Pushing the Limits on Instagram in 2018
Are you pushing Instagram to its limits for maximum publicity? Hopefully you are not driving under the influence of randomness. Here’s a quick guide on character count, hashtags limits, photo opportunities and if you want more an Instagram course to help drive success
Be Your Best Brand #Selfie
Some call Instagram the next Facebook; some call it the cat’s meow. 😼 One thing you can’t call it is random. This photo and video sharing app is a sure thing if you want to grow your brand and build community.
The Instagram possibilities are endless and if your brand is joining the party, it’s never been more critical to make sure your plan is current and up to date.
Gone are the days of posting a photo and adding a filter. One word captions without a hashtag? Might as well roll the dice.
No location? No exposure. And can you survive without an aesthetic? Technically yes but why would you? And we’re are not talking about facials. Have no fear, throw on a mask and read on.
2018 is the year brands will learn how to push the limits on Instagram and beyond to meet a goal and find that precious ROI. If your 2018 marketing goals and objectives include Instagram, you might see things are a bit more complicated, tricky, and strategy has never been more important.
Most in demand for 2018? Followers, reach, exposure, and impressions. While you are trying to weed through the feed for answers and opportunity, be sure you understand Instagram’s capacity for characters, hashtags, and more.
The following is a list of Instagram limits to help craft, tweak, and expand your Instagram possibilities.
Your Instagram Aesthetic
You just need one. Every brand should have its own Instagram aesthetic that matches its look and feel. An Instagram aesthetic is the uniform design and style you curate and edit your Instagram feed. According to social media speaker and Instagram trainer Peg Fitzpatrick, there is not a right or wrong Instagram aesthetic. Although there is one certainty: to be successful on Instagram your brand should have a well thought out Instagram aesthetic.
Instagram Caption Character Limit
2,200 characters (about 400 words)
While most captions are short and sweet, longer form captions are a way to share your story with more depth. This can be a huge opportunity for storytelling and using Instagram posts as mini blog posts or a way to feature brand or industry news.
5 Tips for Longform Instagram Posts
• Less is more. Even though Instagram offers 2200-characters, this does not mean you must use them all up. Get to the point and minimize the scrolling.
• Using more than one image? Serialize them (1/4, 2/4, etc.) journalism style your followers know they are part of a series.
• Use hashtags with relevant keywords and locations at the end to optimize and reach a wider and targeted audience
• Direct followers to a specific website or blog by referring them to a specific link in your bio.
• Customize. Make the custom URL very short and memorable.
One of my faves for going “all in” for Instagram captions is Danielle Radulski, and here is the perfect example.
Instagram Hashtag Limit
30 hashtags. You can post 30 more hashtags to your comments section.
Instagram Bio😎 Character Limit
150 characters including emojis.
Number of Tags in an Instagram Photo
Only 20 people can be tagged in a post. (I tested this!)
The Instagram ❤️ Limitations
There is a limit on the number of likes you can perform on an Instagram photo. This limit is 350 likes per hour.
One… the Instagram Link Limits
The maximum number of links in an Instagram Bio: One.
Social PR Secret: If you need to share more than one link, here is a tool you can do more with: https://linktr.ee/. Or if you have a website via shopify, there is a way to make any Instagram post shoppable.
Caption Display in the User’s Feed
Within users’ feeds, the caption is cut off after the first three lines. If you want your entire caption to display in the feed, we recommend adding a caption of 125 characters or fewer.
Social PR Secret: Front load it with crucial details and calls-to-action, leaving any hashtags, @mentions, or extraneous information for the end.
Mentions on Instagram Stories
You can mention up to 10 people in each photo or video you share in your Instagram Story.
Social PR Secret: Be sure to tag people and brands RELEVANT to your post. This will help get more exposure if done properly. Or it could lead to your account getting reported for abuse or blocked, if done in a spammy way.
Photos in One Post
You can have up to 10 pictures can be added on a single post. (I tested this)
Follow/Unfollow Limit Per Hour
As far as I’ve been able to confirm, Instagram only allows you to follow/unfollow 160 people per hour.
Instagram Live Time Limit
You can go live on Instagram for up to an hour.
Time Limit Instagram Live Stories Appear at Top of your Followers Feed:
The limit that your Instagram Live Stories appear at the top of your followers’ news feeds is for 24 hours.
Instagram Posts Per Day Limit
You can have 100 Instagram posts per day.
Instagram Users Following You
There is no limit on how many people can follow you on Instagram.
Comment Limitations
- You can NOT include more than five @ mentions in a single comment.
- You can NOT include more than 30 hashtags in a single comment.
- You can NOT post the same comment multiple times (including emoji.)
Instagram Image Limitations
- You can NOT share images that include nudity.
- You are not allowed to praise terrorism, organized crime, or hate groups. You cannot support them on the site. Likewise, you cannot offer sexual services, or the buying and selling of firearms, drugs, or anything else restricted by law. Online gambling is allowable only with written permission from Instagram.
- You are not allowed to make “credible threats” or hate speech, or anything that targets individuals in an attempt to shame them or bully them in any way. In general, anything that could be construed as a threat, bullying, or an insult can be removed at Instagram’s discretion.
- You are not allowed to glorify self-harm, which includes cutting, but also includes eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Instagram has a help center page dedicated to helping others with these disorders. If you encourage, 4chan style, users to harm themselves, Instagram not only will ban your account, they may refer you to local law enforcement.
Age Limitation
You must be over the age of 13 to use Instagram.
Delete or Archive it
If you decide after you publish something you don’t like it, it’s not performing or any issues — delete it or archive it and move on. (Note: the only problem is you might mess up your aesthetic, so weigh the pros and cons, strive for excellence, not perfection.)
Brands are challenged more than ever to pass the Instagram success limits in 2018. If there is one thing brands should not limit is the continued education to stay up to speed on Instagram’s constant change.
Do this by following credible and reliable sources such as the Instagram business blog.
Anyone who grew their Instagram following before the algorithm and is still talking about tips and tricks pre-algorithm may NOT be a credible source. This is difficult for Instagram newbies to decipher and easy to mask.
Credible Courses and Sources
One of my favorite and incredibly credible social media experts, Peg Fitzpatrick, just launched a brand new Instagram for Business course:
Your Instagram masters class is waiting. If you want to save yourself a ton of time and learn the what’s what on Instagram, invest in this course for your brand’s selfie. But hurry, open enrollment ends January 7th.
With Instagram, the sky’s the limit for success. Check out courses and sources to see how you can make Instagram work for you in 2018 and beyond.
Sources: Instagram Kiplinger Program Image Sources: Deposit photos Peg Fitzpatrick Danielle RudulskiDisclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. I only recommend brands, products and companies that I use and truly love.
Originally published at socialprchat.com on December 31, 2017.
