Over the past few years, podcasts have replaced music for my media of choice. Which is crazy because I was the kind of kid who used to go to school dances and listen to my iPod. But I have become such a fan of the medium, I even made my own for a little bit. I listen to the big ones like My Favorite Murder, The Dollop, or Freakonomics, but I wanted to share some of the lesser known podcasts that I have grown to love.
1. Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Recommended Episode: #203 Plan Your "19 for 2019" Gretchen Rubin and her sister Elizabeth craft give tips and tricks for how to be more productive and happier! I look forward to listening to this podcast because it really makes me happier every time I listen. 2. Disgraceland Recommended Episode: Jerry Lee Lewis: The Killer and Getting away with Murder If you like hearing about the crazy, mysterious underbelly of Rock and Roll, this podcast is for you. The host sometimes has NSFW language, but he is always interesting and brings up a diverse group of celebrities! 3. Black Men Can't Jump in Hollywood Recommended Episode: Hitch ft Suni Reyes This podcast hosts watch popular movies with leading actors of color and discuss the concepts of race and diversity in Hollywood. The hosts are absolutely hilarious and I especially love when they talk about Will Smith movies. They might even be as big of fans as I am! 4. Twenty Thousand Hertz Recommended Episode: #64 Birdsong This podcast dissects and discusses the different sounds we hear in the world. It is always super in depth and interesting. It is a bit more intellectual than the other podcasts on this list, but you always learn a lot about a topic that is usually an afterthought. 5. The Shrink Next Door Recommended Episode: #1 Welcome to the Neighborhood I listen to a LOT of mystery and true crime podcasts. This is just another in a long line of serial mystery podcasts. It tells the story of a psychiatrist who took advantage of his patients and ended up taking over the life and house of one patient. This podcast just keeps getting crazier and crazier. I feel bad for the patients and it makes me consider all the people who are taken advantage of but can't advocate for themselves. I love listening to new podcasts. If you have a favorite, please comment below!
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A lot of people ask me how I get so many likes on Instagram. To be clear, there are a lot more qualified people to answer this question- people who get significantly more likes and followers on Instagram- but my friends know me so they ask me. And I'm happy to share because posting on Instagram has been my creative outlet for a while. It is what sparked my love of content creation and this blog! Below I will explain my 4 step process on how to post on Instagram for "success."
Before I start talking about the strategy, I want to explain a bit about intention. If you are using Instagram to get validation, that will end in disaster and tears. I would know because it was one of thefirst things I wrote about. After I began thinking about Instagram as a creative outlet and a way to engage with friends and people I admire, using the app became much less stressful and frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I still want likes and followers! But when I'm 90 and look back at all the photos I posted, I'm not going to care how many people see it. I'm going to be impressed by all the cool things I did and friendships I cultivated because of the app.
Alright, let's get to what you were looking for: how to get more likes and followers on your Instagram photos.
I think of it as 4 equally important parts: brand, engagement, content, and tags. Brand The first thing you want to think about is what brand you have in mind for your account. What is your niche? Will you post workout videos, fashion looks, information about your business? What kind of look will your photos have? Will they be edited? Will they be close up shots or far away? Will you have a color scheme you want to base your photos around? All of these questions will help you plan the look of your Instagram page and the type of brand will bring in people with similar interests. Engagement A large part of getting likes and followers is liking and following. If you want to get likes, you need to spend time on Instagram liking other photos. The app's algorithm favors those who use the app a lot. My strategy is to like one or two photos from everyone who liked my photo. In order to amass more followers, you need to follow people with a similar niche or brand. If you are a real estate agent in Southern California, you want to follow Southern California pages and other real estate agents. If you are a travel blogger, you should be following other travel bloggers. Content Obviously this is the part that is the hardest but the most fun! TAKE PHOTOS! Take good photos! A lot of people post blurry photos or photos that have terrible lighting. I recommend watching some Youtube videos that teach the basics of photography. I personally like this one. And if you're taking photos of yourself, find some poses that you look good in. I find that if I am smiling and looking to my right, my photo always turns out better. But try lots of different poses and shots. And try taking photos at different times throughout the day. It becomes a sort of game trying to find the best way to tell your story through the camera. Enjoy it! Tags This one is what most people fail to do and is the most helpful. Location tags and hashtags are how other people find your photos other than your mom, dad, and that guy you went to high school with. When you post your location, anyone who looks at photos there will see your photo. And if you get more likes, your photo goes to the top of that list. Same with hashtags! If someone looks up #datenightoutfit they will see all the photos that have been tagged with that hashtag. In order to get more views and likes and new followers, find hashtags that fit your brand. Find hashtags that are not too saturated with posts like #photography and get specific like #foodphotography or, even better, #foodiegram.
All of this takes a lot of time and effort. But hopefully this could be a fun way to express yourself or share your life with the world. And feel free to follow me at @serenafresh ? I recently got blue light glasses from Warby Parker because my job as a technology teacher requires me to stare at a computer all day long. Don't get me wrong, I still have perfect eyesight, but I wanted to keep it that way.
Now anytime I look at a computer screen or phone, I have to put on these glasses. The first day I wore them, I was constantly putting on my glasses and taking them off. I would put on my glasses to scroll Instagram then promptly take them off. Then I would put my glasses back on to check my email, and take them off again. After a week of putting them on and taking them off, I decided to just wear them the entire day. I spent far too much time looking at screens! You could argue that I look at screens for my job, but I was having to put on the glasses before I went to the bathroom because I would look at my phone for a few minutes! The worst (most hypocritical) part was that I was teaching my students about media balance and telling them to minimize their screen time. Yet I couldn't practice what I preached! Because of that, I decided to do a Content Cleanse to fix my mindless computer usage and media consumption. I spent lunch breaks meditating, stopped listening to as many podcasts, and started writing in a notebook instead of scrolling Instagram. I don't think I gained any insight other than minimizing screen time gives you so much more time for other things. I started a blog (albeit online), I walked my dog more, and I even had dinners with my fiance without the tv on! I want to continue this trend and hope you join me too. We can't complain about kids these days on their phones if we are doing the same. |
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