Create an Instagram Feed People Want to Follow and Take a Better Running Selfie

“Does someone follow you around to take your photos?!”

This is possibly still one of my favorite questions received {thanks Terese}. I love that people have wondered for awhile now I get my running photos on Instagram, so I thought I’d share some tips, tricks and ramblings.

I don’t do a lot of blogging tips around here because I know you’ve got plenty of resources for them, but hopefully this one still falls under your fabulous list of runner needs!

Admittedly for me Instagram has become one of my favorite places to share. Because my whole world revolves around cranking out written content, I’ve found that the photos give me a moment to step back and be a little more creative. They’re also a chance for me to hopefully continue showing others than running is fun dang it!
Let’s talk about how to take better Instagram photos, who might inspire you and more!

Social Media is Supposed to be Fun

Let’s talk about his before we dive in to the tips. I know you’re here probably thinking as a business person about how to grow your following or get more interactions…and honestly that’s your biggest issue.

People do business with other people and Instagram is the place for creating connections, community and relationships. The second you flip that switch mentally it becomes so much more fun and you’ll find the RIGHT people WANT to engage with you!

Here’s one of my recent favorites where I got to know everyone:

FRIENDS not followers, that’s the goal of this community, so time to share!! // Tell me something non-workout related about yourself! Where you went to school? Musical talent? Dream of being on Survivor?? Whatever! // Here’s a few of mine! 1. I graduated from Journalism School 2. I lived in Kansas City, Miami, Orlando and now Denver 3. I played the violin poorly and the clarinet pretty well! 4. I was always the tallest girl, but not aggressive enough to be good at basketball. 5. I’m an only child. 6. I had a dog that looked exactly like Lassie growing up. 7. My list of places to travel is ever growing, but I’m loving long flights less and less. 8. One year I thought I had pink eye all summer, it was actually an allergy to magnolia trees in Atlanta. // Ok you go!!!!

A post shared by Amanda Brooks:Running Blogger (@runtothefinish) on Jun 19, 2018 at 4:48am PDT

Why Aren’t People Following You?

I don’t follow a ton of people on Instagram and there is a reason for that.

I’m about to get really REAL with you. Some of you will not agree and that’s ok. I’m almost 37 and realize I can’t please most people, myself included, so I can just be honest.

— If every photo is just your watch or your face, it’s not interesting.
— If every photo is your baby and we’ve never met, I feel like a total creeper hitting like.
— If I can’t get a sense of who you are or what you’re about from looking at your feed, why follow?
— If you’re just promoting your blog posts, well I’m already getting that on other channels.
— If I feel bad about myself because you post only your abs with a comment about needing to lose weight..no
— Sometimes I might love you, but you post only food and darn it makes me hungry so I may not follow.
— Your photos are bad. Sorry, but it’s true, I like pretty photos.

Here’s what’s interesting about that list, sounds harsh, but it’s exactly what most people are thinking.

A fun video on what not to do and how I get some of my crazy photos.

Who do I follow? Who do people want to follow?

I think this is important because it’s what you all want to know…how do you get more quality followers.

• People with beautiful photos that excite me
• People who comment consistently on my photos and create that community feeling
• People who make us feel good when looking at their photos, through their words or the way they engage us
• People who make us laugh with hilarious memes

  

• People who teach us new things (recipes, exercises, etc)
• Creative feeds – could be pretty photos, could be style, could be something totally unique
• Inspiring fitness (this is not women in skimpy fitness gear)
• I look at who the accounts I like are following.
• I go through hashtags all the time and see what people are posting to find new faces
• Runners with great shots, doing cool things and sharing the journey
• Travelers with inspiring shots
• Friends, Blends, Bloggers I’ve known for ages

Example of a feed I follow just to keep my creative thoughts going…sure I am mostly on there for fitness or travel, but breaking out of your standard is a great way to get ideas.

And something you can quickly learn here about how to take a better Instagram selfie, put the phone to the side and try different angles. I’m going to talk about how you get a full body selfie in a second!

What is your goal on Instagram?

Obviously all of these tips only apply if you use Instagram as part of your blog and not just for personal sharing. But this one is really key!!!

If someone finds a great photo of yours from #runchat, what happens next?
– They click through to your profile
– They quickly scan to see if you are someone they want to follow
– If you have a bunch of running photos they feel validated in your hashtag and start following
– If you had 1 running photo amidst 22 of your baby, PJ’s and random food…they have just a few seconds to figure out if they want to follow you and as of yet don’t know you personally so they move on.

