Over the by few years, Instagram has seen exponential growth — from i million users at its inception to over i billion in 2022.

If yous're interested in getting an Instagram account, or just created one but aren't sure how to utilise it, y'all're in luck. Here, we're going to cover all the basics, so y'all can learn why Instagram is the acme social media platform for engagement today.

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Information technology'due south difficult to remember a fourth dimension before Instagram. At one fourth dimension, "Practise information technology for the 'gram" was a common saying, which meant, essentially, "Exercise something and then nosotros can take a moving picture and post information technology to Instagram."

Since so, Instagram has placed a larger and heavier accent on video. So you no longer hear the phrase "Do it for the 'gram." I bet, though, that a second version of the phrase volition soon follow. (Maybe "Practise it for reel?")

If y'all're non office of the ane billion users on Instagram, y'all might want to reconsider. The app is a cracking take chances to appoint with elevation brands and stay a function of friends' lives. When I want to see how my college friends are doing, I don't check Facebook, I cheque 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' characteristic to promote inspirational athlete stories you won't find anywhere else.

If you're set up to sign upward 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 y'all're on desktop, click "Log in with Facebook", or fill in the course with your mobile number or electronic mail, name, username, and password. And so click "Sign up".
  • On Android, click "Sign Upward With Email or Phone Number".
  • On iPhone, select "Sign Upwardly".
  • Enter your electronic mail address or phone number, then click "Side by side". Alternatively, you can sign upwardly with your Facebook account.
  • Once you've filled out your username and password, you lot will exist instructed to fill up out your contour info. So, tap "Washed".
  • If you register with Facebook, you'll demand to log into your Facebook business relationship if you're currently logged out.

How Do Instagram Notifications Piece of work?

When your business relationship is created, you'll want to conform your notifications and so you only receive the data yous want. For instance, you lot can choose to receive notifications when you become likes from everyone — but, alternatively, you might decide to only receive notifications when yous get a similar from someone y'all follow. Or, you might turn off notifications for likes altogether.

You can adjust notifications to "Off", "From People I Follow", or "From Anybody", for the following categories — Comments, Comment Likes, Likes and Comments on Photos of Yous, Follower Requests, Accepted Follow Requests, Friends on Instagram, Instagram Direct, Photos of Y'all, Reminders, First Posts and Stories, Product Announcements, View Counts, Back up 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 y'all're unsure what notifications you lot desire to receive, you might beginning with your notifications on "From Everyone", and if certain notifications begin to annoy you, y'all tin can turn them off subsequently.

To customize which notifications you receive, follow these steps:

1. Open upward the Instagram app on your phone.

First up, open up up the Instagram app on your mobile device. You lot can too admission Instagram on desktop if you adopt. Then, head to your profile by clicking the image of your profile picture on the bottom right.

how to change instagram notification settings: access profile

ii. Access "Settings."

After you arrive at your profile, click the hamburger menu on the elevation right-manus corner.

how to change instagram notification settings: access settings

A popup carte du jour will announced. Tap "Settings."

how to change instagram notification settings: tap settings

iii. Tap "Notifications."

On the adjacent screen, click "Notifications."

how to change instagram notification settings: enter notifications settings

At that place, 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

how to change instagram notification settings: view all notification categories

You lot besides accept the power to pause all notifications past toggling the Break All option up top.

4. Check off the notifications you want to receive.

Admission each category individually and choose the notifications y'all desire to receive. Here are the options, for example, for "Posts, Stories, and Comments":

how to change instagram notification settings: toggle notification settings

The options will vary depending on category.

And that's information technology! Adjacent, allow'southward explore how to connect your other social media accounts to your Instagram, so when you lot post an image to Instagram, you can share information technology with your other online audiences, as well.

Tin can you connect to Instagram to other social accounts?

Yes, you can connect Instagram to Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, but it'south no longer done through Settings, equally information technology used to be.

At present, 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 desire to cross-publish on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, so manually share it that mode.

