Incase you have randomly stumbled onto this blog post with absolutely no clue what a bookstagram is, I will enlighten you. An instagram account where you post all things books… a bookstagram! If that sounds vaguely interesting to you, then keep reading because I am going to share my advice on how to be someone who unapologetically talks about books all day long to strangers on the internet… a bookstagrammer! Now, don’t get me wrong, I am by no means an expert in this field as I have only been in this community for just over six months. However, I feel like I has a good grasp on the basics of creating and growing a bookstagram account which I would love to teach others so they can be a part of this wonderful corner of the internet as well!
First things first, you need to think of a good username. I would recommend something that is short and snappy that people will remember opposed to a very longer username with lots of underscores. This is the first thing people will see and know about your bookstagram account so you want to give them some important information: what you account is all about and who you are. For example, my username across all my platforms is Read With Ro. This tells people who I am through my name, Ro, and what it is I do, I read; as well as being short, snappy and memorable. I would encourage you to make your username and page personal as this is what people will know you as when you first join the community and it will help you engage with others and build friendships. I know it may be daunting at first to expose yourself on your social media platforms but people want to know that there is a friendly face behind the account.
While starting out with bookstagram it is important to post whatever you are interested in. If people are able to see that you are passionate and interested in what you post and talk about then they are more likely to engage and interact with you and your page. So, find the kind of posts that you want to put out there and the kind of posts you want to stray away from. For example, maybe you are only interested in posting book reviews and you don’t really want to get involved with any of the book tags or challenges. Just because something is popular in the bookstagram community, doesn’t mean you need to do it! With that being said, it is also important to experiment. Taking inspiration from other book accounts you love, try out different layouts for your posts, include cool and unique props (these can be anything from candles, flowers, pets, food etc.) and experiment with stories, reels and IGTVs. Really, just be as creative as possible. By doing this you will find the things you personally love to do and see on your page which will help you naturally create a style and theme for your account. Having a theme for your bookstagram doesn’t need to be anything crazy, it can literally be having highlighting aspects on you page and in your posts as your favourite colour, using the same background for your pictures or changing up the brightness into your photos depending on the season. Once you have figured out what you like you can then look into using filters or presets to up your booksta game.
In terms of growing your account, I have two life-changing tips. The first is to post consistently! This does not need to be everyday if you don’t want it to be. You could start by doing one feed post a week while updating your stories every few days with reading updates and experimenting with instagrams extra features such as reels. Once you think you have mastered that or if you decide want to post more, you can change you posting schedule to suite you. Posting consistently will help you grow your account and reach new people every day. My second tip would be to engage with other bookstagram accounts in a genuine way. When you comment on others posts, reply to people’s stories and reach out through DMs you are engaging with other people who will then engage with you back – and that is how beautiful booksta friendships are formed!
My number one, biggest, most important tip is to be yourself! If your page is a true reflection of who you are and what you love, people will be attracted to you and want to interact with you. If you focus on the content you should love making, the people you are engaging with and making friends, instead of the number of followers and likes, your engagement will come naturally.
To anyone thinking of starting a new venture, whether that be a blog, youtube channel or a bookstagram account… do it! And I hope these tips help you through it hehe 🙂 Sometimes the things that are most difficult to build up the courage to do, end up being the most reward and heartwarming things in our lives. I am super thankful that I chose to join the bookstagram community during the summer purely for the things I have learned and the people I have met!
Ro x
Read With Ro 