Instagram

33 Best Food Instagram Accounts that will Feature Your Post 2020

October 3, 2019 by Rich

Exposure. The age-old classic way to be seen and grow. If you’re trying to grow your food account further, do not sleep on this strategy. When there are food feature accounts in the 100k plus follower range, this is your path to gaining more followers without the need to a ‘follow for follow’ strategy. I’ve compiled a list of the top food feature accounts that will feature you if you tag them enough.

Last updated: January 23, 2020

33 Best Instagram Accounts to be tag featured image

Over the course of the year, I’ve been very lucky to have the company of some of Instagram’s top food accounts. I’ve learned a lot from them and in many ways, they were like my mentor. I’ve watched them grow and observed their activities. I believe, after all, the best way to learn is to shadow and mimic. In that time, I’ve learned from their mistakes and successes. Lucky for you, you get to skip and mitigate my growing pains.

What is a Food Feature Account?

Real quick, I’ll answer this one to get out of the way. In case you’re new to Instagram you’ll find there are accounts out there that are mainly made of features. Why is probably what you’re wondering. The reasons are most likely because they’re a business. With a large account, there’s a lot more money on the table as “influencing” becomes easier. Either way, they tend to have a large following and getting featured would mean more exposure for you. It’s a win-win situation for both parties.

How my Feature Accounts List was Created

The best-featured accounts are those that post both consistently and persistently. With those two factors, it means there’s a higher chance of getting featured. What good is an account if they’re not active enough? A third factor I look for is their audience size. If I have a larger account, it may not be worthwhile for me to tag them. You’ll find the largest account in the upwards of 7 million followers and as small as 11 thousand (which is still pretty large).

Everyone’s got a list so here’s mine. Feel free to bookmark this page so you can refer to it whenever you’re posting. The next section outlines the top food accounts you should tag for maximum exposure. If you are featured, your account will grow even faster. All it takes is a few extra minutes in creating your post and that’s why you should not let this opportunity slip away. Without further ado, here are the hottest Instagram food feature accounts you should be tagging.

Quick Tips on how to get Featured

Great photos

This one’s a no brainer. The number one way to get featured is having a great photo. How to have great photos you might ask? Composition, story, lighting, and resolution. Take advantage of the editing tool Instagram provides. It can easily make an ok photo become a spectacular one. If you’re not a great photographer, don’t worry because as you practice you’ll learn in the process.

Pro tip: If your food is “ugly”, take a close up. Everything looks better as a closeup as you can see more of the details. And if that doesn’t work, you can always make a short video clip that captures the moment.

Tag, You’re it!

Always tag the business/event/brand/travel account seen in the post. It might even be worth a shot if you go to a restaurant that got a great Instagram following. And if you don’t eat out often, you can tag brands of products you use. For instance, if you’re a recipe blog and you’re using an Instant Pot you can tag them.

Use their Hashtags

When going through my food feature accounts list, you’ll find there’s a column for hashtags. Well, if you want to increase your chances of being seen by that account then I reckon you use their hashtags too!

Get Local or Regional!

list of Regional Eater food feature accounts — You can easily find the local version of the bigger featured accounts via search

You should also look to take advantage of your area or the area the restaurant is in as there are many localized featured accounts you could tag. They may have a smaller following but the likelihood of them finding you is a lot higher. Eater was a larger example but there are many out there that has a smaller audience and are willing to feature you. Here’s a list of other bigger accounts you can find if you searched their name, you may find one for your area:

Eater
BestFood
Yelp
Infatuation
Topfoodnews
NBC
Timeout

Get Niched

Just like the example of localized/regionalized accounts above, there are feature accounts for specific types of foods such as noodles, burgers, pizza, etc. As usual, I’ll hook you up with some feature accounts you should look into.

Type “Devour.” and you’ll find a list of food-specific accounts
Type “Topfoodnews.” and you’ll find a list of food-specific accounts
For others: Type your food and check out what populates

Get the Look

As you skim through my featured accounts list, you’ll find some of the accounts have certain themes. For example, @love_food mainly posts viral-like video clips of food. If you’re post is similar to this theme, then you’ve just increased your chances of getting featured. Pay attention to the feature accounts as they may be looking for specifics.

What’s next?

Still struggling to build your account? I suggest checking out one of these articles and subscribing to my page for the latest and greatest findings.

