Journalism in 2021 involves so much more than writing news… here is our guide on how to use Instagram as a journalist!
Social media is an essential tool for journalists to connect with their audience and tell stories in different mediums – and Instagram is just one way to take advantage of this and develop your multimedia skills.
Last year, Instagram surpassed one billion global users and it’s still growing. Editors are increasingly aware of the potential reach of the platform, so if you can use it to showcase your journalistic skills it may help you stand out in the job market!
Getting started
First step: make your account professional. Whether you want to adapt your personal account or make an entirely new one, it’s important everything you present on your journalism Instagram is something you would want employers or editors to see.
Second step: determine what goals you want to achieve with your Instagram. Do you want to use it as a source of news, information and story ideas? Do you want to connect with other journalists and share your own advice and experience with others?
Once you figure out what you want from your page, you can start expanding your profile!
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Grow your Instagram presence
It’s important to follow and engage with organisations and people you admire or would want to work with. This will help you get a better idea of what you like and the kind of content that journalists can create.
Make a regular content schedule and use relevant hashtags to get your posts noticed – for example, if you’re a local journalist, hashtag your locations to target people who will be interested in news around your area.
Play to your strengths – if you’re confident talking to camera, use Insta stories and IGTV to verbally tell stories or elaborate on stories you’ve written.
If you enjoy visual design, get creative with some graphics to create a fun, aesthetic feed.
Remember Instagram is primarily visual – think about your use of colours, fonts and most importantly photos! While you don’t need to be a professional photographer, having good images to go with your stories will really make your Insta pop.
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Develop your skills
Journalists today are expected to be well-versed in multimedia skills, particularly if you want to go into broadcast or digital journalism. Instagram and other social media channels are the perfect free platform for you to practise and showcase video pieces.
Get to grips with all the features Instagram has to offer – use highlights to store your best themes and stories, and use the question or poll features to get a better idea of the opinions of your followers and the kind of stories they’d like to see.
Use Linktree to link to your portfolio or any other projects in your bio. This means you can direct people from your stories and posts to find out more!
Now you know how to use Instagram as a journalist, you should get to grips with using social media to network! Check out our blog on the best ways to network remotely.