapter by chapter so you don't have to worry about the order of analysis or what comes next. I will tell you everything. What's more, this process will help you answer important questions, really important questions like which content performs best, worst, against your growth and business goals. Which content and optimization elements are missing in your profile. Or out of date. Does your content meet specific Instagram, SEO guidelines? Does your content promote your values and the things you want your audience to notice about you? Is your Instagram content really performing at its best? Trough this audit, you are going to find all kind of information about your Instagram. I think it's going to be really eye opening. I deeply deeply believe they are part of successful long term content strategy? That's why we are doing this. 4. 10 Things I Discovered After Conducting Over 250 Instagram Audits: Ten things I discovered after conducting over 250 audits. I conducted over 250 social media audits for both corporate and individual clients at mine 95. And as it always happens, after a while, I started to know the similar patterns and repetitive questions and doubts during the process. And I think some of them will surprise you. Even though sometimes I complain about my day job, because it's quite intense and there's always a lot to do and a lot to optimize. I'm really grateful for the insights I can observe because of being in touch with so many nic creators. So many entrepreneurs and creatives, I can gather all the observations and I know your doubts and your fears much better because I get in touch with them like every day. And after these years of working with content creators and online entrepreneurs, I started to notice patterns successful profiles. I started to notice why why some profiles stopped growing, or why an account was just fail like failed completely. I started to notice foundation of successful Instagram account Must have. And in today's audit, of course, we'll be comparing your Instagram against these foundations and giving you insights on what is focus next. I also would like to share with you something personal. I've noted down in my notebook about a month ago after conducting the 250th audit. So here are the ten things I discovered. Big small all content creators struggle to get more ice on their content. Sometimes you can think that only small accounts struggle with that because all those clovers and big accounts have a loyal following who is always with them. That's true. But you know, the more you eat, the more you want. Also, the bigger they count is the bigger amount of ghost followers they have. So sometimes their engagement is much lower than the engagement rate on small profiles. So we all struggle to get more ice on our content, no matter how big or small the coning crater is. And whether they have 1 million followis, or only 200 followi. It's this thing we all struggle with. We all struggle with long hours spent on editing and creating contents and dream of optimizing the process. You won't believe how many entrepreneurs and how many comic creators feel burn out. And they admit they don't have time for family of friends because they get so stuck in the content optimization and the content editing. So I think this is also a big goal of mine to help you optimize the process and find the new ways to optimize it because, yes, editing and coming up with new ideas is very very time consuming. And people who aren't content creators very often don't realize how long it takes to do that. How long it takes to do that every day and to feed everything into your schedule and find time for that. So, yes, we all struggle with that. All creators and all entrepreneurs struggle to build a community because a community is much more an in audience, and a community includes very engaged people, very engaged in what you have to say and what you have to offer. So it's much much more difficult to build it and then maintain this interest maintain this ongoing connection, and you can even say relationship because you need to have a relationship with your audience to build a community. And that's the most difficult part. And we'll also talk about it. Today, Perfectionism is something all creators struggle with at some point. You have to realize there is no such thing as the perfect video the perfect real, the perfect caption, the perfect Instagram stories. Most, if not all, creators struggle today to create meaningful conversation around their content and avoid posting and ghosting, because we all know how easier it would get if we only show up for a second and then disappear, and, you know, post, for example, three times a week, and then go silent and let this radio silence, just stay on our account. But nowadays, social media, Instagram Especially doesn't work that way. We have to be constantly present, constantly come up with new ideas. Show up on a daily basis, show behind the scenes of our daily lives. So for many content creators, for most of them, it's a challenge to not post and ghost, but to show up on a daily basis and show up on Instagram stories as well. Not only prepare perfect and scripted posts, but also be spontaneous. It's a challenge. All creators struggle with ideas and believes inherited from family and social networks and their co workers and friends. This makes me sad, but I also struggle with that. So I feel that one very deeply. And it was such a relief in some sense to get to know that we all struggle that. And those limiting beliefs are stopping us from creating content we dream of creating, from being more brave in talking to our audience. But trust me, this is something we all struggle with even the most easy going and the most open coming creators after hours admit there is this block, this limiting belief they struggle with. All cond and creators struggle with impostor syndrome, at least from time to time. A as all con and creators struggle with the question. How do you identify the topics ideas for your next piece? How do you come up with the best ones? Because after you create very big amount of different stories. You just got this. There are two scenarios. The first scenario is you get these creative juices flowing, and you always have an idea for what comes next. And the second scenario, which happens more often, unfortunately, you feel burn out, and you question whether what you do is really valuable for your audience, and you feel this creative block. So yeah, it's very often. They also struggle with how do you connect with your audience in real time. How do understand your audience, the problems they have in mind, the solutions they are looking for, based on their current realities. This is something that feels overwhelming for many content readers that, for example, live in their social bubbles. So it's very hard for them to imagine what struggles their audience is facing. And the last one, the struggle to get this coverage by the right people. So as you can see, the ugly truth is, we all struggle with Instagram, with calling creation. So why not do it together? Social media gives us so many opportunities, but it's also a landscape with such high pressure, and we all compare our results to someone else's metrics. So I feel like it's almost cathartic to remind yourself that achieving your Instagram goals is a process, and the more optimistic and open minded, you are during it. The higher the chances of for succeeding because it's really hard to stay focused and feel this motivation, stay modified when you're overwhelmed and overstimulated. Of course, I can't remove the struggle for me or for you, and I wish I had this power, but I don't. Nobody does, even the most expensive marketing girls, This is bad and good news at the same time. But my today's goal is to give you tools to get you through the Instagram struggle, to navigate the process, to know what you can improve and optimize, to finally see the results, to get through the discomfort zone and get to the other side. I deeply, I deeply hope that by offering the support and theses insights from my practice, you will be able to worry less about the frustrating day to day challenges all creator face and focus more on your passion. On making the content the content you want to create and the contents the world needs from you. I want you to know what to do with every area of your profile optimization and contents, and I can't wait to see what insides the next hour rings. You two? Let's go. 5. Connect with Yourself and Your WHY: Connect with yourself and you why. I'd like to start every Instagram audit with a little journaling session. I know. It may sound a little bit weird, and you weren't expecting that. But trust me, this is a good start, and this will create a strong foundation for diving into the data, and all the technical aspects we'll be discussing next. Because, yes, next, we will be focusing on very technical aspects of your instagram profile. But to have a clear look at your foundation, we need to take this dive deep into your vision and think about your Instagram goals so we can establish what you want to achieve with your profile. So now, find a quiet spot, grab your journal, your favorite notebook, or your mobile notes up, Oh, Google Docs, where you can type all your answers. Of course, if writing down is your thing. It's my thing, so I always hope it's your thing also. Remember to be gentle in the process. And my advice is to set aside at least 20 minutes to write down or maybe record if you prefer to talk. These questions. They are also my favorite proms to start an Instagram audit because this is like a warm up before we go to those practical technical areas. So listen, these are the questions I need you to reflect on. Why did you decide to start your Instagram account? One thing you wish we were different about your Instagram presence. What's one thing about your Instagram profile or your Instagram content you are really deeply proud of? How are you sharing your content with others? Do you feel seen? Do you feel like you already have people interested in what you have to say, what you have to share? What's your biggest goal for your Instagram profile? How did you measure success for this goal so far? How successful Instagram profile look for you? Do you have any Instagram accounts that you look up to and content creators that I like your Instagram al models. If you feel like you want to share your answers, go ahead. You will deeply appreciate if you share them in, for example, a project section or a discussion section. But if you want to keep them for yourself, that's also okay. Just reflect on these questions and know your answers to those questions Because I need you to feel like you know yourself and you know your goals? You know your Instagram goals. Now it's time to check in with the data and analyze each aspect of your Instagram presence. Let's start. 