Hashtags to follow and use, people to be inspired by and how to set boundaries with what you share on social media. Here is the week that was on My Open Kitchen. Sophie x
#whywegrow
I’m constantly banging on about how great it is to tell your story and your ‘why’ here on IG because… we humans are genuinely interested in what makes other people tick. And Instagram (stories/feed/IGTV/all of it) is still a powerful and encouraging place to tell those stories. So. Of course I adore this hashtag.
#whywegrow is a catalogue of great stories from farmers/producers/growers from all over the world; why they grow what they grow and what farming means to them. So many good tales in here. So many inspiring people.
This is a photo I took of two of my favourite growers Erika and Hayden of @epicureanharvest . These guys are great at sharing their ‘why’ on social media. Maybe they might inspire you to do the same too, and don’t forget the hashtag xx
#myseasonaltable
This hashtag is a celebration of simple, seasonal cooking and a perfect place to find like minded cooks to connect with. And also – how delicious does this cavolo nero pesto look? Posted of course under the #myseasonaltable tag by it’s clever creator @julskitchen. I just planted two rows of the stuff in our vegetable garden and am saving this recipe for harvest time. 📷 by Giulia Scarpaleggia
And if you missed it, last week I posted a ‘hashtags 101’ post here on the blog explaining how and why to use hashtags.
SHARING THE LOVE
Who dis? Sydney Food Sisters – Caterina and Effi are ‘food sisters’, who, as their name suggests, are based in Sydney.
What do they do? Caterina writes the recipes and Effi takes the photos. They create recipes for their own site, offer content creation services to others and put on food tours and culinary events in and around Sydney.
Why do we love them? Because they are pooling their talents to create consistent, top quality content. They are a fab example of a fab collaboration. Because they so clearly love food and are so generous with how they share this love.
Why else? Having met Effie and Caterina last weekend at our most recent workshop, I’m an even bigger fan. These guys were helpful, enthusiastic and just two awesome chicks working hard to create their own corner of IG-land as great as possible. 📷 @sydneyfoodsisters
Who dis? Amanda of @smallacornsamanda
What does she do? Amanda has a store in Wellington NZ, Small Acorns which sells everything I need in my house. She’s also an interiors stylist.
Why do we love her? Her photos are consistently bright, inviting and inspiring which I believe her business to be as well. Her captions are honest and tell the story of her ‘perfectly imperfect flower strewn life in colour’. They always stop me mid-scroll firstly because they are so inviting and then because I love to read what’s happening in her world that day.
Why else? Her use of hashtags is bang on. Actually, one of the things I’m always suggesting to the people I work with is to find people in their ‘space’ who do hashtags really well and watch and learn. Amanda is that person for me. I especially love the hashtag she started #botanicalforagersunitedsocietyinc .
Thanks Amanda for sharing all that you do. 📷@smallacornsamanda
HERE’S SOMETHING USEFUL
Only share what you are ok about getting feedback on.
Do you ever struggle with how much of your personal life/family/opinions/whatever, to share here on IG? I do. Instagram can give so much inspiration, connection and also definately help grow our businesses but it can also throw up some negatives too. Ie the more you put yourself ‘out there’, the more vulnerable you can feel.
The more we share what makes us tick, what gets us out of bed in the morning – the more opportunities we are ‘putting out there’ to connect with people who might go on to become customers/community members. As Simon Sinek so famously says, ‘people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’. So telling that why can really help grow connections and community.
BUT. It’s a bit weird sometimes isn’t it. Sharing your life with this funny app for all to see. Especially when you are starting out on IG and still building your community, still getting to know them.
So…here’s this week’s useful thing, or rather a helpful way to come at this question … only share what you are ok about getting feedback on.
Thank you so much Anna Newton of The Anna Edit for this piece of advice, given out on a recent episode of Sara Tasker’s podcast Hashtag Authentic.
I’ve never heard this approach to how and where to set your boundaries on IG and it really really stuck. Because of course it makes sense to only post content that you can cope with feedback on. So for me for example on @localislovely, I could take negative feedback on recipes, on a guide to a certain area, on a photo etc. But I’m a sensitive person and wouldn’t love receiving feedback on how we raise our kids or my relationships etc.
If you struggle sometimes with how much of yourself and your life to share here on IG. This might be a helpful way to think about it. Only share what you would feel ok about getting feedback on. Thanks for the tip Anna!