Bookstagram is a culture on Instagram where book lovers unite and share all things related to reading. In fact, you can find about 83 million posts under #bookstagram. There are many things you can do on bookstagram—write reviews, follow authors, sell book merch, create book art, share recommendations, or simply take photos of your book collection. Even with so many bookstagrammers established already, there is still always room for more. If you choose to make a home for yourself on bookstagram and want to know how to make the best of it, there are some things to know. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to grow your account, here are some ways to build a bookstagram.

Make It Personal

First, pick your purpose for creating and make sure it’s something personal. What do you want your bookstagram to say? How can you stand out among thousands of other bookstagrammers? In other words, what do you like about books that you want to share with the world in a unique way? This is your account to share books that you are passionate about. Next, pick an aesthetic, any aesthetic. It doesn’t matter what, as long as it expresses who you are. It’s good to have a uniform feed to help you become more recognizable. When you post a picture, people will know it’s you. You can always change it, but be consistent with your brand. On a side note, while your bookstagram needs your personal touch, you don’t necessarily have to show your face. You can share as much or as little on bookstagram as you want. Make this your space on the internet.

Content Creation

Now let’s get down to business—taking quality pictures. You’ve decided on your theme, now it’s time to execute it in a way that gets positive attention. You don’t have to be a professional photographer; it’s all about the setup. You can never go wrong with a good flat lay or book stack. Creatively arranging your books and keeping the lighting natural and bright is the formula for every great post. While a clean shot of a book against a bare background is always good, use props such as coffee, glasses, flowers, blankets, and other books to make the photo look full. This gives the bookstagram personality and can help you achieve the right aesthetic for your feed. Keep in mind the framing of the photo as well. You want enough space around the subject so that it doesn’t crop weirdly when you post. For examples, you can check out @booksparks and @shereadsdotcom on Instagram.

Though your posts are the main thing people look at when clicking on your profile, other content such as reels and stories impact your engagement too. Instagram reels are 60-second videos you can post to your profile or on a separate page under a Reels tab if you don’t want to mess up the look of your feed. These short, engaging videos are the current trend and Instagram is valuing creators utilizing this feature and rewarding them with more engagement than other content. Reels also have a higher chance of being discovered in your followers’ feeds and on the Explore page, where users can go to find accounts they might be interested in following. Some ideas for reels include filming a trip to the bookstore, book hauls, and shuffling through your favorite books. Keep up with trends and sounds by scrolling through the explore page and other accounts you like. 

As for stories, make ones that are lighthearted, fun, and attention-grabbing. You can use them to announce new posts, share other peoples’ content, or let your followers get to know you more. Use Instagram’s poll, quiz, and question tools so that your followers can interact with you. Stories can also help you post daily without creating a whole post. Posting every day is usually the rate for growing your account. It may seem like a full-time job, but it’s doable with commitment and worth it. Spend a day getting all of your content for the week ready. Schedule a time for them to go out, plan your captions, supplement your profile with daily stories, and voila! You have a bookstagram.

Engagement

There are ways to grow the perfect bookstagram with optimal posting times, boosting photos, and sponsored posts, but a more authentic way of earning engagement comes by being part of the bookstagram community. Spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day liking, commenting, and following different accounts. There is a significant difference in the amount of feedback you get in return. Just remember, you get what you give. Don’t follow to unfollow and don’t follow accounts that you have no interest in. Find other bookstagrammers who you enjoy and don’t make scrolling through your feed a chore. Plus, it’s more fun when you start interacting with other people who inspire you or share the same interests. You begin to have conversations and learn about the different kinds of books they read or authors they like, which leads to recommendations and opens your literary world. Making real connections can lead to collaborations, sharing each others’ posts and accounts, and building a following that doesn’t consist of bots.

Have Fun

Sharing your love of books with the internet does not have to be stressful, though, admittedly we can all get wrapped up in our follower count, the number of likes, and hectic posting schedules. Even when posting something you are passionate about, social media can sometimes get the best of you. The perfect bookstagrammer takes breaks if they need to because when it comes down to it, bookstagram is about having fun expressing yourself and making connections over a mutual love of books.