How to make instagram content
How to Create Quality Instagram Content to Engage Followers
When using Instagram to grow your business, it’s essential to build up an audience that is engaged and loyal to your brand. But how can you ensure these followers engage with your posts and, in turn, help you to grow as a business on Instagram? Three words: quality Instagram content.
If you don’t have the time or the resources to take your own photos for Instagram, don’t fret! There are plenty of ways to create an engaging feed with a cool aesthetic– even if you’re selling something as unglamorous as, say, tupperware, or promoting an entirely digital product that seems impossible to visualize.
This article will cover exactly how to research images for your Instagram account, where you can find them, and what you need to consider when using them to promote your brand. You’ll also find some helpful design tips to make sure all the images in your feed are on point so you can wow your community and make it near impossible for them to stop scrolling.
Want to know what those tips are? Well then, keep scrolling 😉
Research ready-to-use templatesThere are also plenty of tools out there to help you create great Instagram posts without being a savvy Photoshop user. Online design tools such as Spark Post from Adobe, Canva and Venngage are incredibly useful when it comes to crafting attractive visuals for social media.
Maybe you want to create a post to promote a special offer? Perhaps you need a template to announce new opening times for your business? Or maybe you want to push a recipe you’ve shared on your blog?
Whatever message you want to send, you can do it with a template! Take a look at this example from Venngage–a great template for food bloggers or restaurants:
You can go for a plain or patterned background for a simplified look or even use a product image if you’re boosting for sales. Having a bank of high-resolution photographs of your products could really help get you out of a sticky situation if you ever find yourself low on content for Instagram.
A simple, slick product photo can work wonders for your engagement if you have a strong community of fans.
Stock images have got a bit of a bad rep in recent times, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t be using them!
On the contrary, they can help you create a varied feed when used with a mixture of other images, such as templates. That said, not all stock images have got what it takes to be given a prime spot in your feed–some can be pretty terrible!
To find high-quality photos that don’t actually look “stocky”, head to Unsplash or Stocksnap.io. They offer a range of images for free, and you’re bound to find something suitable whatever your niche.
If you have a bit of budget to spend, try Stocksy. As you would expect for a paid service, the quality of the images is higher, and the variety is wider.
Just make sure to purchase the correct image size (there are a few available at different prices), bearing in mind the recommended dimensions of an Instagram post are 1080p x 1080p.
It’s important not to neglect the variety of content formats available to you as an Instagram user. Try out the carousel post to share up to ten images in one go, creating a photo-album feel. A 60 second video can also be a great way of showing your products in use for example, or simply a short tutorial or demonstration. Be careful not to come over too pushy with your product posts, though. You’ll want to vary your content themes to keep things balanced and encourage engagement from your followers!
Finally, you can make a step forward and go on creating GIFs.
Here’s an example from @stylelobster:
Or H&M:
GIFs (which Instagram recognizes as videos) are simple to do and are an easy way to stand out from the crowd. GIFs are interactive. People like that.
If you’re into your videos, why not set up your own home studio for professional-looking video creation?
Repost Instagram content from brands within your nicheDon’t have time to create your own Instagram content? Well, the good news is, you don’t need to!
It might be the case that other Instagram accounts are already doing a great job of producing content that your audience is interested in.
There’s nothing wrong with reposting Instagram content from brands similar to yours, or from any account that is relevant to your audience and your Instagram strategy, as long as you ask permission and give proper credit.
To repost Instagram content, and do it “legally”, here’s what you need to do:
1. Follow hashtags and accounts to discover quality content
To source content to repost, brainstorm some brands that have inspiring Instagram accounts, a similar audience to yours, and who aren’t direct competitors.
Check out their Instagram accounts and then make a list of those that produce the best content for you to share.
Start following them so you stay up to date with their recent posts, and save any specific posts you think are share-worthy by tapping the bookmark icon below any Instagram post or video.
You can even create a separate Collection, where you can save the posts you want to re-post to your own account in the future.
You can also create a list of all the main hashtags relevant to your account and search these hashtags to find associated content from other users.
If you want to know more about how to do this, check out this post on how to find the hashtags that will bring you the most visibility and engagement.
As of December 2017, you can follow hashtags so that popular associated posts appear in your feed, making it easier to discover great content to repost! Just search the hashtag on Instagram and click the follow button–it couldn’t be easier!
