Before you decide to open an instagram account, I want you to know that Instagram isn't for everyone. I personally would not recommend anyone to open one- I'd recommend Youtube or Deviantart if you want to share your art/ memes/ creative journeys. 

Instagram is a great tool for marketing though, if you use it well. 

If you are SURE you want Instagram, feel free to skip this chapter. However, here are some things to consider.

1. How often do you have to post?

You probably have to post everyday if you want to gain a following quickly. Instagram is recency-based, so the more you post, the more likely you are to be picked up by the algorithm. (explained more in 2 and 3).

2. Shelf life

Shelf life is the approximate amount of time your post will be recommended to other people.

For example, on Youtube, you get recommended videos when you enter the site. Some videos are recent (less than a week old) and some may even be 10 years old. This means the 'shelf life' of youtube videos is 10 years, because people are getting recommended a video 10 years after it was posted.

For Instagram, the highest shelf life of a post is 2 weeks. After that, it won't be recommended to anyone. But this is only for Instagram Reels (An alternate to Tiktok). Feed posts (photos, carousels/ videos) are only pushed out for about 48 hours. 

3. There is no Search Engine... yet

Instagram is implementing Search Engine optimization into platform. 

SEO friendly platforms are Youtube, Tiktok. Deviantart is OK too. But for now, the only way someone on Instagram can find your 1-year old post, is if you rank on their hashtags. Or they scroll a lot. (If you want more elaboration, I can explain in a further chapter). 

So if you post something on Instagram NOW, after 48 hours, or 2 weeks, people will no longer like, comment or see your post (unless they find you through hashtags, or your profile). 

However, Instagram is working to strengthen SEO. So maybe by the end of this year, it will become as search friendly as Youtube.

4. You will have to be on the app, a LOT.

Instagram is not like Youtube and Deviantart. You can't just post and disappear. It is a SOCIAL MEDIA. Which means you need to talk to people. A lot. 

At least if you want to grow quickly.

Steven Mellor recommends following 10 hashtags, and 10 top accounts in your niche (your particular interest, will talk more about it later!), and commenting on each of their posts. So 20 posts a day for you to comment on. 

Plus, there is Instagram stories, which means you might need to be on the app every 2 hours. You can't schedule stories. You also need the mobile app for stories, and many other Instagram functions.

If you don't like the sound of that, you might not want to choose this social media. 

5. You need the mobile app

If you like doing things on desktop, then I must tell you: You will need the Instagram mobile app for a lot of Instagram functions. (Stories, Reels, collaborations, Guides, lives, etc). You can't do these on desktop.

Although there is a workaround for Stories, it will be highly limited to the point it's almost useless.

6. Can't schedule

You can't schedule Instagram Reels, collaboration posts, or Stories. On Youtube, you can schedule everything: community posts, videos, shorts- but unfortunately the same doesn't apply for Instagram.

You also can't schedule posts within the app. You will need Facebook Creator Studio, which means you will need to create a Facebook account.

Or you can use Later, another scheduling app. However, if you want to post carousels (multi-picture posts), you will need to pay them. Also you have to have a business account to use Later. 

Reels you have to post manually. 

7. Analytics

Instagram Analytics aren't as good as Youtube's. You also need 100 followers to get access to key data like when your followers are most active. 

8. Hashtag Research

Hashtags are growing less important nowadays. However when I joined Instagram I needed to do quite some hashtag research to get reach. Now you don't need to do much, however, thought I'd warn you ahead of time. 

This problem will decrease as Instagram implements SEO.

9. People may steal

It's pretty easy to repost someone else's work on Instagram. While this is great news for repost accounts, you may need to consider watermarking your content. Sucks when you post art or memes, but or else you run risk of having your content stolen.

10. Mental Health

The constant need to be on Instagram to grow is what really pushed me away from it. I don't want to be on the app all the time. And I don't want to comment on 20 best performing posts every day, I just want to interact with my followers. Alas, if you're like me, you probably won't grow on Instagram. 

Staying on the app has made me unhappy and distracted. I didn't like that, that's why I stopped caring about Instagram metrics and just posted what I wanted to post, then eventually stopped posting. 

You've heard all the dark sides, do you still wanna be on Instagram? If you're unsure, in the next chapter we discuss which social media is best for you.