How to Look Cool Online: The Official Rules of the Instagram It-Girl Game

When we scroll through our various social media feeds, it's glaringly obvious that some users are a cut above the rest—their own brand of Cool Girl, if you will.

Whether it's a picture-perfect Instagram or a fun, yet compelling Twitter page, they cultivate an online presence that's both chic and approachable. Two ladies who pretty much embody this are Katherine Power and Hillary Kerr, the founders behind the beloved fashion site, WhoWhatWear.com (opens in new tab).

As a social media refresher, we asked the to digital mavens to help us breakdown the ways to make sure your social feeds are smart, clever, easy on the eyes, and free of social media faux pas. (Ahem, selfies.)

1. Take photos that are beautiful and interesting.

"Our Instagrams have gotten better over the years just by playing with different apps. Also, we think it's a great idea to look at some of your favorite photos on Instagram and try to create your own iteration of them."

2. Be curious, and set yourself apart.

"Skills (as in: being able to compose a beautiful/interesting photo) + curiosity (as in: being more interested in the external world than selfies) + personality (as in: a caption that reveals a little something about you) = cool Instagrams."

3. Inject personality into everything you do.

"We love anything that gives you a hint of what's going on behind the scenes, something that references a movie or TV show or great quote or song lyric, or something really deadpan and dry and observational—which is always funny."

4. Be smart about how you incorporate your career.

"We think it 100% depends on the individual. Our work and personal lives tend to blend a bit, so we tend to include both parts, but that's just us!"

5. Look to different apps to document different things.

"We love Snapchat for behind-the-scenes snaps and when we're at concerts and Twitter for sharing absurdities and articles, which is kind of a form of self-expression, no? "

6. Keep #selfies to a minimum.

"We try to keep our selfie count down to a minimum and we're just not wildly comfortable with them, personally."

7. Stay positive! Don't go on rants.

"Rants—even about airlines, for the most part—aren't really our thing either."

8. Put your phone down after you've had one too many.

"We've adapted Lorne Michaels' policy on social media for our own purposes, meaning: we try to avoid it if our night involves cocktails."

Lorne Michaels: "I don't tweet for a very simple reason, which is that I drink." http://t.co/l7zn9vIqmZ (opens in new tab)

— New York Magazine (@NYMag) February 8, 2014 (opens in new tab)

9. Vet what you're sharing with the world.

"Our rule of thumb is that you shouldn't put anything on social media that you wouldn't want your boss or your mother to read, just as a general guideline."

10. Practice everything in moderation.

"Moderation in everything, including moderation. We understand that selfies are a branding exercise or necessary content for some people, but personally we think less is more."

You should also check out:

27 Social Media Regrets You've Definitely Had (opens in new tab)

How to Use Social Media to Redefine Beauty (opens in new tab)

Facebook is Ruining Your Relationship (In Real Time) (opens in new tab)