With more than 700 million monthly active users, Instagram is one of the most popular social media networks. The photo-sharing platform offers a unique opportunity for its users to share their life with others and promote their interests or businesses. However, this also presents new challenges, such as what types of posts are acceptable and how best to interact with other users. It’s not uncommon to have an unrelated comment on your post from an unexpected user. Therefore, before you launch your account and begin posting on Instagram, it’s important that you know how to react on Instagram correctly so that you don’t come across as snobbish or rude.
How To React To Messages On Instagram?
Don’t be rude to the sender
Always remember that the person to who you are replying is a human just like you. Some people may be trying to reach out to you and ask for help, while others may be trying to send a friendly message. If you ignore them, they will think that you don’t care about their message. This will only make them stop sending messages and it may also cause them to unfollow your account.
Don’t start a conversation with someone if they have not mentioned you in their post or commented on your post
Before starting any interaction with another user, make sure that he or she has actually posted something about you in their Instagram story. If the person hasn’t said anything about you yet, then it is better for him or her not to start a conversation with you on Instagram as it will make them appear rude and uncaring towards other users.
Don’t start up conversations with strangers on Instagram (if they haven’t commented on your posts)
It’s best not to start up conversations with strangers since this will add an awkward vibe to your account and could even lead to unfollowing by the other user if he or she is offended by what has been said by the stranger who has suddenly started talking to him or her on Instagram without any prior engagement from his/her part. So, before starting a conversation on Instagram with someone who hasn’t posted anything about you so far, you should make sure that they have commented on your Instagram post. If they haven’t, then it is best to wait for them to do so.
Don’t send a message if you don’t know the person
This is also another reason why it is important not to start up conversations with strangers on Instagram. The chances of receiving a reply back from a stranger are very low and many people will just ignore your message without replying at all. So, it is better to wait for someone who has already mentioned you in their post before starting a conversation with them.
Don’t comment multiple times on someone’s post if he or she hasn’t indicated that he or she wants more comments from his/her followers
Many users may not want more comments from their followers and some may even block anyone who keeps commenting on/her post too many times. So, make sure that before posting your reply to someone’s post, check the number of comments that the person has already received in her story before doing so and don’t go overboard by leaving more than one comment on their posts.
Don’t start up conversations with strangers on Instagram if the person hasn’t added you as a friend
This is yet another reason why it is best not to start a conversation with strangers on Instagram, as you may end up being blocked by the other user if he or she doesn’t want to talk to you at all. So, before starting a conversation with someone who hasn’t followed you yet, make sure that he or she has added you as a friend in his or her account. If they haven’t, then it is best to wait for them to do so.
Don’t send requests for direct messages (DM) without prior engagement from the other user’s side
If the person who has asked you for a DM has not added you as a friend on Instagram yet and also hasn’t commented on your posts, then it would be better for both of you not to start up any kind of conversation with each other. This will create an awkward vibe on your account and may even lead to unfollowing by both of you if neither of you replies back at all. So, it is best not to send requests for DM without prior engagement from the other user’s side.
When Is It Appropriate To “Like” On Instagram?
If you are a fan of the user’s posts
If you are a fan of the person’s posts and likes them, then it is best to “like” them on Instagram. This will not only encourage that user to express more about himself or herself on his or her account by posting more photos but also give him or her more followers. This in turn can make it easier for you to be able to find out more about that user so that you can follow him/her.
If the other person has already liked your posts
For many users, liking your post is an indicator of interest in the content that you have posted on your Instagram account. Once someone has liked your post, he or she may share it with his/her friends and this will help increase engagement with your content as well as encourage others to like it too. So if someone has already liked your post after he or she saw it, then it would be best for you to “like” his or her profile back so that they know that they have been noticed by others in their network and are worthy of being followed by others too.
If there is some kind of an event taking place where people would want to join in
If there is some kind of an event taking place where people would want to join in and participate, then it will be better if you “like” their posts as well so that they know what is going on even before they show up there. The best thing to do is to browse through their profile and look for any event that they are participating in or have already participated in. If you see an event that you would like to participate in, then it would be best for you to “like” their posts about the same event so that they know about your interest in it early enough.
When the other person has followed your account
This can be a good indication of interest on the other user’s side and this will encourage him or her to follow you back on Instagram as well. So, if someone has followed your account after seeing one of your posts, then it would be best for you to “like” his/her profile back so that he or she knows that he has been noticed by others in his network and is worthy of being followed too.
When the other person has liked one of your photos
This can also be an indication of interest on the other user’s side and this will encourage him or her to follow you back on Instagram as well. So, if someone has liked one of your photos after seeing it on his/her feed, then it would be best for you to “like” his or her profile back so that he or she knows that he or she was noticed by others in his network and is worthy of being followed too.
How To Repost On Instagram
If you want to report a post on Instagram where someone else has posted
The best thing to do is to go back to the post that you would like to repost and once you are there, simply click on the “Like” button. This will allow you to save the post in your feed so that it can be seen by others too.
If you have a post that you would like to report but cannot find it in your timeline
You can use this trick for reposting posts as well. You will need a third-party app called Repost or Reposter which will allow you to search for any post or photo on Instagram and then choose the one that you want and then republish it back onto your timeline. This is an automated process so there will be no need for any manual work required here, as everything will be done automatically once the app is launched.
If a person has been following your account and doesn’t know about this feature yet
This feature is not available on every profile so if someone has been following your account but he/she doesn’t know about this feature yet, then it would be best for him or her to “like” one of your photos after seeing it on his/her feed so that he or she knows about this new feature of Instagram and also knows why he or she should follow back on Instagram as well. The best thing about this feature is that once someone likes one of your photos, then he or she is automatically added to your network on Instagram and he or she can also add you to his or her network as well.
If you want to see the list of people who have liked your photos
If you would like to see the list of people who have liked one of your photos, then simply click on the “Like” button after which a pop-up will appear. Simply choose any person that you would like to see in this list and then select “See Details” so that he or she can be added to your network as well.
If you want to repost on Instagram without this feature
There is no need for this feature but if you don’t want to use this feature, then there is still an option where all the steps are done manually rather than automatically as mentioned above. You will need an account called Repost, which is an automated tool that will allow you to repost any post or photo onto Instagram without using this new feature.
Bottom Line
Instagram is a great social network that allows you to share your interests with others and converse with people from all over the world. It’s important to follow the do’s of Instagram etiquette so that you don’t come across as rude. Follow the don’ts of Instagram etiquette to avoid violating the rules of the network. Stay genuine and social, and you’ll make plenty of new friends on Instagram!