Millions of people, this is the number of daily Instagram users. Now imagine the possibilities if you can tap into this skyrocketing platform with a high user engagement level. Your travel blog will definitely grow!

Check out the 10 tips below to take your blog into the next level with the help of Instagram:

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How to Use Instagram to Promote Your Travel Blog:

1. Post often.

The average Instagram user posts once a day. But studies show that the more popular an account is, the higher the frequency of posts. Start acting like an Instagram star and post often and consistently!

Give your followers something to react to. Get into a regular flow to get your posts seen and appearing on top of the timeline. Always aim for the most engagement so you appear on to of the feed.

2. Use quality hashtags.

Instagram is generous when it comes to hashtags. Did you know you can use a maximum of 30 hashtags per post? Take advantage! Shoot for 11 hashtags or more per post. The right hashtags can expose your image to a large and targeted audience so work it!

TIP: What hashtags should you add? Start with the relevant and obvious hashtags - basically what you can think of. Then, search these hashtags and look up similar photos. Whatever extra hashtags you find on these photos, add them to yours, too.

NOTE: It also helps if you keep a record of hashtags relevant to your travel blog. Think of it as regular keywords or popular hashtags. Check out popular accounts to get some ideas!

3. Embrace user-generated content.

Curated posts work in so many ways. First, it creates a sense of community. The people that you feature become a part of you and this is a powerful tool to grow your audience.

Also, you give yourself access to unlimited posts from your followers or those you follow. Remember to create a hashtag for your user-generated content such as #TwoTravelMonkeysStories or #TwoTravelMonkeysWriters.

4. Request tags.

These are becoming really popular: a post is captioned with "tag a friend who _______". For example, you may post a picture of a place suitable for traveling friends and caption it with "Tag a friend you want to bring along here!"

5. Increase your filter game.

Filters are not there just to make your posts look good. With the right ones, you can also use these to pump engagement. According to statistics, photos with the right filters get 20% more views and 45% more comments. Isn't that neat?

TIP 1: The best ones are those with higher exposures and warm temperatures. The higher exposures score high in terms of views while warmth generates more comments.

TIP 2: Conversely, saturation leads to poor views while age effects contribute nothing to comments.

6. Host a contest.

With hashtags, it is so easy to gather photos from followers based on a theme. Make it fun by holding a contest! Followers can either recreate something or post their own version around a theme. Come up with a hashtag for your contest and enjoy it!

7. Use emojis.

Around 50% of posts on Instagram contain emojis. It just adds an extra pop. Insert a couple into your post to call better attention and engagement.

8. Cross-promote.

Be active on all social media platforms. Have a schedule when to post on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and others. Embedding your Instagram photos in your blog posts also work or adding an Instagram feed on your blog or Facebook page.

9. Add videos.

The videos that you can add on Instagram are short so make the most of it! Create fun videos that resonate with your audience and that will encourage them to click through your blog. Only a small percentage of posts on Instagram come in videos. If you take part, you may lead the way!

10. Share

Be social. Build relationships. Respond to comments, like photos, follow some new friends, and comment on great posts. Spread the love and you are sure to gain new followers every day!

A personal example of how we use Instagram to promote our blog:

Create a public account for your travel blog and interact with your target audience in the same way that you do with Facebook. Our official Instagram account is @2monkeystravel and growing it is simple enough.

TIP 1: Use travel-related hashtags. Be specific.

TIP 2: Be active. Like other people's pictures and answer your messages!

TIP 3: Get on trends. Observe what kind of images are popular and serve your own version.

TIP 4: Post regularly and frequently.

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