With social media usage continuing to rise, a lot of photography businesses and individuals want to make sure that they are reaching new audiences and getting value from their social media accounts.

However, with so many accounts for users to choose from, it can be easy to get lost in the constant stream of posts. So, how do you make your photos stand out and get your feed noticed on social media? We take a look.

Quality photos, not quantity

Whilst posting multiple times a day can meet the brief of simply spamming the feed and getting as much content out there as possible, quality content is really important.

Whilst you might get a few likes off the spam posting, you’ll only gain followers and get consistent impressions from quality posts. Consistency is also key – make sure to try to post at the same time every day, so your followers know when to expect new content.

You should make sure that your images are clear and formatted correctly, as the size requirements of the images can differ across varying platforms. Follow simple tips to optimise your photos for platforms like Instagram, making sure that you have good lighting, and add layers to make photos more interesting.

Stick to an aesthetic and find your edge

Whatever you enjoy photographing, find your niche, and stick to it. Whilst it can be tempting to try to cover lifestyle, nature, and cityscape photos all on one account, it is best to find your unique brand and align all your content in this direction, or create a photography series, where you post a collection of images that are linked in some way.

Whatever you choose to post, make sure that you have an established aesthetic for your photos so that new and existing followers can know what to expect. This can also be reflected in your color choices.

For example, if you want to follow a princess-style aesthetic, encouraging an almost fantasy style of living, you might choose to use a lot of soft pastel tones. If you want a minimalistic theme, keeping the color scheme simple can help with the overall effect. If you’re struggling to decide what to focus on, you could ask for help from a social media expert to get some new ideas for engaging content.

If you know that you want to follow the same editing style, you could consider using a preset filter for your posts. Social channels like Instagram do have some pre-done filters, or else you can look at using Adobe Lightroom or getting a professional to do this for you.

Not only does using a preset improve your post quality, but it also saves you the time and hassle of having to edit each photo individually.

Use relevant hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to get your posts seen by people who are already interested in the same specific niche as you. Whilst you can pad out your posts with generic hashtags like #photooftheday, your feed will do best when you target your specific audience.

For example, if you are doing an autumnal series, try #landscapephotography or #naturephotography. You should also customize your choice of hashtags for each post, rather than just using the same ones for every post from your account.