In this episode, we’re discussing everything Instagram. We start with a few details about our recent Instagram Auction, and the not-so-small problems that kept us scrambling well past midnight to deal with. We then move into a general discussion on using Instagram as a business tool, and some of our best practices for growing an organic following (and why it matters). And of course we need to juice it up a bit, so we hold nothing back in discussing the trend of buying Instagram followers, giving our opinions on it and even sharing some cases where it has “worked.”
Listen to the latest episodes on: iTunes, GooglePlay, Stitcher.
This Episode is Sponsored By:
Grove Collaborative
Grove Collaborative is an online marketplace for all of your favorite natural home & personal care products. We signed up a few months ago and set all of our favorites products on a subscription to arrive automatically, right when we need them. Visit www.grove.co/chrislovesjulia to sign up, spend your first $20 and they will throw in a FREE set of Mrs. Meyers Cleaning Products. No code required, but you do need to sign up at www.grove.co/chrislovesjulia.
Brooklinen
They sent us their Luxe Hardcore Sheet Bundle with a Window Pane Sheet and their Bedford Smoke Stripe Duvet cover back in April and we could not be happier. Our listeners get $20 off PLUS Free Shipping with code CLJ at checkout!
We’re Talking All About Instagram!
Hosting an Instagram Auction
As DIY and Home Design bloggers, we can sometimes get a surplus of decor items stored around our home. We talk about the auction we held to clear out some of these things, how we approached it, and what we’d do differently next time to avoid the frustrations we had.
Our Tricks for Growing an Organic Instagram Following
We talk about an open source tool (socialblade.com) anyone can use to see the momentum your favorite Instagram accounts have. A few other things we touch on include:
• This post I wrote last year about growing your instagram account rapidly and organically.
• finding your content and making it great
• posting what your followers want to see, not what you want to share
Here’s two examples of photos we wanted to share, but didn’t resonate with our followers. And it shows! Don’t take it personally, learn from it!
Here’s the kind of post our followers want to see, and it shows, too!
• engagement – calculating rates, why it matters, and how to improve
• an experiment with Preston’s Instagram account. We gave him tips on finding his niche and what he should be posting and we’re going to see how long it takes him to hit that magical 10K! Give him a follow here.
• using Instagram’s analytics
Hot Topic: Is It OK to Buy Instagram Followers?
Buckle up, because this conversation don’t quit. There’s a trend of buying Instagram followers (and a correlating trend of justifying it) that we just can’t not talk about. We read a comment from a reader on a previous post about it, and also share an article of a blogger who admits she bought followers and claims she doesn’t regret it (the tone of her article does not support that claim, IMO). We also talk about how important the difficulty of growing an organic following is, and ask the question, “Are round-robin giveaways on Instagram just another form of buying followers?” We round it all out sharing our thoughts on the Instagram Bubble we’re all creating and what could happen when it pops.
Can’t Get You Outta My Mind
Julia: Being a loving parent, Jules is constantly thinking about the welfare of our girls. Of course, there’s no shortage of mommy blogs out there willing to tell you that your child is definitely going to die of something in the next week, so add in the death of our beloved Charly and a healthy dose of new-baby sleep deprivation and Jules is on red alert. Enter, the Owlet Baby Monitor. I kid about it, but this thing is honestly one of the greatest things you can do for your baby, and yourself. Jules talks all about it, and how it’s helping her get the best sleep she’s had in months.
Chris: Most of our long-time followers know about the passing of our dog, Charly. She was as great as they come, and I share a few musings on what it has been like to have a pet in our home, and how great it’s been to see so many people express their love for Charly, as well. And while I know every circumstance is different and some people have barriers to pet ownership, I make the case for it nonetheless. If you’re wondering if you should get a pet, you should. And if you’re wondering when, you should do it now.
Preston: Preston shares his thoughts on Charly, as well, and what it’s been like as a friend, finding out just how big a part of his life she was. He shares his thoughts on the Instagram posts for Charly’s final meals, and how sweet and gentle Charly really was. It’s a full round of Charly thoughts from all three of us, because she deserves every bit of it.
This is very useful! I have definitely been hving thi problem and I didn’t know why. I will try these tips. Thank you!:)
????????????
I love your podcast.. just listening to you guys goofing around!! Hilarious! That should be a whole new brand!! Love it xxx
Just for fun, a few weeks ago I started a home decor instagram after moving into a new apartment after listening to this podcast. Completely organically not passing 10 followers LOL. But the enjoyment is coming from decorating the place the way I want, getting back into photography as a hobby, and being a part of a conversation that I love (not from watching the number of followers hover between 6 and 8 haha). Thanks for being an inspiration!
Good inf but I think this was a long posdcast. It should be two episodes..
I only listened about 30min , I will prob listen the rest in another day.
love your voices and Instagram ????????????
You’re probably right! Good feedback.
i LOVE the longer ones!! Don’t make them shorter. I listen during my 2hr commute to work. The longer the better. It was such an interesting topic too. Doesn’t necessarily pertain to me as I don’t have a business instagram account, but it’s probably my favourite social media platform, so it was very informative. And I have to say, I whole heartily agree with Chris about buying instgram followers. To me its an integrity thing.
Such a good episode! Not a topic I had ever thought about before but really found it informative.
The art in you house is so interesting . It would be great to hear a podcast segment on how you find it There are so many online sources that it can be overwhelming to search sites like Minted and Etsy. Do you have something in mind when you are searching or do you just browse etc.
I love to listen while I’m stuck in CA traffic!
Thanks
Debby