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Have you ever been scrolling on Instagram and seen a post that looked so good it could be displayed in a gallery? That’s a slight exaggeration, but a specific genre of post probably came to mind with that statement.

There are many elements to creating great Instagram posts, and editing is at the top of the list. With the development of visual social media has come an equal development in the apps that support visual content creation. You can now find an app for every stage of the editing process, but that can be as overwhelming as it is helpful.

So, in this list, we’ve identified the top 12 best Instagram editing apps for making your content look the best it ever has.

What are Instagram editing apps?

Instagram editing apps are specialized mobile and desktop applications designed to enhance and edit photos and videos specifically for Instagram.

These apps offer a variety of tools to improve the visual appeal of content, including filters, effects, cropping, resizing, and advanced editing capabilities like color correction and retouching.

Instagram editing apps are used by creators, influencers, and businesses to produce high-quality content that stands out on the platform. They’ll usually help you achieve one or more of the following:

Photo enhancements: Adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and apply filters to make images more appealing.Video editing: Trim, splice, add music, and apply effects to create engaging video content.Graphic design: Create eye-catching graphics and text overlays for posts and stories.Special effects: Add animations, transitions, and other effects to make content more dynamic.Presets and templates: Use predefined settings to achieve a consistent look and feel across multiple posts.

These apps make it easier to produce polished and professional-looking content that can attract and engage followers on Instagram.

Without further ado, here are some of the best apps for editing content on Instagram. 

At a glance: The best editing apps for Instagram
CapCut

Best simple video editor

CapCut is a versatile video editing app that offers a comprehensive suite of tools for both beginners and advanced users.

Known for its ease of use and powerful features, it allows you to create high-quality videos without watermarks, even in the free version. 

It’s an excellent choice for social media content creators looking for a robust and user-friendly video editing app that supports high-quality output and publishing to multiple social platforms (including Instagram)​.

CapCut pricing: Free version with paid plans starting at $13.49/month or $145.99/year.

Available on: iOS, Android, desktop

Canva

Best all-in-one tool for graphics, images and videos

Canva is an intuitive tool for creating and editing visual content. It offers a wide variety of templates and design elements.

It is user-friendly and ideal for beginners, providing essential tools for graphic design and photo and video editing.

Note: Some advanced features and premium templates are only available on paid plans.

Canva pricing: The free version gives access to basic features and templates; paid plans start at $12.99/month

Available on: iOS, Android, web

Adobe

Adobe offers a range of powerful mobile editing tools that cater to various creative needs, from photo editing to video production. Here are the top Adobe mobile apps that are popular among creators.

Adobe Photoshop Express (formerly Adobe Spark)

Best for creating graphics

Adobe Spark, recently rebranded as Adobe Express, is an intuitive tool for creating graphics, web pages, and short videos.

Its easy-to-use templates, AI capabilities, and design elements make it ideal for social media posts, videos, and promotional content.

Available on: iOS, Android, desktop

Adobe Lightroom

Best for professional-looking images

Adobe Lightroom is a robust photo editing app with powerful tools for adjusting exposure, color, and more, and it syncs easily across devices.

One significant advantage of Lightroom is the ability to create and monetize presets. These presets can be shared or sold to other users, allowing creators to generate additional income from their editing skills. 

In this video, creators @meshna and @daveherring partnered on a video and offer access to a free preset in exchange for engagement.

Available on: iOS, Android, desktop and web

Adobe Premiere Rush

Best for video editing

Adobe Premiere Rush is an editing app designed for quick and easy video creation. It’s ideal for creating social media videos on the go.

Available on: iOS, Android

VSCO

Best for amateur photo editing

VSCO is a popular photo editing app known for its high-quality presets and intuitive interface. 

It provides a seamless editing experience with advanced editing features and a vibrant creative community. Users can capture, edit, and share their content all within the app.

VSCO’s another tool that benefits from presets, allowing creators to share their editing templates to their audience in the form of tutorials.

VSCO pricing: Free version with paid plans starting at $7.99 per month.

Available on: iOS, Android, web

Snapseed

Best free image editor

Snapseed is a professional-grade photo editing app developed by Google. It is known for its wide range of editing tools and filters, all of which are free. 

The app supports both JPEG and RAW files, making it a versatile option for photographers who need detailed and high-quality edits on the go.

Snapseed pricing: All features and tools are available for free with no hidden costs.

