What is an “Instagram Aesthetic” and How to Establish Yours

Instagram has over 500 million active monthly users who have shared over 40 billion photos to date. Most people use this app to share photos of themselves, friends, family and good times. But for some, Instagram is where they showcase their personal brand. Have you ever had a friend say, “I can’t post this! It doesn’t match my Insta-aesthetic” and been confused? Continue reading and that confusion will disappear. You might even find yourself saying the same thing!

An Instagram aesthetic is basically a theme that all your photos follow. Whether you choose to have a dark and moody theme or a bright, pastel one, staying consistent in your theme is essential. Follow these tips below to perfect your Instagram aesthetic.

1. Download the essentials.

Apps like VSCO, Afterlight and Lightly let you edit photos and choose different filters than Instagram.

2. Think of your feed as a whole.

You want to post photos that look good next to each other so it is important to think of your feed as one. That may be a great picture you’re about to post but how does it look next to the others?

3. Change what you take pictures of.

Is your feed full of selfies? It is important to include other aspects of your life. Try photographing your morning coffee, beautiful scenery, cool street graffiti or even the cosmetics you use and be sure to spread out similar photos!

4. Edit all your photos the same

Use the same filters and settings when editing your photos. Play around with brightness, highlight and saturation until you find a look you like then continually use the same settings on your photos. This can help keep your photos consistent to your aesthetic.

5. Put your hashtags in the comment section

Hashtags can be a great way to grow your followers and get more likes. However, when you caption a photo with tons of hashtags it can look like spam. Try commenting your hashtags instead so your followers won’t see them unless they click on your comments.

6. Take your photos using the square setting on your camera.

Taking a great photo only to have it look awkward on Instagram is the worst. Use the square setting on your camera to take your pictures so you can avoid this!

Written by Katie Nutall of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Must Read Books for PR Professionals!

Public Relations is a complex and tactical area of professionalism. Because of this countless books have been written on the subject of PR. These books are great resources for PR professionals that will give insight, advice, and strategies from high esteemed professionals. Here are some of the best PR books in my opinion that are must-reads for every PR professional!

1. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is a classic read for PR professionals and has sold over 15million copies since first being published in 1937. It provides valuable tips on how to communicate and persuade others in a professional and personal setting. Carnegie also includes a lot of personal stories proving his principles, which make the book a more entertaining read. Not only is this book a classic, but it’s also a good read!

2. “Crystallizing Public Opinion” was written by Edward Bernays, the father of public relations. It explains the psychology behind public relations. In this book, Bernays shares how ideas are spread, why they are spread, and why ideas either thrive or die out. The most fascinating thing about this book is that Bernays was well ahead of his time and seemed to have predicted the future of PR. If you can look past Bernays arrogant tone throughout the book, it is a very interesting read!

3. “Spin: How to Turn the Power of the Press to Your Advantage” was written by Michael S. Sitrick, the founder of a major crisis PR firm. This book gives you an inside look into the world of crisis communications. It’s basically a crisis PR handbook! It’s an important read that will give you the tools to successfully prepare you to deal with any crisis that the PR world could possibly throw at you.

4. “Reputation Rules: Strategies for Building Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset” is written by Daniel Diermeier, a professor from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Diermeier covers the importance of reputation and how the digital age has made maintaining a good reputation harder than ever. It’s a captivating read that will open your eyes up to the importance of reputation.

5. “Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World” by Michal Hyatt gives you a step-by-step guide to build your own presence in a cluttered world. Hyatt gives insight on how to make your brand stand out by telling you how to be different, relevant, and noticeable. He gives advice on how to do this on various platforms such as blogging, social media, media kits, and more! Definitely read give this book a read and check out Michael Hyatt’s renowned blog and podcasts too!

Do you have any favorite PR oriented books? Share with us in the comment section below!

Written by Emma Bevilacqua of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Give Traffic to Your Site the Green Light with These Easy Tips!

You’ve done all the work to start up your own website but now you have to encourage people to actually visit your site! For many business owners, this can be one of the biggest challenges. Sitting back and hoping a few Facebook posts here and there brings enough attention to your site and business just isn’t enough; you need to take action!

Forbes agrees that one tip that can definitely get the attention of web browsers is to work on your headlines. A simple, straight to the point headline may get your point across, but without adding a catchy or memorable headline to an article or post, nobody is going to think twice about going to your site. On top of that, update and improve existing posts.

Visitors will get bored if they are reading through your website and suddenly all of the headlines and website content become dry and boring. Also, regardless of what your website niche is, connect with others in the same community who can lend a hand by mentioning you on their site or you can mention them on yours! There’s no shame in getting help from other professionals. You can even take the extra step to “friend” similar businesses or websites. Once you create that relationship, it opens up doors for them to feature you on their site(s) and you can do them the same favor. Look up what the other top 10 sites are that are in your area of expertise, and write an article or post about them. If you notice them, there’s a chance they may notice you back and give you the recognition you may need on their site. In return this can then cause their visitors to want to then visit your site!

When making blog posts, or any text on your site, it’s important to try and include every possible key word you can think of. That way, when people are using search engines to find businesses or websites that have what they are looking for, your site will most definitely pop up for them to explore. If people who visit your site decide to comment on your blog posts, try and interact with those comments. Respond, recommend and reach out. Being interactive with your users on your site is key to keeping yourself relevant and real to them. If you get enough reactions to a post, feel free to even write a follow up or a response blog post. This simple tip will really get your readers interested and begin keeping up with your site.

