9 Basic Tips To Help Grow Your Bookstagram

I am by no means an expert in the world of bookish Instagram, but nonetheless I am here to give my two cents on how to possibly grow your Bookstagram account. Some things will work for one account that won’t work for the next, but I have nine topics down below that I think are somewhat universal.

Are you wanting to immerse yourself into the bookstagram world and maybe gain a few Rep positions with different merch companies? Are you wanting to review books in exchange for free promotional ARC’s? Are you wanting to make influencing a career, or just a side hustle for a bit of extra cash? All of these goals are valid but they don’t all require the same follower count goals!

So, before you drive yourself bonkers trying to reach 20K followers reflect on if that’s really necessary to reach your goals! Most Rep positions are 100% fine working with accounts under 10K followers, and even under 5K! They just want to see engagement.

(Side Note: It’s also acceptable to just post bookish photos for fun and STILL want those photos to be seen!) No matter what your Instagram blogging goals are, I hope that these tips help you in some small way!!!

Bookstagram Tip #1

ENGAGE! COMMENT BACK ALWAYS. ON THEIR POST TOO! – making it a point to comment back on your own post when people take the time to comment is really important! I always try to accomplish this, even if I don’t quite make it to everyone if time runs away from me. PLUS, going onto their feed and commenting goes a long way too! And this is how you will make more friends! This is also one of the most important things that Rep companies look for!

Bookstagram Tip #2

CONSISTENCY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN POSTING EVERY DAY – Finding the time to post every single day can be really hard, and finding the creativity to make an amazing post every day can be draining. Although posting more often is definitely helpful, it’s more important to stay consistent. So, if you can only post 3-4 times a week then try to stick with that routine whenever possible. Don’t post every day one week and then only once the next week.

Bookstagram Tip #3

THE MORE BOOKS SEEN THE BETTER – This is bookstagram and people like books. Photos with book cases behind me, or with large stacks of books always do better than single book photos. One is the loneliest number!! Plus, insta is literally magic and can sense what is in your photo in order to showcase it to your right audience, the more books in the photo the more likely it is that insta notices the books and showcases it to the right people. Magic.

Bookstagram Tip #4

USE THE STORY FEATURES. THIS COUNTS AS ENGAGEMENT TOO, AND COMMENT ON OTHERS STORIES-THIS HELPS BOTH OF YOU IN THE ALGORITHM – When you use stickers and polls in your story this counts as people engaging with your account, which will boost your algorithm score. Plus, when you comment on someone’s story, and then they comment back to you through your DM’s this tells insta you like each other which will boost you both in your respective feeds.

Bookstagram Tip #5

ALWAYS USE THE NEW FEATURES ASAP. INSTA REWARDS THIS BEHAVIOR! – DO IT!!!!! Instagram wants to show off their new shiny toys so when you use them, they will do everything they can to promote it. EX: Reels. My instagram account was stuck at 6000 followers for almost a year and then 3 months after the launch of reels I gained another 6000. I give full credit to the fact that I jumped on the Reels bandwagon so early.

Bookstagram Tip #6

POPULAR BOOKS PERFORM BETTER – This is a bit of a sad fact because its always nice to showcase less popular books and series, but the truth is that people like to see what’s popular. This doesn’t mean you always have to showcase popular books; you can post a picture with an indie book but it just might not get as many “likes”.

Or you might want to make sure it has something else that’s eye catching…like a stack of popular books behind it, or a relatable quote. Don’t stop posting the things you love just because it might not perform as well! Sprinkle it in where you want!

Bookstagram Tip #7

STAY ON BRAND. (PICK THREE THINGS THAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO ASSOCIATE WITH YOU) – Someone told me that you should pick three words that you want your feed to evoke and try to make every photo embody those three words…or at least two of them. (Ex: Funny, Introverted, and Unique are mine)

This helps people to know what to expect from your feed. BUT being a bookstagram account, I would also pick three fandoms that you want to be known for and make it a point to talk about at least one each week. This is helping to promote your brand and solidify the group of followers that will WANT to stay on your page!

Bookstagram Tip #8

USE AN EDITING APP (PICSART, SNAPSEED, PS EXPRESS) – Using an editing app to help streamline your photos just makes the overall feel of your feed more cohesive. People like cohesive aesthetic feeds. It’s one of the rules that I had (and still have) the most trouble following. I don’t necessarily like “themed” feeds where every photo looks exactly the same. Some people love this! Actually, most people tend to enjoy this aesthetic, but if it’s not for you then try to find what works for you.

For example: I decided to try the “checkerboard” feed where every other photo looks similar and then attempted to edit the photos to evoke the same airy light feeling. I don’t always succeed, but at least I have a goal for what I imagine the feed to be. Plus, it’s always fun to play around with adding stickers to photos, or experimenting with videos. One of my favorite video apps that I have on my phone is FilmoraGo. My favorite photo editing app is PicsArt.

Bookstagram Tip #9

POST ORIGINAL CONTENT THAT ISN’T ANYWHERE ELSE! – Find what makes you stand out. People are on the hunt for what they don’t have, so try to showcase what you have that others don’t! This is a visual platform, like Pinterest, and people are searching for things that either inspire them, entertain them, educate them, or makes them envious of the beautiful house/library that you have and they desperately want 😉

Find which of these things you can provide and figure out the special way you can provide it that isn’t any where else. This is what is most important! It may take some time for you to find your groove, but have fun and be 100% you and your tribe will come!

No matter what your bookish Instagram goals are, you still want to have fun! So don’t be afraid to experiment and toss out any “rules” that you see anywhere online if they feel wrong to you. Have fun, be you and you will find your Booksta friends! I am always available on Instagram through my DM’s if you have any other specific Bookstagram questions! Or feel free to leave any questions down below. Just remember that I’m not actually an expert and all my tips just come from experimenting with my own account! If you enjoyed this post check out my blog.