The glory days of plain PDF attachments to cold email marketing are over. Social media has taken over offering way more opportunities to showcase your work and network with people worldwide. If you’re wondering how to build a successful freelance portfolio on Instagram, look no further – we’ve collected tips and tricks that will make you proud to share your Instagram profile and of course, catch the attention of your next client.
Why does your Instagram profile matter?
Instagram was the most downloaded app of 2023 with 696 million downloads.* And the latest statistics show that there are 2 billion monthly active users on Instagram!**. Therefore it’s safe to say that having a powerful freelance portfolio on Instagram might be a great way to get your next freelancing gig.
Although Instagram is a visually-driven social media and would be considered to be more suitable for freelancers in fields like photography, design, and illustration, anyone can find creative angles and build a strong Instagram portfolio that showcases your skills, personality, and unique value to potential clients. So buckle up, we’re here to help you succeed.
How to boost your Instagram profile?
Create a strong profile bio. Your profile bio should answer questions – who you are, what you do, and why they should follow or contact you. Remember to add relevant keywords that people use to search your represented industry or services for profile SEO. And make sure you include a Call-to-Action such as “Check out my latest Reel”, “DM for collaborations”, or “More information on my homepage”.
Design a professional profile picture. Look at your profile picture. Is it high-quality? Is it recognizable (like a logo or professional headshot)? If not, make sure to update it. You can use free online platforms like Canva.com to remove the photo background and make it look more professional. If you have other social media profiles like Linkedin, Facebook or TikTok, we would recommend using the same picture to improve visibility.
Create consistent aesthetics. Humans are naturally wired to seek patterns and order – it’s easier for our brains to process the information. This concept is known as cognitive fluency and refers to how easily our brain can interpret information when things look organized and consistent. Consistent aesthetics gives us a sense of ease and comfort, making us more likely to enjoy and engage with the content. Well-coordinated feed also sends a message of professionalism, attention to detail, and effort. Do your research. Take a look at what’s already out there, which profiles inspire you, and what theme or color palette would you like to represent your work. Then decide on 3-5 content directions that you would like to post about and define the look of each of them. Will you have pictures or illustrations? Will you try to make videos? If yes, how many per month? This will create a clear picture for you and a plan for execution.
Highlight your process. Don’t just post the final product. Share behind-the-scenes stories, posts, reels, time-lapse videos, or carousel posts. This allows clients to see how you work and your creative process. As well as it is way more interesting to the rest of the public and will gain views, reach and engagement, that will boost your profile visibility for algorithms. Therefore Instagram will push your content to a wider audience. Posting 3-5 times per week + daily stories is widely recommended for consistent engagement. This balance helps maintain visibility without overwhelming followers.
Your captions = your voice. When you write captions, try to be specific, without being generic. Write as if somebody asked you to explain the image, and reel of the carousel. SocialInsider blog research shows that shorter captions (the ones below 30 words) usually lead to a higher engagement rate compared to longer ones. The sweet spot for Instagram captions is typically between 138-150characters because captions get visually cut off at around 125 characters. This length allows you to deliver a concise message without overwhelming the audience. At the same time, you can and should use long captions in cases where you see that storytelling or in-depth explanation will benefit you more.
Post stories to boost engagement. People appreciate transparency, it makes them more attached and engaged. Use Instagram stories to keep your existing followers engaged. Regular updates, polls, Q&A sessions, or tips in your field will help your profile to feel more authentic and open for a conversation with your followers. If you lack ideas on what to post, here’s an interesting list of 39 story ideas from Sproutsocial.
Highlight your stories to guide your profile visitors. Although stories are visible for 24 hours, you can definitely gain more visibility by organizing your stories into highlights, such as “Projects”, “Client feedback”, “Tips & Tricks”, or “Behind the scenes” ect. This will help potential clients find and access the information they need and your stories will have a longer life.
Add short-form videos to your feed. Algorithms always boost new features to encourage user adoption and engagement, and since the introduction of reels on Instagram, they have continued to surpass other content types in terms of reach. A Social Insider study found that Reels have an average reach rate of 30.81%. That’s double the reach rate of other content formats. Even in terms of impressions, Reels surpass other post types with 2x more impressions. Don’t be afraid that you don’t have “the right” equipment or professional video editing skills – if you have a smartphone, you can record a video and edit it in the app. The most important thing is the content – always ask yourself how this video will help your followers. Will it teach them something? Will it answer any questions? Will it bring entertainment with behind-the-scenes footage?
Instagram SEO?!
Although many say you can’t really hack Instagram’s search engine, there are things you can do to optimize your profile for relevant searches and they are not hard!
As we noted in the beginning, including keywords in Your bio is one of the most important things for your profile SEO. Make sure to include keywords that are relevant to your niche or what your audience might search for, when trying to search for a freelancer portfolio on Instagram.
Add a location tag to your profile and include a geotag to your posts. If you have a local business or serve a specific area, mention your location in your bio. This helps with local search visibility and increases your reach on the Explore page.
Use Alt text for images. Instagram has a feature that allows you to add alt text to your photos. Alt texts are used to describe the image, making it more accessible for people with disabilities as well as helping Instagram understand the content of your posts. Use keywords that describe the image. The recommended length for alt text on Instagram is up to 100 characters.
Add links to your Instagram profile in other social media bios. Cross-promote your Instagram on your other social media platforms to drive traffic and help with search engine indexing. The same goes for your webpage. Embedding your Instagram profile link on your website can help with SEO, making it easier for search engines to associate your website with your Instagram profile.
Engage with your audience. Responding to comments and also commenting on others’ posts is a great way to build community and boost engagement rates. This can also increase your visibility because other users might want to check out your profile.
Final thoughts: keep it fresh and updated
The key to a strong profile is to keep your portfolio updated. As you complete new projects, be sure to add them to your profile. Regular updates show that you’re active and open to take new projects, which can be appealing to potential clients.
Happy freelancing, and may your portfolio attract new projects!
Sources:
https://www.businessofapps.com/data/most-popular-apps
https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users
https://datareportal.com/essential-instagram-stats https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/instagram-benchmarks/
