Wow, this has been so much harder than I could ever have realized. I did not imagine how difficult it would be to maintain a constant Instagram presence. To begin, I had a very clear idea of what I had intended my account to be like. What I did not process was how difficult it would be to continually post content or to have enough content to post regularly. I had a very exact idea of what I was going to post and when.
My biggest accomplishment so far has been getting reposted by Snarf’s Sandwiches. For an account with a little over 50 followers, I found this to be really exciting and hopeful. I thought that an account with over three thousand followers would generate a small buzz about my Instagram account.
However, I gained a handful of followers and then nothing. I have found that the best way to gain followers is to follow back the accounts that have followed me. Engaging with these accounts has also helped with my non-personal followers to like and comment on my photos and view my stories. I have also found that using Denver-centric tags has generated lots of engagement from local businesses and Denver based followers. The best way I have found to gain comments from my followers or from people who follow the #hashtags I use, was to ask questions in my captions. Responding to their comments, has also created an “informal” relationship between our two accounts. Other than that, the majority of my presence has occurred naturally, with people who have similar content following me.
Something I really need to do and hold myself to is posting on a regular schedule. I think something that holds me back from posting is feeling like I don’t have enough content. Something that I can do to change this is to begin to post content that isn’t mine. I can start by reposting images from restaurants I follow, or even other similar accounts to mine.
Something I have done and felt successful is the creation of my own personal hashtag.
#hungrydenver
The #hungrydenver tag has become a mini collection of all of my posts in one place. A type of community where you someone could see everything I have posted.
Lastly, I really need to post on my stories more. As we have learned, the Instagram algorithm is not super dependent on time, whereas stories appear in a chronological order. Utilizing the story feature, even if it is of homemade foods, can help me gain traction.
WRIT 2701: Writing and Digital Media--Winter 2019 
It’s awesome Snarfs re-posted you! Your page is awesome. You have really quality and aesthetically pleasing photos. Every time I see your posts I get hungry! I am stoked to see what else you recommend.
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Surina- Keep on keeping on! Your insight about how to gain followers by using geotags is very good advice. I think the Hungry Denver hashtag is a great idea as well- I would suggest posting about it and encouraging your followers to use #hungrydenver on their own pages! Maybe even start promoting your hashtag on your stories. I cannot wait to see where you eat next- I will try to remember to send you pictures of my food!
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I really feel your pain when it comes to sticking to a consistent schedule. I find that it is hard to post something when you haven’t done anything to spark creativity all day and then having to post an engaging insta post can be sooo much harder. I feel that our biggest change will be using more hashtags. I also created my own and feel that it is a good way to create some of my own credibility but I also find that I have to use hashtags that people are already looking at. Overall I think your page is so pleasing to the eye and that you should be proud of the content you are posting and all the yummy food you get to eat.
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