Available on: iOS, Android

InShot

Best for unique video edits

InShot is a versatile mobile video and photo editing app known for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive set of editing tools.

It’s ideal for creating high-quality videos and photo collages, making it a favorite among social media content creators. 

The app supports 4K video exports, a variety of fonts, filters and effects, and features for trimming, cutting, and merging clips.

InShot pricing: Ad-supported free version; paid plans start at $3.99 per month.

Available on: iOS, Android, MacOS

Splice

Best paid video editing tool

Splice is a mobile video editing app that offers a powerful suite of tools, making it easy to create professional-quality videos directly from your smartphone. 

It provides various editing features, from simple to advanced tools, along with social media sharing capabilities, making it a popular choice for content creators on the go.

Splice pricing: 7-day free trial, then paid plans start at $4.99 per month.

Available on: iOS, Android

Afterlight

Best photo and video effects

Afterlight offers feature-rich photo and video editing apps for casual users and professional photographers.

It offers a wide array of tools and filters, including selective color, curves, and gradient overlays, making it a versatile choice for enhancing photos on mobile devices.

Afterlight pricing: Free version with basic editing tools and features. Paid plan starts at $2.99 per month or $17.99 per year.

Available on: iOS (photo editor); iOS (video editor)

VN

Best for video editing

VN (VlogNow) is a robust, user-friendly video editing app designed for both beginners and professionals. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for creating high-quality videos.

The app supports multi-track editing, various effects, filters, and customizable templates, making it a versatile choice for video creation on mobile devices.

VN Pricing: Free version. Paid plans start at $7 per month with a 7-day free trial.

Available on: iOS, Android, desktop

PicsArt

Best for adding unique touches to images

PicsArt is a comprehensive mobile app designed for photo and video editing. It’s a creator favorite, with its extensive suite of tools that allow for trendy visual editing.

It offers various templates and tools, including a background remover, filters, text overlays, stickers, and AI-powered features, making it a versatile option for both casual users and professional content creators.

With its robust community, users can share their creations, gain inspiration, and connect with other creatives.

PicsArt pricing: Ad-supported free plan with watermarked videos; paid plans starting at $13 per month or $5 per month billed annualy.

Available on: iOS, Android, web

Unfold

Best for Instagram Stories

Unfold, the “toolkit for storytellers,” is an app created by Squarespace for social media content, specifically Instagram Stories and Reels.

With its wide range of templates, filters, and editing tools, Unfold makes it easy for users to design visually appealing content. It’s particularly useful because it connects directly to the Instagram app.

Unfold pricing: 7-day free trial with paid plan starting at $13 per month

Available on: iOS, Android

Darkroom

Best for image editing across Apple devices

Darkroom is a powerful photo and video editing app available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It offers a variety of professional-grade tools for editing, including RGB curves, HSL sliders, and batch processing.

Its seamless integration with iCloud Photos allows for an efficient workflow across Apple devices, making it a favorite among both amateur and professional photographers.

Darkroom pricing: Free version, with paid plans starting at $4.99 per month.

Available on: iOS, Mac, and VisionOS

Instagram

Best for the Algorithm

If your main goal with Instagram content is to maximize your reach, there’s no better tool than the Instagram app. The algorithm favors content – especially Reels – made inside its own app.

Thus, it stands to reason that Instagram’s editing tools will provide the most effective results. Plus, they’re free to use and don’t require you to hop from app to app.

However, there are a few downsides of using only Instagram for editing that might lead you to consider any of the others on this list. 

First, is that the editing capabilities are understandably limited. Then, perhaps most importantly, the app tends to freeze when overloaded, which might cause you to lose your progress in editing, a frustrating experience when you’ve worked hard on your content.

If you want to elevate your editing, consider using any other app and bringing your refined content to Instagram.

Why use an Instagram editing app?

Using Instagram editing apps is essential for staying competitive and relevant in the fast-paced world of social media content creation.

Improved quality: Editing apps provide tools to enhance the visual quality of photos and videos, making them more attractive to viewers.Increased engagement: High-quality and visually appealing content tends to receive more likes, comments, and shares, boosting overall engagement.Creative control: These apps offer a wide range of editing tools and effects, giving users full control over their content’s appearance.Consistency: Using presets and templates ensures a cohesive look across all posts, which is crucial for branding.Efficiency: Batch editing and user-friendly interfaces save time, allowing creators to produce and publish content more quickly

Share the content you make through any of these editing tools to your Instagram feed by scheduling them in Buffer ↓

If you’re not an experienced content creator, it might be difficult to determine the best length for Instagram Reels to get the best results. And knowing the ideal number isn’t everything – your metrics might tell you something entirely different.

