Are these New York hyped cafes worth your time and money?
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Urban Backyard
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Coffee: 5/10
Aesthetic: 11/10
I really wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt after the first time I went… so I went again; the second time sadly wasn’t any better. It’s hard because the aesthetic is so adorable and on point, I just wish the coffee was actually good. When I went here I genuinely pulled the “take photos, have a couple sips, then throw out the coffee”. Sadly just wasn’t worth my money.
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Maman
Coffee: 8/10
Aesthetic: 10/10
I was worried going here the first time that this wasn’t going to live up to the hype. To my surprise, the coffee was pretty good, especially at their Flatiron location. The have the cutest and most delicious baked goods (even vegan ones too) and it’s a nice treat to go for a latte and a sweet treat for sure. I still dream about my vegan carrot and pumpkin loaf.
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Coffee N’ Clothes
Coffee: 9/10
Aesthetic: 9.5/10
A pretty popular find on instagram with the way you can pick what designer logo to have sprinkled on top of your coffee. I was a bit worried coming here at first, as just because people post about it for its’ looks doesn’t exactly mean quality.
Nonetheless, the barista was very talented and I would totally go back! It was honestly a really good latte. It’s just outside of Soho too so it’s a more convenient location.
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Remi Flower & Coffee
Coffee: 6/10
Aesthetic: 10/10
With Remi, the best way to sum this spot up is it’s a flower shop first and a coffee shop second. Their coffee was okay but in my opinion I felt this place is really only popular because of the instagram aesthetics and stunning flowers. The coffee was good but in a place like NYC you need to be incredible or it just doesn’t cut it for me. Also, it could have been an off day for the barista so I wanted to make sure to mention this place regardless.
I definitely will at one point go back to give it another shot, even if it’s just for the aesthetic. Also something to note is this cafe is out of the way of a lot.
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Felix Roasting Co
Coffee: 7/10
Aesthetic: 8.5/10
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This coffee shop only recently has been hyped on both Instagram & tiktok. Nonetheless, of course I had to try it. Similar to Remi, the barista could have had an off day but the coffee wasn’t anything great. The aesthetic was pretty cute but I am definitely a plants – bright light – kind of person. Probably won’t go back though. There are so many other incredible Soho coffee shops just down the street.
SOHO COFFEE GUIDE COMING SOOOON!
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What do you think of Instagram hyped cafes? Do you find yourself falling into the trap and going to them?
As always, thanks so much for reading. Make sure to follow me over on my…
Check out a typical “day off from work” in my life! I sat down and chatted about Instagram and how I go about doing my own coffee reviews. I also touched on the pressures of working with brands on Instagram.
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Thanks so much for all the support! More coffee guides coming soooooon! Next up is Soho!
I wanted to create a post where I could just lay out any tips I had to organically grow your Instagram account! Here is a post filled with all of my Instagram growth tips and secrets.
Disclaimer: I am in no way an expert, I just have over time realized what things have really helped me expand my reach on Instagram.
If you found this helpful please let me know! I’m sure I have so much more to delve into on this topic.
Before we get into the nitty gritty, let’s lay some ground rules.
My 3 Pillars of Social Media
1.Be open to your followers.
If you feel comfortable with it, try to be more open & honest to your followers. I know I love seeing others open up about their life and daily routines on their stories. It makes me feel like I know them!!!
2. Create content with value.
Try and create content with VALUE! What I mean by this is give your followers a reason to keep coming back. I love giving my coffee brewing tips or like am I here, my suggestions to grow on Instagram.
3.Stop comparing your account to others.
I KNOW it’s much easier said than done; I very much still struggle with it myself. When i get into a mood where I’m down about myself or my content that’s my sign to get off the app – OR just post and then get off!
I also try to turn it around by instead of feeding my energy into the negative thoughts of myself, to instead admire the talent of others.
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Part One – set your content up for success
Be consistent:
I know, I know, I’m sure you’ve heard this many times before but it’s SO vital. The current Instagram algorithm favors content from those that are consistent. Now, whether your version of consistent means posting every day, or every couple days, it’s up to YOU! Don’t burn yourself out over it (I know from experience)!
