9 Instagram Mistakes To Avoid(+ How To Fix Them)
You're pouring your heart and soul into your business, trying to make a name for yourself in your industry — and Instagram is not doing you any favors. What gives? Does the algorithm hate you? Is your account dead?
It’s natural to jump to these conclusions when you've been using Instagram to promote your business, but something just isn't clicking. You're not getting the engagement you deserve and can't seem to figure out why.
Well, the truth is, you might be making some common Instagram mistakes without even realizing it.
You're not alone! Even seasoned Instagram users struggle with the same issues on the platform. In this post, I’ll identify common Instagram mistakes — plus provide you with actionable tips to fix them. Growing your visibility and reach can start today by avoiding these Instagram mistakes and editing past ones.
Don’t worry. It’s not hard to fix these Instagram faux pas once you know about them. Let’s dive in!
Note: I didn’t included buying followers or engagement on this list. Accounts don’t recover once followers or engagement is purchased. It’s likely flagged as spam. Personally, I’d start over with a new account.
1. Your Bio Isn’t SEO Optimized
If you haven’t refreshed your bio in a while, now is an excellent time to give it an edit. Make sure your bio is clear and accurately states your services or products. Include a link to your website so your audience can easily access your homepage or the service you’re highlighting.
The name field in your Instagram bio is searchable, which means you can use keywords to get discovered quickly!
The name field is the text in bold right underneath your profile picture.
Use keywords that highlight what your Instagram profile or business is about to improve your chances of appearing in the top results for those services
The Fix: Include your niche/job title next to your name, so you’re easier to find in searches.
For example, my Instagram bio for my content strategy firm, Ascent StoryCraft, reads “Cyndi | Content Marketing.”
I included my first name because I’m a solopreneur, and I don’t outsource my posting or engagement.
People who choose to interact with my account are interacting with me, and it adds a personal touch if they know my name right away. I include “Content Marketing” in the name field because I want to be discovered for that service.
The next couple of lines in your bio should describe who you serve in your business and how you do it. Don’t forget to include a link to a Call to Action (CTA).
This is where you can invite users to read a recent blog post, download a freebie, or book a free consultation call. Your bio is the only live link you get on Instagram, so make it count.
Dive Deeper: How To Write The Perfect Instagram Bio
2. Not Using Relevant Hashtags
Confession: I hate talking about hashtags because people tend to put way too much stock in them. Hashtags are helpful, if you use them correctly, but they are not a silver bullet for better engagement or reach if the content is 💩. Sorry.
Here’s the deal with hashtags in 2023: Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags a post to increase the odds of your content landing at the fingertips of your target audience.
A little research goes a long way. As general hashtags for small businesses rule, focus on hashtags under 500k in size.
The most effective hashtags are the ones that fit into a thoughtful content strategy. Consider them a tactic in your overall Instagram marketing plan, because they are.
If you only take one thing away from this blog, let it be this: Only use relevant hashtags aka one that relates to the topic you're posting about and what your ideal client would search for on the platform. Relevant hashtags (which are essentially keywords for Instagram SEO) will get your content in front of the right eyes.
SEO, short for search engine optimization, can sound like a jargon term, but it essentially boils down to using the right words to get your content discovered online.
You could liken Instagram to a mini-Google. The app has added the ability to search for content with keywords rather than just hashtags. Using the search bar, you can now type in the term “Vegan Food” instead of #veganfood to find the top posts.
Dive Deeper: High Performing Hashtags for Small Businesses
3. Using Banned Hashtags
While we’re on the subject of hashtags, do not use banned hashtags.
Adding hashtags is a great way to reach your target audience — unless you accidentally include a hashtag that Instagram has flagged.
What the heck is a banned hashtag, you ask? Banned hashtags are hashtags that Instagram users have reported because the posts using them go against Instagram’s guidelines. This means that any post that uses that hashtag will be hidden, which will only hurt your organic reach and growth efforts.It is the fastest way to kill your reach.
Banned hashtags are frustrating because they seem so innocent!
Some of these banned hashtags seem harmless enough. Desk, dogsofinstagram, and curvy have all been nixed from the IG lexicon for some time now. Some more surprising ones in 2023?
#️Kickoff#️snowstorm#️Thought#️Valentinesday#️Hardworkpaysoff#️Killingit#️Kansas (Poor Kansas!)
So how do you know if you’re accidentally using a banned hashtag?
Head over to the magnifying glass on the bottom left
Go to the search bar and hit “tags”
Look up the hashtag you want to use
You’ll know it’s banned if you see a message that reads, “Recent posts for [hashtag] are hidden because some posts may not follow Instagram’s Community Guidelines.”
Tools like PreviewApp, Flick Hashtags, and Meta Hashtags can help you sidestep this social media faux pas, but I find that using Instagram directly is the fastest and most accurate way to spot a banned hashtag.
4. Posting at the Wrong Times
Timing is everything.
You want to post when your audience is around to see it. As a general rule, how your post performs within the first hour of hitting publish is a good indicator of its overall success. The more people around to see your post when you hit publish, the better the odds.
