Instagram has grown into both an instrumental tool for social media marketing and personal branding, as well as a communications giant. It presents a large audience to engage with, given the massive number of its active users—over a billion. At the same time, it is a fact that just like any other social media platform, Instagram has its rules against which etiquette is measured, and one has to maintain in order not to overstep boundaries and not to offend anybody.

Here are the dos and don'ts of Instagram etiquette:

Do: Share top-of-the-line content.

Quality in visuals is very highly prioritized for Instagram, so ensure that what you share is not just beautiful but well-composed and of high definition as well. You will also need to post regularly or consistently to maintain the interest of service users and audiences alike.

Don't: Overpost or spam your followers.

While posting consistently is important, it is equally annoying for the followers when you post too much or spam them. You should avoid posting more than three times a day and ensure that each post brings value to your followers.

Do: Hashtagging

Hashtags increase the visibility of your posts, hence making it possible to reach more people. Ensure that you add relevant hashtags to your posts, never irrelevant or too many.

Don't: Buy followers and likes
Buying followers or likes sounds like the simplest way when developing your following in the Instagram environment. Still, that might be one of the least authentic ways, actually influencing your reputation within the platform. Focus on growing an organic following through high-quality posts with which your followers can engage.

Do: Engage with your followers

On Instagram—one of the prime social platforms—engagement is a key component of creating a community that values your content and aids in the growth of followers. Be sure to quickly respond to comments and messages and often follow back your followers. Take time to express gratitude for received support.

Avoid leaving mean comments or getting into online fights with other users.

Negative comments, furthermore, online arguments could be very disastrous to your reputation on the platform. In case you don't agree with somebody's post, it is best to voice out your opinion politely or never engage in the very first place.

Do: Give credit where it's due

Should you choose to share someone's work, make sure you acknowledge them in your post by tagging them or giving them a shout-out. This shows respect for other people's work and helps in the situation.