Why Instagram Challenges are good for you – including a list of fun Instagram challenges to try
When Katie from Ceramic Magpie asked us to be the guest judge for her #wipsandblooms Instagram challenge we jumped at it. Flowers and craft together in one place? What’s not to love? But really it’s about much more than just pretty pictures: taking part in #wipsandblooms and other Instagram challenges (also called hashtag projects, hashtag challenges or photo challenges) is not only fun but a great way to get yourself in front of influencers and potential customers, grow your reach, build your brand and identity, and improve your photography, networking and styling skills all at the same time. They are a brilliant marketing tool for makers and creatives, or anyone who hates the idea of in-your-face marketing but wants to get seen more.
In this post we explain how Instagram Challenges work, how and why you should be joining in, and share some of our favourite hashtag challenges.
Wooden Camera Brooch in main picture by Ginger Pickle
The beautiful winning #wipsandblooms picture by @botanical_tales. Read more about the winning image and why we chose it on Katie’s blog
What is an Instagram Challenge & how do I get involved?
If you’re not sure what an Instagram challenge is, it’s when someone on Instagram sets a theme and asks people to share photos on that theme using a particular hashtag. There are also Instagram challenges that have daily, weekly or monthly prompts – usually set out in advance or announced on their Instagram account on the day. Some Instagram challenges have prizes that are awarded by guest judges, others are just a chance to think creatively, respond to a brief, feel reinvigorated, improve your photo skills and style, and connect with other people.
There are also Instagram challenges where the brief changes weekly or monthly, so there might be a general hashtag that has a specific suffix you add on to take part in the latest challenge or be eligible for the prize if there is one, for example #aquietstyle_spring #WHPcolorstudy #sgiew_ActNatural
To join in with an Instagram challenge, all you usually need to do is post a picture or video on your Instagram grid that relates to the theme and include the hashtag in your caption, but if there is a prize you might also need to follow the host and the guest judge if there is one.
Some of our favourite images from the #wipsandblooms Folksy challenge: clockwise from top left @lotusblossombysarah @katylivings @eloisebindery @beckypearcedesigns
Why take part?
If there’s a prize that’s an obvious incentive, but there are other reasons Instagram challenges are good for you and your creative business too. Firstly there are opportunities for your own professional development to grab here. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck in an Instagram rut and or you’ve lost your photo mojo, Instagram challenges can offer inspiration and take the ‘argh’ out of what to post today. They can also help you get into the habit of posting regularly, which in turn will probably help improve your photography and styling skills. Being able to respond to a brief is also good practice for any creative, and then there’s the additional inspiration you’ll gain by seeing all the other posts on that hashtag – perhaps you’ll pick up new lighting, layout, video or styling tips?
Skills and inspiration aside, Instagram Challenges are another way to market your creative business and get yourself in front of people. Since Instagram switched to a non-chronological feed, many users have found it harder to get seen and are finding their posts buried or even totally hidden as those with more comments and engagement or posts from people the algorithm thinks are your friends or favourites get boosted to the top. Taking part in an Instagram Challenge gives you another way to get your picture in front of people, as when you add a hashtag to your picture it will automatically show up in the ‘Most Recent’ feed for that hashtag – and if it’s one of the more popular posts on that tag it could even be displayed in Instagram’s ‘Top Post’ picks for that hashtag or in their Suggested Posts section.
Many people who host Instagram challenges will also do a round-up or recap of their favourite entries on their blog or on their own Instagram accounts, or share photos from the challenge on their Stories and tag you into them. So if your photos are good enough, this is another way to get yourself in front of more people. Looking through the photos submitted by other people, following and commenting, is also a great way to ‘find your tribe’, grow your network and connect with potential customers and collaborators.
More of our favourite images from our #wipsandblooms Instagram challenge: clockwise from top left @paperbeacompany @alf.and.myrtle @gooseberryfool @rekersdreesdesign @bymeeni @ditsybird
Some things to remember when taking part in Instagram Challenges or post on hashtags
- Post the best pictures or videos you possibly can
- Keep to the theme and only use share relevant photos on the hashtag
- Check the current theme before you post to make sure it hasn’t changed and if there is a suffix for the latest challenge make sure you add that to your post (eg #wipsandblooms_tools) as well as the generic tag
- If the Instagram Challenge has a prize, make sure you are doing what is asked of you, eg tagging the host & guest judge in your caption
- Spamming a challenge with irrelevant or poor photos just so you get seen looks bad and won’t do you any favours
More of our favourite images from the #wipsandblooms Instagram challenge: clockwise from top left @emmalouisecorry @coverstory_craft @maisymuffinragdolls @olgaprinku @silverhares_jewellery @emma_giacalone_textiles
Pink Make a Wish Dandelion Clock Print by Rose Filtered
Some of the best Instagram Challenges to try…
We’ve put together a compilation of Instagram Challenges for you to try out. Some of these hashtag challenges only run during specific days or months of the year, and some of them run regularly but with changing themes or prompts, so check the accounts of the Instagrammers who run them for details…
#WHP – Instagram’s Weekend Hashtag Project
This is one is run by Instagram themselves and this is what they say about their #WHP challenge: “Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes and hashtags chosen by Instagram’s Community Team. For a chance to be featured on the Instagram blog, follow @instagram and look for a post every week announcing the latest project.” Recent themes include: #WHPgetaway #WHPcolorstudy #WHPreflections
#aquietstyle
Stylist and blogger Emma Harris @aquietstyle runs the hugely successful and popular #aquietstyle hashtag, which has a monthly theme and quite often a prize to go with it. You can find the theme and details of the prize each month under a separate Instagram account @_aquietstyle, where Emma regularly shares her favourite images from the tag. “I leave it to the individual to interpret the theme as they see fit, but in order to be featured, it does need to feel like a quiet and calm image because that’s what #aquietstyle is all about,” says Emma.
