Instagram (also known as IG) is among the most frequently used social networking sites. However, there are still many people who don’t use social media much and are not aware of the functioning. If you are considering learning how to use, this article is for you, which offers you an overview, its features, and how to use it.
Instagram | What is it about?
Instagram is a social networking site specifically built as a photo and video sharing platform, launched first on iPhone in October 2010 and later in April 2012 on Android. In April 2012, Facebook purchased Instagram.
Like other SNSs, it allows you to connect with other people from around the globe by following them. As a result, you get a news feed where recent posts from the people you follow appear. You can like, comment, or share those posts with others.
Instagram photos and video posts
You can post photos on Instagram, which get saved permanently until you delete them.
Instagram stories
IG supports the feature of stories that stay for 24 hours. However, if you want to save your stories, you can add them in highlights. If you are familiar with Snapchat, WhatsApp, or any other social networking site, you must be aware of the concept of stories.
Only your followers can watch your stories or other pictures if your account is private. However, if your Instagram account is public, anyone can watch your content.
Reels and IGTV
In addition to stories and posts, you can also share your video content in the form of reels or IGTV videos. Reels are short-term video clips that you can share easily, like the videos in TikTok. However, if you want to keep some long-form video in your Instagram profile, IGTV is for you.
Direct messaging
Instagram also provides you an option to communicate with your friends through a direct messaging service. In addition, you can check their profiles to have an idea of what is going on in their lives.
Setting up your Instagram profile
Installed IG application and has signed up for an account? Now you would be eager to know how you can set up your profile. Your Instagram profile is a hub for your content, photos, and videos. Here you can keep track of the people following you and the people you follow. You can also access all of your settings from here. Your profile is the first thing that people encounter when they follow you. So, it is recommended to display your bio, profile picture, and username to recognize you. The profile picture on Instagram is the icon-sized picture with the user name all over Instagram.
Bio is the space below your profile picture and followers, following stats, and above the highlights and picture portion. It is where you can give a brief description of you or your brand. This is where you can also add a link to your website or any other social networking site. You can bring about changes to your IG profile page by clicking “Edit profile” at any time.
Instagram | How it works?
IG is a highly visual SNS. The moment you open the app, you see a news feed flooded with recent posts from the people you follow. At the bottom of it, there is a menu from which you can navigate throughout the app and access different features.
Buttons at the bottom of the app
The five buttons below the app from left to right and their functions are as under;
Home
This is your main news feed from where you can scroll and view the photos and videos uploaded by your friends.
Search and Explore
The icon of magnifying glass takes you to the search page, where you can browse and explore content from the accounts you don’t follow and might be interested in.
Upload
The third plus-shaped button allows you to upload photos and videos by opening the camera within the app. You can also share the photos on Instagram by choosing directly from the camera roll of your cell phone. Before uploading the media, you can also edit them from various Instagram filters.
Activity
The heart icon shows the activity of your posts. It displays the likes and comments on your posts along with other updates.
Profile
Your profile icon takes you to your profile, where you can see your posts, bio, and highlights. You can also access settings from here.
How to post on Instagram?
Want to upload a photo or video on Instagram? Tap the plus icon in the middle, and you will see your media files there, select those you are intended to upload from your camera roll. From here, you can select up to 10 photos and videos to post at once.
Before uploading your pictures or videos, you can edit them through IG filters which make it easy for you to edit media with the help of preset visual overlays. For example, with the help of a willow filter, you can turn everything in the picture black and white, and Mayfair turns everything pink. After you upload, your post is ready to get likes and comments. However, there are some tasks that you can perform to make your posts more engaging.
Add captions
You can add captions relevant to your picture or video. You can say anything, use emojis, hashtags, and even mention someone by placing @ before writing that person’s username. Moreover, you can edit captions even after uploading the post and delete the caption if you don’t feel like having it.
Tag people
You can also tag people on pictures with you in it. When you tag others, they get a notification that you have tagged them in the activity feed.
Add location
You can add the location of the place where the photos were taken. When you click on a location tag, you can see the feed of other people on that location.
Share to other social accounts.
An amazing feature of Instagram allows you to share your Instagram post to other social accounts. By linking your Facebook, Tumbler, and Twitter with Instagram, you can post on multiple sites simultaneously.
2022 is a Brand New Year!
After reading this article, you must now have understood the interface of Instagram, how to post there, what its features are and how you can use it. You can have a personal profile where you can upload your pictures, and you can even use it as a business account where you can upload pictures to promote your business through Instagram business stores.
If you likes what you had read, check out our Google My Business Guide 2022
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