In this article, we explore everything you need to know about the ideal length of Instagram Reels and other Instagram content – according to the team themselves.

How long can Instagram Reels be?

Like TikTok, Instagram allows uploads of longer videos, as IG Reels can be anywhere from 15 seconds to 15 minutes in length. However, unlike TikTok, Instagram sets very clear boundaries for how long a reel should be to perform well (this is an important caveat).

When filming a video within the Instagram app, users can choose from various specific durations —15 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, and 90 seconds. Everything from the reel templates to the ideas you’re shown all cap at the 90-second mark, and you won’t be able to film additional clips. 

But while you can’t make reels longer than 90 seconds within the app, you can upload longer videos than the available time limits in the content uploading section of your app. The video will just be cut off after the allowed time elapses.

Once you’re done editing your video, add eye-catching graphics, a call-to-action (CTA), and hashtags to increase your content’s discoverability in the Instagram feed.

Can you upload longer Instagram Reels?

Yes, you can upload any video up to 15 minutes, and it will automatically be turned into a reel. 

When you upload a video filmed or edited outside the Instagram camera, there’s no need to choose a specific video length. You’ll have access to most of the same editing tools and functionality of the reels process (no music or extra clips, so make sure to add that before you upload).

Make sure your video fits the expected Instagram Reels dimensions of 1080 x 1920 pixels so it fits neatly into the feed and gives the full-screen experience.

If you want to upload a longer reel, simply go to your camera roll and select the video or videos you’d like to upload and they’ll pop up in the editing area.

How long should an Instagram Reel be?

Although you can create reels up to 15 minutes long, they shouldn’t be over 90 seconds, according to Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, as they can hurt distribution, and the algorithm will not prioritize longer reels.

However, length is not the only factor you have to consider – things like high-quality visuals and effective messaging are also vital when it comes to social content and holding user attention.

Many creators work around the suggested limit for video lengths by directing their followers to “read more” in the captions.

They create very short videos that are pleasing to watch in a loop while their audience reads through the captions or engages in the comments.

How long can an Instagram Story be?

An Instagram Story can be up to 60 seconds long and will disappear after 24 hours. You can add multiple 60-second videos if you want. 

Previously, longer videos were broken down into 15-second clips as they were uploaded to Stories, but now the maximum length is 60 seconds, and it remains as a single video.

They also won’t appear in your main feed, other users’ For You Pages, or following feeds. Your Stories will only be visible when followers tap on your profile photo, either while viewing your profile or within the DMs or messages tab. 

Here’s a quick tutorial to film or upload content to your Story on Instagram:

Tap the Create button – the + icon at the bottom center of the screen when you open the appSwipe to the Story option, which is the second option in the bottom centerRecord your Story or upload your content by tapping the bottom left of your screenAdd your stickers, music, or text.Hit the → button to upload!How long can Instagram carousels be?

Instagram carousels can have up to 10 photos or videos. Users on mobile can view carousel posts by swiping left, while desktop users can click through using the arrow button on the right-hand side of a post.

To create an Instagram carousel post, choose Post in the creation area and hit the overlapping squares in the middle right of the screen to select multiple images and videos.

You can add trending sounds or music to your Instagram carousel by clicking on the music symbol in the top right corner of your screen. Make sure your track of choice doesn’t run out before the user has finished swiping through the carousel.

The length of Instagram Reels vs. TikToks vs. YouTube Shorts

TikTok videos can be up to 30 minutes long, depending on your region. The maximum video length for YouTube Shorts is 60 seconds (any new videos longer than that will be published as regular YouTube videos but keeping the portrait aspect ratio). And of course, the ideal time limit for Instagram Reels is 90 seconds, but you can upload videos of up to 15-minutes in length.

Reels was Instagram’s response to the rise of TikTok’s short-form content, although TikTok seems to be leaving the short-form space behind to compete with longer-form YouTube videos.

The platforms don’t feel all that different. In fact, it’s common for creators to use Instagram Reels on TikTok and YouTube Shorts — we even recommend doing so for more visibility on your posts.