Here's how:

1. Open up up the Instagram app.

2. Navigate to your profile.

three. Tap on the mail y'all'd like to cross-mail.

4. Click the three dots on the top right-mitt corner of the post.

how to link instagram to other social accounts: access post settings

5. On the pop-up menu, click "Share."

how to link instagram to other social accounts: tap share on the post Notation: Don't click "Share to," which volition requite you lot an pick to AirDrop or share the post to your contacts.

half-dozen. Toggle the accounts you'd like to share the postal service to. If you're not already signed in, you lot'll need to do so correct within the Instagram app.

how to link instagram to other social accounts: toggle the social accounts

Once you've connected your accounts for 1 post, you lot can and then toggle the sharing options for any new posts without needing to sign in again.

If you connect Instagram to Facebook, y'all can share your Stories across both accounts. We talk more than about how to exercise that below.

How to Connect Instagram to Facebook

Since Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company, Meta, you tin can connect the two accounts for a more seamless experience. Connecting your Instagram and Facebook accounts allows you to:

  • Share Stories beyond 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 yous're a frequent Facebook user, and so connecting your business relationship to your new Instagram profile is highly recommended. Here's how:

i. Open up upward your Instagram app.

2. Click on your contour picture on the lesser correct-hand corner.

3. Click the hamburger menu on the tiptop right-hand corner.

4. Tap "Settings."

v. Under the Meta logo, tap "Accounts Center."

how to connect facebook to instagram: tap account center in settings

6. Tap "Set Accounts Center."

how to connect facebook to instagram: click set up accounts center

7. Follow the prompts to log in into Facebook.

Washed! Your two accounts are at present continued. Hither's how it'll look like once y'all're finished:

how to connect facebook to instagram: final result

In the next section, I'll prove you when a linked account comes in handy.

Upload, Edit, and Post an Image

Now, for the near 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 lone, Instagram'southward sole purpose is to enable users to share images or videos with their audition.

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 — kickoff, you don't want to postal service more than in one case a day (typically). And yous don't want to mail service too many similar photos.

For instance, it would be odd for you lot to mail service l photos from the same beach vacation on your Instagram profile. Instead, you lot might cull 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 but. Carousel posts are awesome for posting similar pictures in i packet while keeping your overall profile aesthetic diverse.)

Curious about creating an aesthetic? To learn more than about Instagram account themes and go inspiration, accept a await at these Instagram themes. Additionally, if you want to commence on a deep-swoop, you can take HubSpot's Instagram Marketing Course.

Now that we've covered that, permit'due south explore how to upload, edit, and post an epitome.

ane. Click the "+" icon at the peak-correct hand corner.

When y'all tap the "+" icon, you'll exist prompted to choose the type of mail service y'all want to share. Since we want to publish a post directly on our profile feed, tap "Post."

how to upload an image to instagram: click the plus button

2. Choose your media file.

Here, you have 3 options. You can look through your Photos library on your phone, you lot tin can take a new picture from right within Instagram, or y'all tin take a new video. For our purposes, I looked through my Photos library and found a film of Boston I wanted to use. So, I clicked "Next" in the summit right.

how to upload an image to instagram: choose media

3. Add together filters if desired.

There are two categories you tin can utilize to edit your image — "Filter" and "Edit". Instagram automatically shows you filters start. You can scroll through the carousel and click any of the filters to apply it to your prototype.

Additionally, if you want to use a filter just you want to tone information technology downwards, double tap the filter and motion the cursor to the left to lessen the intensity of the filter.

how to upload an image to instagram: add filters

4. Edit your paradigm if desired.

Next, click "Edit". Here, you can adjust contrast, brightness, construction, warmth, and more. When you lot're happy with your edited image, or if y'all don't desire to edit it at all, click "Next" in the tiptop right.

how to upload an image to instagram: edit image

v. Write a caption and toggle sharing settings.

