Dialogue with your followers and engaging them with the comments and the DMs is also important
How did you get started on Instagram?
I started an anonymous blog on Myspace to share my experience with bullying and depression while attending a very elitist catholic school that wasn’t really concerned about my mental health since for them being bullied for being gay was my issue or something I need to fix with myself. My blog got millions of visits and when I got better I finally revealed who I was and people invaded my Instagram, they loved my lifestyle and fashion choices which is the main subject in my Instagram but I promised myself that I would never lose my focus on mental Health and I would never stop speaking out for my community, youth empowerment and advocate towards mental health awareness.
What's the content strategy and how do you decide what and when to post?
I’ve created a photographers and filmmaker's network worldwide, especially in the cities I visit often like New York and Paris. I want to my feed to look beautiful and not so commercial. I mix professional with branded content and natural content that is relatable on top of my activism content. I want it to work altogether like it’s linked. At the beginning of each month, I have a content calendar planning meeting with my assistant deciding upon things like beauty posts of the month, styles to be highlighted for fashion trends, important dates or events of celebrations related to mental health awareness, Black and Immigrants Consciousness and LGBTQ+ community, any holiday posts. Then, we decide on what we want to show on my Instagram and how the aesthetics would be. We block in the various things we want to highlight. We're strategically planned with sponsored posts and do not oversaturate. I make my sponsored posts relate to the causes I fight for.
I shoot something cool happening leaving the room as it is; this helps me to be more organized, strategic and creative because I get to scout the location and pull the style for the trend we're highlighting.
I'm always excited about the new content, and hence do not post anything that is boring. I make beauty posts different from my last one, making people feel they are following my life and getting inspired.