While cross-posting your content is the smart choice, especially to ease the content creation process, it’s wise to pick a primary social media platform for your videos and create your content with your target audience’s needs and preferences in mind.

If you’re stuck on which short-form video platform is best for you, you might want to create a social media marketing strategy. Everyone from influencers to social media managers finds this process helpful.

This social strategy guide will get you started and guide you through some questions to help you make the best choice for your social media goals. 

Finally, instead of focusing solely on the length of your videos, remember you have to produce quality content on Instagram, too. Your videos should perform well as long as you’re making reels that users find interesting and useful.

CANNES, France—Get a glimpse of what went down at ADWEEK House at Cannes, our Riviera residence where we gathered the top marketing execs, media personalities, creators and celebrities to come and hang with us.

Of course, you can catch up with all the hot takes and industry commentary, like insights from companies including Mastercard and Instacart on quitting invasive data practices, and how brands like Clorox, General Mills and Sanofi are navigating retail media’s challenges.

Check out the celebrities, executives and beautiful people at our sessions, group chats, roundtables, portrait studio and much more right here.

]]> https://chipprizemanialand.net/come-inside-adweek-house-at-cannes/feed/ 0 https://chipprizemanialand.net/12-content-curation-tools-for-every-creator-and-marketer/ https://chipprizemanialand.net/12-content-curation-tools-for-every-creator-and-marketer/#respond Fri, 21 Jun 2024 08:45:12 +0000 https://chipprizemanialand.net/?p=72360

What’s a struggle that marketers and creators have in common? Finding new and engaging social media content to post. And let’s face it, creating every piece of content from scratch isn’t always doable, especially when you’re short on time and budget. Even if you had an all-seeing eye, easy access to a ton of great content exactly when you need it just isn’t the reality for most people.

That’s where content curation tools come in. They help you keep a steady stream of high-quality content flowing without the constant scramble. 

In this article, we’ll explore some of the best content curation tools available and why every creator and marketer should have them in their toolkit.

Whether you’re aiming to boost your social media engagement, improve your SEO, or just keep your audience in the loop with the latest trends, these tools can make a world of difference.

What are content curation tools?

A content curation tool is an application that helps you find and share relevant, authentic content.

Content curation is a smart solution to the constant demand for fresh content. But it’s more than just reposting great stuff. It’s about finding, organizing, and sharing the best and most appropriate content in a way that adds value to your audience.

These tools help you sift through the noise to discover gems that resonate with your target audience. They save you time and effort while ensuring you consistently deliver high-quality, new content. In short, content curation tools are like your trusty sidekick in the quest to keep your audience hooked and your brand top-of-mind.

Why use content curation tools?

Content curation tools are game-changers for anyone looking to keep their content fresh and engaging. Here are a few reasons why you should consider using them:

Store new ideas: Ever come across an article or a post that sparks an idea for your next big project? Content curation tools help you store these gems in one place, so you can easily come back to them when you need a burst of inspiration. No more lost bookmarks or forgotten links!Track interesting topics: Keeping up with your industry’s latest trends and hot topics can be overwhelming. Content curation tools allow you to track and organize interesting topics effortlessly. Whether it’s the latest in social media strategies or emerging trends in e-commerce, you’ll always be in the know.Visual language: Images, infographics, and videos are essential for capturing your audience’s attention. Content curation tools help you find and save visual content that can complement your brand’s voice. By integrating visuals, you make your curated content more engaging and appealing to your audience.Enhance your content mix: Balancing original content with curated content can keep your feed interesting and diverse. Content curation tools help you easily mix in valuable third-party content with your own, ensuring your audience gets a well-rounded experience.Save time and effort: Manually searching for content can be time-consuming. Content curation tools automate this process, saving you hours each week. They aggregate content from multiple sources, so you can quickly find what’s relevant without endless scrolling.Improve engagement: Sharing high-quality, relevant content that resonates with your audience can significantly boost engagement. By using content curation tools, you ensure that you’re consistently sharing content that sparks interest and conversation among your followers.Strengthen your authority: You position your brand as a trusted authority by curating and sharing valuable content from industry leaders and reputable sources. This not only builds credibility but also fosters trust and loyalty among your audience.

In a nutshell, content curation tools streamline the process of finding and sharing top-notch content. They help you stay organized, keep your content pipeline full, and ensure that you’re always ready to share something valuable with your audience.

