If you’re anything like me, some things in your life just need a little refresh every once in a while. From purging my closet to rearranging my living room, I like to keep things new and exciting.

The same goes for Instagram. If you’re mindlessly scrolling through uninspiring content or feeling like your profile might be looking a little lackluster, here are a few simple ideas to give your Instagram (personal or professional!) a little creative boost.

Unfollow toxic or uninspiring accounts

This is by far the easiest way to instantly clean up your feed. Recently, I  unfollowed hundreds of accounts that either weren’t inspiring me or just didn’t make me feel good about myself. You know the ones I’m talking about – everything from the unrealistic “fitness” models to the unattainable lifestyle influencers.

There are four things we as users look for in the content we follow. We want it to teach, inform, entertain or inspire us. If the content you’re seeing isn’t making you think, improving your life in some way or even just making you smile, do yourself a favor and hit the unfollow button. Following the right accounts can in turn inspire you and liven up your feed, too!

Add a new profile photo

A new profile photo can give your entire account a new look and feel. For a professional organization, try mixing up the logo and color combo from your brand palette every so often. For example, maybe use pastels in the spring or red during the holidays. Just make sure your image fits in line with Instagram’s specs, nothing is more frustrating than a photo that doesn’t fit!

Pro Tip: Avoid brand misperception and do this sparingly so as not to confuse followers by changing your photo too often!

Make your bio more unique      

One of my biggest pet peeves is a paragraph – long bio. Spoiler: No one is going to read all of that. Keep your bio short and sweet. You have about two seconds of a user’s attention before they scroll to the next account.

The most important pieces to include are who you are, what you do and where you are located. Keep it bite-sized, and if you absolutely have to include more, add a LinkTree to your bio. This is a free tool that allows you to create a micro web page and add as many links as you want (to your website, blog, articles, etc).

Add Highlights, but make them intentional

Too often we see Highlights with only one or two posts in them that don’t have any      relevance to the page, so let’s avoid that! Highlights are a really fun and easy tool to give followers an inside scoop that they might not see on your grid. Feature different categories related to your organization like food, travel or design – just be sure to add titles and a nice cover photo!

Image quality is everything

No one likes a blurry photo, especially on their grid. This can be a challenge if you are scheduling posts in advance and don’t have time to see the full display, but this happens more often if you are posting from a desktop rather than an app.

Instagram’s current requirements include an aspect ratio between 1.91:1 and 4:5, with a maximum width of 1080 pixels. As long as you stay within these guidelines, your photos shouldn’t be blurry.

With these super simple, quick methods, your Instagram profile will be looking fresh in no time, leading to a better experience for both you and your followers. For more social media tips or strategies, send me a note! I would love to chat all things social media to help you and your organization!