Nine Squares Part 2

**See previous post for an explanation of the top 9 and “the grid.”**

I was curious as to your thoughts on this topic and put a survey in my Stories. You said:

• Depends on your audience – 43%
• No (as long as your posts are good) – 35%
• Yes, it’s important! – 22%

One of the comments was that you really liked the look of a cohesive grid but it took too much time to do so.

Another very helpful person shared her favorite Instagram accounts to follow and she realized that they had very curated grids. But, it wasn’t the grid that kept her following, it was their willingness to be vulnerable and share their struggles. Not that they “put it all out there” but that they didn’t put forth this perfect persona all the time. 

I think this gets to the heart of the matter. Yes, you want to see beautiful photos and appreciate when they are carefully curated, BUT that’s not the deciding factor on whether or not you begin to follow or even stay following someone.

My takeaway: Know your audience. If your audience is built upon reading your comic strips, having a perfectly curated feed is definitely not what your followers are looking for.

However, regardless of your audience, it is something that can help you have a more visually-pleasing feed and give a better first impression. Curating your feed is never going to count against you.

Think of it this way: If you have a posting hierarchy of needs, a perfectly coordinated top 9 is near the top. If you have to choose between hitting publish now or not publishing because you have a great photo but it doesn’t quite fit into the grid, post it!

It’s better to have posted than not to have posted at all.