6. Audit Your Username: Your user name. Okay. Okay. So I need you to be totally honest with me. Are you happy with the way your user name sound? Okay. As I've already mentioned, I really need you to be totally honest. So I hope I'm clear on that. Remember, no one will judge you for your answers. You need to be totally honest with yourself. Only then we can improve and go forward. So my next question is, have you had a situation in the past when you shared your user name with somebody, you and you had to spell it, or maybe somebody wrote it down the wrong way. Do you think it's easy for other people to write down, you use the name and learn it by heart? Do you think it's possible that some people learn your use your name by heart the second day here it? How do you feel about it? I think your experiences and the way you observe people when they hear your Instagram, user name can tell us a lot. Because your personal experiences with the way you shared your user name are really precious, because those situations are like feedback to us. So why I decided to focus on your user name first. Look at the beginning, it all comes down to your user name, especially when it comes to word of mouth when other people are like, Oh, you know, I found a very inspiring Instagram profile. It's called Ex YS. So is it easy to remember your user name for new people? Isn't your user name too long so people can have trouble recalling what exactly it was. It was a girl with brown brown dress or brown shoes. Sometimes long user names can be more problematic. So I need you to reflect on that. In my opinion, your user name is very important because it's simply the way people will look for your account. They will have to type in your user name into the Instagram search bar to find you before they follow you, for example. And I know you already have your user name, but I always repeat it, if you're just starting out, you can change your user name and rebrand it. So you will be happy with your user name in the future. You feel that way, it's better to do it now than later. Better late than later. But it must be a very intentional decision because I know sometimes it's impossible to change it. For example, when you already bought a website domain, and it was expensive, then I completely understand it that you feel the need to stick to your current UN Name because you invested in it so much. But if you feel like there might be something wrong with your UN name, or you don't like the way it sounds. Just think about how we will feel about it in a few years. We need a user name that will likely be okay for you in a couple of years, that you will feel okay with, that you will gladly share in different conversations, maybe during conferences, maybe during business meetings, during meetings with new friends. You need to feel okay with your user name. But maybe your user name is great, and it doesn't need any modifications. You know, this is something you have to feel. I will share with you what I've observed in the industry and what usernames tend to be more successful than others. In some ways, your Instagram user name is basically the title of your profile, so you have three options. Use your user name and or your surname in it, especially when you want to build a personal brand based on your personal data, especially when you have a very easy to spell name and surname, or you have a very, very unique name and surname. That's when building a personal brand built on your data can be a huge benefit. The other option, se your business brand, services name if you're using Instagram for these purposes. And it's already strong and established and established and you have your domain You have your services going on. You have people known you for a long time. And you have almost no choice. You have to speak to this business brand name. So here is your answer then. If that's your situation, if that's your case, of course. And the ferret option, you can also capture what your Instagram profile is about. For example, talented foodies from my hometown around an Instagram called Mtemen, which means we eat here. In my Native language, Which perfectly encapsulates who their content is for, and what they're doing and it gives you a great idea what they're going to create content about if you follow them. If your Instagram is going to be the home of your entire business, think about the first outs that will come to your potential followers mind when they see or hear your user name. For example, when you see an Instagram use name growth with We can easily guess that this profile, these profiles will be about growth mindset, growing life in the direction of your dreams. So this first connotation, this first thought matters. Conventional wisdom tells you to treat your Instagram profile as a business, even if it's just a hobby for now. And I will tell you the same. Think about the situation that can happen in the future. You can be, for example, nominated in different contests or conferences, or maybe you will create a merchandise collaboration between you and a fashion brand door. So how will it sound, if, for example, naked, announce your collaboration, and it sounds like D. Naked with things about where to travel next, nine, two, seven. Okay, Okay, maybe it's a slight exaggeration. But you get the point. You need to be proud of your user name. It needs to be unique, even though I know it's getting more and more difficult now as many interesting user names are taken. You need to be able to use your user name in different situations and not be ashamed of it. Because I really feel like you need to think about the future you. Maybe for now, you treat your Instagram profile as a hobby. But who knows what the future holds? How much it will grow. What if you change your mind and you start to treat it as business as a personal brand? Or maybe you will start offering different services, for example, coaching, or you start writing ebooks or host courses or host a podcast. Your user name needs to be a good representation of you. But of course, sometimes, as I mentioned, your idea is brilliant, perfect, and you're sure you will love it for at least 100 years. But then you find out your dream user name, this idea that you are in love with is already taken. And surprise, surprise, there was someone who was a genius before you. And it happens. It happens. I know it happens and it sucks. I know it myself because right now I plan to start my own podcast very soon. And I got this amazing idea for the title. I was really excited about it. And I also, of course, want to create an Instagram profile for the podcast. And Yeah, I checked in name availability because I thought, Oh, it's so unique. It's so creative. I bet nobody thought about it before. And of course, this is where the plan goes wrong. It's not available. It's taken. I will need to change my idea or use or compromise, use this sign between the words. What will I do? I'm still thinking about it. But most probably, I will use this underline sign. Even though it's not a perfect solution, and I feel like, I want this, use a name without any dot, without any underline so badly. But it's taken. So what can I do? So before you celebrate your perfect idea, your perfect use a name, you plan to use and share it with the world. Search for your ideas on other social media. Use the search function on platforms such as our Instagram Twitter YouTube Just whatever you plan to use beside your main one. Just whatever social media platform you plan to use besides Instagram. Do you see if any accounts are already using your name Da? Also, check the availability of your idea on domain registration websites. You can use websites such as Go Daddy or Name chip to see if the options you wish to use are available as domain names. And, of course, your user name should be unique and stand out from the crowd. So my a tip avoid generic names that are already being used by thousands of other profits in other combination. Try to come up with something that's more memorable and more distinctive. For example, Here's an example of what I mean by general usen name and what I mean by saying specific username. Tech use is a broad term used by countless profiles, whereas the Lenses Guru offers a much more specific and engaging angle for your username. Another example, The generic one, fitness freak is a common label, but stronger with Mandy is a more personal and inspiring choice. Food lover, food lover Mandy. It's a bit generic. But, for example, we eat savory spice is more distinctive and intriguing, in my opinion, at least. Beauty tips by Mandy is a frequently used idea. But casual glamour with Mandy stands out more, even though it's a bit too long. Most of all, your user name should be simple to write down and easy to remember. Avoid long or complicated names that are difficult to spell or pronounce. Aim for something short and catchy that roll of the tongue. It's your user name. You should be able to live with it at the very least because you are going to be looking at it and typing it and saying it over and over, for whole years to come. So ask yourself. Do you log or at least like your current user name? Will you be able to live with it in the future when the profile grows bigger and bigger? Because when your profile hit, for example, 1 million followers, it will be harder to change the name. You know, you will feel like you're losing by changing the user name because so many brands, and so many people will remember your current one? Is it easy to write down and easy to remember? Have you ever asked anyone for feedback about your user name idea? What did they say? Have you ever observed something worrisome, concerning about your using name when you shared it with someone? Did they have problems with writing it down? Have you ever felt this doubt that maybe just maybe your using name isn't the most strategic wise choice? Did you feel the art to change it? Why? And why did you decide not to do it? Was there a reason Also, now need to rush. Good ideas take time. So if you're hesitating, whether your user name is a