Why I Don’t Post on Instagram Every Day
I read an article this week about how if you want to triple your Instagram followers, you need to post on Instagram triple the amount. So assuming you post on Instagram every day, now try posting 3x a day, every day.
The end of the article boiled down some anecdotal evidence and ended by encouraging all the readers to begin this new strategy of posting 3x a day.
However, while this “strategy” may work, we have to ask, what are our real goals in being a part of social media? Is growing a huge number of followers really our biggest goal? Is there true value in that? True value that makes planning, photographing, writing, and posting 3x a day really worth it? Will it grow our businesses? Our blog readership? Or just simply give us the bragging rights of a large follower number?
I have wanted to write this post for awhile, but have hesitated. I kept thinking, what if I post about how I don’t want to post on Instagram every day…and then change my mind?
Or what if posting every day really is the only way to grow?
This study from Tailwind (great resource by the way) states that posting every day is indeed the best posting amount for growth. And yet, I just am not there. Some weeks it might happen by accident, sure. But growth on Instagram, and thus posting every day, isn’t my highest priority. Nor do I want it to be.
So I’m going to break it down. Why I don’t post on Instagram every day. And I would love to hear your thoughts too.
Why I don’t post to Instagram every day
First, let’s start off with why I’m on Instagram in the first place. I have a personal account and my “Bellewood Cottage” account. I blog to share my homemaking journey, thoughts on life, and diy projects. So foremost, my Instagram account is an extension of that.
A temptation in the blogging world is to think that you need Instagram to drive traffic to your site. I have found though, via my own experience and the expertise of others, that Instagram is not a huge traffic producer for websites. Crazy right?
Regardless of what kind of website your are hoping to drive traffic to, Instagram will not drive traffic the way that search engines like Google and Pinterest can (and do). Certainly you might grab some pageviews through Instagram, but if you (like me) would like your blog posts (or whatever) to be found by people who will find them useful, plan to optimize for search engines. This means perhaps choosing to spend more time learning about SEO versus developing a week’s worth of Instagram posts.
So here are my top five reasons why I don’t post to Instagram every day:
1 – I run my social media accounts, they don’t run me
Sometimes I look at my analytics for this site, my Instagram numbers, and my overall growth stats a little too closely. And I forget the most important thing. I started this blog to be a resource. Yes, income is exciting. Growth is exciting. But, I never want my focus to be on those things. When I consider whether or not I should make the effort to post on Instagram every day (or more) I remember this: That I run my social media accounts as a part of growing my blog, which is a resource for others. Those social media accounts are a tool, and they don’t run me.
Instagram has their own goals. Time and time again the algorithms will change, posts will be hidden, and the temptation to post more and more will occur. But I don’t need to help Instagram meet their goals. I need to run my account the way I see is best. And right now, that is posting 4-5 times a week.
2 – I don’t want to waste my life
I don’t want this to come across as judgmental, but as a millennial I am honestly a little frightened by how devoted my generation (and the generation following us) is to their phones. It’s borderline addiction for many, and that’s scary. To me, setting boundaries on how often I spend time on my apps (hopefully) keeps me from becoming too attached to my phone. I don’t want my legacy to be that I posted on Instagram a lot! I think it is 100% possible to post every day and not have it take over your life…but I personally can’t. And posting 3x a day? Oh gosh no. I think I still want to eat. And maybe have a meaningful conversation now and again.
3 – I believe that good content will win out over the social media war horses
To be super-honest, sometimes I don’t even know how much I believe the above statement. It is nearly impossible to grow on Facebook now without cashing in to pay for ads. Instagram seems to be heading that direction as well. And it speaks to their philosophy that they likely “reward” accounts that spend more time on the app by showing their posts to more people.
So why shouldn’t we do everything in our power, including posting on Instagram multiple times per day, in order to grow?
Well, it might be tempting. However, we should consider the following: Will the increased amount of time I spend on Instagram (presumably to grow my account) have a benefit that is worth that amount of increased time?
My personal preference is to spend that additional time focusing on writing great content for my website. The website that I own and can promote across ANY avenue I choose. So consider focusing on the platforms that are YOURS. Your blog, email list, website. Then optimize those for search engines, whose goal is to provide their users with the information they are looking for. If your are providing your users with amazing resources, then Google, Pinterest, and other search engines will guide traffic to your site.
4 – I’m trusting God, not Instagram, to grow my blog
Because I want my site to become a valuable resource for others, growth is important. It’s sometimes hard to just come right out and say that, but it just is. For me, my first priority is to build this blog into a resource for others. And I know that based on how the internet works, the more people that come to my site, the more people will be able to find it. Thus it’s tempting to grab at any strategy that promises growth, including posting more on Instagram.
But basically, I really don’t want to lean on my own success or abilities in this whole process. I’m trusting God that He will put the pieces together in His timing. So if my Instagram never grows past my current followers numbers, I’m ok with that.
5 – Focus on quality, not quantity
Anyone who has worked hard on their ‘gramming game knows that it’s actually kind of a challenge and super time-consuming. I personally think that unless your Instagram is your sole focus, it would be really hard to post every.single.day (or more) without losing some quality. So find a number of posts that works for you and stick with it! No shame in that game.