#the100dayproject
The100dayproject is “a free global art project that anyone can participate in” with weekly prompts. It’s run by Elle Luna and Lindsay Jean Thomson and this year’s challenge started in the middle of April so it’s now more than halfway through but there’s still time to join in and it will no doubt be back.
#floralfridaycompetition
Floral Friday is run by Emily Quinton (read our interview with Emily here) and as the name suggests, it’s all about flowers. #FloralFridayCompetition started off as a weekly competition with prizes but as so many people entered it become too unwieldy to manage. So now there are no prizes, but Emily still shares her favourite images on her Instagram feed and there is so much goodness over on that tag that it’s definitely worth doing if you love botanicals, work with anything floral, have a garden studio or ever pass through a pretty garden :) To take part, just share a floral picture on Instagram on a Friday and add the #floralfridaycompetition tag.
#marchmeetthemaker
Joanne Hawker first launched her #MarchMeetTheMaker challenge in 2016 and this year it was bigger than ever. Joanne explains how it works: “March Meet The Maker is an Instagram challenge that takes place throughout the month of March every year. I set a theme for each day (these are released in advance so people can plan ahead) and then designer makers create a post about themselves and their business based on that theme. The idea behind it is to simply tell your small business story. It’s all about showing and telling people what you do, why you do it and where you create it.”
Read more about Joanne Hawker’s #marchmeetthemaker challenge in our interview >
#INKtober
Created by artist @jakeparker in 2009 as a challenge to improve her drawing skills and develop positive drawing habits, thousands of artists now take in the challenge every year. “Anyone can do InkTober, just pick up a pen and start drawing and fill the 31 days of October with 31 ink drawings.” Read more at inktober.com
#sgiew (So Good In Every Way)
#sgiew is an Instagram challenge intended to celebrate the good things in life. It’s a collaborative challenge run by @incredibusy and @willowdaygram and there are usually some really good prizes on offer. The challenge changes every fortnight when a new suffix (eg #sgiew_SlowLived) is added – you can find the current theme at @sogoodineveryway.
#wipsandblooms
#wipsandblooms is the perfect Instagram challenge for makers, as it’s a chance to show your works in progress styled alongside some botanicals or blooms. It’s run by Folksy seller Katie Robbins aka @ceramicmagpie and there’s often a monthly guest judge and a prize. For example, during June the theme is tools, fellow Folksy seller Kate Harvey from @graceandflora is guest judging, the prize is a piece of her jewellery, and to be eligible for the prize you need to use the #wipsandblooms_tools hashtag.
Katie tells us more about her hashtag challenge and why she started it here >
#myweekof…
Every week @its_my_week announce a new Instagram challenge that anyone can join in with. You can post as often as you like and they share their favourites throughout the week and then in a big grid recap at the end of the week. Past themes include #myweekofblackandbright #myweekofweather #myweekofbrights #myweekofpastel
#mybeautifulsimplicity
#mybeautifulsimplicity is a relatively new Instagram challenge run by photographer, blogger and designer @zoepower. For her challenge, Zoe is looking for beautiful, simple images that feel calm and free from clutter. Think flatlays, simple still lives and landscapes with lots of sky and room to breathe.
#hurrayforplay
When Instagram royalty @me_and_orla and @xantheb came together to collaborate on an Instagram project, something brilliant was bound to happen. #hurrayforplay was the result and it ran throughout May 2017 with weekly prompts designed to let you play, have fun and explore through your photographs. Although the initial challenge is now over, the hashtag is still in going strong and Sara and Xanthe are hoping to repeat the challenge with new prompts and ideas soon. Read more about the #hurrayforplay project on Xanthe’s blog here http://www.xantheberkeley.com/hurrayforplay-in-may/ and on Sara’s blog here http://meandorla.co.uk/hurrayforplay-2/
Other hashtags to join in with if you’re a maker…
Even more fabulous images from our #wipandblooms challenge with @ceramicmagpie: from top left @janiceissitt_life_style @deborahvasspainting @elliepressuk @little.black.heart
Here are some other great Instagram hashtags to join in with if you’re a maker or looking for creative inspiration. Remember to only use the most relevant hashtags when sharing a post on Instagram.
- #simplenaturefinds
- #curated_nature
- #inspiredbynature_
- #inspiredbypetals
- #feelingfolksy – this is our own hashtag and we’re looking at developing the challenge side of it, so watch this space
- @abeautifulmess also have a veritable medley of hashtags that can work well for designers. Try #abmhappylife and #abmlifeiscolorful and see all the #abm hashtags on their blog
- There are also lots of 365 projects that encourage you to post a photograph a day. One of these is #cy365 supported by @captureyour365 who has a list of prompts for each month on her blog http://captureyour365.com/captureyour365-photo-challenge-lists/
Find more good hashtags for designers and makers here >
Get lots more advice on Instagram and Instagram hashtags here >
Thinking of starting your own Instagram hashtag Challenge? Read this >
Do you know any great Instagram Challenges or photo projects that we’ve missed out in our round-up? Which ones are your favourites? Maybe you run your own hashtag challenge. Let us know by leaving a comment and we can add it to our list!
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