How to Use Instagram

1. How to Use Instagram: A Beginner's Guide Over the past few years, Instagram has seen exponential growth — from one million users at its inception to over one billion in 2022. If you're interested in getting an Instagram account, or just created one but aren't sure how to use it, you're in luck. Here, we're going to cover all the basics, so you can learn why Instagram is the top social media platform for engagement today. It's hard to remember a time before Instagram. At one time, "Do it for the 'gram" was a common saying, which meant, essentially, "Do something so we can take a picture and post it to Instagram." Since then, Instagram has placed a larger and heavier emphasis on video. So you no longer hear the phrase “Do it for the ‘gram.” I bet, though, that a second version of the phrase will soon follow. (Maybe “Do it for reel?”) If you're not part of the one billion users on Instagram, you might want to reconsider. The app is a great chance to engage with top brands and stay a part of friends' lives. When I want to see how my college friends are doing, I don't check Facebook, I check Instagram. Plus, you can follow your favorite celebrities or political figures to see candid photos of their everyday lives. Additionally, it's a phenomenal platform for investigating what other brands are doing — for instance, Nike uses the Instagram Stories' feature to promote inspirational athlete stories you won't find anywhere else. If you're ready to sign up for Instagram, follow these steps below: Go to the Instagram site on your desktop, or download the Instagram app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android). If you're on desktop, click "Log in with Facebook", or fill in the form with your mobile number or email, name, username, and password. Then click "Sign up". On Android, click "Sign Up With Email or Phone Number". On iPhone, select "Sign Up". Enter your email address or phone number, then click "Next". Alternatively, you can sign up with your Facebook account. Once you've filled out your username and password, you will be instructed to fill out your profile info. Then, tap "Done". If you register with Facebook, you'll need to log into your Facebook account if you're currently logged out. How Do Instagram Notifications Work? When your account is created, you'll want to adjust your notifications so you only receive the information you want. For instance, you can choose to receive notifications when you get likes from everyone — but, alternatively, you might decide to only receive notifications when you get a like from someone you follow. Or, you might turn off notifications for likes altogether.        You can adjust notifications to "Off", "From People I Follow", or "From Everyone", for the following categories — Comments, Comment Likes, Likes and Comments on Photos of You,

2. Follower Requests, Accepted Follow Requests, Friends on Instagram, Instagram Direct, Photos of You, Reminders, First Posts and Stories, Product Announcements, View Counts, Support Requests, Live Videos, Mentions in Bio, IGTV Video Updates, and Video Chats. If you're overwhelmed by that list, I get it — I am, too. If you're unsure what notifications you want to receive, you might start with your notifications on "From Everyone", and if certain notifications begin to annoy you, you can turn them off later. Instagram for Business Templates & Guide 1. Open up the Instagram app on your phone. First up, open up the Instagram app on your mobile device. You can also access Instagram on desktop if you prefer. Then, head to your profile by clicking the image of your profile picture on the bottom right. 2. Access “Settings.” After you arrive at your profile, click the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner. A popup menu will appear. Tap “Settings.” 3. Tap “Notifications.” On the next screen, click "Notifications." There, you’ll be able to change the notification settings depending on category. These categories include: Posts, Stories, and Comments Following and Followers Direct Messages and Calls Live and Video Fundraisers From Instagram Email and SMS Shopping You also have the ability to pause all notifications by toggling the Pause All option up top.         4. Check off the notifications you want to receive. Access each category individually and choose the notifications you want to receive. Here are the options, for example, for “Posts, Stories, and Comments”: The options will vary depending on category. And that's it! Next, let's explore how to connect your other social media accounts to your Instagram, so when you post an image to Instagram, you can share it with your other online audiences, as well. Can you connect to Instagram to other social accounts? Yes, you can connect Instagram to Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, but it’s no longer done through Settings, as it used to be.