Buffer

Surprised? Don’t be! Buffer isn’t just for scheduling posts – it’s also a great tool for content curation. I should know.

This functionality comes from Create, a content library where you can save and plan out all your ideas. It’s a solid addition to any content creation workflow. It has powerful organizational features, like tags and a board view, to help you keep track of your content.

Buffer allows you to use the Create space on the free plan, but if you want to scale to managing more than three social media accounts or need additional features like collaboration, analytics, and engagement tools, here’s a quick look at Buffer’s paid plans:

Essentials: $6 per month per channelTeam: $12 per month per channelAgency: $120 per month for 10 channels

If you’re not ready to commit, Buffer offers a 14-day free trial on all of its plans so you can try every feature first. 

Flipboard

Flipboard is a free content curation tool that turns your curated content into magazine-style layouts.

Flipboard allows you to create personalized magazines with articles, videos, and images based on your interests. It makes discovering and organizing the most relevant content easy, with seamless sharing to social media platforms.

Feedly

Feedly is a content curation platform that aggregates updates from your favorite websites, blogs, and publications into one convenient feed.

Feedly helps you stay organized by allowing you to save and categorize content into boards, add notes and highlights, and even prioritize content with its AI assistant. The browser extension makes it easy to save articles from anywhere on the web, and team collaboration features allow seamless sharing and discussion.

Feedly pricing: Free plan with basic features and paid plans starting at $8.25/month.

ContentGems

ContentGems is a content curation software that helps you find relevant web content across articles and blog posts.

ContentGems offers real-time content analysis and uses machine learning algorithms to recommend high-quality content based on your interests. It allows you to create custom workflows, integrate RSS feeds, and use advanced filters to curate content that resonates with your audience.

ContentGems pricing: Free plan with paid plans starting at $10 per month

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is a content discovery and analysis tool that helps you find the most popular content and influencers in your niche.

BuzzSumo allows you to discover trending content, analyze social engagement, and identify key influencers. Its features include content discovery, trend analysis, influencer outreach, and social media monitoring. With BuzzSumo, you can track competitors, set up content alerts, and use advanced search filters to refine your content strategy.

BuzzSumo pricing: Free plan with limited features, with paid plans starting at $199 per month.

Scoop.it

Scoop.it is a content curation tool designed to help you discover, curate, and publish content across multiple platforms.

Scoop.it automates the discovery of quality content from across the web, allowing you to curate, organize, and share it through social media, newsletters, and blogs. It also offers features like content hubs, team collaboration, and SEO optimization, making it a versatile tool for marketers and businesses.

Scoop.it pricing: Free plan available Pro plan: $14.99 per month (billed annually)

Quuu

Quuu is a content curation tool that helps you discover, collect, and share high-quality content tailored to your audience.

Quuu simplifies your social media strategy by curating relevant content based on your niche and scheduling it for optimal engagement times. It integrates with major social networks and scheduling tools (like Buffer!), making it easy to maintain a consistent online presence.

Quuu pricing: Free plan available with paid plan starting at $19.79 a month per social media profile

Pinterest

Pinterest is a free visual content curation tool that allows users to discover, save, and share images, videos, and GIFs through customizable boards.

Pinterest helps businesses and creators organize content into themed boards, making it easy to curate visually appealing collections that attract and engage users. By optimizing images with relevant descriptions, tags, and high-quality visuals, Pinterest can also enhance SEO and drive traffic to your website.

Pocket

Pocket is a content curation tool that allows users to save articles, videos, and web pages for later viewing.

Pocket helps you curate content by letting you save interesting finds with a simple browser extension or mobile app. You can organize your saved items with tags and highlights, making it easy to retrieve and reference them later. Additionally, Pocket provides personalized content recommendations based on your saved items, ensuring you always have fresh, relevant content at your fingertips.

Pocket pricing: Free plan available with paid plans starting at $4.99 per month.

Elink

Elink.io is a versatile content curation tool that helps users collect, curate, and publish web links as visually appealing content.

Elink.io allows you to save and organize links from across the web, turning them into beautiful newsletters, web pages, social bio links, and more. The platform offers features such as automation, collaboration, and integration with tools like Mailchimp and Zapier. With over 50 responsive templates, Elink.io makes it easy to create and share professional-looking content quickly.