And if you want to support my page, do subscribe and follow me on my social media handles at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

How to get 100 Followers a Day on Instagram in 2019

September 10, 2019 by Rich

If you feel your growth is not fast enough and you really need that extra push to grow your Instagram account then this article is for you. I show you exactly how I got 100 followers a day as well as any lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Last updated: December 5, 2019

Why I decided to embark on this dangerous journey

The simple answer is for more exposure. It’s unfortunate that many agencies define you based on the number of followers you have simply because “with x amount of followers, you can unlock this feature and that feature…” or “you can join this or that group… blah, blah blah”. I realize Follower Count is not the only factor but a large one that determines whether you can join a group or not. Because of the way it works, it puts most users at a disadvantage to start off. I’m embarking on this journey because just like everyone else I want to grow my account, I want the same advantages, and to share my findings with everyone.

Mind you this came during a week when many of my colleagues were getting action banned for likes and following too many people at once. Instagram has been cracking down on accounts using third-party apps as well as what they deem bot-like behavior. It’s, for this reason, I mentioned it a dangerous journey ahead. But I think the learning involved will be worth it in the end.

What You’ll Need

If you want to take a more steady approach please read my How I got 2000 Followers Fast. Basically, we’re going to take that strategy and inject steroids into it but before I go ahead, let’s go over some preliminary requirements because if you’re starting from ground zero it will be a lot more difficult to achieve this feat. This article makes some assumptions.

You will need a legit account. That means, your account needs to look credible. To be credible you need to optimize your profile and feed. In other words, don’t look spammy or a fake account. Humans like to connect with others of value. Provide none, and there will be no follows.
At least 2500 Followers already in your account. The more followers you have the easier this process will be. I’m not saying it’s impossible but it will be much more difficult if you don’t have around 2500 followers. If you’re not quite there, please check out my How I got 2000 followers fast.
You’re going to need about 2-3 hours of accumulated free time per day. 100 Followers day is not an easy feat especially when trying to get around Instagram’s algorithm to avoid getting banned. You will need to dedicate some free time just for Instagram.
Multitasking skill. If you’re not good at multitasking then this approach is probably not for you.

Hopefully I didn’t scare you away. After going through the preliminaries, if you’re still interested keep reading.

How it’s done

100 followers a day insights — My streak from Sunday (9/1) to Thursday (9/5)

With Instagram cracking down on suspensions and the soft banning of accounts this was outright dangerous but I need to build my audience. I decided not to use any third-party apps and went the manual route which I prefer. Here I will outline how I did it.

1.) Spread out your Follow Actions.

In case you’re not aware, the best way to grow an account fast is using the Follow for Follow Method. I won’t go in-depth too much as this article is already long but it’s when you follow an account and in return they follow you back. I go into more details of the Follow for Follow.

Instagram has a merit system that allows you to follow more people based on how long your account has been around and your Trust Rating. When your account is in good standing, they’ll extend your leash a little but abuse it, and it’s going to get tugged. With that said, if you follow a bunch of accounts at once, you’re going to get flagged.

Instead, spread it out throughout the day. For me, I did a Follow Wave which I define as following around 10-15 accounts at one time. You don’t have to shadow me but what I did was run a follow wave during these times:

As soon as I wake up
Before leaving the house
Before/During/After lunch
At the gym in between sets
At the parking lot before any destination
Before/During/After dinner
Before going to bed

As you can see, there’s nothing exciting about this. It can be tedious but as I mentioned, if you’re really driven that’s how it’s done. It’s about taking advantage of the pockets of time you have during the day.

2.) Diversify your Instagram activity.

Be a human on Instagram. Diversify your actions. Whatever you do not be a robot. Besides following and unfollowing, this means:

Like and comment on posts
- For me, I comment on about 1 out of every 60 likes I make
Create a Story
Watch other user’s stories and react/comment to it
Create a post and followup with comments

Make sure to regularly post and upload a story. By regular, I mean posting every 2-3 days and for stories, at least once a day. What attracts other accounts is if you’re an active one. No one wants a dead beat account so that red ring around your profile signifies to others you’re active.

3.) Like recent posts. You want to be hunted.

This one here is important. When you go to your home feed, you will see a bunch of posts. The most crucial ones are those that were posted an hour or earlier. These are the posts you want to use your likes. With Instagram flagging you for using too many likes, likes are somewhat a scarce resource.

