How to Get Your Outdoor Adventures Some Love on Instagram

1.) Quality Over Quantity

When I hiked Angels Landing at Zion National Park, I returned with nearly 250 shots on my Canon! No matter how many photos you are in love with, my advice is to post only your very best shots. Flooding your Instagram feed with pictures of the same adventure gets repetitive very quickly. My personal rule is no more than 3 Instagram posts per experience.

2.) A Strong Caption Game is the Key

A cool caption paired with a beautiful shot is absolute DYNAMITE. Let your personality shine through in your posts. People love a good story or lame joke. Toss in some Emojis. Anyone can post a picture of the ocean, a great caption sets your 'gram' apart from the rest.

3.) It's All About Timing

What time of day will people be checking Instagram? Try to post when you think your followers will be able to see it. In my opinion, people check their phones as they lay in bed in the morning, at lunch hour and around 8 pm when their day is winding down. On Sundays most people don't work, have classes or obligations and people have the chance to check their phones and toss you a 'like'.

4.) #Hashtags

Hashtags gets your picture on the feed of more users. I cannot stress how important hashtags are to reaching a wider audience. Here are some #hashtags some successful outdoor adventure accounts use:

#theoutbound (obviously) #neverstopexploring #liveauthentic #stayandwander #getoutside #wherewillwegonext #livesimply #keepitwild #simplyadventure #wildernessculture #outdoorwomen #modernoutdoorsman #campvibes #lifeofadventure #optoutside #beautifuldestinations #passionpassport #adventureislife #theglobewanderer #choosemountains #lifeofadventure #mountains #travel #explore #adventure #findyourpark #nationalpark

You can even #hashtag Emojis like I did in this post:

5.) 'Like' and 'Comment' like Crazy

Treat others the way you want to be treated totally applies here. If you want 'likes' and 'comments' then you need to give them out. Instagram is a cool community and people love engagement. Connect with people who are similar and you will see some amazing results.

6.) Adapt to the Instagram Algorithm

Instagram is no longer organized in reverse chronological order. In the past, the newest posts would be at the top of your feed and the oldest posts at the bottom. Now, Instagram feeds are controlled by an algorithm that puts the the posts Instagram thinks you will most want to see at the top. How does this apply to you? The more likes you can get immediately after posting, the more chance of visibility your post has.

7.) Tag Accounts for a Feature

The best way to reach a new audience is to be featured on another account with lots of followers. Tag other Instagram accounts that somehow apply to your picture. Here's an example of what I did. I got featured by a few accounts and have gained some cool followers from that exposure.