Elink.io pricing: Free plan available; Pro plan: $15/month (billed annually)

UpContent

UpContent is a content discovery and curation tool designed to help users find, curate, and share high-quality, relevant content with their audience.

UpContent allows you to automatically set up customized topics to discover content from across the web. You can then organize the content into collections for easy sharing via social media, email newsletters, or directly on your website. The platform also integrates with tools like Buffer to streamline your content scheduling and posting process.

UpContent pricing: Free plan available with paid plans starting at  $15 per month

Curata

Curata is an enterprise-level content curation tool designed to help marketers discover, organize, and share high-quality content from around the web.

Curata uses AI to find relevant content and dynamically adapt to your preferences. It enables users to crowdsource content from their team, refine sources, and publish curated content across various channels such as social media, blogs, and email newsletters. Curata also integrates with popular CMS and marketing automation platforms, making it a comprehensive solution for your content marketing strategy.

Curata pricing: Free trial available, contact Curata for detailed pricing

Your audience is the most valuable content curation tools

Out of all the engaging and brand-relevant content swimming around the internet, none is as powerful as the voice of your audience. What are they engaging with? What do they want to know?

If you want to keep your marketing channels fed through a constant source of authentic content that also impacts your bottom line, authentic content powered by your users is the way forward.

CANNES, France—The brightest young minds of the advertising world come together each year for the Cannes Young Lion Competition. This year, we asked the two participants representing Team USA, Rachel Findlay and Jessica Nugent, to share their experience.

Day 1: We’re in Cannes

Between the hot sun and the beauty of the Croisette, the Cannes Lions experience is exciting and overwhelming. But that’s to be expected as reps of Team USA in the Digital category of the Young Lions Competition. We’ll have 24 hours from the briefing to concept an answer with a one-page visual summary and, later, a presentation.

While there are so many talks and events we want to attend, our Young Lions responsibilities takes precedence. We had a full day scheduled, first with some competition programming, an NCM welcome party and our briefing to kick off the event.

Our topic: the climate crisis. Our confidence level: high. But it didn’t stay that way. We spent some time marking the brief to ensure we understood exactly what we needed to make. The clock was ticking, and our work was just beginning.

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Day 2: An object in motion

It’s 4 a.m. and we’ve been at it for 12 hours tossing around ideas, questioning why and how and is it good enough. Two Red Bulls in and we’re fading fast. One of us wants to push through until the morning. One of us wants to sleep. We toss “I know you’re going to hate this but….” and “What if we were the first to…” back and forth, but nothing is sticking. We start regretting our lives, the choices that brought us here.

Jess takes a sleep break around 5 a.m. and Rachel powers through on creating the visuals for the one-pager. At 6 a.m. Rachel decided to lay down, but being an object in motion (tending to stay in motion), her eyes were wide open and her mind was still on the brief.

9 a.m. rolls around and we’re locked in at the Adobe competition area (literally and figuratively). Teams of two from every corner of the world were doing exactly what we were doing. The feeling inside was familiar; it was the same kind of tension that exists in agency life when every team is slammed and deadlines are approaching fast. It was comforting that this felt like a normal situation, except this time we are up against 50 teams with very different backgrounds and way more points of view.

Usually, on brief with a quick turnaround, we’re able to go to our creative directors with multiple ideas, albeit half-baked at best, but together discussing several to keep pushing on.

Around 2 p.m. we were near our breaking point. Time to send.

Logic would tell you we should take a nap or sleep but, naturally, we decided to attend part of an awards ceremony and a session with Marc Pritchard of P&G. He was an amazing presenter and said every word with such confidence.

It could have been the creative or it could have been Rachel’s state of mind, but her eyes welled up with tears at almost every commercial. It was probably the creative.

Finally, it was naptime.

We met again to catch the tail end of a Grey happy hour to thank our assigned mentors from Grey for helping us prior to the Young Lions Competition. We caught Laura Maness as she was leaving to collect a Grand Prix award they had just received.

Next, it was a mix of TBWA happy hour to see some more familiar faces from Chiat. We chatted with Kirsten Rutherford, Brent Anderson, Monica Gelbecke and Bruno Regalo.

Hungry and tired, we eat a great meal at Le Vesuvio. We order steak and salmon as a little reward. Afterward, we briefly go to an under-30 party along the beach. But there was still so much to do. We hadn’t even prepped for our presentation to the Jury. It felt like a week packed into 48 red-eyed hours, but that’s Cannes!

