Hi friend!

Today I'm so excited to tell you all about the latest CGScreative Photo Challenge that is happening over on Instagram for the month of June. You may remember the first photo challenge I did in April this year (which was a huge success with over 1200 submissions from people all over the world!). I received so many emails from the CGScreative community asking me if there would be another one, and so I am delighted to give a big resounding YES to that question! 

First, a little bit more on the purpose of this challenge: 

Instagram is all about ENGAGEMENT, it always has been and always will be. A lot of people have gotten rather upset about the algorithm changes that have been slowly rolling out since April, but I want to tell you it's not all bad news! 

Instagram now aims to show us the content it thinks we like, based on our previous actions (ie. our likes and comments). This means that it is now more important than ever to be liking and commenting on those accounts that you really love and want to follow, rather than engaging with accounts that you hope will follow you if you spam their feed enough

With the above in mind, I started the CGScreative Photo Challenge in April, and have brought it back again for June. The challenge is a fun way for us all to engage with one another in a genuine way, while helping each other get seen by more people. Doing this grows your own audience and following as well as everyone else's...it's basically a win-win situation!

What do you think?

Are you keen to get involved in this challenge, meet some awesome people and grow your IG following?

Drop me a comment below (or click here to send a ready made tweet with your followers and get more people to join the party) if you're looking forward to this photo challenge for the new month ahead, and if you're ready to grow your Instagram account with me! 

Above is a summary of the prompts for each day

If you've never participated in a photo-challenge like this before don't worry, it's really simple.

All you have to do is follow the prompts for each day. So for the first day, you'll think about the theme (Me) and then go and take/create an image that sums up the word 'Me'...what does this mean to you? This could be a silly selfie or a pair of glittery earrings if you are all about glitz and glam, or it could even be a photo of your your pet/family/the things that represent who you are. The prompts are open to any and all interpretation and are designed to get your creative juices flowing.

Share the graphic above on Instagram (and any of your other social media platforms) so we can get as many people joining in as possible. The more people who join, the more engagement each of us will get. You can interpret each prompt in any way you'd like. It’s all about being creative and having fun. Also, please don’t feel 'pressured' to post. This challenge is supposed to be a fun way of engaging with each other, and if you happen to miss a few days it doesn’t mean you're a failure. It means you’re human and have a busy life.

So grab your phones and join me for the #CGScreative June Photo Challenge. I hereby commit to snap a photo every day, and I made all the prompts easy, fun & totally doable so you can do the same. You can find me over on Instagram as @roxyhutton.

Don’t forget to add the hashtag #CGScreative & #CGSphotochallenge so we’ll all know you’re joining us!

And, here’s a screensaver for your phone if you need a reminder, (you can grab it below). I will be using the image below as the lock screen on my phone to help me remember at a glance what the prompt is for the day: 

Some Instagram Tips to help you get the most out of this challenge:

• Take a few moments to like and comment on some of the other photos. Leave genuine & meaningful comments, so as not to appear spammy.

•  Write down how many followers you have (or take a screen shot of your Profile) before the start of the challenge and then at the end of the challenge. It's a great way to gauge your progress!

•  Use hashtags that fit the brand/style of your Instagram account. Save these hashtags in your phone (I use the 'Notes' app on my phone) and then it's as simple as copy & paste and I never have to remember all of them! Try to use hashtags that have under 200 000 posts in them. The fewer posts there are under those hashtags, the more likely you are to have your photo featured & seen by more people. If the hashtag you are using has 1 million posts, your photo is going to disappear in a matter of seconds. Spend a few moments looking for hashtags that fit you & your account.

These are some of my favourite hashtags:

#myunicornlife #thehappynow #pursuepretty #livecolorfully #womeninbiz #savvybusinessowner #calledtobecreative #creativityfound #solopreneur #bloggerlife #createbeautifulmemories #risingtidesociety #beingboss #petitejoys #howyouglow #colorventures #abmlifeissweet #lifestyleblogger #creativelifehappylife #creativityfound #makersgonnamake #calledtobecreative #mycreativebiz #CGScreative

• To get more likes & comments on your photos, pay careful attention to the quality of your photos (this means the lighting, the composition, and the angles). Have a look at the top posts in your favourite hashtags and spend time looking at the quality of their photos. Most of the best photos on IG have been taken with a cellphone!

Are you up to the challenge?

I'd love to hear that you're joining us! Click here to send a ready made tweet and let's get as many people joining the party as we can!

 I'm so excited to see you over on Instagram and support you in this fun photo adventure.

Here's to creating beautiful things together!

x