Over the past two years, I never thought my blog, CoffeeandScrubs, and my associated Instagram, would blossom the way it has. I feel so fortunate to have amassed the following that I have and I always get the question from aspiring medical bloggers/Instagrammers, “How did you get so successful with your social media and blog?”
That is a very good question.
I believe the word “success” in this question is directed towards the quantity of followers one has. But to me, success is having credibility, i.e. the ability to create meaningful posts that others trust and take seriously. So, this post will instead be aimed towards answering the question of, “How do I become successful in creating a meaningful social media presence?”
- Have a purpose
- There are hundreds of medical accounts on Instagram and it is important to have a purpose when you create one. Are you focusing just on your journey in medicine? Do you have a cool hobby that you want to share? Why do you want to create this? Many people who are successful on Instagram also have an associated blog that allows them to provide even more content. It is natural for people to seek things from you on social media and providing them with content about your favorite topics attracts people. For me, I enjoy mentoring so many of my posts offer tips to premeds and medical students. My favorite Instagrammers have blog posts on various topics from food to fashion. Be unique!
- Be conscientious of what you post
- Because of the nature of medicine, much of what we do on a daily basis deal with patient interactions. It is easy to get excited about something that happened in your day but be mindful of patient privacy (i.e. HIPAA). It is surprisingly very easy to jeopardize your career by accidentally posting about too much information about your patients. It could be something as simple as posting a rare surgery you witnessed at a certain hospital on a certain day. People are very good at figuring things out! Above all, keep in mind that your career is not worth the number of “likes” on a post. Also, because of the wide variety of topics in medicine, it is awesome to want to teach others about your field but be mindful of the advice that is given in your posts. Many may take your advice, product suggestions, etc. seriously and you do not want to misinform them.
- Aesthetics
- This is probably one of the top tips I give to those who reach out to me about being successful with their Instagrams. Everything on the internet is based on what you see at a glance and people are attracted to images that are pleasing. You do not need a fancy expensive camera or a photographer to create good content. But, having done freelance photography for years, these are just a couple of simple tips that will amplify your content:
- Natural lighting >>>> artificial lighting: Always pick a shaded and naturally lit area over direct sunlight.
- Rule of thirds: On most phone cameras, you should be able to place grid lines in rows of three. So, if you divide your photo into thirds, your object should line up at the intersection of these lines. This creates a very aesthetic and unique photo!
- Invest in photo editing apps: My favorites are VSCO cam and Snapseed on for mobile devices. Try not to use filters but instead, play with the “brightness, highlights, shadows, and warmth” tools.
- This is probably one of the top tips I give to those who reach out to me about being successful with their Instagrams. Everything on the internet is based on what you see at a glance and people are attracted to images that are pleasing. You do not need a fancy expensive camera or a photographer to create good content. But, having done freelance photography for years, these are just a couple of simple tips that will amplify your content:
- Be careful not to get sucked into the diagnostics or business side of social media
- Social media is one of those funny things where you’re expected to provide content, time, and energy but people don’t want to see you get paid for this effort. It is okay to work with companies but I’ve noticed that followers seek those who are genuine and motivated to post for the right reasons. Instagram provides a business profile that allows you to see diagnostics on your account from how many people you reach daily to how much you engage with your followers. It is best for your Instagram and sanity to keep a healthy distance from these diagnostics.
- Above all else, be true to yourself. Individuality is attractive!