At present, you can add a caption, tag people (yous can simply tag someone if they also have an Instagram account), and add a location. Additionally, click the push button beside Facebook or another linked social media business relationship to share your image on that platform, every bit well. When you lot're ready to publish, click "Share" in the pinnacle correct.

how to upload an image to instagram: add caption

If you don't desire to use your app to mail service on Instagram, you lot can also do so from your figurer. Learn how to post to Instagram from a Mac or PC here.

Upload an Image or Video to Your Stories

Instagram Stories is a characteristic that allows you to mail videos or images that disappear afterwards 24-hours. Instagram's Stories feature is similar to Snapchat in terms of content — users often post more than casual and candid videos and images, offer glimpses into their every day lives.

For instance, on your normal feed, you might mail service a heavily-edited flick of yourself and friends at a baseball game. But you might post a more candid video to your Story of the stadium singing "Sweetness Caroline".

To learn how to upload an prototype or video to your Stories, follow these steps:

one. Tap your profile picture in the upper left-hand corner.

Alternatively, swipe correct on your feed or tap the "+" button in the top navigation bar.

how to upload a story to instagram: access the story camera

2. Capture or add your media.

Once you lot're within the Stories feature, you can take a motion picture or video right from within the app. Alternatively, if you accept an epitome saved to your phone that you'd like to apply, y'all can choose information technology from your media library.

how to upload a story to instagram: capture media

3. Add stickers or filters.

On the left-mitt side, you have a few different editing features.

The "Create" push lets yous add together a location, hashtag, fourth dimension, date, and other fun images or emojis to your picture.

how to upload a story to instagram: add stickers and filters

The "Boomerang" pick allows you to create a looping video. And the "Aa" icon is your text button. Once you click "Aa", you have the option to change your font.

If you lot click the smiley face icon, you lot'll see the following screen. Simply click on ane of the icons to add together them to your image. If you lot don't like it, drag it to the bottom, and a trash can volition appear then you lot can delete it.

how to upload a story to instagram: add poll

For case, I clicked the smiley face icon to add together a poll to my image. You tin also swipe to the left or right to add filters to your photo or video.

4. Publish your Story.

Once you're happy with your content, you can either click the white arrow icon in the bottom right, which allows you to share your Story with everyone who follows you, or select "Close Friends" first, so that only your close friends run into information technology.

And then you lot're done! Your Story is immediately live.

How to Follow on Instagram

It'due south incredibly piece of cake to notice and follow users. Using Instagram'southward search feature, y'all tin detect celebrities, brands, and friends. Additionally, yous can search "Tags" or "Places". "Tags" is particularly useful if you know what type of content you want to find, but yous're non sure who posts nearly information technology.

For instance, you lot might search "#familyrecipes" under tags — your results will include any images with that hashtag. As you peruse, you might find someone who posts content you really like, and you lot tin choose to follow them so their content appears on your feed.

To follow someone, follow these 3 like shooting fish in a barrel steps.

one. Click on the search icon at the bottom of your screen.

It looks like a magnifying glass and volition be correct next to the "Home" button.

how to follow on instagram: click the search icon

ii. Next, type in a person, topic, or brand.

For this example, I searched "compages."

how to follow on instagram: view results

Instagram allows you to either search all posts that contain the word "architecture," or "Come across all results" and see tags and places.

how to follow on instagram: browse through the results

3. Tap the account you're interested in following.

One time you're on someone else's account, yous'll see a blue "Follow" button at the peak. For public profiles, you tin can click and immediately begin following that account. However, if the profile is private, you may demand to wait for them to accept yous first.

how to follow on instagram: follow an account you like

And that's information technology! Y'all're on your way to becoming a pro. To take your account to the side by side level, plan out your next posts using an array of content ideas and templates.

Using Instagram is Fundamental for Growing Your Personal Brand

If you want to grow both professionally and personally, then using Instagram is more than important than ever. You tin beginning by observing get-go, then begin posting as y'all learn your way around the user interface. With over one billion users, Instagram is an extremely worthwhile social media platform to join — and it'due south just set to keep growing every bit time goes on.

Editor'due south note: This mail service was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Originally published Jan xviii, 2022 8:00:00 AM, updated January 18 2022