good one, you can always take a pen in a note pad or the different options like your Google notes or something else and spend the afternoon brainstorming in solitude. That's what I did with my own idea as well. 7. Audit Your Profile Picture: Profile picture. Okay, now, let's look at the old profile picture. You don't have to be a season graphic designer or an editorial photographer to create a polished profile picture. That will you stand out in the followers feet. You only have to think like one. Do you remember how a killer album cover could instantly grab your attention in a music store or on Spotify, or that iconic movie posture that made you rent the film or go to the theater to see it. Your profile picture is your one shot to do the same. It's the first impression that can potential followers who come across your profile picture in different parts of Instagram. For example, in the places where you leave a comment under someone else's post. If I got to be honest, I found several very, very unique profiles that way. Those people just left a comment under someone else's post, and they had an amazing profile picture, and I clicked it. And yeah. Yeah, I do. I follow them till that day. Your profile picture is also the little circle image that appears next to your user name. It might sound funny, but but think of it as the album cover for your Instagram. Are you more like Bonds or more like Shakira? Maybe Justin Timberlin When potential followers go browsing a profile, your profile picture is the first thing they see. Ideally, your Instagram profile will stick in your potential followers minds. It's your Instagram Visual identity. Think for a second about iconic album covers like Adele or Bon s is the first thing many people remember about these albums. Your Instagram provile picture should make a similar first impression on your potential followers and your current followers. So yeah, you and I, we agree. Your Provid picture matters. I know. Sometimes you get lucky by chance, and while a stroke of luck, can undeniably boost your follower account, for example, when your friend with a huge following, does a shout out for you or share your post to on the Instagram stories. Relying only on Chance is a risky strategy. Your profile picture is your constant, your reliable introduction to potential followers. It's the first thing people see, and in some cases, it determines whether they will stick around to explore your content. Think of it as the shop window to your profile. It needs to be exciting enough to draw people in. Because, look, you've got inches, only a couple hundred pixels to make an impact, your profile picture is a little bit like your digital handshake. Okay, now, too many metaphors. But it needs to be crystal clear, it needs to scream. This is me and give people a glimpse into your world. Plus, it's your personal brand face, so keep it consistent. And I know, I know. While it might be tempting to use, for example, a random selfie, Remember that your profile picture needs to communicate your personality. To make the most of your profile picture, it should be clear, good quality and recognizable. Joos a clear picture since your followers and non followers can view it in full size. They see this. Yes, they only see it this size. Showcase your current skill if it's something your profile is about. For example, where you're a makeup artist or an illustrator, say something about you. Let this profile picture say something about you and maintain consistency. And what do I mean by saying your profile picture needs to be clear? Hmm. Even on your profile your profile picture shows a pretty small, but in notifications, it's really, really, really tiny. You can put the most detailed and polished photo from a photo shoot with a Hollywood photographer, editorial photographer. A real masterpiece. But if it's not clear and has too many details? It's not going to stand out in this really small version. We need to care about this small instagram version. Make sure it has enough contrast and clarity to pass the test. You can always compare different options and see which one has the best contrast in this small size. Also, look at that picture from some distance and see if you can recognize what's in what's on it. Can you see that it's Woman's face on it. Or maybe from a distance, you would say that maybe it's a cat, maybe maybe it's some kind of food. You know, Sometimes when a picture is very small, it's hard to recognize what's on it. And you shouldn't choose a photo like that. Also, frame yourself. If your profile picture is a photo of your face. Remember that some head shows are too close to the camera. While others are too far away. Get in close, but not too close. Your face should be the star of the show and feel most of the image. But people should be able to see a little bit of the background. Give people a clear view of with just enough background to add context. It's a balance between intimacy and clarity. I also believe you should consider showing your skills, your strengths on your profile picture, if your profile is based on them. If you're anything more than a hobby life style connect creator, then your profile needs to show your skills. You'll need something that confidently says, I'm doing that, to for more. For example, if you're reviewing books, then a portrait with a pile of books will be a great choice. For example, maybe something like this or something like this. If you're a food econ and creator, maybe a portrait with something relating to food. But it's important to try not to hide your lips and your smile. So avoid photos like, for example, those because it's proven that when we can see person lips, we subconsciously, think that maybe there is an angry face behind, for example, a cup or something to eat. So don't hide your lips. Don't hide your smile. And you need to say something about yourself with that profile picture. Because, yes, your profile picture is a chance to draw new people in to attract them, maybe even to show intriguing common ladies. It's a little bit like personal invitation. Sometimes just from the first glance and someone face, you know, whether you are going to like this person or not. Of course, first impression is often wrong, but that's totally different story. It's like your first chance to connect on this human level. This is, for example, why I intentionally chose two elements for my profile picture. A self portrait, my camera, my hand and a big smile because I'm trying to make my dreams come true and help you fulfill yours. And a part of my dreams is content creation. And that means I'm glued to my camera almost all the time. I mean all the time after my name to five, because I am trying to live the best of both worlds. The emotion that you present in your photo will also subconsciously provide context to the words that you write in your display name and in your buyer. From what I observed while auditing in Stockholm profiles and my day job, it's very common for people to strike a professional pose. Which consists of a natural face expression and folded arms. And that way, you rub yourself of your friendly features, and many times these pictures, these professional pictures have nothing to do with the person standing behind the profile. I remember, for example, once I met the most funny easy going and joking around business coach, who unfortunately has the most serious portrait as her Instagram profile picture? Something a bit similar to this. I can't show you her Instagram profile because hearing that, she would probably kill me. But you have to believe me that. I instantly thought that her Instagram profile picture is in a good match because it has nothing to do with how she behaves in real life. And what a sweetheart she is in real life. I wouldn't have guessed basing on her profile picture. Because if I were to judge her based only on her profile picture, I would never, never say she is as optimistic and a nice person as she is. Okay. And you often ask, do I think you should have a portrait of your face as your profile picture? And do you already know answer? Yes, yes, I do. A picture of your amazing face, if you fancy it, of course. But if you want me to convince you, there's this deep research showing that faces. Also, in our case, faces as profile pictures. Increase engagement. And you want people to have an image of you in their mind when they consume your content. For example, when they see you real without your face, you want them to have this little picture of your face in their mind, thinking, This is the person who created israel. So you want them to have your face when they consume your post, when they read your post, even if they haven't seen you in real life, because look, many of your followers will never meet you in real life. So it's important for them to remember you the way you are. Here are the details of the research if you're curious. I'm also dropping you the link to read it because I think that's really interesting. So I'm dropping something to read tonight. But back to the emotions you show on your profiled pictures. As you may know, body language is either open or closed. Your arms, legs, and hands can either express your openness to connect with new people, your friendly nature. The fact that you're feeling good right now or a closed for business message. Faces and smiles or the absence of smile are the same. People correlate big smiles and provide pictures with good social relationships and being nice and friendly and helpful. It's proven that very often when we see someone with a big smile, we think, I mean, the honest smile with the honest smile because you can feel that, you can feel when a person is smiling inside, and her eyes are also smiling and when she is doing it for only for the show. So when we see a person with this honest smile, we instantly think this person would probably be a good friend and a nice person to be around. By the way, according to two studies of college students, people who smile in their social media provile pictures are actually more likely to be happy later in life. Smile intensity code from a single Facebook profile photographs from male and female participants for a semester at college was a robust predictor of self reported life satisfaction 3.5 years later. So we'd better smile in our Instagram profiles, and jokes aside. But whether you're aware of it or not, your picture, your profile picture is an extension of your personal brands. So it's really