Yes, I did it. I made one of those Instagram e-courses.I know everybody is talking about the VERO app and yes I signed up to – you can follow me at Lea H, but I am not ready to dismiss Instagram yet. So in this post we gonna focus on that right?!? Well, a few month back I took part in one of those Instagram e-courses and I am gonna lay it all out for you: How I found it, did it help and if I learned anything new.
It is a lot of money, £ 90 to be precise and I did a lot of thinking but I had some money set aside. And just so you don’t have to go into the unknown, I am gonna help you decide if you should take the risk or not. So let’s get right into it.
Gloom & Glow
If I was gonna invest in an e-course than it was gonna be in one from Sara Tasker (meandorla.co.uk). I only heard good things and as she is the queen of Insta – it was just a no-brainer. She has a few Instagram e-courses and I went with Gloom & Glow as it was a new launch at the beginning of the winter season. You can read everything about the course here.
I loved how it all sounded and I was genuinely looking forward to getting all into it. The set up of the course was really easy to get around and I loved how you could tick off each challenge and chapter.
Instagram e-courses: the good and the bad
I can only talk about my experience with the particular e-course I took. But I like to think that some things might be similar to others. So let’s start with the good things.
- exploring new grounds: this online course took me out my comfort zone. I was stuck in a rut with my Instagram and with having to take challenges where you had to capture certain moods or themes, I started posting different pictures to my feed and it felt quite nice. And with that, I also started playing around again with more of my camera settings etc. Sara also had some great tips for capturing difficult “subjects” such as snow, candlelight or else.
- You get free access to the course information for a year. So you can actually do the whole course at your pace. Or whenever you wanna re-read something you can just log in to your account.
- You actually learn something: I learned a few new things photography wise. Things I wouldn’t have thought of and some things regarding Instagram engagement. Little things which help me connect with my audience a little bit better. But mostly how to be able to capture a mood in pictures.
click here to follow me on my Insta
- feeling left-out: with the course we had a chat group on Slack, where you post your progress, questions, interact/ chat with other etc. But I hardly used it. I thought it would be quite nice to get to know people but hardly anyone responded to my comments and I felt like the persons that already knew each other from a previous course or from Insta didn’t care too much to chat to others. (Don’t know if I was the only one who felt this way but I thought it was worth mentioning). I did make one or two great connections – not that no-one chatted to me but from the majority, there was no response.
- lacking support: one thing I loved doing was going through the hashtag we all posted our pictures under #gloomandglow and leaving a like. Sara suggested to do this and I loved the way she wanted to get the community together and show each other some support. Just like with the chat group I hardly got anything back.
Will I do another Instagram e-course?
Well that’s the burning question, isn’t it? Now I liked how I discovered some new ways of taking pictures and capturing a moment. However, I found out that it isn’t for me. Just like what I got out of the money I invested in – I think it wasn’t quite that worth it. I mean the course itself is brilliant but with how I felt within the whole group etc. it has just a bitter aftertaste. Up until then I always found the blogging community was such a supportive bunch (it still is!) but for me, the Instagram community wasn’t.
So should you take one of those Instagram e-courses? I couldn’t tell you. Each has to decide for themselves. You have now read how the whole online course worked for me and I know I won’t take one again, well an Instagram e-course anyways. It does have it good and bads and it may as well work for others but not for me. And just so you know, I didn’t gain a lot of followers on Insta due to this course. I never went in it to gain tonnes of followers but I hoped it would help my Insta.
Let me know in the comments down below if you ever have done an Instagram e-course or if you wanna do one. Maybe you were on the same course as I?
Until next time,
Good review! Not bad for free! It’s a shame it lacks support though. I’ve never done one – I don’t think I will!
http://www.diaryofaspanglishgirl.com
Well, it wasn’t for free (it was £ 90 ) but glad you liked the review. xx
i had never heard of such a thing as an instagram course. So interesting and intriguing. However, instagram is such a special platform that I don’t think one method applies to all so i really don’t know if i’d invest! xx corinne
And there I was thinking everybody already knew about them. Yes, I was just curious but turns out my gut feeling was right and there isn’t that miracle “way” for Insta. xx
Oh this is really interesting, I didn’t know you could do courses for Instagram. thanks for this!
You’re welcome. Hope this has helped in any way. xx
I’ve never actually done an Instagram e course before, I didn’t even know they existed! I definitely like the sound of the things you said you learnt while taking part in the course, so this is definitely something I would like to try! Lovely photos! 🙂
Heather Xx
100waysto30.co.uk
I hope it works for you. Glad I could be of some help with my post. xx
Hmm this is really interesting! I’d never thought of doing one of these but it’s really got me thinking! It’s a shame everyone didn’t interact with you and your content, that definitely would have made me feel disheartened! Your photos are gorgeous! I don’t think I’d be willing to fork out £90 for that to be honest! Thankyoufor being honest!
