6 Instagram Celebrity-Touted Secrets that Brands are Oblivious to

Instagram is not simply a platform where you are regaled with tantalizing images of food, adorable pets, latest fashion, and clothing to drool over. If truth be told, this powerful social media platform gives many celebrities an opportunity to connect with their followers and allow brands to communicate directly with wide audience base. Many established brands and famous celebrities have infiltrated this famous picture and video sharing network and successfully built a massive follower base over it.

Celebrity Instagram accounts are all the rage these days because they are extremely good at social. These famous celebrities are eager to share funny, glamorous, sometimes silly, behind-the-scenes moments with their followers and fans, a glimpse into their oh-so-fabulous-lives, as they invite us back-stage into their bathrooms and private jets even. Rihanna gives us a sneak-peak into what it would be like to have her as your bridesmaid, Jennifer Aniston wants us to see the hatched eggs she just collected her brood of garden chickens, and who does not know what Taylor Swift did last night… duh, she never forgets to post all the dirty details on Instagram!

It’s small wonder that Instagram has quickly become one of the most popular social networking brands that influencers and celebrities are using to stay in touch with their fans. Here are some tricky and effective ways that celebrities are jumping onto make the most of Instagram, but brands are sadly unaware of.

Related: 21 Awesome Ideas for Brands What to Post on Instagram

1. They Use Great Captions

Celebrities post professional shots that can easily beat your run-of-the-mill image any day. After all, as Author Jo Piazza puts it, “It is very rare that there is just a candid picture of a celebrity. It is set up in advance. There are hair and makeup teams. There is a reason they look so god damn perfect all the time.”

But it’s not simply their mesmerizing photos that make their Instagram feed stand out from the crowd. Celebrities come up with catchy Instagram captions that have a propensity to easily grab the attention of their audience. Sadly, many brands fail to realize that they need to go beyond the image. It’s true that an image is worth a thousand words, a great and interesting Instagram caption can make or break an image.

when your lyrics are on the bottle 😛 #ad

A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Jun 25, 2016 at 2:03pm PDT

In this shot taken for the “Share a Coke and a Song” campaign, Selena Gomez is promoting a brand by intelligently using a caption which clearly features the lyrics from her song, “Me & the Rhythm”.

Brands are advised to use interesting and descriptive captions with their photos. Incorporate a bit of human touch and personality in your Instagram posts as do celebrities, to make their posts go viral.

2. They Share Hilarious Posts

Entertainment is something that never loses its charms. And celebrities know fully well what to post and how to entertain their fans. Beit a funny video, a GIF, a comic image, or a funny story, celebrities always find hilarious content to post on Instagram to regale their fans.

Take a look at this Kylie Jenner’s post.

A post shared by Kylie (@kyliejenner) on Apr 18, 2016 at 12:44pm PDT

The image is a perfect example that shows that sometimes celebrities laugh at themselves. Kylie Jenner wears a t-shirt featuring an ugly and self-deprecating image of herself that has been circling the internet for many years. Brands should learn from celebrities and post funny videos and photos since doing so can dramatically increase their followers and help them tap into a new and wide audience who appreciates the humor.

3. They Show their Love for Pets

It is impossible to deny the fact that Instagrammers love a cute puppy and a cat photo more than anything else.

#DoggyMansion 💖

A post shared by Paris Hilton's Pets (@hiltonpets) on Jan 24, 2018 at 1:55pm PST

Paris Whitney Hilton shows off two of her pet pups in this shot. And the interesting part is that her dogs live in a lavish two-story doghouse mansion with air conditioning, heating, designer furniture and a chandelier.

Happy Birthday Mom! 👸🏼🎂🐶🐶🐶🐶 #DoggyMansion

A post shared by Paris Hilton's Pets (@hiltonpets) on Feb 17, 2017 at 12:08pm PST

But the question remains: how can brands incorporate pictures of pets? Think beyond your products and services and get right into your existing and potential customers’ lifestyle. Perhaps their lifestyle involves pets. Many beauty brands such as The Body Shop, Too Faced, Nyx, Urban Decay, and Smash-box are using dogs, cats, and other furry friends as influencers and paying them to tout their products on Instagram.

Related Read: How Can You Get Verified on Instagram & Increase Sales For Your Business?

Have a look at this shot of NYX Cosmetics featuring a puppy playing with their products.