This is why MEGA players have multiple accounts. Each account caters to a different audience – 1 that’s all fitness, 1 that’s personal, 1 that’s food, whatever the case may be. That doesn’t mean you can’t share different photos, checkout this feed which blends it all nicely with a cohesive health theme.

You don’t need to have a set posting pattern the way I do, trust me it can be a pain to always remember my 3rd photo must be a quote, but I LOVE that look for me. Maybe you love white space or bright colors or tons of black and white, find a theme to make your feed cohesive no matter what you are sharing.

See here how one goes for a much lighter feel to all photos and the other loves color saturation, both are great and CONSISTENT.
I’m going to now talk about how I talk photos without a professional. But honestly, it’s pretty amazing if you can spend some time once in awhile with a friend who knows their camera or an actual pro to get a bunch of great photos like Ashley does.

How to Take Better Instagram Photos?

Once I started following many of the feeds noted above, I wanted to up my game. I started really examining their photos, learning about photography, composition and all the many tools that would make a photo look better.

When it comes to running there are a few things that make a big difference:

LIGHT
Most of us are morning or evening runners and it’s really hard to get a running Instagram photo with your iPhone that isn’t blurry. If you want a photo in motion try to take it when you have the most available light and yes sometimes that might mean planning to go get a photo even after you’ve finished a run.
TRIPOD
No, I do not run with a tripod. It would certainly make getting photos easier, but really who needs one more thing to carry. Instead, I have learned to as Tim Gunn would say “make it work”.

• Have a water bottle with you? Perfect lean your phone against it.
• Look for a bench, a tall trash can, whatever is nearby and provides a flat surface. I’ve used the water fountain spigot to prop my phone up!
• My phone is in a LifeProof case so when it inevitability falls in the dirt or sand, no biggie.
• Occasionally for a campaign photo I ask David to come out with me, but 90% of the time it’s a make shift tripod.

TIMER
In low light situations I use the Camera+ app with a timer. It takes only 1 shot and tends to be more focused, which reduces the potential blur of the motion. HOWEVER, it also means taking numerous photos to get the one you want.

Now that the built in camera timer takes multiple photos it really is much easier to get the right shot if you can use it (again in bright light). Set the timer and watch it count down a few times so you have an idea of the rhythm.

Play with your angels! There are so many ways to add you to the photo without being a selfie once you start using the timer.

• Try running towards the camera
• Running with your side to the camera
• Sitting on the ground after a workout wiping up the sweat
• Doing a plank, push up, pull up
• Really just look at Instagram and use that great save button to create a gallery of ideas you can look at next time you go to take photos

COMPOSITION
Every run I’m noticing things as I fly by {wishful thinking, it’s often a slow “yog”}. Those gorgeous flowers, that pretty fountain, the sunrise sky…how can I capture them to showcase where I’m at? People like to see you in the photo, but they need some context to actually make it interesting.
Sunrise and sunset are always winners, so look for ways to show off either while running or capture a stretch. The rule of thirds will serve you well in all photos!! This is always a rule that can be broken as it has above, but for the most part you want the real focus of your photo to be where one of the lines cross.

APPS
What happens after the photo is often the real magic. Most Instagramers whose feed you look at and go “ohhh that’s pretty” or interesting or neat, use apps.
Sometimes you see a shot that looks great, but just isn’t coming out right on your phone…or hey let’s be honest we don’t always have time for multiple photos. Try playing with Snapseed first, it’s one of the best overall apps for editing and then if you need text Over is a great option.

Here you can see I pulled up the brightness and reduced shadows and the result was more in line with what I wanted to share. While it’s more overfiltered than the images I now share, it was a step in the right direction and a good illustration!

Photo Bank
I stopped trying to post my current days run and that did two things:

1. Eliminated stress and interruption to my workout
2. Gave me time to get better photos
3. Gives you more options to match what you feel like sharing for the day
4. Ensures you stop sharing just photos of your face or watch

Now I plan ahead to get 3 or 4 photos when I’m somewhere interesting and plan to spread them out in usage. Having a bank of images to pull from makes it more fun to find one that fits the mood of what you want to share that day!

Hope these tips and ideas have given you something to think about! Let me know when you test them out and the results!!
Do you have a theme to your Instagram photos?

What’s your best tip for a great photo?

Other ways to connect with Amanda
Instagram Daily Fun: RunToTheFinish

Facebook Community Chatter: RunToTheFinish

Get more running tips: Pinterest