3. Now, you do it on a per-post basis. If you want to share a post to other platforms, you navigate to the actual post you want to cross- publish on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, and then manually share it that way. Here’s how: 1. Open up the Instagram app. 2. Navigate to your profile. 3. Tap on the post you’d like to cross-post. 4. Click the three dots on the top right-hand corner of the post. 5. On the pop-up menu, click “Share.” Note: Don’t click “Share to,” which will give you an option to AirDrop or share the post to your contacts. 6. Toggle the accounts you’d like to share the post to. If you’re not already signed in, you’ll need to do so right within the Instagram app. Once you’ve connected your accounts for one post, you can then toggle the sharing options for any new posts without needing to sign in again. If you connect Instagram to Facebook, you can share your Stories across both accounts. We talk more about how to do that below. How to Connect Instagram to Facebook Since Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company, Meta, you can connect the two accounts for a more seamless experience. Connecting your Instagram and Facebook accounts allows you to: Share Stories across both Instagram and Facebook Login with Facebook into Instagram Sync your profile name and picture across both profiles Use Facebook Pay on both platforms Access your shopping activity on both accounts If you’re a frequent Facebook user, then connecting your account to your new Instagram profile is highly recommended. Here’s how:      1. Open up your Instagram app. 2. Click on your profile picture on the bottom right-hand corner. 3. Click the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner. 4. Tap “Settings.” 5. Under the Meta logo, tap “Accounts Center.” 6. Tap “Set up Accounts Center.”

4. 7. Follow the prompts to log in into Facebook. Done! Your two accounts are now connected. Here's how it'll look like once you're finished: In the next section, I'll show you when a linked account comes in handy. Upload, Edit, and Post an Image Now, for the most important part of Instagram — how to upload and post an image. Instagram is an entirely visual platform. Unlike Facebook, which relies on both text and pictures, or Twitter, which relies on text alone, Instagram's sole purpose is to enable users to share images or videos with their audience. On Facebook, you might choose to post 100 photos on an album. On Instagram, you need to be choosier about which photos you post. There are a few reasons for this — first, you don't want to post more than once a day (typically). And you don't want to post too many similar photos. For instance, it would be odd for you to post fifty photos from the same beach vacation on your Instagram profile. Instead, you might choose five or six, and place them all within the same post. (These are called carousel posts, and they allow you to share multiple photos in one post only. Carousel posts are awesome for posting similar pictures in one package while keeping your overall profile aesthetic diverse.) Curious about creating an aesthetic? To learn more about Instagram account themes and get inspiration, take a look at these Instagram themes. Additionally, if you want to embark on a deep-dive, you can take HubSpot's Instagram Marketing Course. Now that we've covered that, let's explore how to upload, edit, and post an image. 1. Click the "+" icon at the top-right hand corner. When you tap the “+” icon, you’ll be prompted to choose the type of post you want to share. Since we want to publish a post directly on our profile feed, tap “Post.” 2. Choose your media file. Here, you have three options. You can look through your Photos library on your phone, you can take a new picture from right within Instagram, or you can take a new video. For our purposes, I looked through my Photos library and found a picture of Boston I wanted to use. Then, I clicked "Next" in the top right. 3. Add filters if desired. There are two categories you can use to edit your image — "Filter" and "Edit". Instagram automatically shows you filters first. You can scroll through the carousel and click any of the filters to apply it to your image. Additionally, if you want to use a filter but you want to tone it down, double tap the filter and move the cursor to the left to lessen the intensity of the filter. 4. Edit your image if desired.

5. Next, click "Edit". Here, you can adjust contrast, brightness, structure, warmth, and more. When you're happy with your edited image, or if you don't want to edit it at all, click "Next" in the top right. 5. Write a caption and toggle sharing settings. Now, you can add a caption, tag people (you can only tag someone if they also have an Instagram account), and add a location. Additionally, click the button beside Facebook or another linked social media account to share your image on that platform, as well. When you're ready to publish, click "Share" in the top right. If you don’t want to use your app to post on Instagram, you can also do so from your computer. Learn how to post to Instagram from a Mac or PC here. Upload an Image or Video to Your Stories Instagram Stories is a feature that allows you to post videos or images that disappear after 24- hours. Instagram's Stories feature is similar to Snapchat in terms of content — users often post more casual and candid videos and images, offering glimpses into their every day lives. For instance, on your normal feed, you might post a heavily-edited picture of yourself and friends at a baseball game. But you might post a more candid video to your Story of the stadium singing "Sweet Caroline".