5 Tips from 5 years on Bookstagram

I’ve officially been part of the bookstagram community for 5 years. In that time I’ve made wonderful friends, got a job that I love, and gained a following of over 65,000 followers.

I’ve compiled a short list of 5 tips from 5 years on Bookstagram that will hopefully help you grow your account or help you start one!

You don’t need a DSLR

Believe it or not, having a pricey camera is not essential in order to start a bookstagram. Quality is important, and yeah, having a DSLR will give you really lovely, crisp photos. But so do cameras on your smartphone. These days, phone cameras are so advanced they take photos that are just as nice as ones a DSLR would produce.

I personally started using a DSLR right from the get go on my account, but sometimes the thought of pulling it and it’s accompanying lenses out is exhausting and I will use my phone instead knowing I will get a similar quality. Your phone is absolutely capable of producing stunning pictures for your account, so don’t feel like you need a fancy camera to get more followers. I can promise you won’t see much of a difference in follower count because at the end of the day they are following you for your style of photos, and to hear about the books you’ve read.

Tip: If you take a picture on your phone and you’re not sure about it, edit it first before trashing it. Don’t forget, a simple filter can change the feel of your picture completely.

Themes are great, but they’re not everything

This one may shock you, but themes aren’t everything. Themes will absolutely make your account look cohesive and beautiful, and it will definitely bring you followers. But do not limit yourself. If you restrict yourself to a theme you will lose your excitement quickly, so don’t be afraid to change things up if you’re in a rut.

If you take pictures in your bedroom? Take some outside, move to your living room, hell, maybe even go to a bookstore and snap some pictures. Changing it up is very good for you and your account. Not only will your followers be interested in the new style of pictures you’re taking, but you will feel more motivated to continue experimenting with different styles, props and locations.

Below, you can see the evolution of my themes. I got in such a rut with the white sheet background after only a few months of using it, so I started taking pictures in different locations around my house. My ‘theme’ was the filter I used, because guess what, using the same filter counts as a theme and it’s less restricting as taking photos in the same location.

Tip: If you decide to change your theme up but you hate the thought of it messing up your current one, then gradually change it over a few photos making small changes as you go. Don’t post theme separators! The algorithm hates these and they never get good engagement. It will affect your account, and not in a good way. 

Interaction is key

If you think you can take a pretty picture of a book, post it, and you’ll magically gain followers you are sorely mistaken my friend. Interaction and Engagement is vital to your account growth. Make sure you take time to comment on other’s posts, reply to your comments and DM’s, comment on people’s Instagram stories. I can guarantee that this will help the growth of your account.

No one ever said bookstagram was easy! It takes time and if you put in the effort it will help massively.

Tip: Dedicate 30 minutes –  an hour a day to go through your feed and engage with your followers and the people who follow you. I personally do this at night when I have some spare time.

Show off that book merch

This is a tip that I personally don’t see around often, but it can help boost your account a bit. There’s an abundance of book merch shops on Instagram who sell book boxes, enamel pins, bookmarks, fanart, clothing, candles, etc. If you have any of these items why not photograph them? Why not post them and tag the shop in your photo, caption and hashtags? Because, if they like your photo, they may ask if they can repost it. If the shop has a substantial following, you may find your account get a little boost in followers and engagement, and that always helps!

Tip: If there’s a shop that you adore, why not apply to be a rep? If they’re hosting a rep search, enter and they may often repost the pictures you take of their products. You’re also equally helping to support their business, which is always nice. 

Plan, plan, plan ahead!

You have a life, right? Work/School to go to, friends to see, family to spend time with, books to read, pets to cuddle, etc. So you won’t always have time to take photos.

Set time aside every week or so to plan out photos and take a bunch of them at once. I usually do this on a Sunday every two weeks and I’ll try to take around 10 – 15 photos throughout the day. That works best with my schedule because I don’t post every day (usually every two days) and 10 – 15 photos gives me enough to post over the following two weeks with some left over just in case.

During the Winter time where it begins getting dark around 4pm, it’s absolutely essential that you plan ahead. The days are dull and shorter and I’m sure you know by now that natural lighting is the best lighting to have when it comes to taking your photos. Plan the night before, so the next day you have a clear plan of what photos you want to take.

Tip: If you’re struggling to come up with post ideas, use Pinterest, or read ‘post idea’ blog posts. Sometimes, I will research, cover or title reveals, or upcoming releases and post about them. I also highly recommend Planoly, an app that helps you plan your posts in advance, I find it super useful because you can use it on your laptop as well as your phone, and you can schedule your Instagram posts too which is very helpful if you’re having a busy day.

 I hope these tips can at least help you a little with growing or starting your Bookstagram. These tips can definitely be applied to any type of account you have.

Do you have a Bookstagram? Comment your username below. I would love to check out your accounts!
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