Having your images shared by hubs on Instagram can be a great way of reaching a wider audience and gaining more followers. In fact, it’s one of the true old-school ways of building an audience.

A lot has changed since the early days of Instagram. Wind the clock back to 2014 and there weren’t nearly as many hubs as there is today. Back then, the people behind the hub took great pride in finding and promoting the best work out there.

While this is still true for many, there’s no secret that there’s a lot of bad actors that take advantage of artists.

Finding the serious pages can be hard. Especially if you’re just starting to explore the field. To make it a little easier for you, I’ve put together a list of some of the well-trusted and well-liked hubs on Instagram that you want to share your work with.

What are Hubs on Instagram?

Now, I know that some of you might be wondering what on earth an Instagram Hub is.

Hubs are accounts on Instagram that share others’ content. Their main objective is to help promote photographers and content creators to inspire those who enjoy beautiful imagery. These hubs often consist of a small group of people who take time out of their day to find content to share.

Being featured on one of these pages can play a big role in building your onliine precense. Some are bigger than others but what they all have in common, is an audience that love the type of art that’s being shared.

How to be Featured by Hubs on Instagram?

Being featured on a hub can result in more followers and engagement on your account but it’s not easy to be noticed by them. Especially by the bigger ones.

Normally you need to use the hubs hashtag (#hubname/hubtag) for a chance to be promoted but we’re also seeing a lot more hubs sharing which aren’t taken from the hashtags.

Here are a few steps you can try to be noticed and featured by Instagram hubs:

  1. Use the hubs’ hashtag when posting a photo
  2. Tag the hub in the text and on the photo
  3. Share your post in a DM to the hub (write some information about it to make it more personal and to stand out)
  4. Be active by commenting on their posts and congratulating the photographers they feature
  5. Make sure that the content shared by the hub is similar to what you create
  6. Be consistent!

Step 6 is particularly important to remember. It doesn’t help to do these things just once. You need to be consistent over time. It can take weeks, or months until you get noticed.

How to Identify Bad Actors and Fake Hubs

Unfortunately, there are more and more hubs showing up that have what I consider bad intentions or unethical approaches. Some of these are even considered popular ones.

Here are some warning signs to be aware of:

  1. The hub asks you for a payment in order to be promoted. Stay away!
  2. Artists aren’t tagged when their images are shared
  3. Image descriptions mention the hub and moderator’s names multiple times before the artist (this shows what their true intentions are)
  4. The content and descriptions appear spammy (you don’t want to be associated with this)

Hubs that fall into the categories above aren’t necessarily malicious (though some might try to take your money) but their purpose isn’t to help promote artists and inspire the viewers. The true motivations can vary but often it includes building an audience on others’ content to sell the account, promoting their own products, or tricking artists into paying for promotions.

Don’t let that scare you away, though. There are plenty of good actors and it’s those that you’ll find below.

5 Hubs on Instagram for Photographers to Follow

Here’s a list of 5 hubs that deserve some recognition for their continued hard work to promote and inspire. If you’re not already following them I strongly recommend you do!

All the accounts that were mentioned in the first edition of this post back in 2014 aren’t around anymore. Some of them had promoted photographers since 2012 and have in many ways shaped the way for newer hubs.

Luckily for us, there are still many good ones out there that are still actively promoting photographers:  

World Travelscapes (@worldtravelscapes)

This is my go-to hub for finding landscape photography inspiration. It’s a hub that has been around for a long time and is run by @magichourtravelscapes. I take my hat off to Kah Kit for consistently promoting incredible photography for years. This is the definition of a good Instagram hub.

Jaw Dropping Shots (@jaw_dropping_shots)

Known as JDS, Jaw Dropping Shots is one of the oldest hubs on Instagram. While it doesn’t appear to be quite as active as it once was, there’s no lack of inspiration to find scrolling through their feed. As its name indicates it features jaw-dropping images regardless of its theme.

B&W Minimalism Magazine (@bnw.minimalism)

If you like Black and White and minimalism photography, this is the account to follow. This is an extremely well-curated page that only features the best of the best.

Sunset Vision (@sunset_vision)

This is another hub that’s been around for what seems like an eternity but still shares new work on a daily basis. Sunset Vision is your go-to account for anything golden hour related.

National Geographic Your Shot (@natgeoyourshot)

National Geographic can hardly be considered an Instagram Hub but their Your Shot account is exactly that: an account that promotes beautiful photography. This page features everything from landscapes to travel, wildlife and culture. It’s the perfect combination for those who just want to enjoy some good art.

Bonus: Capturelandscapes (@capturelandscapes)

I have to mention the CaptureLandscapes Instagram account too. Here I aim to share beautiful images on a daily basis (often by our readers!) and photography tips you’ll find on the website.

Conclusion

Being featured by hubs on Instagram is a good way of building your online following. It puts your photography in front of thousands, or tens of thousands, of people looking to be inspired.

During the past years, there’s become an abundance of hubs, and separating the serious from the fake can be quite difficult. By following the steps shared in this post, you can take one step towards avoiding spending energy on the wrong ones.

And, most importantly, don’t forget to follow the 5 hubs shared above!

I am always looking for new inspiration on Instagram, which Hubs (or users) do you recommend following? Let us know in the comments.