I’ve recently embarked on the Instagram journey giving that my current job in Marketing requires I’m thoroughly acquainted with all social media platforms and I have to say it’s been a revelation of sorts. Out of all the social media platforms out there, Instagram has proven to be quite challenging but I was determined to crack the code. Or at least have a decent profile with a reasonable amount of followers so that my work colleagues would stop making fun of me for being that digitally reclusive.
However, like any other respectable noob out there, I didn’t win the cake from the first round. Far from it. I set up an account, posted a few photos and waited. Not much happened. In fact, everything was slow. So slow that in comparison, snails had reckless speed. So what was I doing wrong? I turned to the internet for answers and answers I got. Countless.
There are so many theories about the Instagram algorithm as much as there are Kardashians in the world (or wannabe Kardashians, sorry, they all look the same to me) and you better be down with each and every one: mind the hashtags, post at the right time, have a consistent feed, tag the cool people, plan daily ig stories, follow for follow, DON’T follow for follow and so on. In all truth, I’ve tried most of them and I have to admit, they work. Little by little, my Instagram presence started to bloom and I was beginning to threaten even the consecrated reigns of my fellow workmates. No more jokes on behalf of my lack of Instagram notifications, no more jabs at my singular social media direction, no more anonymity and most importantly, no more peaceful evenings watching Netflix unperturbed by the itch to edit my Instagram planner once again. No sir, nowadays, I watch The Crown AND work on my stardom. I’m living the dream.
And yet, everything advanced at a modest pace, around 200 and something for each post even though I worked hard for each photo. I had a composition, a perspective and I chose to present valuable quality content but that wasn’t enough to compete with the endless selfies of young girls pouting their lips at their phone screens and gaining like after like after like. Sex sells and I am neither questionably hot, naked nor surgically improved. Nor do I favor the same head position for my selfies. I don’t neglect any of my sides. I believe I look exceptionally common from all sides.
But one day, I did something outrageous. One day, I posted a cat photo and then a photo of myself as you can see in the photo attached to this article.
I even dressed in black, placed myself in the same environment, almost adopted the same position as the cat. Did I plan to confuse my followers? Maybe.
What was certain though, was the result. Guess which photo took more likes? They say that a photo showcasing a person will always win more likes than any other landscape or building composition and that’s mostly the truth. Unless we’re adding cats to the equation.
You guessed it. The cat photo has more likes. It has over 600 likes and growing. It’s the highest-earning photo on my feed. It’s my bread winner and there was no need to turn myself into a duck nor horse (apparently, the latest photo fashion is placing one of your legs forward to give the impression of a large or small behind - depending on your silhouette, of course) because a cat will always obliterate any type of competition.
You think you’re the prettiest girl in the world and have the photos to prove it? Too bad, a cat’s face is genetically engineered to please us humans from every angle (goodbye, one side selfies). You trust your fashion sense is top notch? Guess again, cats win in that department as well. They were born with incredible fur and patterns. Your creativity is great? My dear....it takes a cat to yawn and it’s already viral on the internet. Face it, you’ve lost. We all have.
So what makes Cats the Holy Grail of Instagram?
Several things.
1. They’re eternally photogenic.
Have you ever seen a cat that doesn’t look good in pictures? I, for one, haven’t. Whether they’re looking at the camera or not, they’re still the center of attention and we humans find them irresistible. It has become a reflex to like a cat photo. We like them, share them and “aww” at them. So many reactions and possibilities...no wonder they’re outshining us.
2. They put you in a good mood.
I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve wasted hours looking at cat videos or memes. In fact, I’m in a Whatsapp group that thrives on sending daily cat pictures and we’re loving it. There’s something about their whiskers and squishy paws that brings out the maternal instinct in us (guys aren’t excluded as weird as that sounds) and makes us feel good.
3. They have a strong historical background.
We all know Egyptians worshiped cats. This hasn’t changed to this day, has it? Only that instead of building pyramids, we’re building Instagram accounts for cats. More or less the same, I say.
4. Their hashtags are one of the best.
Without a doubt. Not only do the respective hashtags have many followers but they’re active hashtags and people like and comment on said tagged posts frequently. This propels your post to higher visibility and more followers. Hashtags such as: #catsofinstagram #catsforlife #blackcats or #ilovecats are only few of your chances to ascend. Give it a go and you’ll thank me.
5. They receive less hate.
Let’s face it, no one really hates cats, right? And even if they do, they’ll still comment (something like : “She’s not that cute”) and in fact, alter the algorithm to understand that people engage with your posts and it needs to be shown to a larger number of people. You can never lose with cats.
So what have we learnt?
Cats are popular on all social platforms and if you want some of that glory, you need to bow your head and accept their supremacy. I’m halfway there.
More info: Instagram
Image credits: unsplash.com