Over the by few years, Instagram has seen exponential growth — from one meg users at its inception to over one billion in 2022.

If you're interested in getting an Instagram account, or just created one but aren't sure how to use it, you lot're in luck. Hither, we're going to cover all the nuts, and then you can learn why Instagram is the top social media platform for appointment today.

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It's hard to remember a time before Instagram. At one time, "Do information technology for the 'gram" was a common proverb, which meant, essentially, "Do something so we tin take a pic and post it to Instagram."

Since and then, Instagram has placed a larger and heavier emphasis on video. So you lot no longer hear the phrase "Do it for the 'gram." I bet, though, that a second version of the phrase will presently follow. (Possibly "Do it for reel?")

If you're not part of the one billion users on Instagram, you lot might desire to reconsider. The app is a great chance to engage with summit brands and stay a part of friends' lives. When I want to see how my college friends are doing, I don't check Facebook, I cheque Instagram. Plus, you can follow your favorite celebrities or political figures to see candid photos of their everyday lives.

Additionally, it's a astounding platform for investigating what other brands are doing — for instance, Nike uses the Instagram Stories' feature to promote inspirational athlete stories you won't observe anywhere else.

If you lot're fix to sign up for Instagram, follow these steps below:

  • Go to the Instagram site on your desktop, or download the Instagram app from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).
  • If you're on desktop, click "Log in with Facebook", or fill in the form with your mobile number or electronic mail, name, username, and password. And so click "Sign upwardly".
  • On Android, click "Sign Upward With Email or Telephone Number".
  • On iPhone, select "Sign Up".
  • Enter your electronic mail address or phone number, and then click "Side by side". Alternatively, you tin sign up with your Facebook account.
  • Once you've filled out your username and password, you will be instructed to fill out your contour info. Then, tap "Washed".
  • If yous register with Facebook, yous'll demand to log into your Facebook business relationship if you're currently logged out.

How Do Instagram Notifications Work?

When your account is created, you'll desire to adjust your notifications so yous but receive the information y'all desire. For case, you can cull to receive notifications when you go likes from everyone — but, alternatively, you might decide to only receive notifications when you get a like from someone you follow. Or, you might plough off notifications for likes altogether.

You lot can adjust notifications to "Off", "From People I Follow", or "From Everyone", for the following categories — Comments, Annotate Likes, Likes and Comments on Photos of Y'all, Follower Requests, Accustomed Follow Requests, Friends on Instagram, Instagram Direct, Photos of Y'all, Reminders, Start Posts and Stories, Product Announcements, View Counts, Support Requests, Live Videos, Mentions in Bio, IGTV Video Updates, and Video Chats.

If yous're overwhelmed by that list, I get it — I am, too. If you're unsure what notifications yous want to receive, you might commencement with your notifications on "From Anybody", and if sure notifications begin to annoy you, you tin can plow them off later.

To customize which notifications you receive, follow these steps:

1. Open the Instagram app on your telephone.

First up, open up the Instagram app on your mobile device. You tin can also access Instagram on desktop if yous prefer. Then, head to your profile past clicking the paradigm of your profile picture on the bottom right.

how to change instagram notification settings: access profile

2. Access "Settings."

After you arrive at your profile, click the hamburger menu on the top right-hand corner.

how to change instagram notification settings: access settings

A popup carte du jour will announced. Tap "Settings."

how to change instagram notification settings: tap settings

3. Tap "Notifications."

On the side by side screen, click "Notifications."

how to change instagram notification settings: enter notifications settings

There, you'll exist able to alter the notification settings depending on category. These categories include:

  • Posts, Stories, and Comments
  • Post-obit and Followers
  • Direct Messages and Calls
  • Live and Video
  • Fundraisers
  • From Instagram
  • E-mail and SMS
  • Shopping

how to change instagram notification settings: view all notification categories

Y'all also have the ability to pause all notifications past toggling the Break All option upwards top.

4. Cheque off the notifications you want to receive.

Access each category individually and choose the notifications you desire to receive. Hither are the options, for example, for "Posts, Stories, and Comments":

how to change instagram notification settings: toggle notification settings

The options will vary depending on category.

And that'due south it! Side by side, let's explore how to connect your other social media accounts to your Instagram, so when you post an prototype to Instagram, yous can share it with your other online audiences, besides.

Tin you connect to Instagram to other social accounts?

Yes, you tin connect Instagram to Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, but it'southward no longer done through Settings, equally it used to be.

