Are you on Instagram? Well unless you live under a rock or you just have disavowed social media, chances are that you are on the Facebook-owned photo sharing platform! Instagram is great, but here are some tools that we all need in order to make our feeds shine! I have been using Instagram for my blog since 2013 and I have learned a lot about the platform! It doesn’t make me a master, but after growing to 13.4k on Instagram (where you should totally follow me if you don’t already!), I have worked really hard to create a theme that I am proud of! These are 4 apps that I use to create my feed, but also that will really help you get the most out of your own feed and content creation! *now – @jordan.taylorc*
1. Snapseed
Snapseed is my life. I love it a lot more than VSCO cam because to me, it reminds me of Lightroom, but on my phone. It doesn’t downgrade the quality of my photos and after the release of the iPhone 7, now you can edit RAW photos right in the app. Snapseed is great for people who are really picky *cough cough bloggers and photographers* about their feed/theme/content overall. With their tools, you can increase the exposure, white balance, contrast, shadows, sharpening, etc. right on the app and even send it straight to Instagram for posting. If you’re an Instagrammer, Snapseed is a great app so you can control how your content really looks!
You can find Snapseed on the Apple Store here and on the Google Play Store here to download for Free!
2.Focalmark
I just found out about Focalmark a few days ago, but it’s changed how I Instagram! I have a love/hate relationship with hashtags because they work sometimes, but they can also be the death of my content. With the shadowban coming for Instagrammers around the world, Focalmark is a big help in battling these tools as it creates a set of hashtags perfect for your post, but also tailored to YOUR content. How awesome is that?! I’ve been using it to recreate the hashtags I use for my posts and it really has helped me reach new people and boost my audience! I definitely recommend giving it a try if your hashtag game is lacking!
You can find Focalmark on the Apple Store here and on the Google Play Store here to download for Free!
3. UNUM
If you’re someone like me, you like to plan in advance. There are many tools out there that do the same thing, but UNUM actually does it better and for free. You can use UNUM to plan your visual content right on the screen. The set up is reminiscent of the 3×3 grid that is used on Instagram at present. You can see how the new posts will look on your feed before you post them. Plus, you’ll be able to hide/switch/plan posts out for days ahead of time. It also allows you to schedule your posts so if you know a great time that works on specific days, use it to your advantage and it will send you an alert when it’s time to post.
You can find Unum on the Apple Store here and on the Google Play Store here to download for Free!
4. Airdrop/Google Drive
This last one isn’t necessarily an app. If you are an iPhone user, Airdrop has become my best friend in order to transfer content from my laptop to my phone. It doesn’t decrease the quality of your photos when transferring. This is the biggest bonus because I can send RAW photos to edit in Snapseed OR multiple photos from shoots at once. It’s a great function between the laptop and iPhone, so I can’t imagine not having it! If you don’t have Airdrop (sorry Android users), try out Google Drive! If you have drive on both your laptop and phone, you can do basically the same as Airdrop. You have to open the app and save it instead of directly being able to photos. It still has all of the same benefits!
You can find Snapseed on the Apple Store here and on the Google Play Store here to download for Free!
I really hope these really help you take your Instagram up to the next level. If so, let me know in the comments what your Instagram is! I loved coming up with these and I really had to think about my process for Instagram! These apps really helped me ramp up my Instagram over the last year. They won’t break the bank, so enjoy!