Instagram’s growth has been exponential over the last few years. From one million users when it was first launched to more than one billion by 2022.
You’re in luck if you want to get an Instagram account or have just created one but don’t know how to use it. We’ll cover the basics, so you know why Instagram is today’s most popular social media platform.
What is Instagram?
Instagram is an online social network that focuses on photo and video sharing through its mobile application. As long as your profile is public, you can upload, edit, and share visual content with both followers and those who are not following. Users can interact with the content you post via comments, likes, shares, and saves.
It’s difficult to recall a time without Instagram. It was once common to say “Do it for ‘gram,” which meant “Do something that we can photograph and upload it to Instagram.”
Instagram has since then placed a greater and heavier emphasis on video. You won’t hear “Do it for the Instagram” anymore. I predict that another version of this phrase will be released soon. (Maybe, “Do it for a reel?”
You might want to consider joining the 1 billion Instagram users. It’s a great way to stay in touch with friends and engage with brands. Instagram is the place I go to find out how my friends from college are doing. You can also follow celebrities and politicians to see their candid everyday photos.
It’s also a great platform to see what other brands do. For example, Nike utilizes the Instagram Stories feature in order to share inspirational stories of athletes that you can’t find anywhere else.
How to sign up for Instagram
You can sign up on Instagram by downloading the Instagram app to your phone and then clicking the “Sign Up” button. Sign up using Facebook, your email address, or your phone number. You can now create your profile after choosing a username and a password.
Follow these steps to register for Instagram:
Download the Instagram app on the App Store or Google Play Store for Android or iPhone.
Click “Log in with Facebook” or enter your name, email address, password, and mobile number if you are on a desktop. Click “Sign Up”.
Click “Sign up with Email or Phone Number” on Android.
On iPhone, select “Sign Up.””
Click “Next” after entering your email or phone number. You can also sign up using your Facebook account.
After you have entered your username and password, you’ll be asked to enter your profile information. Then, tap “Done”.
You’ll have to sign in if you are currently not logged into Facebook if you want to register.
How to Use Instagram
Instagram is a visual platform for social media. If you use it to promote your business, make sure you post engaging content consistently. How do you use Instagram, then? You follow accounts you find interesting, and others will do the same.
Instagram users can comment or “like” an image by clicking on the icon in the lower left corner.
You’ll see a stream of content each time you open the application. This is from the accounts that you follow. The main menu bar is located at the bottom of the screen. The icons are explained, and how to use each one is shown.
The Home button will take you to the main feed. You can find it on the left side of the screen.
Pressing the magnifying glass button will take you to Instagram’s Explore page, where you can search hashtags and accounts. You can browse content from other accounts that you do not follow but were suggested to you based on what you like and have viewed.
New Post: By pressing the “+” symbol in the middle of the menu, you can create a post, a story, a reel, or go “live.””
Reels: The reel icon is this clapperboard. Clicking on it will take you to the reels section, where you can view short-form videos.
Profile: On the far right, you should see a small circle containing your profile picture. This button will take you to your profile page, where you can view all your posts and follower information.
Let’s create an Instagram account now that you’re more familiar with the app interface.
How to Create an Instagram Account
After you have downloaded the app and finished the signup procedure, it is time to create your profile.
This is where you can access your settings and account information, as well as keep track of who’s following you. You can also access your account settings, as well as track your followers and those who you are following.
You can edit your profile picture.
To access your profile, tap your profile photo on the upper left.
Click “Edit Profile.”
Tap “Change profile photo.”
Select your photo by clicking “Upload Photo” and then click “Import”.
Add a bio
Click on your profile photo to the left.
Click on “Edit Profile” in the upper right corner of the screen. Then click the textbox next to “Bio.”
Your bio is your resume.
Click “Submit” to save the changes.
Add a Website
Add your online presence, such as your website and blog, to your Instagram profile in order to increase your brand’s engagement.
To access your profile, tap the profile icon or picture of your profile in the lower right corner.
Click “Edit Profile” in the upper right corner of the screen.
Add the URL of your website by tapping “Links” and then “Add External Link.””
Tap “Done.” You can remove a hyperlink by tapping the link and then selecting “Remove link.”
Click “Back” (<), then “Done” in order to save the changes.
You should definitely use the bio and website section if you intend to use Instagram as a business tool to let potential customers know more about your brand.
What Are Instagram Notifications?
You can adjust the notifications you receive when you create your account so that you only get the information you want. You can, for example, choose to get notifications whenever you receive likes from anyone. Or, you could decide to get notifications only when someone follows you. You can also turn off all notifications.
You can set notifications to “Off” from people I follow or “from everyone” for the following categories: Comments, Likes on Photos, Follower Requests Accepted, Friends on Instagram (Direct), Photos of you, Reminders of First Posts and stories, Product Announcements View Counts Support Requests Live Videos Mentions in Bio IGTV Video updates and Video chats.
I understand if you are overwhelmed by this list — I’m too. You can start by setting your notifications to “From Everyone,” and then, if you find that certain messages are annoying, you can turn them off later.
Follow these steps to customize the notifications you receive:
Install the Instagram application on your smartphone.
Open the Instagram application on your smartphone. If you prefer, you can access Instagram via desktop. Click on your profile image at the bottom right to get there.
Click on “Settings.”
Click the hamburger menu in the upper right corner of your profile.
You will see a popup menu. Click “Settings.”
Select the notifications that you wish to receive.
You can select the notifications that you would like to receive for each category. You can choose from the following options for “Posts”, “Stories” and “Comments”:
The options will vary depending on the category.
That’s all! Let’s now explore how you can connect your Instagram account to other social media sites so that you can share your Instagram images with different audiences.
How do you connect Instagram with other social media accounts?
You can still connect Instagram with Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook. But it is no longer possible through Settings.
You can do this for each post.
You can manually share a Facebook post, Tumblr post, or Twitter post on other platforms.