Do we have to tell you how much first impressions matter? Most probably, you already know, and that’s why you read this blog post, right? When we’re better at impression management, we’re yielding much better results (and attracting better-targeted followers). Mastering the art of presenting yourself is a key to succeeding in the world of the Gram. Let’s dive much deeper into the topic.

Today, we’ll share our secret-sauce insights about improving and optimizing your Instagram profile to strengthen your visibility and make new people intrigued by your account and by you as a content creator worth their attention. Whether you’re starting a personal brand, building a business, or creating just for fun; to pursue your passion – this article will give you meaningful tips on how to make new people engage with the content you’re producing. How to gain better visibility and make the impression of a trustworthy expert/content creator? 

Many marketing gurus say the first impressions are everything, and the thing is: first impressions get made long before someone sees the way you speak or the way you look like. Like it or not, the digital world has its own rules, and they apply to Instagram much more than you think. The outlook of your profile will be the primary source of first impressions. 

 

 

Sometimes the first impression is the last one.

Before we begin to understand impression management, we need to learn why it’s so crucial – and how the brains of your potential followers work.

According to psychological research, within the first 5-7 seconds of visiting your profile, people will already have a solid impression about who you might be and whether they’re interested in what you have to offer or not. Their intuition tells them if you create the content they’re willing to consume gladly and whether you’ve got what they’re looking for. Other sources claim that sometimes all it takes is a tenth of a second to develop an opinion!

How quickly do random visitors judge what’s on your profile and what exactly forms their impression? Your new visitors (who, for example, have found your profile by scrolling through hashtags) won’t make an effort to scan all the content you have ever posted: they will do it very selectively. That’s why your photos, reels, or insta carousels have to evoke positive emotions. 

How to make a better impression when someone visits your profile for the first time? How to make them stay and how to genuinely charm them? What is the critical factor that makes someone want to engage with our content, and what can potentially frighten people away? The good news is: you’re in total control of those factors, and you can master them, so you’ll attract the people who stay. 

How to make the little things work for you? How to optimize your profile, so it looks encouraging? In real life, we often get second chances: in the digital world of Instagram, most often not. So let’s use the first one consciously.  

1. Perfect your BIO 

Freshen up your BIO and make sure it’s on point. It should be attention-grabbing and contain the keywords your perfect followers may look for. What is your niche? What you’re known for? What are your skills you’re going to share with your audience? A well-crafted Instagram BIO includes information about what you do, what content you’re producing, and who your target audience is. 

A question you want to ask yourself is, “what goal are my ideal followers looking to achieve right now? Why are they looking for me?” Once you can answer that question (because it’s the most strategic one!): yes, include this answer in your BIO. 

Take a look at how the marketing coach has used the name field to explain what she’s doing and what problems she solves:

Let’s take other good examples: those two food blogger. They included their specialty in the name field: meaning whenever someone types in “everyday recipes” or “easy recipes” in the Instagram search engine, their profiles will be on the top of the results. It’s a brilliant optimization. 

 

2. Be recognizable

When people find your profile, what do they see? Do they know who stands behind those insta carousels, who creates those tips? Do they know who the account owner is, or do you regularly post random pictures of people from stock photos markets? 

From a business point of view, it’s indispensable to make sure that the photos you post present you in a friendly and approachable way. And that your posts contain at least one characteristic element people can easily remember – let it be your face, the avatar you use for each insta carousel, or the color palette you stick to. 

3. Don’t be too salesy 

 

Showing yourself and presenting your brand without being too pushy requires creativity – and a mindful strategy. Don’t be the creator who begs for attention – being too pushy will actually… Push people away from you and your profile.

You might want to say: wait a minute, but how to sell my products and present my services when I’m on Instagram to increase my sales and get a satisfying ROI one day? 

Show off what you do and why you’re good at it, but without begging anyone to check it out. People adore creators who provide solutions to their problems, so if you become one, they will be interested in what you have to offer without overusing promotional content. 

4. Stick to your color palette

Your feed’s aesthetics is a substantial part of the branding process – making your profile much easier to remember. We’ve discussed the topic in detail in our previous blog post (you can find it here): familiarity plays such an important role in content consumption. When people see content from a creator they already know or remember, they’re more likely to spend more time reading or looking at it. They’re also more likely to engage! If you want your followers to start recognizing your profile / your brand, you will need to keep your content precisely consistent. The same style of photos, the same fonts, the same colors, over and over again until readers begin to associate you with your style.

5. Don’t be afraid to show yourself 

 

 

Many words have become a cliché in the world of content marketing “how-tos” – one of them is “authenticity.” How many times have we read captions about the significant role of authenticity? Let’s face the truth: too many. Most often, those words are being repeated over and over again, without any explanation of what exactly the author means and what is the clue of those paragraphs.

Let’s be honest: a tribe building begins with you. What qualities you possess. What you do for your audience. If you’re afraid to record spoken instastories or show your face because “people will go away,” – maybe you’re right, but even if it happens, what’s the point of having an unengaged community which doesn’t value your true self?

Instagram is full of creators trying to fake their online image, so don’t be one of them – it doesn’t work. As the old saying goes: the easiest way to be outstanding and unique is to be you. 

 

 

Start implementing those tips to see the change. You may not be thrilled that you’re being judged – but it’s the reality we have to accept and make the most of our psychological knowledge. 

Catch you later – stay with us; we’re going to share a vast portion of the content marketing experts’ secret sauce. We’re posting new tips & tricks a few times a week, so stay tuned for lots of credible materials coming this way!

If you have questions or doubts, you can always start a convo with us by commenting below or sending us a DM on Instagram!