How I grew my Bookstagram to over 500 followers in one week
A step by step guide showing new bookstagrammers how to build their brand and gain followers.
The bookstagram community is this quaint little corner of Instagram filled to the brim with passionate readers sharing their recommendations and beautiful flat lays.
I joined this community as @booksmartcole a week ago because I love reading and sharing stories that allow me to step into a character's shoes for a while and experience the fantastical tales they are swept up in.
Disclaimer: This is why I mostly read Young Adult novels, Fiction, Romance, and Thrillers.
Now, if you’ve been enticed and decided you want to create a bookstagram of your own…
This is your jumping-off point.
Listen up #booknerds. I’m about to give you every tool you need to maximize the growth of your bookstagram.
Step 1: Pick out an original username
Pick out a username that represents you. Don’t copy a big bookstagram account and change up the username to fit you.
While this may be tempting, there needs to be originality and a sense of a genuine person to your account.
Step 2: Find an aesthetic and download Lightroom Mobile Presets
Find popular bookstagram accounts that have the aesthetic you desire. Some accounts have a light and dreamy feel, others are darker, and some have a specific color theme.
Once you’ve found an account you’d like to inspire your work, get on Etsy. Etsy sells beautiful presets for less than 5 dollars and the key to a great feed is consistency in photo editing.
I chose the LouMarksPhoto Lightroom Mobile Presets in Everyday Bright and downloaded them to my phone. I take my pictures using my iPhone 11 in portrait mode then use the Lightroom Mobile App to apply these presets to every photo.
Step 3: Take tons of pictures
Decide where you want to display your books. I set up my bookshelf and added plants and decorations.
Then, I took pictures of recent books I’ve read in a variety of formats. This has been essential in allowing me to have a lot of content to choose from when posting.
Here are a few examples of ways to pose your books to get you started:
The Peeking Out:
The Headless Horseman:
The Monochromatic Stack:
The Cozy Reading Pose:
The Floating Book:
Step 4: Post every day
Not only should you post to your bookstagram feed every day, but you should also update your Instagram story to tell your followers what you’re reading, doing, drinking, etc.
I love following bookstagrammers that I can connect with and who share their personality and interests on their accounts.
When it comes to reviewing and recommending books, think of a consistent format that you will stick to in your caption concerning word count, voice, and style.
When I post a book review, I split it up into two separate posts. One has the book’s number of pages, genre, and synopsis. The second has my rating and detailed review.
Step 5: Use 30 hashtags in each post
This is where we get into the nitty-gritty. While some people like putting their hashtags after their caption, I prefer putting my hashtags into a separate comment on my post.
Use the allotted 30 and change up your hashtags every time you post by personalizing it to the picture. Different hashtags on each picture helps the algorithm work in your favor.
Step 5: Follow other bookstagrams and engage often
Talking with other bookstagrammers has been my favorite part of creating an account. The bookstagram community welcomed me with open arms and people are still commenting “Welcome” on my first introduction post.
Comment on people’s posts and stories and reply back with more information. If someone comments a single word on your post, reply with a sentence or two expanding on why you enjoyed the novel(s) or what inspired the photo.
Caution: Do not direct message people and ask them to follow you back. The quality content you post on your page should entice people to follow you.
Step 6: Follow publishing companies and authors to tag in photos
Every photo I have on my feed is tagging the book’s publishing company, author, and any other brand that is featured in the picture.
This is great for getting noticed by publishers and getting them to engage with your content.
One perk of bookstagram is that if you have a big enough following and a reputation for great reviews, you can get #gifted books from authors and publishers to review.
Step 7: Stay updated on the current challenges and tag other bookstagrammers in them
This step really helps with creating a diversified feed. You have your reviews, recommendations, and then the challenges you participate in.
The latest challenge I participated in was #lastnownext. I posted a picture of the last book I’ve read, the current one I’m reading, and the one I’m reading next.
End of Chapter
There you have it. The 7 steps you need to begin a rewarding journey on bookstagram.
Let me know how you use these tools.
My next goal, reaching 1,000 followers in a month.