You can use your insights to get a good idea of your most popular post times — but that is just an estimate based on Instagram’s algorithm. There is another hack that I recently came across is a better predictor of optimizing your post timing than your insights page. Click your Instagram profile photo in the top left. Then scroll over to the “Live” feature to see how many of your followers are currently active.
Don’t worry. You won’t actually go Live by checking.
This trick will give you a real-time idea of how many of your followers and friends currently interact on the app — AKA the people interested in seeing your new content.
5. Not Engaging With Your Readers
I can say this enough. Don’t publish your beautifully crafted post and immediately leave the app.
If you want engagement, you need to be engaged with your current followers and potential new followers.
Try the 20-minute rule. Spend (at least) 20 minutes a day liking and leaving insightful comments on other accounts’ posts that align with your brand. I spend 10 minutes before I post and 10 minutes after I post engaging with other accounts to grow my engagement organically and in a meaningful way.
In that time, engage 20 posts from accounts you follow and follow you. Comment a word of support. Also, engage 10 new accounts that you want to connect with. Don’t neglect to answer all comments and DMS left on your page with more than an emoji.
Remember, Community over Competition. Engage with people who like and comment on posts in your niche too. It’s a great way to meet like-minded people and grow your online community authentically.
6. You Have a Bunch of Ghost Followers
This one isn’t your fault, but it is your responsibility. Fake accounts and inactive followers are killing your Instagram engagement. These engagement suckers are called ghost followers. To spot ghost followers on Instagram, you can keep these red flags in mind:
Accounts having 0 posts
Accounts that do not have any followers
Accounts with a strange username
Accounts that do not have any profile picture
As the saying goes, it’s better to have 100 people love you than a million people that sort of like you. The same goes for your Instagram audience.
There is a difference between a fake/bot follower and an inactive follower; fake/bot accounts have to go. They don't have thumbs and brains, so there is NO potential for them to interact, learn, or buy for you. And they'll lower your engagement rate.
When it's clear there is a real person on the other side of that unengaged handle, I won't remove them.
The biggest reason is that some followers aren't inclined to double-tap but can become clients. So many of the clients I gained from Instagram NEVER engaged with my content before signing on.
Dive Deeper: Removing Ghost Follower On Instagram To Increase Engagement
7. Boring, Vague, Or Google-able Content
There could very well be thousands of people who do what you do. How you do it makes it different.
Here's a sniff test for you, Google the topic of your last educational post. could you copy & paste the Google search results and end up with virtually the same post? If the answer is "yea, pretty much." This is a sign your content is lacking the "you" factor.
Being factually accurate is not enough to stand out. It's the bare minimum.
Vague advice veiled as educational content is a disservice. You audience wants to hear from YOU.
The fix: Pinpoint your point of view. Here are prompts to help:
Think About Popular Topics in Your Niche: Do You Agree? Disagree? Why? Why Not?
What Values/Philosophies/Experiences/Results Led You To These Conclusions?
What Are The Facts A Reader Really Needs To Understand This Topic Well?
How Can You Make It Actionable For Readers Based On The Facts & Your Experience?
8. Not Posting Consistently
If you’ve been in the online business for more than a nano second, you already know showing up consistently and providing value is fundamental to success. They might as well give you a mega-size coffee cup that says “Consistency is Key” when you start your brand’s Instagram page.
As much as it’s said, it’s totally true. While Beyonce can get away with posting once in a blue moon and still get millions of likes. We mere mortals don’t have that luxury. It’s important to post 3 to 5 times a week.
I have found that oftentimes small business owners become overwhelmed by content creation because they don’t have even a basic content strategy that provides a structure for creating and posting content that aligns with business goals and audience interest.
Dive Deeper: A Beginner’s Guide To Creating A Content Strategy
9. Ignoring Analytics
Ignoring Instagram analytics can be a costly mistake for anyone using the platform for their business. Here's why:
1. Missed Opportunities: Instagram analytics provides valuable insights into your audience's behavior and engagement with your content. By not paying attention to these metrics, you risk missing out on opportunities to optimize your strategy and improve your engagement.
2. Wasted Resources: Without understanding which content performs well and which doesn't, you may be wasting time and resources creating content that doesn't resonate with your audience. By focusing on the content that performs well, you can allocate your resources more efficiently and effectively.
3. Failure to Reach Goals: If you don't track your progress towards your Instagram goals, you may be unaware of whether or not you're making progress towards them. By analyzing your analytics, you can identify areas where you need to improve and adjust your strategy accordingly to achieve your goals.
4. Inability to Adapt: Instagram is constantly evolving, and what works today may not work tomorrow. By tracking your analytics over time, you can identify trends and changes in your audience's behavior and adjust your strategy accordingly to stay ahead of the curve.
By paying attention to your analytics, you can identify missed opportunities, allocate resources more efficiently, track progress towards your goals, and adapt to changes in the platform over time.
Dive Deeper: How To Perform An Instagram Audit
It is easy to blame the algorithm when your Instagram account is going sideways, but I promise the algorithm can be your friend.
By avoiding these mistakes and creating quality content consistently, you’ll be on your way to growing a following of fans who can’t wait to see your next post.
Happy Creating!
Cyndi, Owner of Ascent StoryCraft
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