From vintage fashion to boho chic, Instagram has become the go-to platform for fashion creatives and enthusiasts to showcase what’s inspiring them.
In fact, reports show that fashion and beauty are the most popular verticals represented by influencers. Netizens often turn to their favorite fashion creators for outfit inspiration, whether for a meeting or a roam on the beach.
However, fashion is a dynamic and competitive niche. Trends and audience preferences change every week. So, no matter how good your content is, your engagement rate will drop if it is monotonous.
To truly shine as fashion influencers on Instagram, your profile must be fresh. Your content, stories, and the whole aesthetic need to evolve constantly without compromising your brand tone.
Seem difficult? With our seven-step guide on maintaining a fresh Instagram profile, it doesn’t have to be.
The importance of fresh Instagram profiles for fashion influencers
Here’s why you must maintain a fresh Instagram profile as a fashion influencer:
Keep your profile interesting and engaging.
Fashion is an ever-evolving niche. What your audience finds appealing today may just bore them tomorrow. To keep them interested and engaged, you must adapt to changing trends, tweak your presentation style, and come up with fresh Instagram content ideas that align with changing interests.
Show off your personality and fashion style.
Instagram is a hub for fashion creators to show their personal style and individuality. Your style and interests will change over time, and expressing these changes on your Instagram presence can help you connect with a broader and more diverse audience.
It will also showcase your evolution as a fashion expert, allowing more budding fashion enthusiasts to be inspired by your journey.
Inspire brands to offer a collaboration.
Brand collaborations are crucial for a successful career as a fashion influencer. But a boring or repetitive Instagram portfolio will make you seem unappealing to brands.
Top brands want to associate with influencers who are in touch with the latest trends. So, if you want attractive deals from reputed fashion brands, your Instagram profile has to be vibrant. A fresh profile can make you more appealing to potential brand partners.
7 tips for fashion influencers on Instagram to keep their profiles fresh
Consistently keeping your Instagram profile fresh is a lot of work. To make it easier, here are seven simple but effective steps:
1. Upload a seasonal profile photo.
Your Instagram profile photo is your calling card and the first thing your audience sees while exploring your page. So, remember to update your profile photo as the seasons change to keep your profile fresh and relevant.
A seasonal profile photo makes your Instagram handle look more relevant. For example, an Instagram user looking for fall outfit inspiration may see your profile photo in your autumn fit and explore your content.
Seasonal profile photos are also a great way to showcase your seasonal style transitions. They can indicate upcoming seasonal fashion content on your profile. Plus, it shows that the fashion influencer is in sync with the current themes.
Select an outfit that fits the given season and represents your personal style. Your clothing should be stylish, relevant, and reflect your fashion niche. Ensure your accessories are season-appropriate. It could be a sun hat for summer or a red scarf and locks for Christmas.
Your picture’s background should fit the theme as well. You can choose a floral garden for spring, a street covered in autumn leaves for fall, and so forth. If you need to incorporate elements that aren’t in your environment, use an AI image generator to add objects to your background. For example, fashion influencer MaLeah Hibbett recently changed her profile picture to a fall-appropriate background.
2. Repurpose old content into collages.
Collages are an excellent way to break the monotony of a single picture or a video. By repurposing old content into collages, fashion influencers can give their old material a fresh look and feel, making it more appealing to their audience.
For example, you have a few content pieces that are still relevant but buried deep in your feed. Here, you can use collages as thematic visual stories through old content. Include similar outfit styles in a collage and create an engaging narrative. Old content collages are also great for celebrating milestones and highlights of your journey as a fashion influencer.
First, determine a theme or style for your collage. It could be based on a specific color scheme, outfit type, or aesthetic. It helps make the collage look more cohesive. Think about how it will look on your Instagram feed. Will it be part of a larger story or a standalone post? Plan your content layout accordingly.
3. Publish ‘This or That’ story polls.
Want to get new ideas through audience interactions? Post ‘This or That’ story polls on your Instagram. Such stories let you see various fashion-related topics from your audience’s perspective and generate new styling ideas that align with them. You get to know what your audience currently favors, whether it’s outfit choices, color combinations, or fashion trends.
Implementing the most voted elements helps you connect with your followers and keep them interested in your content. Your profile remains fresh consistently, and your engagement rate stays high.
