Instagram is a world full of discovery, learning, and experimentation. Users try and try again with different approaches to their postings to see which types of posts will receive the most likes or engagement. Did you know that something as simple as the background in your photos could be impacting how many likes that your posts are receiving? In one of my recent posts titled How to make an Instagram story the right way, I go into depth on the ins and outs of creating an Instagram story.
Many people think of background as an afterthought because it’s the subject of the photo that’s important, right?
Well, not wrong, but also not completely right. A background can help the subject of a photo stand out and grab Instagram users’ attention, which will then cause them to engage with your post.
More engagement means more traffic, and more traffic means more potential customers on your page and timing is everything!
It’s time to go back to the basics of the art of backgrounds. Instagram users from both social accounts and business accounts can all use these tips to boost their page’s popularity.
Let’s start with something simple, color. Statistics show that photos with a lighter background receive 24% more likes than postings with darker backgrounds. While lighter colors are recommended, experimenting with darker colors is never out of the question!
Just try different things and see what does best. Colors that tend to do best are white, black, and grey. One recommendation to achieve this look is foam boards, these come in various different sizes and can be purchased for cheap at your local Michaels, and placed behind the item you’re photographing to create a simple, clean, background.
Another idea for your background could be paper. This is another cheap option, which would be easily achieved. Paper is a popular choice for businesses because they can have their logo printed on this paper, which then instantly brands their photos, such as this one from the Detroit Institute of Bagels. Book pages or newspapers are other great options to achieve this look. Paper allows a lot of creativity because it can be easily printed onto, giving your photos each their own unique identity.
The texture is another interesting thing to explore when it comes to amping up your backgrounds. Photos that have texture in them receive 79% more likes on Instagram than those without. Many accounts achieve texture in their photos by using fabric. For example, a blanket or a sweater laid underneath the item you’re photographing.
If you’re looking for a natural background, we suggest wood! Wood is easily achieved because it is so accessible, that anything from a cutting board to your dining room table could be used as a backdrop to an item that you’re photographing.
Murals can be found in cities all over the country, and they offer unique, colorful, and often powerful backgrounds. If you’re looking to get really crazy, you could even design your own wall for a photo backdrop. The wall doesn’t necessarily have to have a contracted artist’s painting on it either, you could get messy and create your own custom design and paint the wall, or if you’re looking for something more simple, wallpaper is also unique and attention-grabbing.
Nature is another great background resource, and also a very cheap one (free)! Using nature as a background can be anything from grass to trees, to a field of flowers, you just have to be determined enough to find it! Nature is a beautiful resource with tons of color, texture, and natural light! It also offers a unique background to you based on the area you’re photographing in, it cannot be easily recreated.
If you want to post a text post to your Instagram page, while still keeping it interesting, we suggest a pre-designed background.
These allow you what would normally be boring text posts to have a pop of color and still remain in the theme of your page. A great resource for this type of background is PromoRepublic, which allows you to join for free and create backgrounds that you can enter your text post into.
While Instagram postings may seem only skin deep at first, after doing some research and trial and error posts, you’ll realize that a successful Instagram page takes lots of thought and planning. The type of background you use can complement the things that you are photographing, so try some out and see what works best for your products!