I usually try and post at least every other day, but if there’s four days that I just don’t have anything I feel like posting or talking about, then simple as that – I won’t post. It’s taken me a while to accept that I’m not a content machine who just can churn out all these photos to post every day – and that’s ok!
Besides posting photos consistently, posting stories is equally – if not MORE important to keep up with (in my opinion).
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Think about it: Instagram shows you the stories and posts of the accounts you interact with most. So if you keep up with posting stories at least a couple times a day, that means that over time you are MORE likely to be recommended to your followers as one of their first stories.
I know for me, a couple months ago when I really started posting more honest & valuable content on my stories my overall engagement REALLY increased.
Especially on days when you don’t post, use all of Instagram stories’ engagement features (polls, reactions, questions, etc). Again, the more people interact with your content the more it will be recommended to them in the future.
Have a hashtag strategy:
I didn’t realize until more recently how important the hashtags I use in each of my posts is. The 30 hashtags you choose can really make or break the amount of people who see it.
Typically, I try to only use hashtags that have under 1 million posts. That way it gives your post a greater chance of being seen. Another tip I’ve seen is to look at the amount of likes & engagement the top posts in a hashtag are getting & compare that to yours. Ultimately, getting one of your posts in the top to a hashtag makes them seen EVEN MORE!
My best tip to choose what hashtags to use is to look to other creators in your niche and play around with the ones they’re using. The easiest way to see how many people are coming across your post in hashtags is to look at the insights. Insights is a feature of Instagram if you switch your account to a creator or business account (super easy to do)!
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Part Two – engage with other content
Treat your followers the way you want to be treated:
I forget exactly where i heard this first, but it really stuck with me. For example, I love when people respond to my stories, reach out to chat or comment really nice things on my posts. Coinciding with that, I try my best to do those same things to the accounts I really love and enjoy.
Once you have that foundation set, move on to this next step, and the step where i see the most IMMEDIATEresults from.
Discover & find new content:
My favorite way to find new content while organically growing my own account is by going through relevant hashtags in my niche & engaging with that content. I usually will spend a decent amount of time per day (maybe 20-30 minutes if I have the time) to go through some hashtags and like/comment on posts I genuinely like.
PRO TIP: don’t do it too fast or Instagram will think you’re a bot and action block you. I know from experience, as back in April I got blocked from doing anything on my account FOR ONE ENTIRE WEEK!
So after every 6 posts or so you engage with, on the 7th post instead of liking it directly from the hashtag feed, go to their profile and like/engage with it there. After, you can go back to that hashtag feed and continue on with your day! This helps to ensure that you aren’t seen as a bot!
To explain this tactic in a bit more detail – As I went into it a bit above, hashtags are the PERFECT way for your content to be seen and also for you to discover new content. I genuinely enjoy seeing what other coffee lovers post (even if I don’t follow them)!
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Some final thoughts:
I just wanted to end this by saying that YES I’m sure these tips can really help most of you – but I do not personally have control over the Instagram algorithm (shocker, I know). Some specific things really depend on your niche, when you post, what exactly you post, etc.
The Instagram algorithm can be different for every one of us. There is no guaranteed formula for success.
At the end of the day, it’s YOUR account. So do what makes you happy. I know social media can be a toxic place so don’t feel pressured to have to do anything.
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If this helped you at all or opened your eyes up to new possibilities please let me know! I’d love your feedback.
Quarantine has positively challenged me to find ways to create content while stuck inside my house. FIRST go here to see the giveaway I’m doing!! I’ve always had a fascination with flat lay photography and the way so many people on my instagram feed were able to style photos to be so stunning and well…
I used to spend so much time scrolling through instagram being like “Wow, I want to do that. I want to be able to piece flat lays together!”. Like many things, it just got to a point where I was like ok now let’s try this out and see how it goes. also, for reference:…
One thing that has stayed a constant in my life the last 59 days of quarantine is how important structure is. Whether it’s just having a small to-do list or actually having blocks of time set aside for tasks. I just find that I feel more validated and put together if I have some sort…
These past couple weeks I’ve been taking the LadyBossBlogger “How to Make Money as an Influencer” course. At first, I was a bit skeptical, as this course comes at a big cost. But quickly I realized how much valuable information was jam-packed into its seven sections!
