Tips for Starting a Bookstagram

Hello everyone and welcome back to the blog! Today, I want to talk about Bookstagram and the captivating world of social media. My ‘for you pages’ and social media feed in general always contain a lot of book/bookish content. And as someone who loves reading and talking about all things books, I wanted to find a way to share my opinions. So, I created a Bookstagram, and I want to share some tips I’ve learned along the way for anyone looking to start one. So, let’s get into it!

I’ve had my Bookstagram (@maisi_reads) for about 2 years now. I’ve had so much fun posting reviews, hauls, reels, etc. Books are basically my life, and my account is a fun and refreshing outlet for me. I am someone who takes Instagram, specifically, way too seriously. I care way too much about what I post, what my feed looks like, etc., and that is exhausting. With my book account, I don’t really second guess what I’m posting. If I wanted to post a review, I post a review. If I want to talk about my favorite characters from Lord of the Rings, then I talk about them. It’s a nice sort of freedom. I can still have my personal account where I curate what I post, but my Bookstagram is mostly just for fun.

Which brings me to my first and most important tip, start an account because you want to. Whether you’re talking about books or art or anything. Don’t feel pressured to start an account, its only going to be fun because its something you want to do and look forward to.

My second tip is don’t feel pressured to post. If you’re doing this for fun, do it on your own time. Some people like posting a lot and others don’t. This goes along with managing expectations. You’re not going to become an overnight influencer. If you’re looking to gain a following you have to be consistent and keep your engagement up, but even then, a following takes a while to build up. If people, see that you like posting and are passionate about the content they will follow.

If you make an account and want to gain some followers, I recommend using hashtags when posting that way it spreads to a larger audience. Plus, the Bookstagram community is so nice. If someone sees a new account, they are usually quick to leave a welcoming comment.

I also recommend sticking to an aesthetic. I think a lot of people like when the feed matches (I personally do). It’s very pleasing. I try to stick to an aesthetic and then at the start of the year, I like to go in and change everything. It’s kind of like a re-brand, but this is also what makes it fun.

To boil everything I just stated down, here are my tips:

•Start an account because you want to

•Don’t feel pressured to post

•Manage your expectations

•Use Hashtags

•Stick to an aesthetic

Honorable mentions:

•Join in on different reading/book challenge posts

•Make reels with popular or trending sounds

•Tag other bookish accounts (or other accounts in your niche)

It’s all about having fun! If creating and keeping up with an account becomes more of a burden, I always suggest going on a social media cleanse for a little while. Sometimes you need to regroup and find inspiration again.

Alright folks, that is all I have for this week! Come back next Wednesday for another blog post! As always, thank you for reading:)