How to: Make Your Instagram Pop

Social media plays a huge part in our everyday lives. You can keep up with what’s going on in the world, your friend circle and even land a job (or not). Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms right now with over 300 million unique members, and that number continues to grow daily. It seems that some have unlocked the secret to gaining followers and popularity through the app while others struggle to gain more than 10 likes. By searching through some of the best celebrity IG accounts and with help from our friends at Cosmo, Valley compiled these tips to make your page pop.

Natural Light is Your Best Friend

Ever notice how taking a picture in the sun gives you the best filter ever? That’s because natural light is the best way to take any picture. Even when indoors, take pictures facing the window and you will be amazed at the difference. Also, this cuts down on the amount of editing you have to do. Beyoncé does this flawlessly (get it?) in any of her many vacation pics.

Stop Using Filters

We know it’s tempting to over-edit your latest selfie and make yourself look airbrushed to oblivion complete with a glow and shadow enhancement. However, stick to other tools other than filters. When editing a photo, try to lighten, brighten, and sharpen it instead of a heavy filter. Actress Sofia Vergara shows her lack of editing (and lack of make-up) in this stunning selfie.

The Time You Post Actually Matters

This may seem silly, but there are certain hours of the day where more people like pictures than others. Use apps like Iconosquare (it’s free!!) to figure out when your followers are most active.

Make Sure Food is Well Lit

Going back to the natural light rule, try to only take pictures of your breakfast and lunch. This way, you have a better chance of using natural light to enhance the picture. Dinner is out because it’s obviously too dark and you run the risk of a fake-looking photo. Lauren Conrad uses this picture of a posh brunch to show us how it’s done.

Hashtags Rule

Use popular hashtags that a lot of people use so that you can get regrammed and up your follower count. A lot of popular accounts use hashtags for contests or promotions and you can do this too, as well. Score.

Hopefully these tips bring you some enlightenment and more followers. Soon, you won’t be stressing over the popularity of your posts and the days of only 10 likes will be long behind you.