Alright. So.
I would really love to hear your thoughts on this topic. I know all of us won’t necessarily agree on where the balance is in this question, but I think we certainly need to be having conversations about it. I’d also really love to know, do you post on Instagram every day? Why or why not?
More from Bellewood Cottage:
Love this! Great article! I deleted Facebook almost a year ago,it has been refreshing. I
spend more time reading, more time with my babies, more time with Jesus and more time connecting with dear friends, actually talking on the phone and human interaction! I don’t have any other social media accounts as I think its such a waste of time. I’m so thankful for your insight, friend!
I am happy to see there is someone out there that thinks the same way I do.
I happened to think about my Instagram art and fitness account, and how much I used to stress over the fact that some followers had unfollowed me, and many others stopped watching my stories because I stopped continually posting for months. So, I restarted my account´s movement recently and tried to follow the advice on the Internet telling me to post every day, or at least three times a week. Well, I failed. With added work, gym, and college assignments, coming up with great art to show was a tad tricky as my only time was either weekends when I was trying to relax from all the week´s work, or at night when I was already dozing off.
So, I chose to relax and keep posting but not to stress over it anymore. Keep making good art at my pace and not become a slave to my phone.
Yes! Exactly. I’m happy that others have discovered this to be true as well! I recently read several articles on creative ways to help an Instagram account grow, and really they all boiled down to spending MORE time on the app. Instagram can definitely be a lot of fun, but for me, there is a limit to how much time I want to spend there. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
~Ellen
Hi! I’m new to your blog! I came across this because I literally had a meltdown yesterday because I was so mentally exhausted of being on my phone constantly and thinking of posts for all platforms 3x a day. I was completely over it and just broke down and said I’m done. I don’t care anymore. There has to be an easier and better way so I can be way more present for my kids. I have to say that I have never honestly read every single word of a blog post, I usually skim through but I wrote everything on this and it was EXACTLY what I needed to hear! Thank you so much! I’ve always wanted to start a blog but thought I needed to build a following first which is SO exhausting. I will definitely be spending more time learning about SEO than wasting a bunch of time on FB or IG. Thank you again! 💖 will definitely be subscribing!
Stephanie, thank you so much for your sweet and thoughtful comment! You made my day!
I SO highly recommend diving into learning about SEO and tackling a blog/website (or even maybe Youtube if that is your thing). Reserve your social channels with your name (in case you want them later) and then worry about them once you have some great content out on your channel. It does take time to see results while you wait for your content to be ranked in search engines (I also really love the results I get from Pinterest and it’s a lot less work than IG in my opinion), but I believe it is worth it! If you are hoping to earn money from content creation, I think having your own web space is the way to go. It’s possible to earn money over social media, but it’s more and more difficult on the currently established platforms. I am so happy with the time I invest writing posts for my website–it truly does pay off! Hard work, but time well-spent. 🙂
Thanks again!
Im new to Instagram, and have been going all in to growing followers,and done so quite succesfully (in my opinion). 2700 in 2 months and growing ca 50 pr day. I have been posting almost every day, and landed here because i asked google if it was okay to skip a day on instagram once in a while 😉 after reading your blogpost i conclude that it is okay 🙂 so i will go to bed without posting today 😀
Aw, yes! Definitely allow yourself to take a break!
I usually try to post once a week, but I have a hard time even keeping up with that! There are only so many aesthetic qualities in my life, and I’m still just a kid! Therefore, I have to create those aesthetic qualities on my own, which are often time-consuming (writing, making art, singing, etc.) I’m not creating for Instagram, I’m creating for me, and people just so happen to enjoy what I create. I wish I had more engagement on my posts, but I know I can get true and honest feedback from friends, family and customers.
Yes! Enjoy your time creating whether it’s writing, art, etc. You will never regret the hours spent learning and growing in your creative giftings!
Thanks so much for stopping by.
~Ellen
I think this is the very first time I’ve ever posted a comment in a blog. I was just looking for new ways of keeping up with the daily instagram story posting, specially in instagram stories. I was looking for some magic formula to let everyone see what I am doing al least 3 times per day in order to grow my personal brand. I didn’t want to pre-record myself and post in different times of the day to pretend I was really active on social media. But some of the thoughts I had were really similar to some of yours.
Social media IS A TOOL. In my case, as a business consultant rookie, posting on social media has brought A LOT of opportunities with small businesses who have known my expertise by the content I have on social media. BUT I don’t want to spend 70% of the time promoting on social media and 30% getting better at my craft. I want to be spending 70% of my time getting better in the service I want to provide and maybe some of the 30% in promoting that expertise. I am not working for followers! I am working to help people get better results on their businesses! And maybe I won’t get the same amount of leads as a business consultant who has 500,000 followers, but I’ll be able to get better results to my clients and get better paid jobs (I think haha)!
Yes! Thanks for your thoughtful comment George! I really agree–so much better to spend the majority of our time growing our particular craft rather than our social media following. It is a powerful tool and has the ability to do great things for our businesses, but we have to use it wisely!
Really great insight–thanks again!
~Ellen
Love this! I agree with you 100%. Even moreso, I love that you are putting it in God’s hands and allowing him to take control!
Aw, thank you for sharing!