It's true, love. Perfect Instagram feeds are so 2018. Unfiltered, low production is where it's at. A true "I don't care if this messes up my feed" attitude.
I remember when I first came online in 2017. Even then and in 2018, perfect feeds channeling magazine spreads were definitely still more the thing... or so I thought... but the truth is they were winding down. More and more people were rejecting that manufactured vibe.
It's really in 2019 that I noticed a major difference as the aesthetic saturation point and influencer overload hit. There were less and less of the artfully arranged IG walls that screamed stress-evoking pre-planned photos trying to look effortless while obviously being nothing but.
All those perfectly curated feeds? Those carefully staged pictures? Sure, they were beautiful to look at, but the bottom line was that they weren't real. Or at least they didn't represent the authentic, raw quality that people were looking for. The connection that they longed for.
And this switch truly started with the evolution of Instagram Stories in August 2016 and continued with the introduction of IGTV in June 2018.
Suddenly, Instagram was encouraging creators to show behind-the-scenes glimpses for a brief 24 hours. And it's with this ephemeral content that a certain love for imperfect sharing was born.
That off-the-cuff everyday content that wasn't planned for weeks. That blatant acknowledgement for the need for something more than just polished selfies, beach sunsets, and picture perfect meals. That goodbye to strictly curated feeds that represented unrealistic highlights.
The entire idea behind Stories was a place for content that wasn't up to par but it didn't matter because it would disappear anyway.
And then IGTV focused on getting away from static photos to bringing a 3D version of you to the app - one with a voice, mannerisms, quirks, and all those imperfections even a filtered video couldn't hide.
Realness is the now and the future so show up as who you are. Especially in the midst of a global pandemic, people are looking for real conversations with others, not those who are hiding behind facades of expertly curated content reminiscent of a museum gallery.
Because you always want to attract people who like the real YOU - not a filtered version of you. Overly curated feeds can be so predictable and repetitive defeating one of the main tenets of social media marketing: to entertain!
So focus on brand colors if you want to unify your feed in some way. Or think of your next photo having just a bit of the same color from the previous one to link them, if you want. But don't think about it too much.
Of course, I'm not saying to totally let your feed go, but just be cognizant of the fact that perfect feeds can be aspirational, but they're not relatable. And the number one thing you want to do is relate to others.
It's about you being YOU. So celebrate your imperfections, post natural looking photos and things you feel like posting when you feel like posting them. Leave the weeklong photo shoots requiring Instagram walls, rainbow aesthetics, or all millennial pink in the past. Forget about the perfectly planned color coordinated photos all laid out in Canva and Planoly or Later.
Find the people who will love you for you... normal, everyday you. Your true ravings fans.
Want to learn how to post on Instagram with a challenge that will have you posting real content, true to who you are? Then check out this guide.
What's your prediction for the next biggest trend on IG?
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