Instagram?

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   Kenna McHughposted 7 months ago

   Can anyone tell me how to use Instagram to promote HP articles?

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      CYong74posted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Some instagrammers use Linktree to present a list of curated links in their profiles. Personally, though, I don't think that many users would go to a separate page to check out different links. Not unless you're interested in doing business or you're selling something.
      
      I interacted with several successful instagrammers this year too and I get the strong impression that all are focused on promoting their presence or brand on Instagram itself. If you're popular, you'd then get product endorsement deals, etc. In other words, Instagram doesn't feel like a platform suited for promotion of writing or links.
      
      PS: One food instagrammer that I'm connected with recently started a chat group; he began by inviting all his followers to join. He then posts pics and links regularly within that chat group. But frankly, I've never once clicked on his links.

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      MariaMontgomeryposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      I use Insta to promote my articles. I'm @thegardenerandthecook1 on Insta. I added LinkTree to my bio on Insta. It has a clickable button that goes directly to my HubPages account. I also type in the link to the individual article when promoting it, even though I know it is not clickable. I figure anyone interested will copy it or use LinkTree to get there. I have been swamped with master gardener duties and travel lately, so I haven't written much or promoted much, but when I do, it sends traffic my way. I plan/hope to get back to writing very soon. Try adding LinkTree. You'll love it.

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         Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Maria, Yes. I am going to check out LinkTree! Thank you for the positive feedback! Also, do your traffic sources show Insta results?

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            MariaMontgomeryposted 7 months agoin reply to this

            Insta shows only likes, comments, visits to my profile page, and when someone has saved one of my posts. On HP, I don't see anything other than the number of visits to an article. I haven't yet learned how to do analytics -- just haven't had time to explore that. Guess I need to get busy.

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      paolaenergyaposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Hi Kenna,
      
      I usually take a screenshot of my latest HP article, copy the link then post the picture in a Story using the drop down menu to add a Link to the picture. Then, I add the Story to the Highlights section of my profile under "Writer" where people can access my writing portfolio. I hope it helps!

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         Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Paola, Yes. This is helpful. Highlights section for your profile is on Instagram?

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   PaulGoodman67posted 7 months ago

   It's not easy. You can't really link to specific articles, only your profile page (or whatever you use as your IG profile link).
   
   You're also mainly relying on a photo to do the work, so you maybe want to consider overlaying text onto the image, which should be square if it's an IG post.
   
   I use IG for other stuff but not HP. It's not much use for HP articles IMHO.

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      Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Paul, Okay. Instagram seems less user friendly than other social media platforms.

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         Jan Stepanposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         I'd say that few social media platforms are as user-friendly as Instagram, but there's an exception, and that surrounds links. They don't work in posts (they aren't clickable). However, they work in stories, but for stories to work, you first need to have many relevant followers.
         
         But otherwise, I am pleased with Instagram so far. I share my photos there, and it has perfect tools for editing, et cetera. It's better than Facebook and Twitter together.

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      eugbugposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Maybe we could embed QR code links into our Instagram images? But would people be bothered following them? I've thought about putting a QR code on the roof of my house so passengers on aircraft on approach to the airport could tune in. Or how about  a leaflet drop from a hot air balloon?
      Any more madcap ideas to get traffic?

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         PaulGoodman67posted 7 months agoin reply to this

         "I've thought about putting a QR code on the roof of my house"
         
         Now that's what I call dedication!

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         Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Leaflet drops are friendlier!

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      Miebakagh57posted 7 months agoin reply to this

      I'm taking note here.

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   PaulGoodman67posted 7 months ago

   Also, each of the social media sites appeals to a certain demographic and I am not convinced that IG is generally a great one for most of the stuff that's here on HP.
   
   But mainly it's the photo and link thing that makes it problematic.

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   Jan Saintsposted 7 months ago

   You can shorten your links then add them to the caption section of your images (with overlay as others have suggested). The links won't be clickable but people can copy and paste them to their browsers.

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      Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Jan Saints, Thanks for the suggestion.

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   jansharesposted 7 months ago

   I agree with everyone. I have my HP profile link listed in my Linktree which is a main link on your IG page, but I doubt that it gets a lot of clicks. It serves to promote where my articles can be found. Instagram is really about brand and product promotion. I mainly use it to promote my books.

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      Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Jan, my Linktree main link is my other website. You can check your traffic sources to see if there were any clicks.

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         jansharesposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Thanks!

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   Leeburrowsposted 7 months ago

   You can share clickable links to Instagram but it has to be done on your story rather than a post. I've done this a few times when sharing my articles from here to Instagram, by creating a story, I used a screenshot of my articles to use as the main photo, and then click on add stickers. There's an option to choose a link sticker, this will then display as a clickable hyperlink overlayed in your story. This can then also be added to your highlighted stories so it's viewable from your main profile page. Hope that makes sense, I've confused myself a bit!

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      Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Lee, It doesn't sound too complicated. I will give it a try and see if I can do it. Did you get any traffic from these Instagram posts?

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         Leeburrowsposted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Yes my views went up a bit when I shared them on Instagram, but it died down pretty quickly. They're articles that most of my followers would be interested in so I thought I'd try sharing there. To my suprise, most of my views were from non-followers, as my story was set to public and I also included hashtags relevant to the articles giving them more chance of views.

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            Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

            Lee, It sounds promising. Interestingly, whenever one of my articles gets moved to a niche platform, the HP email congratulating me suggests promoting my article on social media with Instagram included in that list.

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            jansharesposted 7 months agoin reply to this

            Very helpful, Lee.

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               Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

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         Miebakagh57posted 7 months agoin reply to this

         Good quetion. I'm waiting for Lee's answer too befor I give it a try.

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   paolaenergyaposted 7 months ago

   Hi Kenna, yes, the Highlights are sandwiched between your bio and your profile grid, you can create a new Highlight by adding an existing Story clicking the Highlight icon on the bottom right corner

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      Kenna McHughposted 7 months agoin reply to this

      Thanks, Paola! I am excited about creating on my Instagram.

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