5 Ways To Stand Out On Instagram Using Passion & Purpose

So you’re ready to finally stand out on Instagram, hey? Make a bold move & become an influence in your niche, yeah?!

Well, luckily for you girl, you’re in the right place.

You have been led here for a reason (aka, you’re ready to kick ass & become an authority on Instagram) and girl, I’m dying to help.

But before I go rambling on about how standing out on Instagram is all about using stories, keeping up with the latest trends & all that jazz, lemme tell you something…

It’s not.

To truly stand out on Instagram you have to invest in yourself. You have to be willing to get real, authentic & down-right “you” with your strategy.

Standing out isn’t about become the best in the field, not in the slightest. And, if that’s what you’re thinking this post is going to do for you, then bye felicia 👋

I’m not here to tell you to start posting photos 3 times a day, 2 of which are duck-faced selfies showing off your brand spankin’ new tan.

Nor am I here to tell you that the only way to stand out is to show off everything wonderful about your life & take on a superstar persona.

I am here to help you stand out on Instagram using tried & tested techniques filled with purpose & passion.

Aka – you’ve gotta be willing to be YOU.

So, now that we’ve got the logistics all sorted, it’s time to dive into my list of 5 passion-and-purpose-fuelled ways to stand out on Instagram.

You ready?

5 Ways to Purposefully Stand Out On Instagram

#1 –  Keep connected with your audience using Instagram Stories

People love people – real human connection, someone to relate to & someone to connect with.

And, what better way to keep in touch with your audience than to utilise one of the greatest tools to have hit Instagram in a long time?!

Using Instagram Stories to keep your audience connected is a smart move girl. Not only are you able to grow your blog with Instagram stories, but you’re able to grow your likeability factor by showing who you truly are & allowing your audience into your life (as much or as little as you like).

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If you have the time, aim to update your Instagram stories each day or every few days.

Of course, you don’t have to bombard your followers with every little thing you do, eat or say – but keeping them updated is bound to help build those connections.

Why? Because you’re letting them in.

Using Instagram Stories you can allow your audience into another area of your life that may not be showcased on your perfectly planned feed. And, remembering back to that first point I made – people love people.

So if you’re ready to make use of Instagram stories to start standing out but can’t work out where to begin, here are just a few ideas to get you going:

• Share behind the scenes of a new product or project you’re working on
• Celebrate a success of yours & talk about how you got there
• Ask your audience for advice – get them involved in your decision making
• Show your customers how you hand wrap each of their orders like Kayla from Tribe Skincare often does 👇

#2 –  Create a unique visual feed on the gram’

Rather than using those shabby ol’ pics from 2010 that you shot on your old iPhone 4 & completely boring your audience, amp up your photography game & invest in some quality snaps girl! No Snapchat filters allowed 🙅‍♀️

And, luckily for you babe, technology has come so far over the years & you no longer need a fancy DSLR camera to take wicked pics for social media. You can literally shoot #allthethings using just your trusty smartphone!

Once you’ve determined what kind of Insta-theme you’re aiming to achieve on your feed, you’ll need to start shooting or sourcing your photos.

And, for those of you gals that aren’t super confident with your photography skills [yet], there are other options.

Here are a few of the many ways you can create a unique visual feed & stand out on Instagram:

• Shoot your own editorial shots & flatlays
• Create a unique editing style and jazz up your basic smartphone snaps
• Source free stock photos using sites like Pexels & Pixabay (they’re my favs)
• Repost content from other Instagrammers (just be sure to give credit to their work)
• Purchase quality stock photography from places like my Creative Market shop or through subscription services

Or, if you like the sound of all of these options, use them all & mix it up girl! I currently do this on my feed & boy oh boy, do I love the final results!

Work with your branding style, colour choices & brand “vibes” and then go for your life. Create (or find) the images that best represent your vision and collaborate them into a unique feed for your audience to enjoy.

Not sure how to choose your colour palette for your feed? Check out this post over on DYOB that’ll help you decide in no time!

#3 –  Work with other Instagrammers

Whether you have a small or large network of online bff’s, working with other ladies just like you is one of the best ways to stand out on Instagram. Fo’ real.

I mean, by working with other #bossbabes you’re both building credibility and growing your following at the same time! What’s not to love about that?!

Plus, not only are you supporting other creative babes, but they’re supporting you too. Community over competition for the win! 🙌

It’s all about building a sense of community, a sense of being & belonging. And, when you’re working with other Instagrammers, you’re doing just that.

There are a-million-and-one different ways to stand out on Instagram by working with other gals just like you. But, if you’re not sure where to start, I got you –

• Take over each others Instagram Stories & teach your different audiences something you’re each knowledgeable in
• Create some unique captions for them to use on their feed & have them do the same
• Showcase your work on their feed & have theirs featured on yours (just make sure it’s a visual match with your branding!)
• Go live on Instagram together & host a free online training!

So, what are you waiting for? Grab your phone, crack your fingers & get ready to reach out to other creative babes & start building that network girl! 👯‍♀️

#4 –  Write drool-worthy, storytelling captions

Gone are the days when you could just post a pretty photo on social media & get an instant influx of likes and comments. Nowadays, if you truly want to stand out on Instagram and build an engaged following, you’ve got to create wicked copy.

Copy = writing/words (aka. captions)

Copy is the way of the future.

And, whilst I’ve already gone into detail on engagement-killing captions in this post, I’ll tell you this here & now girl – captions are everything.

Without great copy, your post is just a photo. And yes, whilst the old saying is “a photo is worth a thousand words”, this isn’t always true.

Tell a story with your images & infuse passion into your captions. Ditch the robotic tone & be yourself, flaws and all. People love people, remember?

Evoke emotions within your audience & allow them to feel something by reading your captions.

Talk about your life, tell a story and be completely honest & raw. Show your audience that you’re a human too – your life has ups & downs, just as theirs do.

My girl Eloise from The Creative Charm is a boss at this over on her Instagram feed. She’s forever keeping it real & showing her audience that she too goes through personal struggles alongside her incredible successes.

And you know what? Eloise’s audience (including yours truly) commend her for that & love her even more for sharing this side of her life.

Can you see now? Relatability is everything.

Actually, this leads me to my next [& final] point…

#5 –  Be yourself, in all you freakin’ do

I know, I know. I’m always carry on about being yourself & remaining true to yourself and your values…

But girl, I’m telling you, even with everything else we’ve covered in this post, if you aren’t being yourself, then you will go nowhere.

This was one of the biggest lessons I learnt as an Instagram Influencer.

I constantly felt the need to fit in, to show people that I was totally & utterly perfect in all I did. But, humans are smart & can see straight through that kind of thing.

After a while, I saw the light. I realised something incredible – that if my audience doesn’t like who I am, then they aren’t the right audience for me.

You see, when you’re you, you’re attracting followers that love you for you, not the idea of you. What a mouthful. Go back & read that one slowly.

So, to truly stand out on Instagram, you have to be yourself in all you do. I’m talking about the photos you curate, the captions you write, the hashtags you choose, the comments you send.

No matter what the circumstance, where you end up or who you’re talking to, always be yourself & never feel bad about it. Infuse personality into all you do on Instagram & you are guaranteed to stand out in no time.

Pick your graphic to pin this post for later! ⤵