important to ensure that your profile picture matches your personality. Is your content funny or rather very serious? Do you smile a lot and read life? Your profile picture needs to reflect your personality and your real life features. Not only does it make you more recognizable, it also ensures that you attract the right kind of people. Because if you're smiling all the time, you're optimistic and easy going in real life, you don't want to attract polis who complain and think that people who are smiling all the time are strange and weird, and there must be something wrong with them, right? And I know people like that. I work with a girl like that, and she always says that she feels like people who smile all the time. The crazy, and there's something wrong with them. So if you're optimistic and super friendly, you may not want to attract pessimists and people who think smiles are strange, right? That's the point. And also, many people ask me, can I use a logo as my profile picture? And my answer is, Sure. If you don't want to use a picture of yourself or you run an Instagram profile for a business or a brand, not just your personal brands? Use your logo? Of course. But for a personal account, I'd rather use a portrait of yourself. You already know that. The one highlighting your personality? If you're shy, or you want to remain mysterious, you can also express that with your profile picture. No problem. I totally get you. That's also okay because it will reflect your goals and and the way you are. And after all we have already said, you may want to ask, wait. Do I really need to think so deeply about my profile picture? If I can, No, always change it. A minute, any day. And to be honest, Yes, and no. Because the truth is if you want to become recognizable, you need to maintain consistency. Why? I think this example will illustrate it very well. Lately, one of my clients told me, Kate, last spring, I changed my Instagram profile picture from my portrait. To a picture my friends drew of me. After a while, I found out that it wasn't the wisest business decision. My followers started to send me direct messages saying they couldn't recognize me anymore. And they didn't know this is my new profile picture. Because the drawing looked like a stranger to them. Somebody new on their feet. So looking from the business perspective, imagine someone is interested in reaching out, and they've been your follower for a while. They have your previous profile picture in mind. They know it. Now imagine, they've forgotten you use the name. Oh, no problem. They know your profile picture. They know your profile picture. They know your profile picture is a portrait of you wearing a big gray glasses and an orange background. Easy, easy to find you, right? So they scroll through everyone they follow. And What's that? They can't find you. There is no one with a portrait with big re glasses and an orange background. And did you really just miss out on an interesting collaboration because you changed your profile picture a week ago? This is why consistency and sticking to your personal branding is so important. Stay consistent across all social mediums. You want your follows to see the same profile picture on all of your social media profiles. I can't stress this enough, so I will repeat myself once again. Don't change your profile picture every month. It's a common mistake. You will be more recognizable if you stick to one profile picture, your favorite profile picture and don't change it very often. Choose a picture you will like every day, and you won't feel the need to change it any time soon. This is also important for people with common names and their user names. If someone follows you on one platform, and want to connect with you on another social media, for example, make it easy for them to reach you by using the same picture everywhere, on all your social media profiles. For example, if I want to reach someone named Kate Novak, there are over 100 or even more Kates with this last name, with this surname. So her profile picture will help me distinguish which Kate is the right one? Which Kate is the one I'm looking for. And what about your profile picture then? It's time to reflect on these questions. Do you like your profile picture? Or maybe you've been planning to change it. Now, you know what are the altributes of a good profile picture. So you can choose one that will stay on your profile for a long time. Changes, change your profile picture with intention if you need to. If you plan to grow your Instagram in a big and bold way, this decision matters. Does your Instagram profile accurately reflect your personality, your skills, or the type of content you post? In a face to face meeting, in real life, in the real world, will the other person recognize you based on your profile picture, reflect on these questions and answer them? 8. Your Display Name: Display name. Your display name appears on your profile underneath your profile picture right here. This one liner should sum up what you're going to create content about and why people should follow it. It should contain at least two free strong keywords because that's the big news. Your display name is searchable, meaning new people can find you if they type into the Instagram Sage, but the keywords you have in your display name. So what a good display name look like? I would say, first, put your data here. Your personal data. So people who look for you can easily find you. Is your real name. Sure. You can modify it or lie. But That isn't going to help you build a brand or strong online presence, especially if you're trying to build a personal brand. Think about the keywords you can include in your display name. Keywords are the words, your target audience, people you want to reach, are likely to type into the Sarge bar. Because you already know it your display name is searchable. If you put a keyword in there that says, Mexican bowls recipes, and I go to the Instagram Search bar, and I type Mexican bowl recipes. It's possible that your profile will come up and I can click on you and then follow you and consume your content and fall in love with it. This is just a really amazing way to get people familiar with your profile and appear in Instagram search results. For people looking for your type of contents, the content you're producing. So do research on what your keywords should be. What your perfect audience may type into the Search bar. What are they looking for? For example, if you're a fashion creator, and you focus on creating creels with fashion inspiration for women who wear bigger sizes. It can be, for example, a keyword, out of ideas for more carve women. As an inspiration, let's break down my display name. No display name field on my personal Instagram profile. Even though I don't share my personal Instagram publicly, but let's discuss it. Let's break it down. For you, I will make an excerpt. So let's break it down. Content production. You might not know this about me, but even though I work in tech and in marketing, in my free time is conic creation that brings me peace of mind in this little but very satisfying escape. I'm always looking to create a new photoshoot or videos for a client whose projects are aligned with my aesthetics. So this keyword is included to target my potential client based in my hometown or my home country, looking for conic creators per product or brand. NGC. Even though it's a broad very broad keyed, I hope to target my audience with this keyed because when it's paired with a eyed content production, when a brand visits my personal profile, they can quickly see that I create UGC photos and videos, and I have produced them for various clients in the past. And I'm more into UGC content than posting it all on my profile as a kind of influencer, Kashia today. So this is my old block name, meaning people who look for an Instagram account connected to my block, which I have run for more than six years. They can easily find me because I put this keyword here. But as I said, this is my more personal profile. This is a profile. I lead my native language. So I'm showing you this as an inspiration to exemplify what I'm talking about. So you may want to ask, why are you using English keywords? When you want to stick to your native language on this profile. And the truth is that that's a fun fact. Right now, in my country, people very often mix English with our native language. So It's like it's a little bit similar to Sweden to Swedish situation. Sometimes it's easier to use English keyword because there's this higher probability that they will type in the English keyword. Okay, that was off topic, but I just know some of you might be curious. Now I want to show you three more examples of how a good Instagram display name can look like. They are really good. Remember, you've got only 64 characters here. Use them the smart way. Think about the keywords that are relevant to what you do, what you create, and what your ideal follower might search for on Instagram. To find the type of content you post. It can help to brainstorm a bunch of keywords that. Describe you on each, relate to your creative profession. Describe what you sell, your products, or your services, for example. Put these words together, using the character counter to make sure you stick to the Instagram character limit. An way that flows together and makes sense to you. Remember that it doesn't have to be a full sentence. You can also use a special characters and MDs to break things up just like that. And that might surprise you. You display name can be changed up to two times within 13 days. So you can't change it very often. So make sure you make intentional changes here. Focus on the fact that you want to make it easy for your target audience to find your content and try to think like them. Think like your audience. Ask yourself, what are people going to type into the sage but you find the things I'm creating? What? What is that? Here are the questions I want you to answer. Is my display name making it easier to find my profile for my target audience? Did I include my personal data? Like my name, my surname, on my business brand block name, so people trying to reach out can easily find the right account? Does my display name include keywords? 