The whole is sometimes greater than the sum of its parts.

Your Instagram account is one of those instances.

If you are using your Instagram account as a branding tool (as an individual teacher, a yoga studio, a product, etc.), you need to be considering your account in terms of ones and nines.

This is because two types of people will see the photos you post on Instagram.

• Your current followers will see the individual photos you post as they scroll through their feed.
• New visitors (potential followers, and potential customers) will see your photo grid when they arrive on your profile.

This means:

1. Individual photos need to look nice
2. Your nine most recent photos need to look nice, and work together to tell a story about who you are (this number may be more, depending on how far down interested visitors scroll)

5 Rules for Having a Strong Instagram Nine

Keep it consistent: If you use filters, use similar filters on all images. If you are adding text to your images, use the same font as much as possible.

Rotate your images: Make sure your most recent photos reflect a well-rounded version of what you want to showcase. If your brand is all about yoga and vegan food, try to rotate what you’re posting so that visitors see a mix of both.

Choose images that reflect your brand: The easiest way to achieve this will be to use your own photos, rather than re-posting something that someone else made.

Notice how your images look next to each other: Choose to arrange your photos in a way that complement each other, rather than detract from each other. Posting grainy images will bring the overall quality of your feed down, even when positioned next to high-resolution photos.

Showcase your product: If you sell mats, your recent photos should include images of your mats.

What it looks like to have a strong nine:

@MyInnerFire 

All of the images in the Inner Fire feed evoke the same mood. They use the same funky font consistently throughout their promotional graphics, and their apparel is showcased front-and-centre. Also, without saying it, they’ve positioned themselves as a brand for getting outdoors.*

@YogaTreeStudios

I love how bold this account is. Their font is bold. Their poses are bold. Their photos are taken inside, presumably at their multiple studio locations, and they’ve included their logo in the top left corner of several of their images.

@MisfitStudio

Every photo in this feed is in black and white, just like their website. Each image exudes confidence, strength, and motion. They have used the same font for all text, including their class schedule.

Notice how all three side-by-side have used the same principles to create completely different brands, even though they are all yoga businesses. Each photo works alone, complements those around it, and gives you a sense of the personality behind each company.

Laura Fraser is a yoga teacher, digital media specialist & hand lettering artist. You can learn more about her here.