After a long day, we love coming home to our besties 💕 We hope everyone gave their pups lots of love and play time on #NationalPuppyDay 🐾 We are so proud to be cruelty free! || #nyxcosmetics

A post shared by NYX Professional Makeup (@nyxcosmetics) on Mar 23, 2017 at 8:44pm PDT

Sotheby’s showcases the items that they have for auction on their Instagram account, and this post with a dog created a significant impact compared to the otherwise highbrow content.

"Left paw green…" The American artist William Wegman is renowned for creating enigmatic photographic portraits of his beloved #weimaraners. In Twister, 1988, Wegman's dog 'Fay Ray' is captured using a rare, very large format Polaroid camera, with film plates measuring 20 x 24 inches. The photograph will feature alongside other animal-inspired artworks as part of the exhibition, Animal Farm – Beastly Muses and Metaphors, opening at S|2 in #London on 9 June. #S2xSothebys #DogsOfInstagram

A post shared by Sotheby's (@sothebys) on May 22, 2016 at 4:53am PDT

4. They Share Relevant Posts

On this photo and video sharing platform, it is quite challenging for brands to stand out, but celebrities know the secret. They cultivate a unique visual content style that makes them instantly recognizable each time their fans come across their posts in their newsfeed. They always share authentic and relevant posts for their audience. These real-moments give them a great opportunity to foster trust and connect with their fans in meaningful ways. If truth be told, their authenticity and relatability clearly explain why their audience loves their weird but oh-so-relatable moments.

THE TRAILER IS JUST EEEEPPPPPPPIIIIICCCCCCC! Star Wars is back! gaaaaaad laaaaard! You know what! Let me just relax because this kind God oooo! Lmao! Seriously congrats to everyone ! December 18th!

A post shared by John Boyega (@johnboyega) on Oct 20, 2015 at 12:02am PDT

Check out the reaction of John Boyega to “The Force Awakens” trailer. His excitement exudes a genuine, extravagant and blatant enthusiasm that is utterly relatable.

5. They Use Instagram for Making Announcements

Celebrities use Instagram to share their big news, but most brands don’t. Usually, celebrities share their personal news such as pregnancy, engagement, and album launch announcements on Instagram.

I am proud to announce that I am one of fifteen ambassadors working with @PrincesTrust & LOreal Paris UK to help thousands of young people turn self-doubt into self-worth. The "All Worth It" Confidence training program starts now! Link in my bio👆🏼 #ALLWORTHIT #PRINCESTRUSTLOREAL

A post shared by Cheryl (@cherylofficial) on Feb 23, 2017 at 12:03am PST

A famous singer Cheryl posted an Instagram image of her beautiful baby bump, without saying a single word about her pregnancy in the caption.

YES !…!…!

A post shared by Blac Chyna (@blacchyna) on Apr 5, 2016 at 12:19am PDT

Blac Chyna and her boyfriend Rob Kardashian shocked their fans by announcing their surprise engagement on Instagram by using the caption YES!

My seven wonder, on the 7. 07 .17 Aurora was born. She went through a very smooth and quick delivery. The process was filled with joy, laughter and happy tears. Thank you ibu @lannykuswandi & @jamilatus.sadiyah for helping me go through the most relaxing birth and happiest moment in my life. It was such a blissful journey❤️ #gentlebirth #hypnobirth #hypnobirthingindonesia #birthpartner #doula

A post shared by Olivia Jensen (@oliviajensen) on Jul 23, 2017 at 2:49am PDT

Olivia Jensen announced the birth of her baby girl and shared her delivery experience.

6. They Value their Fans

Celebrities are only famous because of a massive number of following that they have mustered. But only a few celebrities recognize this fact and reciprocate the love and appreciation of their fans on their feed.

Justin Bieberorganized a surprise party as a belated Quinceanera celebration for one of his fans and bought her a dress.

Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato gave a surprise performance at a Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, to the delight of their deserving young fans. They have taken this step to help these kids feel special.

To Sum Things Up

There is a lot more that brands can learn from these celebrities to take full advantage of this powerful social media platform. From the products they choose to endorse to ways in which they show their love for their fans and pets, follow famous celebrities on Instagram and take these stars as your inspiration. Hopefully, these Instagram secrets will help your brand reach unprecedented heights of success.

Follow your favorite celebrities on Instagram to find inspiration and strengthen your Instagram marketing efforts with Branex.