Remember the Follow for Follow Method I mentioned earlier? There are a lot of accounts familiar with this practice. In this world, there are the hunted and the hunters. To me, you want your likes to appear like a fat juicy gazelle so the lions can find you. When you like a recent post of another account, you’re in early and the lions will come and find you later. And if you want to entice them even more, leave a comment. See how many will follow you just based on that action. Liking an older post is like feeding a pack of lions that already had their feast. You’re too late.

4.) Hunt for Accounts that will most likely follow you back.

Ohh but plot twist. You gotta eat too. Time to go hunting. Welcome to the circle of life. Look for accounts that are most likely going to follow you back. These are the accounts that have a good ratio of followers to following.

The most simple explanation is if an account has 20K followers yet only follow like 10 accounts, do you think they’ll follow you back? Of course not. I go more in-depth with the follow ratio here.

Now it’s your turn: 100 Followers a Day Challenge

At first, it will be shaky but after some time you will get the hang of it and move pretty fast going through the motions. It will be cruise control and all of it muscle memory. Don’t be hard on yourself if you’re unable to get your first 100 followers a day right away. It takes time and don’t give up. There are so many benefits to having a high follower count. If I can do it, anyone can.

If you found inspiration from reading my post, then I too challenge you to this grueling week of Follow for Follows. Tag me in your post or hashtag #chowyoulater100 and let me know your results. How long can you get your streak going without getting an action block from Instagram?

If you want to practice at a slower pace or you’re not seeing results, check out my Road to 2000 Followers for more indepth explanations and mindset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you constantly on your phone?

If I was on my phone all day, I wouldn’t be able to go about my day. What really matters is your ability to multitask and be aware of the pockets of time given in a day. When I say pockets of time, I’m referring to the little downtime we have while we’re waiting in line for something, commuting on the train, working out in between sets, etc. You’d be surprised by how much these little time pockets can add up in a day.

How long can you maintain the rate of 100 Followers a day?

I came to a halt because I stretched out my following count to the max at 7500 Followers but honestly, it can be maintained for a while as long as you’ve got the time and dedication. For me, I wanted to push myself and to see if it could be done which I proved.

Just keep in mind it’s very monotonous. After spending a week on it, I want to say 30-35 followers a day or 1000 a month is a lot more reasonable to me. At 100 per day, there’s a lot of maintenance involved. Like I said, take this route if you really need that extra push.

What are the pros of growing that fast?

Obviously, when agencies and sponsors put a major emphasis on the number of followers you have, growing your account by 100 a day is going to be beneficial. With a bigger account, you can do a lot more if you’re looking to monetize on Instagram. For instance, at 10K followers Instagram allows you to link your website to stories. If you’re in e-commerce, this is crucial. If you think this is a cheap method, my motto is to hate the game and not the player.

What are the cons of growing that fast?

Anytime you’re aiming for a quantifiable number fast, from a qualitative standpoint it’s going to suffer somewhat. In other words, when you’re aiming for a specific number like 100 followers a day and time is limited, the number of quality followers may take a hit. What I mean by quality are accounts that may not even be in your language or ones just looking to grow rather than engage. My thing is if you want to interact with them in the future, and their content is in a different language it makes it nearly impossible to gain any meaningful interactions. Be sure to refer to your end game.

By growing at this pace, your engagement rate will probably take a hit. There’s only so much time to a day and what a human can do. That is not to say it can’t be boosted later once you hit your target number of followers.

If you need help with Engagement, check out my article on how to boost your engagement. And if you want to support my page, do subscribe and follow me on my social media handles at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.

When is the best time to post on Instagram?

August 26, 2019 by Rich 6 Comments

So you post on Instagram and found it isn’t doing as great as you had hoped. A post you published that usually gets 100’s of likes are underperforming at half of what you expected. Why is this happening? Well, there’s a good chance you’re not posting at the right time. Fear no more. My article will show you when is the best time to post.

Last updated: January 23, 2020

1.) Switch to either a Business or Creator Account

The very first order of business is to switch your account from a personal one to a business profile or creator account to gain access to your insights and the ability to promote your posts. How can you tell the difference?

Well, it’s quite easy. The easiest way to spot a business/creator account is found at the user’s profile. Typically, a business/creator account has a category label underneath the user’s name. You’ll have the option to display it or not but it’s a good idea to have it around since it tells your audience what industry you’re in.

