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An Instagram Challenge is when a group of people commit to daily posts on Instagram for a specific period of time (usually 1 month). You receive a daily prompt to inspire you to create a post for your Instagram feed. The prompts are open to interpretation adding fun and diversity to the challenge.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>An Instagram Challenge is a creative way to build your presence and expand your network. You will also build the habit of posting daily which will increase your followers and engagement rates.<\/p>\n
If you want to get started or increase your presence on Instagram but you aren\u2019t sure what to post or what type of content is best, participating in an Instagram Challenge allows you to create a whole load of content and see what works and doesn\u2019t for you.<\/p>\n
Participants in my last challenge stated that the number one benefit of participating in the challenge was the connections they built. Other common benefits were motivation and consistency. So, if you are wanting to build your network and\/or your authority on Instagram then I recommend you participate in an Instagram Challenge.<\/span><\/p>\n You need to engage with the challenge. To engage, you must first share your own content for each prompt. Second, you need to interact with others in the challenge. It is easy to find other participants\u2019 posts by searching the challenge\u2019s unique hashtag. Follow, like, and comment to expand your network!<\/p>\n Set aside some time before the challenge starts to plan out your posts during the challenge. I recommend\u00a0scheduling your posts<\/a>\u00a0and then allocate some time to interact daily. If you want to go with the flow at least jot down some ideas on what you could post. That way you won\u2019t stress and get overwhelmed about having to find something to post about every day. Participating in an Instagram Challenge should make your content creation less stressful, not more. Have fun and don\u2019t worry if you get off schedule \u2013 just jump right back in on the day you miss, or post a couple on one day to catch up.<\/p>\n Use the challenge as a time to learn from what others are doing. By interacting with others you will see things that you like, and learn little tips and tricks. Also, learn by seeking out\u00a0resources and tips<\/a>.<\/p>\n Be on the lookout for people within your network who are hosting a challenge. Challenges range in theme, length, and number of participants.<\/p>\n If you see others on Instagram participating in a challenge then jump on board, starting a few days late is not a problem as the challenges usually build for the first several days.<\/p>\n Search and you will find. There are many challenges with different themes so do a search online and\u00a0find one that resonates with you<\/a>.<\/p>\n I host a few challenges throughout the year.\u00a0#TheLeveagedPhD Instagram Challenge<\/a>\u00a0is open to all people associated with academia. Associated is a loose word because most of the people who participate are pursuing alt-careers. Previous participants include professors, scientists, bloggers, speakers, writers, and students. Anyone with or pursuing a PhD will fit right in so come join my next challenge at\u00a0The Leveraged PhD\/ Instagram Challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t find a challenge that is exactly what you are looking for then create your own! They are easy to set up \u2013 just follow this guide.<\/p>\n You want to create a theme that others will feel like they belong to. You don\u2019t want to get too specific otherwise you\u2019ll restrict people\u2019s participation. One of the main benefits of a challenge is to connect with like-minded people so your theme is important to attracting the right type of participants who will be inspired by each other and create long term relationships.<\/p>\n This should be something that is unique and descriptive as it is what participants (and you) will use to find and interact with others in your challenge. I use\u00a0#TheLeveagedPhD<\/a>\u00a0for my challenges as it is descriptive of the people I want to attract to my challenge, those with a PhD trying to use their degree to its full potential. It was also never used before my first challenge so it is easy to track and for participants to find each other during the challenges. Try to find a hashtag that hasn\u2019t been used more than a few times in the last 6 months. If you are struggling then you can always add a month or year to the hashtag to make it unique.<\/p>\n Most challenges are between 1 week and 1 month in length. I opt for 1 month as it gives people time to build the habit of posting on Instagram and see real results from their efforts. Anything over a month is too long to maintain momentum, and less than a week is too short to build a community.<\/p>\n Create a prompt for each day of the challenge. Try to find a balance between being too specific and too vague. Keeping your prompts open-ended will allow participants the freedom to be creative. You want to inspire people without restricting them.<\/p>\n Get the word out about your challenge a few weeks before. Share on social media and email your contacts. You\u2019ll want to have at least 10 people posting throughout the challenge.\u00a0 So aim to get around 50 sign-ups because many who sign up will not participate. Don\u2019t take it personally, it\u2019s normal for people to forget or get caught up in other projects.<\/p>\n Send out your prompts a week to a week and a half before the start of the challenge so that participants can start to think about what they will post. Many people like to\u00a0batch and schedule<\/a>\u00a0their Instagram content, especially when doing a challenge.<\/p>\n It is a lot of work to keep up with the challenge when you are the host. Draft your posts before your challenge kicks off so that you can make sure you don\u2019t miss a prompt. I like to have an idea for every prompt and\u00a0batch and schedule<\/a>about half of them ahead of time. As the challenge progresses I edit some and change my ideas but the planning definitely\u00a0 reduces my stress during this time. It doesn\u2019t look good if the host is missing prompts!<\/p>\nHow to get the most value out of a challenge?<\/h3>\n
How to find a challenge to participate in<\/h3>\n
Join those in your network<\/h4>\n
Do a Google Search<\/h4>\n
Join my next challenge<\/h4>\n
How to host your own challenge?<\/h3>\n
1. Decide on a loose theme<\/h4>\n
2. Choose a hashtag<\/h4>\n
3. Decide on the length of the challenge<\/h4>\n
4. Create your prompts<\/h4>\n
5. Promote<\/h4>\n
6. Send out your prompts<\/h4>\n
7. Draft your posts<\/h4>\n
8. Set up tracking<\/h4>\n