If you use social media you may know that one of the best ways to grow your account and get more exposure is by having your images and content reposted by large accounts. On Instagram these are often called feature accounts or hubs.
On Instagram, this may mean that a hub or mini-community may repost your photographs and will tag and credit you as the artist. Also, check out my hub @travelanddestinations for inspiration.
This blog post is primarily about Instagram and if you are new to Instagram you may also find Building an Instagram following helpful to get started. Otherwise, keep reading below. Here are top tips on how to get your pictures shared on large Instagram feature accounts and hopefully to help grow your account.
Post consistently high-quality images
One of the most important things you should do is making sure you consistently post high-quality content. This includes pictures that are well-composed, have good lighting, and fit your style. By posting high-quality images then hopefully your work will also stand out when the account owners look through their tags (more below). If you are new to photography you’ll find lots of posts and guides on my page: Travel Photography
Tag pictures that fit the feature account
To get your pictures shared on feature accounts, then you need to ensure you are posting content that fits. Ie there’s no point in tagging a portrait hub if you post landscape images. So always ensure that your content fits the account you are tagging. Most accounts will also have a hashtag, such as for my hubs these are #bestcitybreaks and #travelanddestinations. The account admins will then check these hashtags and use this as permission/a request for the image to be reposted.
Contact them via DM or Email
Another technique that does sometimes work, but not always, is to email or DM (direct message) the account. When doing this you should also include a few examples of images that would fit the feature account.
Sometimes when you email or contact the accounts they may say there’s a fee. If you are an individual, i.e. not a brand, then you should always avoid paying as the results may be hit and miss depending on the account. Ie you may pay $25 for a feature and get no new followers which is a waste of money. To be clear I don’t charge individuals to repost their work/feature them, but there are quite a few hubs out there that do.
Make it clear your profile is all your work
As someone who runs several hubs, I can say that it’s very important that the images you post on your account are clearly yours. For example keeping the same style, writing a little bit about the image and having good information and details on your profile.
Consider posting only square or vertical cropped shots
I have found from hubs that feature images from my personal account, as well as running several hubs myself, that they prefer vertical or square cropped shots. If you post wide horizontal shots you may find that you will have less chance of getting featured. In my opinion, this is because there are fewer images being shown, especially on phones with low resolution. For that reason, I highly recommend you only post square or portrait shots on your feed if you are hoping to get featured.
Make the location of the photograph clear
If you are trying to get featured by travel hubs, then you should ensure you have the location of the image either in the caption, or the location link above the image. Previously I have not posted great images because there was no location and I don’t have time to start messaging to find out the location.
Ensure your account is public
Having a private account will do you no favours to get featured. I have been messaged before by people asking me to feature their work, but as they have private accounts I have not even considered them. This is because you can’t see more of their work to ensure it is actually their work, and it adds no value to the hub or community when there are so many other good photographers that are tagging from public profiles and want that valuable exposure.
Follow and engage with the feature account
My last tip on how to get featured is to engage and interact with the feature hub. Such as “liking” their posts, following them, and commenting on photographs. The admins of many hubs will often check the comments, so if they see someone often leaving good comments, then the admins may check out their work and feature them (if they are tagged).
Travel feature accounts you could tag
Here are a few ideas on hubs that you could consider tagging. I recommend checking them out and then following my tips above if you want to be featured. You could also just follow them for travel inspiration as well.
- @bestcitybreaks – A hub posting pictures of cities around the world.
- @travelanddestinations – An account that shares travel images including cities, landscapes and anything else travel related. Read how to get featured on @travelanddestinations.
- @citybestviews – This account posts some of the best city images.
- @hello_worldpics – A great account sharing images from around the world.
- @hello_rooftops – For travel images with a high perspective/rooftop perspective.
- @living_europe – Posting travel images from around Europe. @living_destinations – Sharing images from around the world and a very well run account.
- @topeuropephoto – There are lots of “Top photo” accounts now. They all post content from a specific region. You should follow and tag any that apply to your work or provide inspiration.
- @citybestpics – A feature account posting city pictures.
- @awesome.earth – A large account posting lots of nature and landscape photographs. There are sometimes city images but not too many. Getting featured is far from easy.
- @beautifuldestinations – One of the largest travel accounts on Instagram. Getting noticed and featured is extremely hard now.
Summary
I hope these suggestions give you an idea on how to get your images shared on feature accounts/hubs. Although this post is mainly about Instagram you may be able to apply some of these tips to other social media platforms.
It’s worth noting that if you are tagging large hubs you need to be aware that they will get 100’s if not thousands of pictures tagged to them every single day, so you need to try your best to stand out and also stay patient. But once you have some images that get reposted, or you start getting noticed by large hubs you may get regular features and hopefully lots more followers. If you are trying to get featured but still having no luck, then read my post 6 Reasons Why You’re Not Getting Reposts from Feature Accounts.
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