There are over 1.4 billion people who use Instagram, so grabbing the attention of your fellow IGers can be a bit tricky. I mean you first have to have the right hashtags, impeccable timing, and let’s not forget creating posts that beats that pesky algorithm.
However, GRIN has a little cheat sheet to navigate these obstacles and have your posts as eye-catching as a baby dolphin riding a motorcycle on a rainbow. (No, that isn’t real but it grabbed your attention!)
So, let’s learn how to create posts that give off the same as…well, let’s just get started.
Best practices for IG posts people actually want to see
Consistency is your bestie.
To build a following, you must be consistent with your posting. Thank the social media gods that IG has that fabulous feature where you can schedule reels, posts, and photo carousels ahead of time.
Another tip? Select the optimal posting times to send your content live when your followers are most active. To do this, you’ll have to spend some time doing audience analysis research. (Don’t worry, it’s not as hard as it sounds.
One thing to note: BEWARE OF OVERPOSTING! Just because you have the power to fire off a bunch of posts at whatever time you want, doesn’t mean you should use it.
Need some help scheduling your IG posts? Here ya go.
#whatstrending
Whether it’s the latest hashtag (formerly known as the pound sign) or Beyoncé’s new hit, keeping up with the trends is one of the best practices one can do to create engaging and relevant posts.
Using a trendy song and hashtag in your post, reel, or story can help elevate how people view your content.
BOOST that thing!
Yeah, you saw that right! Boosting a post can immediately get your content in front of a new audience and spread the word about anything new with your company, latest products, or a promotional campaign.
The amount of bread that you can expect to pay depends on the amount of clicks or CPC that your post receives.
Here’s a little help from IG itself when you’re ready to start boosting.
7 Instagram content ideas for beginners
1. Hold contests and giveaways.
We all love a friendly competition or free stuff. Many brands, businesses, and influencers host contests or giveaways to promote themselves and gain followers. For example, the gourmet cookie business Crumbl holds giveaways on their Instagram.
The rules state that individuals must be following Crumbl, like the post, and tag friends. Sometimes there’s also a prompt that participants must answer. This is a great example of how to attract attention to your posts, engage with your followers, and potentially gain new ones.
2. Ask the audience.
Want direct feedback about your content? It’s as simple as creating a poll on The Gram to engage with your audience and see what they want more of and which posts are falling short.
Polls can be a useful tool because you can collect real-time data. If that pun you thought would be a hit on social media flops, you can quickly move on to creating content that your followers actually want to see.
Cheer up, I still think puns are cool!
Check this out if you’re not quite sure how to make an IG poll.
3. Ask those questions.
Channel your inner little mermaid and ask those questions to get those answers. Just like polls, ask a question on your IG stories and then share the answers on your story to boost engagement. You can do that by going to your stories, clicking on the Question sticker, and creating waves of fun with your followers. (See what I did there??)
4. Keep up with the latest trends.
Who hasn’t scrolled through their reels to see a different influencer doing the same trendy challenge or dance? I mean, I know millennials remember the mannequin challenge or, dare I say, the Harlem Shake! Okay, let’s not bring those back, but it doesn’t hurt to attempt the latest social media trend, put your spin on it, and post it.
5. Don’t be such a tease. Wait… actually do!
Pique your audience’s interest by making a post about your product, whether you are introducing a new line or bringing back an old fave.
You can do this by using a countdown sticker or creating a close-up photo and have your audience guess what’s the tea?
6. Get that BTS footage.
No, not the boy band—”behind the scenes!” In this digital age, we don’t always know what is real and what isn’t. So, giving your followers a peek behind the curtain of how the sauce is made shows authenticity and that your brand has nothing to hide.
Plus, it’s just interesting. Create a series of clips showing how your product is made or someone working on the latest item that will be launched.
7. Lights, iPhone, Action!
With Instagram Live, anyone can be a movie star or product a brand. You can interact with your audience in real-time and even attract more followers.
Be sure to use IG stories to hype up your live stream.
Key takeaway: Creative Instagram post ideas keep your audience engaged and coming back for more.
Us social media addicts love to be amused. “Are you not entertained!?” Sorry, I had to use that Warriors reference. In all seriousness, individuals crave authentic, creative social media posts that aren’t the same content they scroll through over and over again.
They yearn for engagement, for their thoughts and feelings to be heard, even if it’s about whether pineapple belongs on pizza (which it doesn’t).
Anyways, we hope this blog helps awaken that social media Picasso in you and create fun, engaging posts.
What are you still doing here? Go make some creative content, already!