You can find the first part of my review of this course here, but keep reading to get my final thoughts on it.
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Get The LadyBossBlogger Course For 40% Off
If you’re ready to start a course, I’d love for you to use the code ASHLEIGHFAY to get 40% off your purchase of any course by LadyBossBlogger! There are multiple payment plans available to split the cost up; this promo code works with any of the payment plans as well!
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My final thoughts on the course:
The course contains everything you need to start your blog, market your blog with Pinterest, increase your Instagram engagement and how to professionally do sponsored posts in all forms. I was really impressed with how the course broke it all down for me starting with the very basics.
Heavily research the brands you want to partner with: it’s so important to ensure that a brand or company aligns with your personal brand and core values. Also, the more research you do before contacting them first place, the better you can express why you are perfect to partner with them.
Pinterest really is the perfect marketing tool: Before this course, I had some knowledge on pinterest but nothing near what I know now. If you research keywords and use templates to create stunning photos for your pins, it can really bring traffic to your website! Also, consistency is key!
The legal sides of social media are super important to pay attention to: Previously, I had no clue how important it is to have proper disclaimers, terms & conditions, etc. Even more so, I didn’t even think about having some sort of document to keep track of any earnings for tax purposes. Any sort of self employment is a whole new world for me.
I could list so much more but that would ruin all the fun wouldn’t it?
If you’re ready to start a course, I’d love for you to use the code ASHLEIGHFAY to get 40% off your purchase of any course at LadyBossBlogger!
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Links contain affiliate links. Big thanks again to LadyBossBlogger and Elaine Rau for teaming up with me and sponsoring this post.
I was so excited when Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co reached out to me to try their coffee (ad)! If you’ve been keeping up with me on Instagram, I love to review coffee over there and give my honest feed back. I wasn’t sure what to expect from them, quality wise, but I wanted to…
I’m sorry I’ve been neglecting you! It wasn’t intentional I promise. If you know me, I “love” to keep busy so I’ve been up to a lot. I just got back from a three week vacation in Alaska and those vlogs will all be up soon on my youtube. The first Alaska vlog is actually…
Hello! I’ve been drowning in grad school assignments so I haven’t been posting as often as I would like. I’m hoping to go more in depth with updates in my next post but for now here’s how I like to spend my days off from work and grad school – cafe hopping, what a surprise!…
I used to spend so much time scrolling through instagram being like “Wow, I want to do that. I want to be able to piece flat lays together!”. Like many things, it just got to a point where I was like ok now let’s try this out and see how it goes.
also, for reference:
A flat lay is a picture taken from a birds eye view of a collection of items laid out on a flat surface. Usually there will be one item that is the main focus of the shot, all the other items in the flat lay are there to complement that piece.
thanks google
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I am in no way an expert, in fact, I’m a huge amateur. I guess delving into flat lay photography while being stuck at home has become another creative outlet for me. I go more into how I started getting into photograpy here.
First and foremost, I created a pinterest board containing my current flat lay must-haves! So check that out here. More recently I’ve realized how great of a tool pinterest is to link things in bulk.
I also don’t really use any equipment other than my tripod (which I 10/10 recommend as it comes with the bluetooth remote & also an attachment to use for your Iphone). It’s super easy to use and it was super reasonable.
Although I’m very grateful to be living with my family during quarantine, there isn’t much space in the house to use to take photos… and as cringe as it is to say…. most of the house is too dark and doesn’t match my ideal aesthetic.
To fix that I bit the bullet and purchased a backdrop off etsy. I wasn’t too sure which one to go for but this one had great reviews and honestly it’s such great quality too. I really recommend this brand.
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The main props
Lately I’ve been using a couple main props that my flat lays focus around. As you can guess from my instagram, or from my past posts like Staying Organized in Quarantine, I love using coffee as the star of the show.
These are just some examples of some of my favorite ones to use but head to my pinterest board to get the full list.
Okay, so
These macrame are everything. I always get so many questions about where I got them from and it makes me so happy because this artist is SO talented. I love not only functionally using these coasters at my desk, but also to add texture to my photos.
