Social Media – The Official T.Ray

Instagram stories has to be one of my favorite features on the app. It allows you to repost, share, and create stories within a 24 hour time frame… and that just might be the best part! You’re able to tell & create an actual story for an entire day, I mean maybe that’s the content creating nerd that lives deep down inside of me….but that’s what makes stories so exciting to me!

Let’s say you don’t follow me on Instagram…. besides actually taking photos, editing them, and then sharing them to my feed, I have a whole life behind the scenes type of situation happening on my stories. To be quite honest, after watching my stories for about a week, you can get a feel for the type of content I’ll share day in and day out (unless something new and exciting is happening). I pretty much start with some inspirational quotes or messages that are either notes to myself or something that I feel will really help or bless someone. Then I’ll share my coffee process… I’m definitely sharing multiple stories about my coffee mugs and how excited I am for it to be steaming hot lol…. and then I’ll get into reposting content that I like. It may come off pretty weird that I have a whole system for sharing on my IG stories, but honestly I enjoy it and I get so many compliments and questions about them that it makes me realize that other people enjoy them too!

So I wanted to share some tips on how you can create aesthetically pleasing IG stories of your own.

First things first…. Post whatever you want! Your story is your story (literally & figuratively) and if someone doesn’t like it, they can definitely exit to the left! But really, the first step is find something that you enjoy sharing and make it your “thing” to post. For me, like I mentioned, I share my process of making coffee in the morning. It isn’t extravagant, and I’m sure it annoys people…. but it’s my story lol…. and I’ve made it my thing to share my coffee mugs to give the post a little flavor. With all this to say, my coffee posts are my “thing” for each morning. What’s your thing?

Next, the fun part……pick a theme. I’m not sure if you guys remember the days when IG first came out with story filters, but girl it was not cute! Now story filters are everything, and honestly the options are endless. Find a filter that bests fits your style and stick with it! I change my story filters all the time, however, whenever I find one that I really like, whenever I post an actual photo or video on my story, you better believe its going to have my favorite filter. Which leads to my next tip….

Be consistent! With your “thing”, with your theme, and with your content. Don’t just post once or twice…. do it all the time.

And the last thing on my list….. for now, don’t be afraid to save your stories and post them later. There is a such thing as batch story content *wink*

As a micro influencer, content creator, & blogger, I put a lot of thought into the content that I share on social media. Whether it’s a selfie, an OOTD (outfit of the day), a flat lay, a glass of wine……. or even a bouquet of roses, I truly put a lot of thought & effort into all of the photos that I post. Over the years, I’ve truly learned that Instagram is a real digital portfolio…. the amount of connections, partnerships, & relationships that can be made on social media are endless. And because I’m a strong believer in aesthetics, quality, and sharing content…. I’ve put together a list of 3 simple steps on how you can Self Audit your feed on Instagram.

(Disclaimer: I’m not a professional auditor, however I have noticed a huge difference in the feedback that I receive from my audience)

Step 1: Determine your goal. What exactly do you want to share with your followers that will inspire them, motivate them, teach them, and bring them back for me? In my case, my goal is to share my personal style, my love for beauty products, my favorite wines, and just every day moments. My goal is to inspire my audience to believe that without God in my life nothing I am or nothing I have would be possible. I try to inspire them to try the products I use, motivate them to believe in themselves, & if they want to try something… encourage them to just go for it.

Step 2: Choose a consistent theme. What vibe are you going for? Do you want your photos to be bright and vibrant? Do want them to be soft and subtle. Black & White? Whatever you decide, just remember that a consistent look is always cleaner and it will always grab your audiences attention. There are tons of apps with great presets to suit whatever look/vibe you want to go for…. and if you want to know which app I use, just check out my post on my favorite editing apps.

Step 3: Are you giving variety with your content? Is EVERY picture you a selfie? A quote? A meme? To be honest, all of that is cool…. but at some point it gets a little boring. Once you determine the type of content you want to share, start to think of different ways to showcase your content. Something that can be very helpful is using a grid that can help with photo placement (I also share the app that I use for photo placement in my Top 4 Favorite Editing Apps post).

Once you’re able to complete all 3 of these steps, you should be able to determine what photos deserve their rightful place on your feed. And always remember…..ARCHIVE NOT DELETE! *wink*