whom Instagram thinks you may want to follow. To follow a user, click the Follow button.
Heart icon: Displays a list of notifications, such as when someone comments on one of your photos or videos.
Profile icon: Displays your Profile page.
If you’re on the Explore or Profile page, you can return to the home page by clicking the Home icon or the Instagram logo.
Scroll down the screen to see photos and videos from other Instagram users you follow. You can double-click the photo or click the heart icon to like the photo. You can also add a comment: Click the comment icon (a text bubble) to open the post page shown in Figure 1-10, click Add a Comment, type the comment, and then press Enter.
FIGURE 1-10: You can view comments from other users to the right of the photo(s).
Note the three dot icon to the right of the person who posted the photo. (If you’re following this person, the icon appears to the right of the word Following, as in Figure 1-10). Click this icon to open a pop-up menu that enables you to report the photo or video as inappropriate, unfollow the user, open the post, share the post, copy a link to the post, embed the photo on a website, or cancel the action and close the menu.
Starting to Gram Instantly
If you’ve installed the Instagram app on your Windows PC or smartphone, you should use those versions instead of the tablet versions or the website because they have more functionality. And if you have a choice between using a PC or a smartphone, remember that iPhone and Android smartphone versions of Instagram have the most functionality of all.
Starting Instagram on a computer
To open Instagram on your Windows PC, click the Start icon in the taskbar and then click Instagram in the apps list on the left, as shown in Figure 1-11. Alternatively, you can click the Instagram icon in the Start menu.
FIGURE 1-11: The Instagram app is in the I section of the apps list.
After you launch the app for the first time, it will ask you to sign in using your Instagram username and password or to log in with your Facebook account.
If you don’t have an Instagram account, click the Sign Up link at the bottom of the window. The signup screen asks you to log in with Facebook or create an Instagram account by clicking the Sign Up with Phone or Email link. From there, you’ll be able to use the Signup Wizard to create an account.
Starting Instagram on a mobile device
If you're using Instagram on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, you can start the app by tapping its icon, as shown in Figure 1-12.
If you’re using Instagram on an iPhone or iPad, you'll be asked to turn on Instagram notifications in the Please Turn On Notifications window. If you don’t turn them on, you won’t know, for example, if one of your followers likes a photo you posted. Turn on Instagram notifications by tapping OK in the window. Next, you see the Instagram Would Like to Send You Notifications window. This seems redundant, but Instagram is asking you to send your notifications with sounds and alerts. If you want to do this, tap Allow in the window. Otherwise, tap Don’t Allow in the window.
If you’re using an Android smartphone or tablet, you won’t see a notification window. Instead, you’ll see your home screen. You can change the notification settings in Instagram for Android, as you discover in Chapter 21.
FIGURE 1-12: The Instagram icon appears in the second row of icons on this iPhone.
Chapter 2
Setting Up Your Profile
IN THIS CHAPTER
After you install the Instagram app on your mobile device, the first major task you face is setting up your profile. Your profile should accurately represent your business brand — and appeal to your target audience.
In this chapter, we show you how to set up the different components of your profile. Although a profile has several parts, establishing the right username immediately is the most important. Proper selection at the beginning ensures that you don't have to make unwanted changes in the future or compensate for an irrelevant username as your business grows. If you set up your Instagram profile foundations to align with your brand, you'll be able to edit additional components as you grow and better drive business results from your Instagram account.
Professional Profile Practices
Your Instagram profile is both your first impression to potential customers and new visitors as well as your consistent branded message to your existing audience. Your profile should be recognizable to your audience and showcase the value you provide as a business. See Figure 2-1.
Instagram profiles are comprised of the following six components: username, profile photo, name, bio, website URL, and business address (optional). In addition, profiles that have upgraded to a business account, such as the account in Figure 2-1, have connection buttons. We talk more about all these elements in the coming sections.
FIGURE 2-1: An Instagram profile consists of these standard components.
Your