Now, you practice it on a per-post basis.

If you lot want to share a mail service to other platforms, you lot navigate to the actual post you want to cross-publish on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, and then manually share it that mode.

Hither's how:

1. Open up the Instagram app.

2. Navigate to your profile.

three. Tap on the post you'd similar to cantankerous-mail.

4. Click the three dots on the meridian right-hand corner of the post.

how to link instagram to other social accounts: access post settings

5. On the pop-up menu, click "Share."

how to link instagram to other social accounts: tap share on the post Note: Don't click "Share to," which will give you an choice to AirDrop or share the post to your contacts.

6. Toggle the accounts you'd like to share the post to. If y'all're non already signed in, you'll need to do so right within the Instagram app.

how to link instagram to other social accounts: toggle the social accounts

Once yous've continued your accounts for one post, you can and so toggle the sharing options for any new posts without needing to sign in once again.

If you connect Instagram to Facebook, you can share your Stories across both accounts. We talk more most how to practice that beneath.

How to Connect Instagram to Facebook

Since Instagram and Facebook are owned by the same company, Meta, you lot can connect the two accounts for a more seamless experience. Connecting your Instagram and Facebook accounts allows yous to:

  • Share Stories across both Instagram and Facebook
  • Login with Facebook into Instagram
  • Sync your contour name and picture across both profiles
  • Utilise Facebook Pay on both platforms
  • Access your shopping activity on both accounts

If yous're a frequent Facebook user, then connecting your account to your new Instagram profile is highly recommended. Here's how:

1. Open up upward your Instagram app.

2. Click on your profile picture on the bottom right-hand corner.

3. Click the hamburger menu on the top right-manus corner.

four. Tap "Settings."

5. Nether the Meta logo, tap "Accounts Center."

how to connect facebook to instagram: tap account center in settings

6. Tap "Set upwards Accounts Center."

how to connect facebook to instagram: click set up accounts center

seven. Follow the prompts to log in into Facebook.

Washed! Your two accounts are now connected. Here's how information technology'll look similar once you're finished:

how to connect facebook to instagram: final result

In the adjacent department, I'll show you when a linked account comes in handy.

Upload, Edit, and Post an Image

At present, for the most important part of Instagram — how to upload and post an image.

Instagram is an entirely visual platform. Dissimilar Facebook, which relies on both text and pictures, or Twitter, which relies on text alone, Instagram's sole purpose is to enable users to share images or videos with their audience.

On Facebook, you might choose to post 100 photos on an anthology. On Instagram, you lot need to exist choosier about which photos you lot post. There are a few reasons for this — first, yous don't desire to postal service more than once a solar day (typically). And you don't want to mail service as well many similar photos.

For instance, it would be odd for you to postal service fifty photos from the aforementioned beach vacation on your Instagram profile. Instead, you might choose five or six, and place them all inside the same postal service.

(These are called carousel posts, and they permit you lot to share multiple photos in one postal service merely. Carousel posts are crawly for posting similar pictures in 1 package while keeping your overall profile aesthetic diverse.)

Curious about creating an aesthetic? To acquire more than most Instagram account themes and get inspiration, have a look at these Instagram themes. Additionally, if y'all want to embark on a deep-dive, you can take HubSpot'south Instagram Marketing Course.

Now that nosotros've covered that, let'south explore how to upload, edit, and mail service an image.

1. Click the "+" icon at the superlative-right manus corner.

When yous tap the "+" icon, y'all'll be prompted to cull the blazon of mail you desire to share. Since we want to publish a post directly on our profile feed, tap "Post."

how to upload an image to instagram: click the plus button

2. Choose your media file.

Here, you lot have three options. You can wait through your Photos library on your phone, yous can take a new motion picture from right inside Instagram, or you tin take a new video. For our purposes, I looked through my Photos library and plant a picture show of Boston I wanted to utilize. Then, I clicked "Next" in the tiptop right.

how to upload an image to instagram: choose media

3. Add together filters if desired.

In that location are two categories you can utilize to edit your paradigm — "Filter" and "Edit". Instagram automatically shows you filters starting time. You can scroll through the carousel and click whatever of the filters to utilise it to your image.