9. Your Instagram BIO: Bio. You bio. This is much longer than display name and functions exactly as in A me page, About me section, to let people know who you are, what you do and why you're worth the time. You need to tell people not only who you are, but also why they should follow you. Yes, Your bio is your marketing tool, to be honest. So, introduce yourself. What your profile is about. Communicate your profiles values. Are a great bio description, clearly and concisely highlights what makes your content and you special. What differentiate you from the other content creators out there? For some Instagram creatives, that's their years of experience. For others, is their unique voice, their unique perspective, their personality. And for others, it can be, for example, covering in each that nobody else will or can. Your Instagram bio should be assigned who the target audience of your profile is and why they should click that follow button. Why? The goal should be for that people to read your bio and say, that's an account for me. For example, I felt that way. When I read This bio. It was like screaming to me. Yeah, girl. I'm feeling the same way. You will create content that resonates with me deeply. I understand you. Yes. Yes. Your bio should have the same effect on some people. That will be your people. You need to attract them. So start by asking yourself. Who might want to follow me? Of course, you may have multiple follower types. So consider their personality, types of characteristics, also their demographic. Why do people want to consume my contents? It can be, for example, motivation, you share your sense of humor, the breaking news you speak about, the professional development, knowledge, you share. You know your strengths, right? This is a moment to reflect on that. As an inspiration, here are the four examples of Instagram values that caught my attention right away. They're nicely structured and they instantly made me think, these accounts are going to be really interesting for me. So now let's take a look at your bio and here are the questions for you? Does your bio explain in more detail than your display name, who you are and what type of content you create? Does your bio still reflect your mission for your profile? Most of the time, people are going to say, yes, but if not, it's high time to change your bio. Would you click on the follow button if you were in your potential follower's shoes? Would your bio sound interesting enough for you? Would it intrigue you? Who is your ideal follower? You can always let them know right here in your bio that your profile is for them. For example, like this. 10. Link in BIO: Lincoln Bio. Why do you need a Lincoln in Bio? I'm going to tell you. So when people inevitably fall in love with your content and want to follow up. In other places, they can find you and consume more content from you. So where should you head them to? Where should your link bio head to? To your website, to your portfolio, block, online store, your course, something that you talk about in your content, or in some cases to a link tree. With limited space available, you need to make sure you prioritize the most important links for your audience. Whether you're direct traffic to your block or store. All these social media profiles. Make sure each link serves a clear purpose and aligns with your goals. We don't want any random links here. There are many, many benefits of using the Link and bios, so don't skip this element. For example, if you offer services or products, you followers want have to directly message you to ask about your prices, product details, you're saving your time. You're saving their time. They will do a research on their own, and they will visit your blog, your website, and they will read the information about your services or your product. And they will have a chance to know it better. So they will be more likely to buy it or to get invested. And that way, it can help you boost sales, for example, if you sell ebooks or courses. It helps you promote your work. You can, for example, include a link to a new project you've been working on or maybe your portfolio. If you want to attract brands who will want to collaborate with you, for example, if you're a photographer, videographer, artist, or ugistic reader, and it helps your followers be more aware of your offerings. You already know that. And it helps right traffic to your website or block, which will make it position higher in Google. So here's a list of best practices. Best practices I recommend to maximize the benefits of this little spot on your profile. Update your links every once in a while to reflect your latest contents, your newest course, your promotion, your campaign, whatever is most important to you at that moment. Make sure you're also thinking about your followers when deciding what to put in your link in bio. Also, you can direct your audience to what you've mentioned in your content. So does your link in Bio meet this need? Are your links chosen the strategic way? Have you checked your blog? Oh, and that's interesting. And really I'm really curious about your answer. Have you checked your blog or your website analytics, to see how many views or conversions you got from Instagram Ln and Bio? When did you check it last time? I also recommend not to include more than four links here. Even if you use a link three, because when people have too much choice, they start to hesitate what they were looking for. They get easily distracted. We don't want that. 11. First Impression Matters - The First Glance at Your Profile : First glance at your profile. First impressions. Just because people found your post, for example, in the search results. Unfortunately, it doesn't mean they will click them and then stay with you with your profile. Your profile, your content is fighting against a sea of other posts and other conning creators. In this part, in this part of today's audit, I want you to imagine you haven't seen your profile, like Never. You haven't seen it. You will see it for the first time, first time in your life. Think about what you're inviting people to experience in your contents. You are ready to flex your imagination. Maybe also entity muscles to step inside your audience's experiences. This is a reflection that will help you understand what can attract your perfect audience, and what can potentially push them away, especially during this first impression. We have to use empathy and put ourselves into the minds of our potential followers, what they see when they visit our profile for the first time. So think and analyze, what is a person's first impression when they find you on Instagram. And let's be real. People are visual creatures. They scan your profile, your profile picture, your feet. They take a look at you, use a name and your bio, your display name. And what do they see? What do they think? Think about first impression. Oh, I know. Think about first impressions like you're on the first date. First impressions are very often wrong. You probably know that from the dating scene. But there just is something that awakens this fats. This that, you know, Sometimes you see someone for the first time and you instantly think he is going to be a huh. She is going to be m. And when people see your profile for the first time, there's also this fat. And what do you think? What this fat could be? What would be your fat? If you if it wear the first time you see your profile. People landing on your profile might assume things about you and your business and your mission and your contents. These little things, these little plots, they do add up into a whole first impression. Because when you see, for example, a guy for the first time, you subconsciously scan what he's wearing, if he's smiling or not, the way he smells, and it's the same with our Instagram profile. My advice Think about the first impression that you want to make to new people visiting your profile for the first time. What should you do or change to achieve that effect? Maybe there are too many selfies on your profile, and somebody visiting for the first time would have a hard time guessing that you're running your Instagram to attract new clients because your Instagram doesn't seem very professional. It seems more personal. Maybe you want to talk about minimalism, but your feet is very cardic, and it needs and it needs a little bit of visual, the cluttering. Think about the post you have pinned if you have any post pint. Think about the post you've put out there on your feet lately. Think what you most want to be known for. And then, look, I your Instagram aligned with that? Is it supporting your idea right now? And was your favorite part of your Instagram profile? What would catch your attention right away if you were visiting it for the first time? Do you think your Instagram reflects your personality right now? What could you change to make this Instagram feel more like you? 12. Highlighted Stories: Highlighted stories. Instagram highlights, keep your profile organized and give your stories a much longer life. Instead of disappearing after 24 hours. And if you're sharing anything on Instagram stories on a daily basis, you should you really should have highlight categories to give them a home. So you can save the most important ones right here. And how to decide which highlight categories you should create or keep on your profile. Hm. I believe your highlight categories should align with your goals. They will be different for a business and different for a personal brand, personal account, or a Habby account. But some of categories, for example, behind the scenes about me, frequently ask questions to answer the most important questions will fit almost every type of profile. So how to decide for yourself? Think about what type of content you share on your Instagram stories, usually. What is that? Think about what you're already sharing with your stories. Is there any natural way that those content types can be grouped? For example, do you share a new restaurant discovery every weekend? Then those posts could become your own highlight category. Also, always decide what is most important, most helpful, for your followers. Analyze which content is evergreen content that will be useful and relevant even after some time, for example, some months. So yes, your recommendation for where to eat in Berlin, for example, can be a very good example of evergreen content you shod categorized in your highlighted stories. I would gladly watch it. This is the content that you want to store in the highlight. Absolutely. Hands down. These chapters, these high highlighted stories categories. Give your new followers