Pit stop at an under-30 party along the beach.Rachel Findlay and Jessica Nugent ]]> https://chipprizemanialand.net/cannes-young-lions-competition-a-week-packed-into-48-red-eyed-hours/feed/ 0 https://chipprizemanialand.net/how-to-grow-on-threads-9-ways-to-gain-followers/ https://chipprizemanialand.net/how-to-grow-on-threads-9-ways-to-gain-followers/#respond Fri, 21 Jun 2024 08:41:00 +0000 https://chipprizemanialand.net/?p=72354

There’s no doubt about it: Threads is here to stay. After a record-breaking start, Threads is fast proving that it was no fly-by-night fad but a force to be reckoned with among the other social media giants.

Threads by Instagram now has 150 million monthly active users and counting. To put that into perspective, that’s a little over a third of X’s (formerly Twitter) monthly active users of 550 million — and X has a good 16 years on Threads. 

The platform bears a striking resemblance to X, but fans are quick to point out the community-building focus. Introducing a clever tags system — a bit like a marriage between hashtags and subreddits — and a host of handy new Threads features has been a catalyst for growth in recent months, with more to come.

Buffer users are big fans of the platform, too. Plenty of Bufferoos have become regular users of the tool, with a handful of teammates finding success (and community) in some niches.

Head of Communications and Content Hailley Griffis has loved connecting with other moms. Staff Product Manager Amanda Marochko has been growing a following by sharing more about how Buffer builds in public. Staff Product Manager and alt-rock musician Brandon Green has gained over 500 followers in just over a month on Threads — which is particularly impressive, considering he wasn’t active on Instagram and didn’t have a following he could migrate over. 

Successful as it may be, Threads is still in its infancy, so it’s difficult to predict a guaranteed path to growth — though with social media algorithms constantly evolving, we can’t really say that about any social media platform! 

Still, in our time on Threads, we’ve picked up some patterns. Plus, as we’ve seen with platforms like Instagram and, more recently, TikTok, growing a following early, before the space becomes too crowded, is often a little easier — so it’s worth investing in now. 

In this article, I’ll share nine tips for doing exactly that. Here’s how to grow on Threads, with advice from Bufferoos doing just that.

1. Let your other followers know you’re on Threads

The good news: When you first set up your Threads account, you probably won’t be at 0 followers for long. Your Instagram followers who are already on Threads will get a notification when you sign up and prompt to follow you — this is how both Hailley and I built up sizeable chunks of our Threads followings at the outset.  

Unsurprisingly, Threads and Instagram integrate really well, so it’s easy to cross-post from one platform to the other. Tap the paper plane icon below any threads you post to share it to your Instagram Stories or straight to your feed. 

Your content will appear over a Threads background like the one below (but note that any media you add won’t be automatically shared as a regular feed post). 

Tapping on the thread in an Instagram Story will send your followers straight to your Threads feed, so if you’re looking to drive traffic there, Stories may be your best bet. 

It’s worth letting your followers on other social platforms know they can find you on Threads, too — especially if you’re leaving those platforms to focus on Threads. Social Media Consultant Matt Navarra, a formerly avid tweeter, ditched X in favor of Threads several months back and ensured his X followers knew how to find him by amending his bio and handle. 

News you’re active on Threads doesn’t have to be quite as all-or-nothing, but the occasional tweet or LinkedIn post reminding people they can find you on Threads — and what you’ll be sharing there — can help grow your following. 

2. Find your niche

Brandon has found particular success from “leaning hard into a niche,” he says. The beauty of Threads is that even the nich-est of niches are finding homes. For Brandon, that’s being a “music theory nerd with specific tastes, but also working in tech.”

“Being vulnerable about those things seems to resonate strongly,” he adds. “This shows up not just in likes and follows but also in the types of replies, which are often much more conversational.”

Not sure where to focus your attention? Follow these steps to identify your content pillars, which can be a helpful starting point for your Threads social media strategy.  

Once you’ve found your niche (or a few) to focus on, it’s time to tap into tags. 

Threads tags are hashtags — with a twist. Unlike on other platforms, Threads tags function more like topics than just a filtered search. The goal, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri shared in an update, was to “help us build a space that really fosters healthy conversation.”

