Before we get into it, let’s define what exactly good Instagram content means!
In the genesis stages of the platform, it used to be your favourite moments captured and posted with a few words and hashtags. Until 2013, that is. Post that, which is also when most of us got introduced (read: hooked) to the format of consistently scrolling miles upon miles of content, Instagram became the biggest social media platform in the world.Over two billion people use Instagram at least once a month. What used to be a place to share your pictures has become the ultimate content consumption platform with its combination of Reels, videos, photos, and carousels.
We’re at a stage where top content creators are spending thousands of rupees in production value to churn out Instagram content, with tech and editing support. Even standalone online photography courses are either serving obsolete knowledge or are too expensive. What can a woman with limited access to resources (usually just a smartphone) do in order to compete with such creators? Well, we at Kool Kanya are here to help.
Before exploring smart options, it is worthwhile to note that Kool Kanya’s PowerPass can be your best friend in this journey. PowerPass enables you to access training programs on relevant subjects, along with a handy upskilling programs like innovative smartphone photography courses that’ll help you leverage Instagram and other social media platforms to their full potential.
Here are a few ways you can make your Instagram look amazing using only your phone:
1. Your OG content strategy
When you think strategy, does your mind also visualise serious people in suits looking at multiple charts and notes? Strategy as a term has often been over-complicated and exaggerated. Strategy can simply be thinking about what you do best - because your content won’t be stunning unless you have complete ownership of it. Don’t try to be someone you’re not - if you’re a coder, code up some nifty and yet engaging stuff. If you’re a gamer, post those streams and screen recordings.
But also keep in mind - Don’t just post things for the sake of it. The difference between normal and stunning content is simple - the original thought put behind it. For your original thought, think backward - if you’re a home chef, what would you like to see? What would you like to get from a piece of content? What content gives you satisfaction? If you’re a tech reviewer, are you talking about what’s the best phone for photography? The best phone for gaming? Remember - while loving your own content is important, it also needs to be a value add for your audience.
2. The best editing tool - Instagram itself
There are a hundred video editing tools out there and each one of them has their own fanbase. However, unless you’re a pro videographer, Instagram’s editing tools are more than enough for most people. It not only offers cutting, pasting and mixing Instagram Music with the original content’s audio, but also allows you to use amazing transition formats that make your video’s quality shoot right up.
Also a secret not everyone knows - when you edit on Instagram, it helps your reach, since Instagram really wants people to use their editing tools and offers more impressions in return.
3. Adjustments are like salt
Just like food needs an exact amount of salt, your content also needs the perfect amount of editing in order to not lose authenticity. While directly shot content might be too bland due to non-availability of perfect lighting, we should try our best to make sure that our raw pictures and videos are as close to our desired result as possible. Filters and adjustments in terms of brightness, contrast etc. definitely play an important part in making our content stand out; but, if they’re the cornerstone to everything we post, they might take away the ‘authentic’ badge from your work.
If you have an iPhone, this gets even more important. iPhones are not called the ‘best phone for photography’ because of their camera prowess, but for the level of software optimisation that lets you upload some of the highest-resolution smartphone photography samples in the world. iPhone camera lenses already deliver some of the most real-looking photos and even the slightest amount of editing is very visible. Be very aware of how far from the original you take your photos and videos.
4. Can’WHOA’
Or as normal people call it, Canva. Canva did to design what Dominos did to pizza- they made it simple and accessible to mostly everyone. Any person with a smartphone can now make aesthetic covers for their videos and text-first carousels with no previous design experience. Its pre-set design templates are perfect for those who wish to save time and effort and still come up with consistent text-based content posts.
PowerPass gives you unlimited access to a multitude of courses around all these tools, including native Instagram tools as well as innovative ways to use Canva. It also has a bunch of programs that can help you decide and build on your Instagram strategy, no matter what content vertical you choose to go with.
So keeping these tips in mind, the right amount of hard and smart work, and a creative outlook, you can make sure that every smartphone camera is ‘the best smartphone camera’ to create enchanting content that keeps your audiences hooked and your reach growing like those kids in Complan ads.
