Ever wondered what an instagram giant like @SymmetryBreakfast thinks about before he hits ‘share’? We asked the man behind the breakfast, Michael Zee, to share his top 5 Instagram tips with us so we can improve our iPhone food photography and share more drool-worthy instas.
Feast your eyes on Michael’s debut cookbook, SymmetryBreakfast: Cook-Love-Share, for inspiring recipes to start your day the right way.
1. When you take a photo, ask yourself if you would like that photo it if you scrolled past it in your feed. If the answer is no, then don’t post it.
Try to be as critical as possible about your own photographs, is it too dark, blurry, wonky? Are any of these factors are within your power to change? Perhaps the restaurant doesn’t have natural light, not something you can fix easily, however there are a few technical tricks you can learn that improve a photo immensely.
2. What’s your story? What’s your unique selling point? There are many many many food instagrams about restaurant openings, there are many about coffee, there are many about healthy eating. After you see one you’ve seen them all. Do your market research and find a point of different worth talking about.
3. Don’t write too much. I use Instagram to look at pretty photos and find new places to eat as I imagine lots of people do. Its not the right platform to write essays about your food philosophy, if that’s what you want, start a blog. Instagram is a visual platform!
Understand though that you are taking someone else, that you probably don’t know on a long journey, drip feeding information over months and years will keep them interested and coming back for more. That way you will build a loyal fan base and friends.
4. Hashtags – I’m not too convinced that they work. I don’t know the last time I looked up #avocado and if you can’t either then don’t do it. A huge long list of hashtags looks messy and desperate.
5. Do it for the love. I started out with @symmetrybreakfast whilst working in a full time job and was in the lucky position to be able to say no. Use products and collaborate with brands because you love them, not because they pay. And if you do decide to work with brands, understand your value and don’t sell yourself cheap, you’re the one with the cards.
Find out more about Michael Zee’s debut cookbook SymmetryBreakfast: Cook-Love-Share here or follow @SymmetryBreakfast on Instagram here.
