So you’re a creative chameleon. You have an art page and a personal page. You’re interested in different creative endeavors. Whatever the reason, you’re looking to create another account on Instagram. Should you?
Well…
It depends.
Sorry yo, if you wanted a quick answer, you’re out of luck. Nobody has the magic formula for social media accounts. All I can offer you is my perspective. As someone who has 4 accounts for the various creative endeavors I’m on (yes, 4) and also manages a social account for another brand (Busted Bra Shop), I feel like I have some qualifications to give advice for anyone interested in creating a separate Instagram page. Let’s break it down, bit by bit.
Here’s what I know:
– Aside from personal accounts, the average person on Instagram will follow a page based on their interests. This means if someone is a fan of you or your work, photographer or not, they’ll follow you.
– People like consistency on feeds. Some people are really impressed when a whole feed has consistency in colors and types of photos. A couple people who do fantastic at this are Adara Tran and Marisa Kimmel. Their pages are beautiful and consistent, and from what I know, they use mobile editing apps like VSCO and Lightroom Mobile.
– Since people like consistency, it sometimes throws them if you’re posting modeling and photography photos. That doesn’t mean you can’t have everything on the same page, just that it might get tricky. Some people think you’re better off having separate pages.
So, now that we’ve reached this point, here are the pros and cons I’ve experienced from having separate accounts for my creative endeavors:
Pros:
– I’m able to approach businesses and have a page filled with just my work to show them.
– If you post something controversial on your personal page, it’s less likely to affect your professional page. Then again, with cancel culture, it’s kind of a toss up.
– You don’t have to worry about posting too much if you want to post something on your personal page AND something on your professional page.
– It’s easier to engage with people who care about whatever it is that you’re focusing on with that specific page. Concentrated content, or something like that.
– It’s easier to maintain a theme.
Cons:
– Honestly, some days it’s a lot of work. Too much work to bother, at times.
– You have to worry about not posting enough on one or both accounts.
– People like knowing about the person behind the brand most times.
– Your follower base is split. Sure, there’s going to be some crossover, but you’re still splitting it up.
– You can sometimes run out of captions.
So ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how you’re going to manage your brand presence. If I knew this before choosing to create a separate account, I probably wouldn’t have made a separate account for my creative photo work and my modeling/personal life. I am glad that I made a separate account for my lifestyle photography work though, and I’m content with what I have so far.
Are you someone who created multiple accounts? Tell me about your experience and if you’re happy with what you did or if you wish you did things differently.
Emily Crombez 