Prompt
Create strategy for your Instagram to experiment with for a minimum of 6 weeks.
Part 1: your instagram behavior
Do this exercise 2 times, on separate occasions, before you create your Instagram strategy: look at your Instagram feed and take notes on how you interact with the posts.
Note which posts you swipe past, if there are any posts that you annoy you, which posts you “like,” and which posts you write a comment for. Write down why you reacted the way you did to each post.
Review your notes and write down what you learned from analyzing your behavior on Instagram, and how that might affect your strategy.
Part 2: Create a strategy
You can create your own schedule, but here are some numbers if you’re not sure.
- 1-2 posts per week
- Maximum 3 posts per week
- 1-2 stories per week
- Maximum 5 stories per week
Part 3: 6 continuous weeks of posting
This is very important for this prompt to be a comprehensive learning experience. If you post for 3 weeks, take 2 weeks off, post again for a week, you’re not doing the prompt correctly! Consistency is key to social media and that’s one of the challenges of this prompt.
A lot of using Instagram is learning how to find a balance between creating a posting schedule that is sustainable for you long term and still maintains enough engagement so your audience doesn’t forget about you!
changes in your strategy
Tweak your strategy throughout the entire 6 weeks. If you find that 3 posts a week is too much, cut back to 1 or 2 posts. After 6 weeks of posting, it’s likely you’ll be able to find that balance.
Keep an eye on how your content performs, and make changes in response to that.
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT + WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS
This ongoing assignment is to be done simultaneously with the weekly assignments. However, if your schedule doesn’t fit well with this, and you can do the ongoing assignment at a separate time than the weekly assignments.
Our suggestion is to do the ongoing assignment for 6 weeks straight. The continuity is important so any time that you can work on this consistently for 6 weeks is great.
Artists for inspiration
Ayame Ceramics, Song Kang, Art Prof, Clara Lieu, Mia Rozear, Marly Gallardo, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Lauryn Welch, Jordan McCracken-Foster, Alex Rowe, Deepti Menon, Cat Huang
hugh Jackman vs. Jennifer Lopez
Hugh Jackman. I PROMISE, there truly is something educational here on Hugh’s Instagram. Note that his videos are super casual with him talking right to the camera. He shows himself at a dance rehearsal, wearing boring clothes and working with an instructor.
It’s obvious the posts are 100% his posts, and not some publicist who manages it, that feels genuine and really resonates with the audience.
Compare that to Jennifer Lopez’s Instagram, which is clearly not run about her, but by a publicist. The photos look like they all jumped out of Vogue magazine and are super curated and polished.
Yes, I know none of us are mega celebrities, but the same principles apply no matter who you are in terms of developing a close, genuine relationship with your audience
Social media may feel like it’s only about numbers, but having a smaller audience that is truly dedicated to you is (in my opinion) much more valuable than a million people who are only vaguely invested.
Social Media for Artists
This video provides the basics of how artists can use social media to promote their artwork. Find out which social media platform is best suited to your needs as a visual artist, and learn concrete strategies which will help you use social media effectively.
Learn about the social media platforms available, and get practical, straightforward advice for how you can best harness these platforms to pursue their career goals. Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu.
Self Promotion Mistakes Artists Should Avoid
How do you promote yourself as an artist without being too pushy? This video explains what practices to avoid when promoting your artwork online.
Factors such as appropriate online etiquette, fostering a professional relationship first before asking for help, will let you avoid the risk of coming across as pushy and self absorbed.
Discussion led by Art Prof Clara Lieu and Teaching Artist Jordan-McCracken-Foster.
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