Instagram is a photo-sharing social media platform that has exploded in popularity since its inception in 2010. It is a quick and easy way to share snapshots and video clips with friends and family. In addition, Instagram has quickly become a major marketing tool for brands, companies and small businesses. Here are tips to help elevate your Instagram game and take control of your profile.
Post to Multiple Accounts from One Device
If you have a business, chances are you have an Instagram for the public and a separate private account for family and friends. Fortunately, you can post to both accounts from the same device without having to enter in your login details every time.
To link an additional account to your Instagram app, tap on the profile icon at the bottom-right of the Instagram app (the one that looks like a person). Once you’re in your profile, tap on the menu icon at the top-right of the screen, which looks like three lines stacked on top of one another. In the Settings menu you’ll see an option labeled “Add Account.” Tapping on that will take you to a screen that will allow you to enter the login details of your secondary account. Alternatively, you can create a new account as well.
Also read: How to Take Awesome Instagram Photos with 6 Simple Steps
Remove Tags of Yourself from Photos
Is there an embarrassing picture of you floating around Instagram on someone else’s profile? Fortunately, there is a way to scrub any mention of you in unwanted or unflattering posts. This is essential if you are trying to cultivate a particular Instagram persona, especially if you’re a brand or business.
First, navigate to the photo with an unwanted tag. Tap on the photo to see the usernames tagged in the post. Find your username and tap on it to select it. At this point you’ll see two options: “Remove Me from Post” and “Hide from Profile.” Selecting “Hide from Profile” will not remove the tag; however, it will remove the photo from the “tagged photos” section of your profile. If you want to remove the tag completely, opt for “Remove Me from Post.”
Consume Less Mobile Data
If you’re an Instagram addict (or need to be for your business), you know that uploading photos and videos along with constantly refreshing your feed can chew up a lot of data. Thankfully, you can turn data saver mode on to save those megabytes.
Head to your profile by selecting the “person” icon on the bottom-right of the Instagram app. Next, tap on the menu icon, which looks like three stacked lines, found on the top-right of your profile. From there, select “Settings” > “Account.”
In the following menu, tap on “Cellular Data Usage.” Here, you’ll see an option labeled “Data Saver.” Flick the toggle switch to the on position to turn on Data Saver Mode. With Data Saver turned on, videos will not load in advance. Instead, you will have to manually tell Instagram to load individual videos.
Furthermore, you can opt out of Instagram loading hi-res versions of photos by tapping on “High Resolution Media.” By default, the app only loads high-resolution media when you are connected to a Wi-Fi network. You can change this to “Wi-Fi+Cellular” or “Never.” If you really want to conserve data, opt for “Never.” This will force Instagram to only load low-resolution images when scrolling through your feed.
Filter Out Offensive Comments
While social media is a great way to connect with others and grow your brand, it can also be home to anonymous trolls. Instead of wasting your time deleting offensive comments one by one, have Instagram do it for you automatically.
Head to your profile by selecting the icon at the bottom-right of the Instagram app. Next, tap on the menu icon (three stacked lines) at the top-right of the screen. From here, tap on “Settings > Privacy > Comments.”
Under “Filters” in the Comments menu, you’ll see two toggle switches. One is labeled “Hide Offensive Comments.” Enabling this option will give Instagram permission to automatically remove comments that it deems inappropriate. The other toggle switch is labeled “Manual Filter.” Turning this on will allow you to manually add words and phrases that you want Instagram to identify as offensive.
Archive Old Posts
If you want to remove a photo because it no longer meshes with your feed, you can do so without deleting the post entirely. The ability to archive posts is a great option for someone who wants to cultivate a more cohesive Instagram profile.
To archive Instagram posts that no longer jive with your feed, navigate to a picture by tapping on its thumbnail in your profile. Next, tap on the menu icon, which looks like three dots stacked on top of each other. This can be found on the top-right of the screen. A menu will pop up where you can see the option “Archive.” Tapping on that will remove the post from your feed and move it to your archive. To see your archived posts (and stories), simply navigate to your profile, hit the menu icon and tap on “Archive.”
Clear Your Search History
We all search for things that we’re not entirely comfortable with sharing to the world. Fortunately, you can scrub your Instagram search history. To get started, head to your profile by tapping on the person icon on the bottom-right of the app.
Once you’re in your profile, tap on the menu icon (three stacked lines) in the top right. This will prompt a menu to appear. Tap on the Cog icon at the bottom of the menu labelled “Settings.” In the next menu, select “Security.” Finally, tap on “Clear Search History” to remove all of the search terms associated with your account. However be aware that doing so will prevent Instagram from pre-filling any future search terms.
Have you used any of these Instagram settings to take control of your profile? Do you know of any other Instagram tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments!
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Ryan Lynch –
Staff Writer
Ryan is an English & Film Studies teacher. He splits his time between Australia and the United States. He passes the time on long haul flights by playing retro video games from his youth.
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