If you are a small, independent jewelry brand (I'm a one woman show 🙋♀️ ) your Instagram page is often your PRIMARY MEANS TO ADVERTISE YOUR WORK. I know one thing I have struggled with is what to post about (besides the jewels, lol.) When I first started my @corkieboltonjewelry page I was all. over. the. place. Yes, I would show you my jewelry but I would also show off my lunch, a random selfie and other strangeness that were truthfully not "on brand" and had nothing to do with my work. Then I went to the other extreme, my grid had to be PERFECT, every post was "here is a thing to buy." That got super boring and also tiresome to keep up. So now I am in the middle of those two extremes, and I think that is where we should all be. I want people to get to know me, because I am the person behind my work so I show glimpses into my life (but I ask myself "do people care what I had for lunch?" probably not, lol.) I balance these posts with photos of my work, but also progress shots and explanations of how things are made. People LOVE THAT. Customers want to get to know you and they are curious to see how your work is made! With all that said, here is a list of ten post ideas for your Instagram feed if you get stuck in a rut!
1. A video of you working on a piece.
Video seems to be having a moment on Instagram right now! Putting together a quick 5-30 second video showing off what you do to create a piece can really captivate your audience and get them more invested in your process.
2. Share a self-portrait and tell us a few things we may not know about you.
When your followers can connect with you on a deeper level, it makes them want to support your business. Sharing where you went to college, your beloved cat's name or the fact that you are a crazy plant lady along with a wonderful picture of your face can deepen your connection with your audience.
It's where the magic happens! A creative person's workspace always fascinates me and I know others will be interested in yours as well.
4. Tell us how you got started making jewelry and show a piece you made a long time ago.One of my favorite posts I did a few years back was a picture of rings I had made in high school. A #throwback piece can show how far you've come, how an idea has evolved and allow you to tell your origins story.
5. Share a tip about how you create your work or run your business.Perhaps you have an interesting and visually appealing way of setting up your pieces for soldering, or you are an organizational genius and you share how you store your gemstones! Doing a little tip can benefit your audience (since you likely have other jewelers following you) it can inspire others and is generally a great post for engagement.
6. Show us your favorite piece to make and tell us why.10. Image of raw material and educate us on what they are.
It can be really hard for me to post daily, and I'm sure it is hard for others as well! Hopefully this article gave you some ideas for posts! As jewelers we do want to show off the pieces we have for sale but we also want to work in some storytelling!
