27 Feb 2018
Food is no longer a way to feed yourself, it has become a lifestyle. Many millennials call themselves “foodies”. They’ll stand in line for the perfect pastry, coffee or sandwich. And with hashtags like #food and #forkyeah they share it with the world on Instagram. Instagrammable food is a huge trend. Learn more about the trend and how to benefit from it.
The trend: Instagrammable food
- Every year, millions of food pictures are posted on social media. Instagram is the most popular medium for all those picture-perfect dishes, snacks and drinks. It’s a consequence of the fact that food has become a lifestyle, especially for millennials – the generation between roughly 18 and 36 years old. They are always in search of the perfect photograph, with perfectly composed food on a perfect plate in a perfect setting. They don’t mind standing on chairs or tables to get the best angle. Some will even let their dishes or drinks get cold during this process. It’s all about the perfect picture that they can then post on Instagram, accompanied by hashtags like #food, #instafood or #forkyeah.
What are the consequences of the Instagrammable food trend?
- This trend has completely exploded in recent years. It has resulted in restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries and all sorts of food outlets thinking differently about presentation, not only about the presentation of their dishes and products, but also about the presentation of their interior, their menus and even their toilets. That might sound quite radical, but it’s worth the effort, because all those people photographing your shop or restaurant provide a lot of free publicity!
Another consequence is that it gets easier to spot trends in an early stage. Instagram creates its own food trending topics, like galaxy doughnuts and mermaid toast.
5x advice on how to benefit from the trend
Are you interested in getting free publicity on the Instagrammable food wave? Here are some tips and tricks on how to benefit from this trend.
1. Try to create a picture-perfect setting in your bakery, restaurant or shop
There’s no need to re-decorate your interior, but think carefully about furniture, tableware, tablecloths, napkins and glassware. Also give a thought to lighting: pictures look best when there’s natural light available.
2. Make sure your products look attractive
In 2015, an American chain of grillrooms invested 750,000 dollars to make their hamburger buns more Instagram-friendly. They did that by adding a special glazing on the buns to make them shinier and therefore more attractive. Now that’s an expensive glazing! If you also want to make your products shinier, try Puratos’ Sunset Glaze. It’s safer and more hygienic than egg yolk and it’s suitable for all kinds of applications.
3. Join Instagram yourself
When you have an Instagram account, foodies can tag you when they upload a picture of your product. That will give you extra publicity. Not familiar with Instagram? Make sure you:
- • Create a recognisable, easy to remember user name
- • Keep your messages short
- • Get followers by using popular hashtags like #chocolate, #bread or #pastry
- • Try to start a conversation with your followers
- • Ask for their opinion on a new product
- • Set up a photo contest or ask for new product ideas
4. Fill Instagram with your own picture-perfect #instafood
- • Do you make gorgeous looking chocolate bars? Donuts with the loveliest toppings? Breads with the crispiest crusts? Then the next challenge is to take the perfect picture of them. Some tips to create the perfect shot:
- • Compose your pictures carefully. They don’t have to be fancy, a chocolate bar with a bite taken out of it can look very enticing. Think of using a couple of napkins to add texture and depth to your image. Don’t overly style though, it’s better that your picture looks natural.
- • Try to use natural light. Indoor lights make your pictures look flat. If you don’t have enough light, try not to use your own flash as it will bleach your picture and make it look cold. It’s better to use a torch or another phone’s flash.
- • Choose the right position. Crouch, stand on a chair or lay on your stomach if you need to.
- • Be judicious with using photo apps and filters to make your pictures more attractive. Make sure your picture stays natural. It’s often better to adjust the colour levels and contrast manually.
- • If you are dead keen to use filters, try to use the same filter for all your pictures. It will keep your Instagram profile placid and will make your pictures more recognisable.
- • Create depth in your picture. One way to do that is to blur the background. Your creation will remain sharp by contrast and get all the attention.
- • Take into account that your picture will be square-cropped by Instagram.
5. Follow other bakers, patissiers or chocolatiers for inspiration
As instagrammable dishes have been trendy for some years now, there’s a lot of inspiration to be found online. Just use the search function to get your inspiration using hashtags. Or follow one of the following enchanting accounts:
- Inspiration for chocolatiers:
@monde_du_chocolat
@Chocolatmoderne
@richiepratadaja
- Inspiration for pastry chefs:
@cedricgrolet
@alacroixpatissier
@tattooedbakers
- Inspiration for bakers:
@breadbakersguild
@sourdoughmania
@mydailysourdoughbread
