Hi friends! Welcome to Wanderful Wednesday! Don’t forget to link up a wanderful travel related post all the way down below! ?
I got such a great response to my Instagram Guide to Santiago last month, that I thought I’d continue the trend with something a little more general. This Instagram guide should be something that more of you can put to use!
I’ve been focusing a lot of time on Instagram lately and seem to be getting some great results, so I figured I’d share the wealth!
Now let me start with a little disclaimer. I’m no Instagram expert. And I’m not pretending to be. I don’t know all there is to know and I definitely still have a lot to learn! Still, these strategies have been working for me, so I’m sure they can work for you too!
In just the past month, I’ve been regrammed 5 times by accounts in my niche, hit my goal of reaching 3K followers, and was even invited to do my very first Instagram Takeover! Last week I broke 500 likes on a single photo and was literally in shock ….
It feels surreal when the time, effort and energy you put into something starts paying off!
All of the strategies I’m going to share today are just some that I’ve picked up while researching, playing around and experimenting. They’re easy, they’re fun and best of all- they’re free!
Throughout this post I will be using one of my recent Instagram posts as an example to make sense of my advice. This picture was regrammed by one of my favorite travel accounts and did pretty well in the engagement department, all from simply using the strategies below!

Too soon for a #throwbackthursday? Sorry, can’t help it. ? Still constantly thinking about this place! #visitchile #sanpedrodeatacama

A photo posted by Lauren Bonheim (@laurenonlocation) on Apr 21, 2016 at 5:18am PDT

 

Instagram Strategies for Female Travelers:

Get Inspired

Find top female Instagrammers in the travel niche and follow their lead!
One of my favorite ways to pick up Instagram strategies to use within the female travel niche is to follow popular accounts as an example. Let’s face it, they’re killin’ it for a reason and you can learn a lot by studying their galleries. Actually, taking this first step is where I gathered most of the methods that I’m sharing here today!
Choose a few “Instagram inspirations” and stay up to date with what they’re doing.
What kind of photos do they post? What hashtags are they using? Who do they tag in their photos? Which of their photos get the most engagement?
Some of my personal favs to follow for Insta-inspiration are: Marina Comes, The Wandering Blonde, Tipsy on Travel and Heart My Backpack!

Get Creative

Think outside the box and capture your travels from a unique perspective.
Be different. Show the Instagram Community your world from a unique perspective. Giving your followers an inside look at your travels in a creative way will set yourself apart and help to gain loyal and engaged followers.
Instead of simply snapping a shot of the breathtaking landscape before you, why not try playing with angles, dimensions, movement and light. Experiment with space, subjects, and vantage points! Edit, brighten and crop your photos! Make them look their best!
If you’re looking for a new editing app- my favorites are Snapseed and Afterlight!
Whatever you do, stay true to yourself and your individual style! Consistency is key! Using similar approaches, colors and editing techniques will keep your gallery looking neat, clean and uniform.
Heart my Backpack and GlobeTrotting Ginger Travel both do an awesome job with this! Just look how beautiful, clean and inviting their galleries appears from afar!

Personally, when editing, I tend to stray away from filters, as I think they make my photos look too fake-ish. I prefer to play with light balance, enhance natural colors and increase my photo’s contrast. But hey.. that’s just my style!

Here I chose to post a “photo of myself taking a photo,” giving my followers a behind the scenes look at the lengths I will go to capture my travels. I increased saturation, balanced brightness and played around a bit with contrast to make the colors of the sunset really pop!
*Tip: When it comes to Instagram, quality usually trumps quantity. Only post your best and brightest! And always, always use high quality photos!

Get Noticed

Strategically use niche hashtags to get your photos seen by the right people.
Getting noticed on Instagram is all about mastering the use of hashtags! Using popular, relevant hashtags that work in your specific niche, with your unique style and attract the audience you’re looking to build as your following are key!
A great way to get your photos seen in the Instagram community is to get them pushed into a specific hashtag’s “Top Publications.” Top Publications are the first 9 photos that appear when you click on or search for a hashtag or a location. Study the specific hashtags you’d like to use and take note as to which types of photos make it into their top spots!
My favorite 10 hashtags specific to “female travel” can be found below. They are arranged from least popular to most popular based on number of publications tagged.

