Always use hashtags
Marie Denee, the six-figure earning creator of thecurvyfashionista.com and an acclaimed plus-size fashion expert on social media, says using hashtags takes only a minute, but it’s key to growing your follower base. More followers mean more demand from advertisers to sponsor your content. “We have a hashtag, #tcfstyle, and repost pictures from our readers and supporters,” she says. “Sometimes we post funny fashion memes, and most recently, we mix in images from our blog posts.” A signature hashtag makes it easy for core followers to track your content, and mainstream hashtags like #plussizefashion open up the playing field for new followers to find you.
Reply to comments and stay real
“You definitely need to reply and like comments to help connect with your audience,” explains Denee, “especially as Instagram wants this, too.” Interaction is what keeps people coming back and what influencers are referring to as “customer service.” If a follower wants to know where Denee got her dress, she’ll happily respond knowing an engaged audience is a growing one, and that’s what sponsoring brands really want to see. And whether you’re replying or posting new material, says Denee, “be authentic. Be relatable. Be you. You do not need to be perfect and staged all the time.” Often times, the most popular Instagram accounts are the ones who offer the real depth of their lives, showing their cellulite, zits, and bad hair days when the rest of the Internet is spending hours staging one single, immaculate photo that doesn’t really exist. Here are more ways your social media reveals who you really are.