To get maximum participation, select a period where you see the most engagement. Keep evaluating user interaction and adjust your schedule accordingly. Prepare a list of possible comparisons so that you have enough stories planned out early on.
For example, Canadian fashion influencer Olivia Gudaniec took a different route by publishing a “This or That” post. Not only did she create an on-brand image, but in the caption, she promised to post her answers on her stories. This is a great way to increase profile visits and content engagement.
And here’s another example of this strategy in action from Lacey Nycole. With the help of Facetune‘s clothes tool, she got a chance to change up her clothes digitally with a few taps on the phone. This feature helps fashion influencers create a new look everyday and therefore make stunning “This or That” polls to invite followers to vote for their choice.
4. Share your fashion trends or predictions.
Fashion influencers follow authoritative sources, attend relevant fashion events, and subscribe to newsletters to gain insights into the latest developments in the fashion industry. If you are one, chances are you have a keen ability to predict upcoming trends.
While this can be very helpful in creating trendy outfit ideas, your predictions can be a content topic, too. You can create guides on the latest fashion trends and yearly fashion predictions. Many fashion creators also suggest clothing options in their videos to make the content more informative and practical for their target audience.
For example, the above post by fashion influencer Cat Ward talks about the latest fashion predictions in 2023. In the reel, she details different trends, their variations, and even outfit options the audience can buy.
On the other hand, creator Natalia Diaz took a simple route and put together a shorter reel showcasing the top fashion trends in 2023.
5. Collect the best outfit ideas.
To keep your Instagram profile updated, you must always be in search of the best outfit ideas. It will help you avoid style ruts, stay inspired and creative, and gauge the competition.
Plus, collecting outfit ideas is a good content-generation source that lets fashion creators cater to a broad audience.
Many top influencers use Pinterest and create mood boards to collect and organize outfit inspirations, color schemes, and seasonal changes. It helps you visualize your outfits and bring a fresher perspective to trending styles.
You can watch other fashion creators’ content, similar to the above reel, and get a sense of what drives the best audience response.
Visit clothing stores and boutiques to spark new outfit ideas. Trying on different pieces and experimenting with combinations can help creativity. Many influencers also rely on thrifting to get vintage pieces and add more character to their outfit ideas. If you have an audience interested in upscale styles for special events or formal gatherings, consider luxury dresses to elevate your fashion content and meet the expectations of those seeking premium, elegant attire.
6. Organize fashion Q&A sessions in Stories.
Holding fashion-related Q&A sessions can break the monotony of scheduled content and allow your audience to interact with you directly. Besides boosting engagement rates, it’s a huge opportunity to let your connections with your audience shine and keep your Instagram presence active.
You can hold Q&A sessions live. You can also post ‘Ask Me Anything’ stories and encourage your audience to submit their queries to create a conversation loop, with you responding to their questions.
7. Experiment with outfit transition videos.
Instagram video content is taking the world by storm. Doing quick and seamless outfit switches, makeup transformations, and location changes makes videos captivating. Plus, it doesn’t take much time or effort to measure the performance of your video content if you pay attention to the video analytics.
But if you use the same transition styles in your videos, your profile can get very dull. So:
- Experiment with the look transitions.
- Tell a story to make each piece more dynamic and engaging. If you struggle with crafting captivating narratives, consider using AI story generators.
- Create a storyboard or a shot list to visualize the many shots and transitions you want to include.
- Transition timings can impact the overall feel of your post. Play with the duration for each content piece to see what looks the best.
Fashion influencer Martha Sierra often plays with different transition styles and timings in her transition videos to give her audience something new with every reel.
Conclusion
Fashion is all about creativity and confidence. That’s what you need to keep your profile fresh and captivating.
To emphasize its importance, here’s a TL;DR version of today’s discussion:
- Use thematic and seasonal profile photos
- Create collages with your old but relevant outfit ideas
- Engage with the audience and generate ideas through polls and Q&A sessions
- Use mood boards, Pinterest, and competitor analysis to collect and visualize outfit ideas
- Experiment with transition videos
Lastly, use your up-to-date knowledge about the fashion industry and make modern and relatable content to gain an edge and sustain your popularity on Instagram.
