Do you need to have an Instagram theme?

Deciding whether you really need a theme all boils down to what you really want to get out of the app. If you’re looking to grow your social media following to support a blog or YouTube channel then you’re going to have a different outlook to someone who just enjoys uploading random photos without any consistency. If you enjoy the process of editing and having a visually pleasing grid then you may have themed your Instagram just for your own pleasure. If you’re looking to align your grid with your blog or YouTube then you might want to look at having a theme or at least a consistent subject matter that reflects your blog or YouTube. You absolutely don’t have to do this it’s all down to what you’re wanting to get out of it. Having a blog or YouTube doesn’t mean you need to have a them on Instagram, it’s entirely your choice but if you’re wanting to grow then a bit of consistency won’t do any harm. Personally I’ve given up on the idea of a theme on my Instagram because I like the spontaneity of posting what I want, it’s not strictly just for my blog either. Because of this a don’t really see any growth because I’m not appealing to a set group of people, there’s everyday life on there, my cats, Disney and everything in between. However over on my wedding Instagram my growth has been insane, in 3 months of having that account I’ve got almost double the amount of followers that I’ve got over on my personal account and I do think it’s down to appealing to a niche group. I only post about wedding related things so 99% of the accounts that follow me are fellow bridal accounts. Having a them for my wedding account works well as it sits nicely alongside my wedding blog but not having a theme on my personal account also works for me at the moments, as I said it’s all down to personal preference.

 

Editing style is one way to create a more consistent theme on your blog without having to have a specific subject to post about. If you’re really into photo editing this might be the route for you just be aware of photos looking ‘samey’ which can often happen with editing presets and filters. Personally I like each image to be a bit different on Instagram, colours in a field on flowers shouldn’t be the same as the colours of the Disney castle or a selfie. That’s not a dig at anyone at all – presets and filters can work beautifully but they can also suck all the colour and life out of a photo. Find a style that works for you and that could become your signature, that way you’ve got a bit more freedom to post what you want but the consistency comes from how your images look.

 

Subject matter is a little more restrictive and this is why people end of having more than one account. As I previously mentioned, I set up a wedding account to run alongside my wedding blog. I didn’t realise just how big the wedding Instagram community is or how quickly a niche account would grow. Posting about one specific subject works perfectly for my wedding account, it doesn’t work for my personal account because my life isn’t one single subject it’s made up of lots of things and that’s what I like to post about. I love having my wedding account and I’ve found a wonderful group of fellow brides through it, I’m so glad I set it up but when I switch over to it everything is about weddings and it can become overwhelming and, dare I say it, repetitive, at times. I couldn’t have just one account with only one subject matter because I honestly don’t think I’d use Instagram all that much. 

 

I don’t think there’s a straight answer to whether you need to have an Instagram theme, it’ll certainly attract the audience you’re looking for and I do think it helps with growth but is it necessary? If you’re only using Instagram for fun, absolutely not. Whether you choose to have an Instagram theme or not the important thing to remember is it’s only an app, algorithms change all the time and you have very little control over the app so don’t get too consumed by it!