and old ones to something to click through when they're craving more content or straightforward information. They also allow your potential followers to stock you a little and get to know you better. For example, before they decide to click that follow button. And now, things to remember. Story highlights max out at 100 storage each. If you add more than 100 stories, the first story from the highlight will disappear. Most users won't watch all of the 100 stories your highlight can have. So try to keep your highlights a little bit less abundant. It's a good practice to start each highlight with a little intro, a little introduction to introduce people what the highlight will be about. But, of course, yes. And that's something you have to plan to post in advance, of course. So now, let's take a look at your highlight categories. And I need you to answer these questions. Do you review your story highlights once in a while to remove anything that feels old or outdated? You prevent your highlights from becoming too long? We don't want them to get to 100? We don't want them to reach their limit. Do you save only the most important and evergreen stories to your highlights? Aren't your stories highlighted stories to messy or otic? Are they really categorized? Do you have any categories that are too similar to each other? I can feel a little bit like a repetition to somebody new on your profile? Do you already have a strategic highlight categories? Like, for example, behind the scenes, testimonials, if you're selling something or offering some services? Frequently asked questions about me. 13. Aesthetics of Your Feed and Reels Covers: Aesthetics of your feet and s colors. Does your Instagram account look visually appealing and esthetically pleasing? Does it go in line with your vision? Of course, I'm not talking about the perfectly curated feet with the same tones and the same preset on every picture. That's happily a thing of the past. Right now, authenticity and spontaneous pose are what people seem to appreciate the most. I feel Instagram uses, we're too tired of this perfect, too curated feets. But anyway, when you visit an instagram profile, you can instantly feel a certain vibe. Every Instagram profile has a vibe. Every instagram profile has its own aesthetics. It has nothing to do with the curated, perfect feel. But everybody, every profile has its own vibe. I'm partly against planning and curating your feet too much. But some visual mistakes can harm your profile, and also harm its growth. Because esthetics, in my opinion, is not necessarily about curating your feet. About making those posts less spontaneous. It's more about caring about small details that create a specific style that evoke people's emotions and that evoke this feeling that she's not in a photo, but I bet that's her post. Look at these profiles. Look at these feeds. Even though many of their posts are spontaneous, they have a certain vibe. In some elements that make the feet look coherent. So Hama best practices to post spontaneously, but maintain this clean feet that doesn't look very, very messy. If you're using text in your post, stick to two fonts at most to maintain a minimized look and ensure readability. Avoid posting photos that are too similar to each other in a row. To avoid a clouder, try to post photos from different perspective closer than more distance next to each other, so they can look good in a bigger picture. For example, look at this. This feed isn't very coherent, but because we have photos from different angles right here from different perspectives. It feels very pleasant to look at. And my next question is, do your readers have their covers? Because look, my research shows that readers with covers with text perform much better. People just know what they can expect from them, and they're more likely to watch them till the end, which increases your chances of going viral next. Use an engaging text or a hook. As it's an important factor in attracting new people to watch your video content, watch your reel. When they see a real on your profile, or, for example, on an audio page, they instantly read the text on a cover, and they can instantly decide whether they are interested in it or no, whether they want to watch it or no. A text on your cover is the first thing a person sees, and we need to use that because it can be a powerful tool for grabbing their attention and encouraging them to click and watch your real. If this content is something they're into, and here are my best practices. Keep it short. Text on your real cover should be concise and to the point. Aim for around 60 characters or fewer. So the entire text is well visible. For example, this is how it can look like. Those real covers are very good. And phones. Remember that the phone choice significantly impacts the eligibility and the mood of your cover. You need to make sure your phone is easy to read its small sizes and doesn't clash with the background. For a professional look, consider a clean sensory phone, But if your content has a more playful or creative tone, you might opt for a unique decorative phm that's more on it. Like this. You can also experiment with different phones and styles for a while to see which one gives you the best results. Now it's time for the troops. I mean, questions for you. How many phones are you using and mixing in your post? More than two. What about sticking to two of your favorites? So your feet can finally look more clean and less messy. Are you posting photos that are very similar to each other and are you adding real covers? Do they have texts on them? Do you add text on them? Are you using hooks here to catch people's attention? 14. Content and Captions Quality: Content and captions quality. This is exciting because now we're going to take a look at your captions and the content you post. Do you publish new content regularly? Do you struggle with posting consistently? You can be honest to remember. How many posts a week do you usually share? How many Instagram stories? Do you show up on your Instagram stories? How different it is from your dream amount of posts you would perfectly publish out there? What was the plan? What went wrong? Publishing new content on a consistent schedule. Keeps you follows more engaged. That's the harsh truth. Because when you post consistently, they won't forget you exist. You know, there are a lot of content creators out there. So when you don't post for a week or for two weeks, some people may forget about your accounts. You need to be there to remind your audience that you care about them and that you create content for them. You don't have to always come up with ambitious content. Sometimes you can show up on your Instagram stories and just tell the truth that you've been extra busy and you're having a hard time. And you're sending hugs and warm thoughts to everyone who is also dealing with stressful and very intense time. And people will appreciate your honesty and that you open up and that you said something to them because you need to show your audience that you care about them, that you remember about them. In that way, they will also remember about you. So it works both ways. And if you struggle with posting consistently. Determine how often you want to publish new content and try to stick to the schedule. So make a plan that is realistic. It's totally normal if you can only post three times a week because you're extremely busy and you have your nine to five. But instead, try to show up on your Instagram stories every day, at least three short Instagram stories. As I said before, it doesn't always have to be ambitious. Show your life. Show behind the scenes of your job. Behind the scenes of your projects. Trust me. Usually, it's much more interesting for people than polished and script contents. People want to see that. So tell me, are you proud of the post you have published in the past? How do they look and sound to you now? So here's a task for you. Listen to your reels, and read your past post, your past captions. And tell me how do you feel when you consume these contents? Start by reading your past captions with a little bit critical ear. You don't need to read every single post that you've ever published. Choose a selection at random. Is there something you don't like when you read them? Do you like the tone you used? Take notes on what worked well, and what could be improved. Pay attention to these little things like the structure and the format of post, the sound quality of your eels, and the delivery of your contents. Focus on what you see, what you notice. For example, when I read my whole post, I feel like they sound a bit too generic, too safe. I was too afraid to speak my truth and be a little bit more honest, a bit open minded and sincere. So, in my opinion, when I read them now, they lack my personal experiences, and I know that personal experiences are what connect people. So now I know it, and myself, I enjoy this more personal, more sincere content much more. That's why I love following and reading from connect readers who are very open, very straightforward, very honest. I'm also working or including those personal stories or experiences in my content. To make it all more authentic to speak my truth, to make it more personal, more relatable, especially in today's EI era, when we all need it, when we all need more human connection. Also, I believe that good content creators need to make room for consumption. When I read an outstanding caption by someone else, or when I watch an inspiring real, I often feel pomp and inspired to also increase the quality of my own content. It also helps me to feel like I'm not alone in this concretion world, and that others have found a way to succeed in sitting in a room alone like me now to type their dreams, their ideas into engaging captions into engaging content. So if you struggle a little bit to find an answer to my question, how can you make your captions better and more inspiring? This is the task for you. Find creators. Let's write really interesting, interesting captions, interesting post, and find creators who post performedly high. Take notes of what you like in their post, and what you'd like in the tone of voice they use. And take notes of what you can do and what you can implement to your own caption writing process, to your own content creation process. There are several ways you can ensure your captions are interesting, engaging, and high quality. So if that's something interesting for you, I will use my best practices. That I also observed in my client's work. Use strong active verbs. These can make your captions more engaging, more interesting, while writing in a passive voice can come across as much less compelling. Also, use descriptive language as your audience should be able to visualize and engage with your contents. Also, this is important as I see so many misspellings in captions nowadays. Make sure to take the time to edit and revise your writing. This will help you to catch any errors or series typos and keep your caption reader friendly. 