What is an Instagram Pod?

Should You Join One?

Thank you to all who attended my LinkedIn workshop last week at SCORE Chicago! If have not already, remember to personalize your LinkedIn URL. If you still think you need a few more tips, I shared a few tips here.

We spent quite a bit of time discussing how to improve your personal and business LinkedIn profiles during the workshop. But sometimes I throw in a few best practices for using Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. One of the tidbits offered to workshop attendees during Q&A was join a Instagram Pod.

A general concern for many business owners who consider social media a daunting task is "how do I get more likes?" While I have my own opinion about the importance of vanity metrics, it is a valid concern. The advice I offered was based on a new concept that is proving to be effective for people hoping to see a boost in engagement and yes, "likes." Instagram Pods are a group of individuals who have made an agreement to support one another online by not only sharing content to increase their own engagement, but commenting and hitting the like button on content submitted by others, to increase theirs as well. I guess you could say it is a guaranteed form of online reciprocity.

I recently came across an article from one of my favorite digital tools, Hootsuite. The author does an excellent job explaining the benefits and details of Instagram Pods. When you have a moment, check it out!