The feature seems to be working as intended. It’s a great way to find other people in your niches (and, in turn, grow your following). 

“Using tags has helped me connect with like-minded individuals in specific spaces,” Amanda says. “I’m being more intentional about who I’m following on Threads versus how I’ve approached it on other networks, really looking to follow other individuals in the Product Management space or those who work in social media.”

Hailley agrees. She sees tags as a way to “position a thought to an intended audience.” 

“This seems to yield wider reach and engagement,” she says. “I know if I post something with a tag, I’ll get folks who also interact with that tag to engage.”

4. Be authentic and helpful

I’ve often seen people talk about how different Threads feels different to other social media platforms. Of course, it’ll depend on what the Threads algorithm predicts you’ll like, but my experience on Threads has been a lot more wholesome than I’ve found elsewhere. 

Designer and Threads user Dannielle Cresp agreed — she shared some valuable insights with me about it in a great chat (you guessed it) on Threads. 

“For me, it’s about interacting with a sense of community and choosing to be both kind and helpful. It can be a friendly and welcoming space if you curate with that in mind.”

As Brandon touched on above, vulnerability and authenticity have benefited him too or, in his words: “Posting things that are thought-provoking and showing (the weirder sides of) my personality. Threads definitely feels like a people-first platform, at least for now.”

5. Post consistently

While posting daily or even a couple of times a week seems to work well when it comes to increasing followers on LinkedIn or growing on Instagram, Threads seems to require a higher volume of posts for growth.

“I’m probably posting 10-12 times a day right now on most days, and I can see my follower count increases loosely correlating with how much I’m posting,” Brandon says.

Hailley, too, has found success in being active more often. “Posting regularly absolutely helps grow my threads. I’ve seen a noticeable difference when I’m posting two to three times a day vs. not posting or just posting once.”

Even brand accounts were quick to learn that marketing-heavy content was getting them nowhere on Threads. Brands finding success on the platform are tapping into fun trends (more on this below) more often than posting about their latest offerings. 

“Promoting things for the sake of it does not seem to yield engagement or much growth — I’ve seen this in several fields and topics, not just music,” Brandon says.

But what if your ultimate goal is to drive people to your business? Brandon has a clever workaround that’s worth trying. “I’ve found it helpful to post a thread with links to what you want to promote, pin it to the top of your profile, and keep posting good threads that occasionally reference those pinned links.”

To pin a thread to your profile, just click or tap on the three dots on the top right, then choose Pin to profile.

7. Lean into text and photo posts

On almost every social network, video tends to generate the most reach and engagement (check out our guide to the best content for each platform for more on this). But my Threads feeds aren’t video-heavy at all. I’ve tested the waters with video repurposed from Instagram, too, and received far less engagement than my text-only posts. 

This is something Brandon has seen, too. “I see people posting Reels-style videos sometimes, but they don’t appear much (for me), suggesting they’re not getting as wide reach.”

That said, I’ve seen some good engagement on posts that included a photo, as has Hailley. 

Brandon is prioritizing text-only posts (they’re certainly easier to create when you’re posting often!), while Hailley and I are adding photos to posts where we can. 

8. Tap into trends

Trending tags and text formats have yielded a flurry of activity on the channel and could help you reach a new audience — but only when done right.

“#Womensupportingwomen has been excellent for me,” Hailley says. “I specifically called out connecting with other moms as I don’t have that on other social networks, and that helped curate the list of folks I followed a little better.”

Hailley also shared an “Algorithm, connect me with people who like…” and it yielded plenty of engagement and new followers. “It’s almost my top-performing post and still gets engagement two weeks later (I have it pinned, though). I’ve seen threads like that do very well.”

Another trend Hailley taps into is #GoodMorning and #GoodNight, which she uses to share thoughts about the goings-on and rituals she has during her day. This offers another opportunity to be authentic and offer up a point of genuine connection for new followers. 

Net new content is not always the answer. I’ve found that jumping into the comments and (thoughtfully!) weighing in on threads in my niche can be just as effective at growing my following as sharing original content. 

For example, while the comment below didn’t get much engagement, I woke up to find a flurry of notifications after sharing my thoughts on a thread started by one of my favorite creators. And it took far less effort and brainpower than creating something new! 

What’s your experience been on Threads? I’d love to hear more about what you’ve learned. Tag @buffer in a post on Threads, or leave a comment below. 

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