PaleGirlRambling xo
http://palegirlrambling.co.uk
Thank you so much Rachael. Oh yes, it was quite a bit of money so I needed to get my review out there for anyone who is seriously considering taking part as I haven’t seen one “bad” review. xx
This was so interesting. I honestly didn’t even know these courses existed (oops). I can totally see why people would want to do them and it sounds quite good. I’m really glad you said you actually felt like you’d learnt something. That’s a lot of money for instagram though… I can see why it wasn’t quite worth it x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
And I didn’t know that a lot of you didn’t know about them. Yes, at least I learned something for that kind of money. xx
I’m part of a Facebook blogging group, where the majority of bloggers are american, and it seems like they are addicted to courses! I don’t think I would ever take a “blogging” or “instagram” course, because I don’t think there is a special recipe to become an instagram or blogging queen. I would consider taking a photography, writing or SEO course, as I feel it would be best for me…
Perrine
There’s for sure not one way to get that Instagram or blog flowing. Now I know what I have been teaching myself does actually work great or even better than what I was taught… and I didn’t know it was so popular overseas. xx
Oh wow! At least you’re honest with it. I can tell. I’ve also tried an e-course on blogging 101 but like you it was okay but I feel like I’m better at figuring it out through trial and error !
I totally agree. In hindsight, I am better off with what I taught myself but we all gotta learn the hard way sometimes. Glad you liked my honesty. xx
Such an informative post! I didn’t know there were such things as Instagram e-courses. I think the concept is great, it’s just a shame that support and interaction was lacking. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
You’re welcome. I hope my post was somewhat of help to you xx
I have heard of some online courses before but I don’t think I’ve really heard of any for Instagram. It’s great you took that plunge and wanted to invest in something that could potentially really help you. It’s fab you learned some things from the course but not so great that the community wasn’t being active with you, I think I’d feel very excluded too. I personally wouldn’t do one of these courses, as they are very expensive and I’d be afraid I wouldn’t learn anything valuable or I wouldn’t find it beneficial. For now I’m happy taking things at my own pace, uploading things that make me happy, I don’t stick to a theme I find that too difficult I post sporadically and spontaneously!
Becky Shannon xx – Life-by-Becky
You’re just like me. I post on Insta when I want and what I want. Well, I thought at least I should write about my experience even though it wasn’t that great. This way it can help you and others too. xx
I often see e-courses flashing by on different blogs, but I’ve always been a bit hesitant towards them as I wonder whether you actually learn something new (and not just get repeated information you can find on almost everyone’s blog who has an insta). I’m not expecting them to be mindblowing, but this doesn’t really sound like they offer you something absolutely new or different than others do. However I like the idea of learning how Insta and photography works. It’s such a shame you didn’t get any support from the other cursists… Oh well, better stick with us bloggers! 😉
Love,
Dominique
http://www.fashionedbypluche.blogspot.com
Oh yes, bloggers are so much more supportive. I wanted to see for myself what the fuss all was about and I thought at least I could let my fellow bloggers know so they don’t have to invest that kind of money unless they really think it’s for them. xx
Thanks for sharing your honest review! Haven’t heard of that course specifically but over heard of others and always wondered if they were worth it.
You’re welcome. Now you know how one could potentially be. I thought if at least one person can benefit from my review than I am glad I wrote my “failure” down. xx
This is really interesting. I have never even thought of doing an Insta course, though god knows I could do with one! Great to read your thoughts on it. For £90 I would want to get quite a lot out of it so don’t think I’ll be signing up for one just yet!
Well, I was expecting a little bit more too. But now I know and you lot know too. At least with me trying it out. I might just have saved someone some money – how positive is that. xx
I plan on signing up to a general blogging course that will incorporate social media but I don’t plan on having a set curated feed. Maybe I lack finesse but my life isn’t curated, I’m not a put-together person, and the theme of my blog is honesty, so it wouldn’t suit me to be more finessed!
Oh, I wasn’t looking for a curated feed. I still am posting when and what I want. But I was just looking for something with giving me a change on my Instagram to up my engagement. I hope your course goes well. xx
This sounds really interesting, and I’m glad you were so honest about it. It sounds like you learnt some great techniques (and I’m now off to follow you on Instagram!) But quite a lot of money. It’s a shame that people weren’t particularly forthcoming when chatting about it. Your photos are beautiful!
Hels xx
http://www.thehelsproject.com
Honesty is key. At least some good things came out of the e-course, like letting you lot know how it really was as I haven’t seen any negative review floating around. I just felt like I had to tell you how it was for me. xx
I really didn’t know that an e-course existed, and to be honest I don’t think it would be something I would invest in, but I’m glad you gave it a go, there’s only one way to find out if it’s for you or not. So, I loved this post! On the other hand, I completely agree with you about the Instagram community, I do find some individuals want all the likes but never return or give any out. I think Instagram is a popularity contest and it can become quite vicious. It wont stop me using the app, but it’s a shame really.
Carly xx
http://www.prettystyleofliving.wordpress.com
You speak my mind. It is quite vicious and I just try and keep with my blogging gals also on the gram. It makes it so much more enjoyable. xx
I don’t think I’d ever invest in an Instagram e-course, I’ve thought about trying blogging ones though, they’re just such a lot of money to risk wasting!- x
Oh yes, it took me quite a while until I went for it. xx