15. Your Metrics: Your metrics. Next, after you have analyzed how you feel about your captions, what can be modified, improved, to make them more engaging and maybe also easier to read. It's time to look at the numbers because numbers will tell us a lot. So it's time to review analytics. Let's look at your Instagram analytics to get a better understanding of your audience's preferences. Identify the highest performing contents. Which of your reals and static posts bring the best results? During this part of an audit, you need to gain insights into what resonates most with your audience on the platform. Then you can refine your Instagram content strategy and craft more posts that work well. And voice squandering time on content that doesn't perform as effectively. What types of content your audience prefers? Do they enjoy you talking on your renals? Do they prefer educational or maybe rather lighter entertaining contents. Or maybe it's the inspiring content that performs best. You need to answer these questions to gain a big, big picture view of your content. If you don't know how your posts are performing, you can improve. When you know what type of content performs the best and resonates with your audience the most, you can identify opportunities for improvement and then double down on what works best. That info tells you more than just what post to update and what post to recycle and elaborate on. It also highlights any gaps in your content as well as your audience's hidden preferences. That knowledge is imprint when you plan your cod and calendar, and you want to keep it going forward. You should know what to post about. This analysis will tell you. So take a look at your engagement levels and discover what drives them. We need to take a dive deep here. This dashboard. This dashboard is your new friends. Number of followers. Oh, number of followers. First, I need to tell you, choose the metrics that you focus on wisely. And number of followers isn't the most trustworthy indicator of growth. Followers alone considered the key to Instagram growth a bit like a vanity metric. If anything, they are a trailing indicator of performance. Instead, I prefer to audit and track the engagement rate of your post, and track which percentage of your audience engage with your content. This will tell you more. This will tell you much more and good engagement. That's the secret to sustain growth, and you know, no matter what you're creating to grow, you need to reach new people and ensure they will be engaged with your content when they find you. So when your current audience is no longer engaged, they don't engage with your post, it's much harder. Attract new people. So when your engagement rate is low, that needs your focus, and you need to take steps to improve your engagement rate. And you may want to ask which steps? How do I do that? So steps from the previous chapter. You need to identify what resonates the most with your current audience, and analyze that. If you're a business owner, or you sell your own products or services, link clicks, newsletter sign ups, and discount code redemptions can be also a very important metric, but you also need engaged followers to achieve good metrics in that field. As an independent content creator. I know you are wearing lots of hats. You are the content designer, as well as the producer, the editor, the marketer, the researcher. When you are so focused on doing all those things, for your Instagram profile, for your content, It can be too easy to forget that your profile isn't only about you. It's about your audience. It's for your audience. You need them to grow. So being a content creator means you're responsible not just for putting out a post you think your idea for will connect with, but for diving deep into your current audience and making sure that your o post evolve alongside them. In tracking your engagement is crucial, as it reflects very well, how actively involved your audience is with your contents, likes, comments, shares views. These indicators are necessary for your profile evolution. High average shares, and the high amount of saves is usually a big suggestion that your content is well perceived. Prompting you to continue. In the same way or explore more similar content ideas. 16. Instagram SEO - Hashtags, Keywords and Alt Text: Instagram SEO, Hh tax QRS and A text. Now, let's talk about Instagram SEO. It's no secret that, unfortunately, hashtags are less efficient than before. WY? Instagram, AI is evolving and getting smarter and smarter. And most of the time, relevant mentions and indicators about what you post is about are included in the post anyway. So Instagram algorithms can easily detect the keywords in your content. So Instagram algorithm knows what your content, what your post is about. It doesn't have to rely on hashtag like it was in the past anymore. They don't need Hashtag to categorize your content anymore. Of course, some people are still browsing for Hashtag, so they can reach your content. They can reach you that way, the posts in which you use HhTax. When they for example, look for assertin Hhtag, for example, when I'm going to visit assertin city, abroad, I always browse through the hashtags like where to eat in Berlin, where to eat in Venice. Yes, people can reach your content that way with hashtag, but Instagram algorithms don't rely on Hashtag anymore. They don't categorize your content with Hhtax. Instagram I is much smarter than that. Because over time, over the past three, four years, these algorithms have involved massively. And the need for hash tax in general has lessened because Instagram systems are now much better at taking in the whole context of your post. The whole context of your post text, including bovisuals, your user history, and all the keywords included in the post. So also the keywords include, for example, on a real cover, all the text included, for example, in your Canva carrusels. There are keywords everywhere. So I need to tell you this. Focus on keywords, included in your text, rather than on sh tax, because keywords will help you much more than sh tax nowadays. If you want to ask, can I still use sh tax? Sure. They won't do any harm. You can include them at the end of your post. So your post doesn't look spammy, but also don't expect them to work wonders for your post, for your organic age like they did in the past, because in the past, they were magical. Yeah, I won't deny. I was also hashtags advocate. Because they work wonders for my clients. But nowadays, the situation has changed, and unfortunately, we need to adapt to the new Instagram reality. So no, Hashtags won't work wonders like they did in the past. But in some cases, they can still be very helpful. For example, if you create guides or, you know, content that you think people still look for using Hashtags. They can still boost your performance a little bit. So there's no need to give up completely on them. But just don't spend long hours researching them. You can use this time for more important parts of your content creation optimization process, and it will help you much more than spending long, long hours on Hashtag research. You don't need that Hashtag research anymore, that much like you did in the past. So right now, ask yourself these questions because it's important to ask yourself. Do you rely only on hashtags to boost your post visibility? If yes, it's crucial to focus more on keywords. The second question, do you spend too much time researching Hashtag for your posts? If Vs, you need to minimize that time. Of course, as you probably already know, not all hashtags are creed equal, and some still work better than others. For example, this Hashtag will bring organic reach to those posts. For example, were to eat in Berlin, Yes, this hashtag will still bring reach important reach. But for example, this hashtag, you know, is less likely to be used by people looking for certain things for certain post. That is why it's still important to look into your metrics and measure your Hashtag performance. So look here and look if Hashtags have helped you reach new people in the last month. Just like that, these numbers should be here. And if you see that Hashtags are still helping you use them. Because, yes, I observed that in some situations, on some accounts, Hashtags still boost the organic reach. So identify if they are your helpers, and if yes, of course, you should still use them. And I would say, unise at least pose from three previous months, and do you see any significant numbers next to traffic brought to you by Hashtags. Have you have you spotted any posts that have this much higher reach thanks to hash tags? As I already mentioned, it's a good thing to analyze what brings that new reach to your post. And in every niche, it looks a little bit different because each niches audience behaves a little bit different. So you need to analyze that. You need to know what tendencies are the pattern right now in your niche. Instagram keywords in all text. Now we need to talk about Instagram SEO good practices and check whether you follow them and whether you have implemented them in your content optimization process already. SEO, search engine optimization is the practice of optimizing your profile and your content to make it more visible and attractive to Instagram algorithms and search engines. Improving your contents ranking and search engine results will make it more discoverable to your new potential followers, and so it will help you grow your audience. And gain more views. And that's our goal, right? So it's important to make it easier for people to find you via this search and explore pages. And here I am tips for optimizing your post and your profile for SEO in a nutshell. Yes, I really mean it in a nutshell because that's such a broad topic. It deserves a separate course. But I want to what you can do now without