I’m so excited as Back to the Passport hit a milestone recently: 10,000 followers on Instagram!
It’s been a fun journey so far and we’ve loved being a part of the travel community on Instagram, learning how to leverage the network to share our travel blog posts with everyone and making some long-distance friendships along the way.
Having been a social media manager for the last seven years, I thought I knew all there was to know about Instagram but like every industry, travel has its own quirks and dos and don’ts when it comes to posting for travel brands.
Want to reach 10k followers on Instagram with your own travel blog? Follow these Instagram dos and don’ts for travel brands!
The dos and don’ts of Instagram for travel bloggers
9 Instagram dos:
1. Post quality photos
Fortunately this is pretty easy as smartphones have such amazing cameras these days, but quality images are a must to be successful. No one wants to daydream about a grainy or pixelated travel destination.
Try to take photos from unique angles, invest in some clip-on lenses to add dimension and depth to your photos, or even buy a selfie stick to get better back camera pictures of you on your adventures.
Want to take better photos as you travel? Check out our smartphone travel photography tips!
2. Be consistent
Like travel blogging, you have to be consistent and kind of post on a schedule. I hate accounts that go weeks without posting anything and then bulk upload 20 photos in a row. Leave space for other Instagrammers and posts to fill a person’s feed. I try to leave at least two to three hours between posts to not overwhelm people.
Like Twitter, Instagram is a platform you should be posting to daily and a few times a day if you wish, but try to have some consistency and cadence to your posts.
Another way you can be consistent is to use similar editing styles or filters. We’re drawn to accounts that are aesthetically pleasing and familiar and by using the same filters, you can make your posts instantly recognizable.
3. Write a caption
Tell a story with your caption instead of just filling it with hashtags – to me, it looks super spammy and like the poster doesn’t give a crap about their profile. I like knowing what the photo is about, where it was taken, and why it’s special. You can easily take the time to write a fun or thoughtful caption, or even ask questions of your followers!
4. Use relevant hashtags
I try to use about five to seven relevant hashtags per post to help people find my content. Using too many looks spammy and no one wants to scroll through 90 hashtags that have nothing to do with the photo.
Think like an SEO specialist when it comes to hashtags on Instagram, you wouldn’t tag a webpage about dog adoption with keywords like monster truck rally, best restaurants in Denver, or allergy relief. Use hashtags that relate to the photo and make sense. Gaming the system is a surefire way to lose in the long run.
Have a healthy mix of specific and general hashtags. Maybe you’re sharing a photo of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Good hashtags for that photo would include: #Paris, #EiffelTower, #ig_france, #France, #travel, and #travelgram.
Use location-specific or branded tags when sharing photos of hotels or local attractions. The more relevant your hashtags, the more people will trust your content.
Some of my favorite travel hashtags include:
- #backtothepassport (hello, branding!)
- #instapassport
- #travelgram
- #travel
- #explore
- #adventure
- #travelcouple
- #travelbloggers
- #travelblog
5. Engage
You are sharing on social media, so be social! If people comment on your photos, give their comment a like and reply, as well as take the time to like and comment on others’ photos in your feed. We’ve made friends with other travel accounts from across the globe just through liking and commenting on each others’ posts.
6. Regram
Not sure what to share one day? No problem! Ask for permission to regram someone else’s amazing photo. Most Instagrammers are going to be okay with you resharing the photos as you long as you provide credit. It’s a great way to share great content, build up relationships, and reach new audiences.
7. Add movement
Share videos or use Boomerang to add some eye-catching movement to your photos. Boomerang is a good option for starting to add movement to your posts as you work your way up to videos.
8. Share Stories
Instagram Stories are a fantastic option to test out new content, share real-time videos, or give little sneak peeks as to what’s coming to your blog or website soon. You can choose to let your story expire or save it to your highlights reel on your profile page.
9. Use your bio
Your bio is a great place to share links back to your website or blog and introduce yourself to the community. Use hashtags in your bio to help other bloggers find you or share your hometown to feel like a local celebrity.
6 Instagram don’ts for travel bloggers
1. Be tone-deaf or culturally insensitive
Have you seen the photos of people posting selfies at Holocaust memorials? Yikes. Or more recently, Kristin Cavallari posted a photo in New York City on 9/11 where she tagged a few fashion brands and posted the caption (since deleted): “NYC for 24 hrs. And what a time to be here..always remember.”
A national tragedy isn’t an opportunity to further your brand, it’s a time to be reflective and honor the heroes of that day. Don’t be that person and post insensitive or tone-deaf photos or selfies.
2. Encourage bad traveler behavior
From the unethical treatment of animals to breaking the law, that epic selfie or travelgram pic isn’t worth it. Let’s try to be good stewards of travel and not encourage others to do anything dangerous, harmful to others, or destroying nature just for the ‘gram.
3. Account tagging spam
I cannot stand when other accounts tag us in photos that we’re not in nor collaborating with them on. Just like hashtag spam, it makes it seem these accounts don’t want to put in the effort to grow their audiences and instead tag other accounts to do the brand building for them.
4. Comment spam
I’ve already said that engaging with other accounts is an important part of growing your Instagram following, but it should be authentic engagement. Write a real comment on their photo instead of encouraging their followers to visit your profile or simply copying and pasting the same comment over and over.
5. Solely focus on numbers
It’s a great feeling reaching different milestones in terms of followers, but try not to have a number-based goal. Focus on sharing quality content, interesting travel-related information, and having fun in the community. The followers will come in time.
6. Only regram
Sharing other people’s content is a good tactic for Instagram, but only sharing others’ people content is not. People want original content and developing a content aggregator can grow your following immensely but those accounts are getting credit for something they didn’t do. Spend the time creating your own posts and editing your own photos to grow your following.
What other tips for Instagram for travel blogs or brands do you have? Share them in the comments below or on Twitter!