• #travelfemme [5K+ publications]
• #girlgoneinternational [7K+ publications]
• #sidewalkerdaily [14K+ publications]
• #sheisnotlost [+41K publications]
• #ladiesgoneglobal [49K+ publications]
• #globelletravels [ 58K+ publications]
• #wearetravelgirls [65K+ publications]
• #travellushes [124K+ publications]
• #darlingescapes [246K+ publications]
• #dametraveler [323K+ publications]

You’re allowed 30 hashtags per post on Instagram, so don’t be shy, use all that apply! (Sorry for the embarrassing unintentional rhyme.) My general strategy is to use 2-3 hashtags in my picture caption, followed by a few more (~15) in a comment below. “Hiding” some hashtags in a comment may seem a little “sneaky,” but it keeps you from looking overly needy and your photos from appearing spammy.

*Tip: Save a note in your phone with different groups of hashtags to use for quick and easy transfer to Instagram. I have several “hashtag groups” saved in my phone for food pics, scenery pics, me pics and pictures specific to certain locations that I frequent.

More on Travel Hashtags for Female Travelers and how to use them coming soon!

Get #Regrammed

Tag popular female traveling accounts in your photos.
Getting your photos shared by popular female travel accounts, with a mention back to your page, is quite possibly the best way to get attention from those interested in your niche! So, beyond simply utilizing their hashtags, go the extra mile and actually tag a few relevant accounts in your Instagram photo! This should really get their attention!

Tagging within your picture will also bring your photo into that popular account’s “Photos of” or their tagged photo section, giving your photo even more of a chance of getting seen by an interested audience! 

Taking this very approach lead to my Atacama Snapshot getting shared by one of my favorite female travel collaboration accounts, Globelle Travels!

Never forget to dream. Today, ours will be drawn to Chile, thanks to this gorgeous shot of globelle gal @laurenonlocation taking in the view at the Valle De La Muerte, San Pedro De Atacama. And with this landscape, we’re pretty sure yours will be too! Here at GT, we believe in celebrating women’s achievements on the road, and aim to offer a resource of information and inspiration to enhance your travels. If that sounds like you something you believe in, drop us a line at globelletravels@gmail.com. We always love to hear from our globelle gals, and promise we will get back to you (since we all work FT here at HQ, this might take a little while, we appreciate your patience!). As always, simply #globelletravels for your chance to be featured. Safe travels + GT love! X #globelletravels #travel #wanderlust #chile
A photo posted by globelletravels (@globelletravels) on May 26, 2016 at 12:36am PDT

*Tip: It’s a good idea to start doing this with less popular accounts first as they are less saturated and your photos are more likely to get the attention they deserve!

Get Social

The last strategy I’m going to share and one of the most important of the lot, is to get engaged with your followers and potential audience.
Social. Media. The name says it all.
Instagram is a social media platform. Those who realize this and “get social” will get the best results. Many other Instagram users are in the same boat as you! They want their photos to be seen, get noticed and appreciated as well!
Hop around and get to know others! Click on some of the hashtags you used and like or comment on other’s photos. Comment back to those who took the time to comment on your pictures. Like back. Send words of encouragement.
Spread the Insta-love and it will come right on back!
There you have it! Quick, free and easy steps to improving your Instagram game!
Liked this post? Pin it!

What do you think of these tips? What strategies do you usually use on Instagram?
 

Welcome to Wanderful Wednesdays!

Consider yourself a wanderer?! Well then, this Blog Hop is for you!
Meet your hosts: Lauren of Lauren on Location, Van of Snow in Tromso, Isabel of The Sunny Side of This and Marcella of What a Wonderful World.
Here on Wanderful Wednesday we hope to promote an open and supportive community for like-minded bloggers- expats, travelers and all kinds of wanderers!
The linkup will take place every Wednesday at 8AM GMT.
Wanderful Wednesday Guidelines:

1. Link up a wanderful travel related post below! One per blogger per week please!
2. Spread the LOVE! Blog Hops are all about hopping around & getting to know others within the community! At the very least please try to comment on one other post before you go!
3. Let’s get Social! Really liked a post you read? Don’t be shy! Share your favorites on Social Media! You can use the hashtag: #wanderfulwednesday
4. Don’t forget to grab the button and link back to your wanderful hosts! Help us spread the word and let’s get others involved!

We’ll also be pinning our contributor’s posts to our new Pinterest Board!
This week on #WanderfulWednesday, I’m highlighting last week’s post “El Salvador’s Alternative View” by Wandering Feline! I love the way she digs deep down under Central America’s “bad boy reputation” and exposes the true natural beauty of El Salvador, and its warm inviting locals! If you haven’t already, be sure to go check out her post and spread the love!
Happy Hopping Friends! 😀