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Although I’d prefer to have real flowers and plants as props, Target just kills the game with all the fake flowers what can I say. They are super affordable.
The “brand” I guess from Target called Hearth & Hand has been coming out with so many cute basket kind of accessories and this one is my favorite as of now. A great addition to add dimension and texture into photos and also its just super cute.
What’s your opinion on flat lays?
What are your favorite photography props to use?
*disclaimer* some of these links are affiliate links, but not all. Thanks so much if you’ve read this far. I appreciate it so much.
I’m not a photographer, nor do I have fancy equipment; I admire those that have a great eye for it! I occasionally post content I’m proud of over on my instagram.
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Within the last week, I whipped out an old camera of mine. I wanted to see if myself and my instagram followers could even tell the difference between my Iphone camera quality and my camera. Spoiler alert, they could tell.
I also don’t really use any equipment other than my tripod (which I 10/10 recommend as it comes with the bluetooth remote & also an attachment to use for your Iphone).
It’s super easy to use and it was super reasonable. Anyway, other than that I don’t use any equipment as I’m just starting to figure it all out.
Any tips? Lets chat!
Mainly, what prompted this, was wanting to create better quality photos for brands and other products that I love. For example, this post where I talk about my favorites, I hope in the future to provide better quality photos to go along with it. What’s funny is when I first started this blog over two years ago, from the start I chose to use my camera to get better quality photos. For example, this post where I talk about some of my travel packing essentials.
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Anyway, kind of a mini blog post here. Get excited for the better quality content to come.
As always, thanks for reading. I’ve been appreciating all the support so much.
I am no expert but this is my take on how I make my instagram content look pretty.
For reference this is my current feed over on coffeeenut (my coffee blog). I’ve been meaning to put something like this together and there’s more room to do it on here over instagram so lets get into it!
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Photo Editing: I use the free app Adobe Lightroom. I purchased a lightroom preset over a year ago from a friend and have been obsessed with it ever since. But!! If you aren’t looking to spend anything its still a great app to get a consistent feed.
For example, when you upload a photo on the app and go into to editing it click on the three circles on the top right. This menu will pop up. As you can see there is “copy settings” so if you have a photo and you like the way it was edited you can copy all the edits to another photo within the app (or 48443 photos if you really want)! There also is “create preset” which basically means you’re creating your very own filter that you can copy the settings on in the future.
In my case since I purchased an Adobe Lightroom App filter, I would copy my preset’s settings and then go to a new photo and click on “paste settings” and this would then paste that preset onto my photo.
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Normally I would then go and adjust settings (like light, color hue & saturation) to get it the exact way I’m envisioning it. Here is just an example of some settings I mess around with.
The app is free to download and also has their own filters to use.
Okay so you got the photo, whats next?
The Feed: does it match your feed? do the colors go? do you even care if it goes? does it flow? am I overthinking this? probably.
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I’m sure there’s multiple apps to plan your instagram feed but I use Planoly.
It’s also a free app to download (gotta save that hard earned cash!!). The only thing is with this app there is a limit to the posts you can add and it refreshes every month (i think its 30 posts…). But if you’re after planning more you can pay to get some sort of premium membership.
To be honest I’ve never posted directly from the Planoly app, I just like to use it to visualize.
Okay so now it goes with your feed, what’s next?
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The Caption: Again, I’m sure there’s other ways to do this but this is the way I choose to! It took me a while to find a website/app that worked for me to get the clean spacing in my instagram captions. It’s definitely not a necessary thing but especially when I’m doing a lot of ranting I find the post much easier to read.
I use hashtagie. I found this website by googling ways to get the spaces in my captions (gotta love it!!). I’m pretty sure the website has a couple different offerings but I go here. Super straightforward to use and super easy to copy and paste over to the instagram app.
The Extras: A more recent thing I’ve gotten myself into is using extra symbols and cute fonts throughout my captions and stories.
This is another free app but you can purchase more fonts within the app. Once you open it, it’s clear with how to add the fonts to your normal keyboard. Again, not a necessity but a fun little touch!
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Once I go through these steps I would then post, cross my fingers and hope for the best!
Let me know if you’d be interested in a part two or if you have an tips yourself! Also check out my instagram here.
