Ello is a great place for photography. Let me tell you why.
What is Ello & why it’s interesting for you as a photographer
Ello, the misunderstood social networked that came out in 2014 and was immediately labeled “The new Facebook”.
The social media platform made headlines promising to be an ad-free social network who wouldn’t sell your data to advertisers and still keeps that promise today.
A “like” on Ello gives you more exposure, than a like on Instagram
Let me give you an example:
On Instagram, I have around 14.000 followers and each photo I post reach about 5000 people. That’s 35% of my followers who actually see my photos. And I’m using Instagram hashtags effectively and all that. I even wrote a thorough guide to use Instagram as a photographer.
On Ello however, I have about 400 followers. And I normally get around 1000 views per photo. That’s 250% more than the people who follow me. You can see my Ello profile here.
Does that mean I prefer Ello to Instagram?
No. I don’t.
Instagram is my primary social sharing site. Flickr is my second favorite and Tumblr, 500px and Ello are on a shared 4th.
But I do think all websites I just mentioned can do something for photographers. They appeal to different audiences and photographers – but I think all of them are worth testing.
Ello’s Photography category
Ello isn’t just a place for photographers. It’s a social network for ‘artists’.
Curated categories and communities.
Getting followers on Ello
Like any other photo sharing site, you need great content. Especially if you do photography since it’s one of the most competitive genres on Ello.
When your content is top-notch, and you post consistently you should start to think about marketing and getting followers.
Using Hashtags & Tagging on Ello
Like Instagram, Ello gives you the possibility to add a caption and hashtags to your photos.
Hashtags: When I post my street photography on Ello, I usually use hashtags like:
#mexicocity #mexico #public #street #streetphotography#storyoflife #everydaylife #lifeonthestreets #lightandshade #photographer#reallife #documentaryphotography #bnw #architecture #photography#blackandwhitephotography #urban #cityscapes #b&w #texture #shadows #fuji #fujifilm
Ello Artist Invites
Ello has been really good at inviting brands to host contests for their creators.
They have monthly photography contests, where a brand picks a topic, and you can submit your photographs to participate.
Become a featured photographer on Ello
When you believe you have a great portfolio on Ello, you can write them on hello@ello.co and pitch your profile. Maybe it will be featured. If you want to learn more about how to pitch your photography, read this guide.