diving really deep into keywords and SEO optimization. Because I don't want to overwhelm you today as well. So Include relevant keywords in your captions, including relevant keywords in your content that will help to improve your ranking and search engine result pages. That's why longer captions are usually a better idea, a better practice because you can include many more keywords in them, and you can include them more naturally. Just include them in your context, so you don't have to add them at the end of your caption. You can include them the more natural way. And it's important to research keywords that are relevant to your audience. They need to be relevant to your perfect audience. And then you can, like I said before, include them naturally into your text. For example, like this, as you can see, here interest, optimization is the keyword for a profile. And in des caption, the skewerd is included. So the algorithms, know that when someone is looking for a profile about pinterest optimization. Instagram algorithms compare this person who looks for that content with this con and creator. So it works like this. So it's beneficial for both sides for the person who is looking for something, and for you, for the coning creator, because you can reach people who are actively looking for your content for the things you discuss in your content. So it's like win win, double win. So some of you made one to ask, Okay, but what are these keywords? What do you mean? Should I write my captions, the casual way like I always do. And listen, keywords are ideas and topics that define what your content is about, what you create content about. And keywords are wards of phrases that uses type into search engines to find relevant content they look for. For example, when I look for nice restaurants or cafes in Berlin, I type in Berlin food recommendations. That could be a keyword. Okay, to exemplify it better, for example, imagine I'm a fashion content creator, and I pose daily outfits of the day. What my keywords could be then? I will go with this daily fashion inspiration, what to wear, summer outfit for holidays, affordable and sustainable fashion, what to wear today. I can completely naturally include these keywords into my caption. I can put them here. I can easily find ways to incorporate them into my sentences. They sound naturally, and my caption will be also reader friendly and just pleasant to read. They won't sound like they are generated by Cha GPT, and generated by someone who doesn't spend a minute learning prompt engineering tips, for example. So keywords are specific words or phrases that your target audience might be searching for. And when they search for that word or phrase, you want your content, your post to appear high in the Instagram search results. So, for example, when I type in the keyword Bernin restaurant recommendations, these posts pop up. So we can tell these content creators have the right keywords in their posts. So right now, my questions to you are. Did you know what keywords are before? Do you include them in your captions? You might have done that even subconsciously. There is a chance you didn't know how many keywords you include in your captions. But now I want you to focus on that and look at that more consciously because now you know what to focus on, you know how it works. Do you know what key keywords for your niche and your profile could be? What your audience could be looking for? Using keywords Tell Instagram that you pose is relevant to your users search, and therefore therefore make it more likely to be featured in results. So think about keywords that your target audience is actively searching for. What they could be looking for. You need to analyze that and reflect on that. Old text. Do you use all text to improve accessibility of your content and help it to rank better in search results? Just a friendly reminder. When you publish and you pose, you can add the all text right here. This is the first step. This is where you click and here is where you can insert your all text. You may want to ask what is all text? All texts are descriptions of images used by screen readers for people with visual impairments. And by including all texts for your Instagram photos, you will improve the accessibility of your content and help it to rank better in search results. So if you have time to do that, do that because it really helps 17. Your DMs: Your DMS, your direct messages. So now, tell me what does your direct messages in box look like? Or is it a too personal question? No, just kidding. You need to answer mostly to yourself. How do you feel about your direct messages in box? Does it overwhelm you because there are so many messages waiting to be answered, or maybe there is hardly a message. What does it look like? And why am I asking? Because gathering feedback is an important part of content creation process and also of the content optimization. Not only because we all need and want to be appreciated and getting messages about how creative and amazing we are. We just need that from time to time to keep our motivation levels high. But also, when you get direct messages about your stories, your pose, you get questions about something you have said or shown, This is a clear sign that you have engaged follow IS, that you have people who are likely to be of high quality engage follows. And you need them. You need them absolutely. And I tell it from my observations that sometimes content creators with very small accounts. In tiny follow web base can get so many messages and questions in the direct messages too. So it's not a matter that you can think that I will get direct messages when I hit ten K followers on 100 followers because no, it's about the quality of your followers. It's about their engagement. Even if you have a very small account, you should get a message from time to time because that means you have engaged followers. And I know, sometimes at the beginning, these followers are your friends or your family. And that's okay, too, because you should get used to answering and chatting with them the casual way, your friends and family can be just a safe safe space to practice. So if for example, you haven't got any direct message lately. I think it's a sign to analyze how approachable and friendly you seem to your followers. Maybe you aren't approachable or friendly enough on your stories or in your post. Maybe you don't show any signs of invitation to engage with your content. You need to show your followers that their opin matters to you and you are here for them, and you will listen to them if they want to ask you something. I know it can sound a little bit overwhelming. I know that many people are overwhelmed when they get too many messages. But unfortunately, when you have many engaged followers, they ask questions. They want to Sometimes they just want to respond to your story saying, I love that. You're amazing. And you can just put a heart next to their message. Just assign the like you, and they treat you a little bit like your friend. Then this connection and this loyalty can flourish, so you need that. 18. Followers Audit: Where's Audits. Mmm. Let's look at your followers. I think your Instagram Follows is a good way to understand your audience better and maintain an authentic community. You should not only know their demographics, their age, their interests, but you should also check if they are real people, because if they are not, if you have some bots and you surely do in your followa base, it can harm your engagement rates. To audit, your Instagram Followi go to the Followi stop, scroll through your followay list, and look for inactive or suspicious accounts. Which are most likely fake. How to spot something that should worry you. C heck for accounts with generic user names, no profile pictures or very little activity, for example, you know, no profile picture and one generic post posted five years ago. You can also type in different numbers, like, for example, 111 and see if there are any accounts with suspicious user names and numbers to them. Because accounts like this one are very often bot accounts. And if you identify fake or suspicious account, you can block or remove them from your followers list. Additionally take a look at the growth of your follower account over time. Identify periods of significant growth or decline and correlate them with your content. As I said before, follower account is a bit vanity metric, and it shouldn't be your main focus. But it's good to know when you had the highest boost in followers. You should also recognize users who frequently engage with your content. They are like your top followers, and you should engage with them to strengthen this connection and create content that resonates with them. So they can stay with you and become your most loyal fans. I think it's really important to have at least a few followers like this. You need them. They will be your cheerleaders. And you can ask them for feedback. You can create what they want to see because they will really push you forward. 19. Final Words and My Question to You: Final words. And my question to you. So what's changing? What are you plan to do with what you've just learned and analyzed? It's important. It's really important to act on the feedback and insights you've gathered today during our self audit. And don't forget to repeat the process regularly. I would say this process should happen at least once a year, if not once every six months. Also, like I said before, don't hesitate to share your insights and your thoughts in the discussion section. And if you enjoy the course Oh. Please please leave a review. It can be one sentence or two sentences to help me create even better courses for you. What you've enjoyed about the course the most, what surprised you the most? What would you like to learn from me next? Visit this review section and let me know. I will be more than super grateful. Plus every new review has me reach more people who might need my help and my guidance. So you're helping not only me but also other people. Also, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here with me today and learning how to self audit your Instagram account. I promise this process will pay you off. Of course, the future of social media is going to be messy, as always, but there's a lot that we can figure out together. So don't forget I'm here to support you. And what can I say? Love you and see you in the next one. See you.