8 Common Mistakes Actors Make on Instagram

Instagram is a great place to show the world who you are and to give your fans a glimpse into your #actorslife beyond the stage or set.  But many actors don’t take advantage of this opportunity or, even worse, they use the platform incorrectly. Here are 8 of the most common mistakes you may be making on Instagram.

Posting too many images in a short period of time.

This is the easiest way to get unfollowed on Instagram. Have a bunch of interesting photos from your latest show? You can now post up to 10 photos in a single Instagram post. Tell your story with 1 great post instead of flooding your followers streams with 10 single images. Your followers will thank you for it!

You’re not using hashtags.

If you’re not using hashtags you’re not growing your audience. Period. Hashtags help you find fans beyond your followers.

You use too many (meaningless) hashtags.

No one talks in all hashtags. Make sure your captions contain only quality hashtags and you’re #not #hashtagging #every #meaningless #word. In the previous sentence my post would come up for people searching the words ‘not’, ‘hashtagging’, ‘every’, ‘meaningless’, and ‘word.’ How many new fans do you think I’ll actually get from those searches? Even better, put your hashtags in the first comment of the post and it won’t look so cluttered.

You’re a spoiler!

If you’ve been given the OK that you can post about your latest project always check that your on-set photos don’t give any information away about the plot of the show. Be careful about posting while on-set with the geotagging feature on. You may think you’re not telling them what project you’re working on, but your location (especially if you’re on a lot) may be giving your location away.

You post random, meaningless images

Instead, try posting Backstage or #onset photos (posted at the appropriate time), stage door photos, etc. give your fans something they can’t see anywhere else and give your fans a reason to follow you!

You post it and forget it.  

Instagram isn’t just about posting, it’s about engaging. When your fans see you responding they feel a personal connection to you. Every once in a while, check in to see what your fans are talking about by checking ‘Following’ under your activity tab. This may give you some ideas for new content on your feed.

You don’t tag the people, places and things in your photos!

Tag fellow cast members, crew or creatives. Don’t miss an opportunity! If your photo has a bunch of people in it tell your fans who they are and connect with your friends in the photo.

You don’t let your fans in.  

The artists who are really rockin' their social media have a nice balance of posts that are professional and personal. A big mistake actors make is they think because their social media is for their acting career that their posts have to be all acting related or industry related or all about their projects. Remember your audience wants to know about your next project but even more they want to know how you are just like them!  So give your fans and followers a backstage pass. A backstage pass not only on-set or at your next concert, but also give them a backstage pass into who you are!

When done right, Instagram is a fantastic tool for your acting career. Keep these #InstaMistakes in mind and you will be well on your way to #InstaSuccess!

Want a lil more help with your social media? Be sure to grab my (totally free) Ultimate Social Media Checklist for Actors that will have you rockin’ your social media for your acting career in no time. Enjoy!

See you on Social,

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Originally published on Backstage