Additionally, if you desire to use a filter but you want to tone it downwards, double tap the filter and move the cursor to the left to lessen the intensity of the filter.

how to upload an image to instagram: add filters

4. Edit your paradigm if desired.

Side by side, click "Edit". Hither, you can suit dissimilarity, brightness, construction, warmth, and more. When you lot're happy with your edited epitome, or if you lot don't desire to edit information technology at all, click "Next" in the top right.

how to upload an image to instagram: edit image

5. Write a caption and toggle sharing settings.

Now, you tin add together a explanation, tag people (y'all can only tag someone if they also take an Instagram business relationship), and add together a location. Additionally, click the push button abreast Facebook or some other linked social media account to share your prototype on that platform, as well. When you're ready to publish, click "Share" in the top right.

how to upload an image to instagram: add caption

If you don't want to utilize your app to mail service on Instagram, you can also practice so from your computer. Learn how to post to Instagram from a Mac or PC here.

Upload an Image or Video to Your Stories

Instagram Stories is a characteristic that allows you to mail service videos or images that disappear after 24-hours. Instagram'southward Stories characteristic is like to Snapchat in terms of content — users oft mail more casual and candid videos and images, offering glimpses into their every twenty-four hour period lives.

For instance, on your normal feed, you might post a heavily-edited flick of yourself and friends at a baseball game game. But y'all might mail a more than candid video to your Story of the stadium singing "Sweet Caroline".

To acquire how to upload an image or video to your Stories, follow these steps:

1. Tap your profile movie in the upper left-hand corner.

Alternatively, swipe right on your feed or tap the "+" button in the top navigation bar.

how to upload a story to instagram: access the story camera

two. Capture or add your media.

Once you're within the Stories characteristic, you can accept a picture or video right from within the app. Alternatively, if you lot have an image saved to your phone that you'd like to use, you tin can choose it from your media library.

how to upload a story to instagram: capture media

3. Add stickers or filters.

On the left-mitt side, y'all have a few different editing features.

The "Create" button lets you lot add a location, hashtag, fourth dimension, date, and other fun images or emojis to your picture.

how to upload a story to instagram: add stickers and filters

The "Boomerang" option allows y'all to create a looping video. And the "Aa" icon is your text button. Once you click "Aa", you take the option to change your font.

If yous click the smiley face up icon, you'll see the following screen. Simply click on one of the icons to add them to your epitome. If you don't similar it, drag it to the bottom, and a trash tin can will appear and then you lot can delete it.

how to upload a story to instagram: add poll

For example, I clicked the smiley confront icon to add together a poll to my prototype. Y'all tin can also swipe to the left or right to add filters to your photo or video.

4. Publish your Story.

In one case you're happy with your content, you tin either click the white arrow icon in the lesser right, which allows you to share your Story with everyone who follows you, or select "Close Friends" first, so that just your close friends run across information technology.

And then you lot're done! Your Story is immediately alive.

How to Follow on Instagram

Information technology'southward incredibly easy to discover and follow users. Using Instagram'south search feature, you can find celebrities, brands, and friends. Additionally, y'all can search "Tags" or "Places". "Tags" is particularly useful if yous know what type of content you want to find, but you lot're not sure who posts about it.

For instance, you might search "#familyrecipes" nether tags — your results will include any images with that hashtag. As you peruse, you might detect someone who posts content you really similar, and you can cull to follow them and then their content appears on your feed.

To follow someone, follow these three like shooting fish in a barrel steps.

one. Click on the search icon at the bottom of your screen.

It looks like a magnifying glass and will be correct next to the "Domicile" push.

how to follow on instagram: click the search icon

2. Adjacent, type in a person, topic, or brand.

For this example, I searched "architecture."

how to follow on instagram: view results

Instagram allows you to either search all posts that contain the word "architecture," or "See all results" and run across tags and places.

how to follow on instagram: browse through the results

3. Tap the account yous're interested in following.

In one case yous're on someone else'due south account, you'll see a blue "Follow" push at the acme. For public profiles, you can click and immediately brainstorm following that business relationship. Even so, if the profile is individual, you may need to wait for them to accept you first.

how to follow on instagram: follow an account you like

And that's it! You're on your manner to becoming a pro. To take your account to the next level, programme out your adjacent posts using an assortment of content ideas and templates.

Using Instagram is Key for Growing Your Personal Make

If you want to abound both professionally and personally, then using Instagram is more important than ever. Yous tin get-go by observing get-go, then brainstorm posting equally you learn your style effectually the user interface. With over one billion users, Instagram is an extremely worthwhile social media platform to bring together — and it'due south only set to go along growing as time goes on.

Editor's notation: This post was originally published in November 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Originally published Jan 18, 2022 8:00:00 AM, updated January xviii 2022