Don't forget to still use Facebook and Reddit! Try and increase your postings per week. Instead of just a few times a week, work on making it even a few times a day. In these posts, pay attention to sites you’re linking to or hashtags you are using, as these could all lead back to you and drive more interest and traffic to your site.

These may seem like self-explanatory or beginner tips, but that’s the point! These are simple, easy steps that any new website owner can use to get their business off the ground! So get out there and try some of these and watch your website flourish! 

Written by Shaylee Dillen of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

Out with the Old, in with the New: Instagram Introduces New Logo

Recently, Instagram released a new logo and most of the Internet freaked out. The Facebook-owned photo-sharing app removed its universal tan-and-brown camera logo for a vibrant design with a white camera outline inside. Instagram’s other apps – layout, Hyperlapse and Boomerang – also have similar redesigns.

It seems like “insta-lovers” aren’t big on change, some users had some pretty strong reactions to the new look.

The big question is why the change? Instagram said the change reflects the developments the company has made since its launch in October 2010. According to Ian Splater who is head of design for Instagram, “The instagram logo and design was beginning to feel, well…not reflective of the community, and frankly we thought we could make it better,” he writes in a post on Medium.

It is obvious that the new app was inspired by the previous app icon. They also made improvements to how the instagram app looks on the inside as well. The design is supposed to make the app feel simpler. The design allows there to be more focus on the photos and videos users post without changing how you navigate the app. Although this is the most noticeable change to this app, it is also implementing updates that will have a more significant impact on marketers.

The Instagram community has progressed over the past five years from a place to share filtered photos too much more.  Instagram’s fresh new look reflects how diverse and lively your story telling has become.

Written by Carly Wiegand of Rebecca Adele PR & Events

My Time at Rebecca Adele PR & Events

What a fast 15 weeks it’s been – I can’t believe my time at Rebecca Adele PR & Events is coming to an end, and I can honestly say I would not have wanted to have my first internship experience at any other company.

I remember going into my interview and having Becki tell me to tell her a bit about myself. The one thing I remember saying to this was: “I’m a very busy person, and I like bringing a busy, fast-paced lifestyle,” and I remember her saying working here would give the chance to do that – and she was right.

My day-to-day tasks ranged from writing and scheduling social media posts on different social media outlets while using scheduling programs, to writing press releases and acting as a media contact, to creating blog posts on information relative to the public relations industry, and marketing for upcoming craft shows throughout show season.

I learned so much during my time as an intern to help shape who I am as a young professional venturing into the public relations industry. Never throughout the duration of my internship did I feel that I was doing something that was not going to help me in my future career in some way. Not only had I learned valuable public relations skills, but I expanded on my skills to handle many different tasks for different companies at a time.

I was very fortunate to have had Becki as a boss. She taught me so many skills I will be able to use when I go into “the real world,” and was an outstanding mentor throughout the whole process. She gave me the constructive criticism I needed that only helped me further my skills, and always brought a fun and positive atmosphere in the office. I couldn’t be more grateful to have had the experiences I did at Rebecca Adele PR & Events these past weeks. 

Thank you so much!

Written by Samantha Velotta of Rebecca Adele PR & Events 

Reflecting at My Time at Rebecca Adele PR & Events- Casie Varacelli

As May quickly approaches, I cannot believe how fast my time here at Rebecca Adele PR & Events has gone by. I enjoyed every aspect of this internship, from learning more about the fields I would like to go into, to spending quality time with Becki and all her furry friends! At the beginning of this, I was nervous since I had already graduated a couple years ago. Becki assured me that it was a great way to learn more about marketing, and that taking on an internship, along with my other job, was a good thing. Well, like a mom, she was right!

I was SO excited to dive into social media, public relations and especially events! I was pretty sure I knew all there was to know about social media, considering I spend an adequate amount of time on it, but I was wrong! I learned so much more about posts, links, images, hashtags, tweets and even scheduling. Rebecca Adele PR & Events has many different clients and I think that was a huge advantage in learning to write social media plans. Not every company’s needs are the same, and sometimes those even change mid-project!

When show time came, I was ready! I have always wanted to work with events and event planning. It was a great opportunity to see what all is involved in orchestrating an event. The other interns and I worked together as a team to post ads for the shows, artist statements and blogs. There was also waking up at 6am to put up signs and balloons, rain or shine, but it got us moving for the day! The shows gave me a great appreciation for all the hard work everyone puts in for an event to run smoothly and successfully. 

Moving forward, I would like to pursue a career in either events or social media. I would like to further my creativity and I feel that this internship was a great reminder of why I went into marketing. Learning to write press releases and working with the media was an amazing experience, but lets just say it was not my favorite thing! I have the knowledge under my belt now though, if I were ever given the task.

I cannot thank Becki enough for the time she has put into helping me learn more about the industry and how to be a tough individual. She is a strong, independent entrepreneur and I think anyone would be lucky to work with her. She made work fun and rewarding, and she also has the most adorable pets ever that are great office companions! I appreciate everything she has done for me and I will definitely keep in touch.

I will miss everyone, and so will Duke!

Written by Casie Varacelli from Rebecca Adele PR & Events