Another feature is the contact button. As a personal account, you won’t have that option. With a business and creator account, you can have an email, phone number, or both option on your profile.

What’s the difference between a creator and a business account?

The main differences are seen mainly in the User Profile, Insights, and Message Inbox.

The Creator Account was recently introduced in early August 2019. It was created according to Instagram with “features that make it easier to control your online presence, understand your growth and manage your messages.”

Personal Account example — Example of Personal Account

Creator Account Example — Example of Creator Account

Essentially, the Creator Account was created with influencers, public figures, bloggers, and anyone else in the digital marketing space in mind. This account gives you access to additional insights to see your daily follower count and an inbox that splits your conversation into a Primary and General Box.

The Business Account is tailored more towards a brick and mortar or office where you can include a physical address, phone number, email, and an Action Button. If you sell a physical product or service, it’s probably a good idea to switch to a business account. Once that is done. Move on to the next heading.

2.) Go to your Insights for best time to post on Instagram

To get to Insights it’s pretty simple. Follow the steps:

1.) You first need to go to your profile, then tap on the 3 horizontal lines at the top right corner, go to Insights. Once there, tap on the Audience tab.

2.) Scroll down to your Followers.

3.) Tap on the bar graph and you will then see the approximate number of followers throughout the day.

4.) And when you tap on Days you will see what days of the week your followers are most active.

Let’s use my account as an example

Based on my account, the best days for me are Tuesday and Thursdays but not by much. And for hours, it’s the best time to post on Instagram for me is between the 9 am to 12 pm time slot that’s had the highest number of followers. For now, I don’t see anything crazy or anything to jump at. Each day is very consistent with each other between 2.8k to 3k each day.

That was easy right? Try this exercise and let me know what you think.

Do I personally use this strategy?

I do see a difference but honestly, given my current number of followers (At 3746 as of this post date) and my lifestyle I post when I am able to. Over time, the likes will keep growing as your account grows more followers. They’ll most likely go into your profile and check your feed out. That is not to say, I won’t ever do it. There are good reasons for wanting to maximize your likes to figure out the best time to post on Instagram. For example, if you’re working with sponsors, then it would make sense. Now that you know what time is best for your followers, play around and experiment.

3.) Other Tools

There are other tools out there such as Tailwind, apps called When to Post and Later, just to name a few but you should really use them at your own risk! With every algorithm update, it appears Instagram makes it more difficult to use these type of tools as they crackdown on what Instagram deems as a fake account. Basically, it means if you’re using a third-party tool, chances are Instagram may suspend or ban your account altogether.

The message you want to avoid. Luckily this person only got blocked for a week

And if you think you can’t get banned because you consistently post original content and actively engage with others, believe me, you can still get banned. This ban isn’t just for sketchy meme accounts. I’ve known a couple of nanoinfluencers who are as real as a human being can get and are still somehow blocked. Luckily, just for a week.

And if you really have to use these “tools” to figure out the best time to post on Instagram, a good practice is to read up on the reviews found on your phone manufactuer’s app stores. I know there are going to be fake reviews but it’s a good idea to sort by the most recent and skim through. If the latest reviews are crying foul, then it’s a good idea not to download them.

4.) And then there’s the General Rule of Thumb

I’ve heard this before but the general rule is to post before and after work (work = 9 am to 5 pm) preferably morning time as it gives people a chance to view during their commute. I’m going to tell you this general rule has a couple of flaws to its logic but there can be truth to it.

First, it assumes your followers and targeted followers are on the same time zone as you. This may not be the case as it’s very possible your followers are sparsely scattered all over the world. Check your insights to discover where the majority of your followers are from.

Second, it assumes you want followers on the same time zone as you. This flaw is probably not common but it can affect accounts targeting certain groups of people. For example, say you’re based in Los Angeles and going through your account you found an audience lacking in New York City. Then, since you’re targeting that group you should go by Eastern time. Does that make sense?

Then what’s ideal? Assuming you’re a general influencer, the best-case scenario (although a long term plan) is having an audience from all over the world. That way, as you’re sleeping, you’re piling on the likes. Diversification is key.

Found my article helpful? You should definitely check out How I Got 2000 followers fast and How to Boost your Engagement Rate on Instagram because there are more components involved in building an audience. And if you want to support my page, do subscribe and follow me on my social media handles at Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.