2. Reach out to the user for permission to repost
When you find a post you want to share with your followers, simply send a DM to the user or comment on the photo to let them know you a) love their Instagram content and that you think your users will enjoy it too, and b) to ask for permission to share it to your feed.
Let them know you’ll give them proper credit, and most of the time they’ll be happy to get more exposure and to know you think they’re doing a great job. 👍
To show the user exactly which post you want to share, rather than sending a general DM, select the arrow symbol beneath the post and send it to the user.
You’ll be able to add your message the photo and the message will go directly to their DMs.
3. Share the photo or video to your feed
Once you’ve got the go-ahead to share the content, you have two options:
4. Save the photo from Instagram Desktop
Option 1: Find the photo you want to repost → Click on it → Double click on it again → Go to “View Page Source” → A new tab will open → Click “Command+F” and type in “jpg” → the first JPG file you find in the source page is the URL source of the post you need → Copy and paste the URL → Type it in a new tab in the browser → Right click → “Save image as” → Et voila!
Once you have the image, upload it to your feed, creating a new caption that refers to the account and tags them in both the caption and the image. To save time and streamline the process, you can schedule your posts for automatic publishing with Iconosquare. The Iconosquare scheduler also allows you to pull saved hashtags into your posts, and view previous captions for inspiration, as well as view how your post will look in your feed before it goes live.
Option 2: Use a repost tool such as
Repost for InstagramRepost for Instagram makes it easy to repost photos & videos on Instagram while giving credit to the original Instagrammer. When you find something you want to repost, just copy the share URL and open Repost.
Once in the app, you can position the watermark and send the reposted media back to Instagram. It’s more straightforward than the first method, but note that with the Repost app, it’s not possible to remove the watermark.
Run a UGC campaignOn the topic of using Instagram content other people created, it’s also a good idea to encourage your existing followers to create content around a specific topic that you can post to your feed.
This kind of content is referred to as “UGC”, or user generated content. The term also applies more broadly to any content created by users of any products or services about those particular products/services, with or without encouragement from the brand themselves.
However, unless you’re a huge, well-established brand, it’s unlikely users will create Instagram content about you and your products without an incentive.
Get around this by running a competition where users can win something by creating an Instagram post and tagging it with your own brand hashtag, or a campaign hashtag.
Offering followers a free product or a discount, for example, will help you build momentum for your campaign as more users are likely to use your hashtag. Announce your competition across your other social media channels and include it in your newsletter–basically, get the word out however you can to get things started!
If you want to monitor the performance of your campaign hashtag, you can track it using a tool such as Iconosquare. On a PRO or above Plan with Iconosquare, you can see all associated media for the hashtag, your hashtag growth over time and the engagement on the hashtag.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t be too restrictive with the type of content you ask your users to post, otherwise they aren’t going to bother!
UGC should be a supplementary strategy to sourcing content for your feed, rather than the focus.
If you rely too much on UGC, your followers will feel like you’re exploiting them, and you’ll also have less control over the aesthetic of your feed.
If you want more control over your feed, and a consistent flow of on-brand Instagram content, you should consider working with influencers.
By collaborating with influencers who already have a good sized following, you have the opportunity to expand your audience and gain a lot of new followers for your own account.
You will also have some great content for your feed! Just check out the feed of makeup brand @TooFaced–a lot of their posts are actually reposts from influencers promoting Too Faced products.
Of course, if you’re a small business with a small business budget, you’ll want to connect with micro-influencers rather than the big names.
Micro-influencers will have a following between 10,000 – 50,000, and it’s easier to strike a deal with them–but only if you’re selling a product that their audience will be genuinely interested in.
That’s why you need to make sure you’re only contacting influencers who fit within your niche.
You can send a DM on Instagram, though usually influencers, such as @elnaz_golrokh who I’ve featured in the example below, will have contact information in their Instagram bios for collaboration inquiries.
Design tips for creating your own Instagram Content
1. Define a clear focal pointInstagram is all about getting your followers to pause on and engage with your photos, and there are a few knacks to getting them to do just that. For instance, having a clear focal point could help users linger on your image. An image which is too busy is confusing to the eye and will have the opposite effect. Our brains do all these calculations without us even realizing, so it’s important to really take the time to ponder over your own content before asking your followers to do so once published.
Take a look at this example from @konaction: everything about this photo pinpoints to an object (the girl).
The bold contrast (black object against a white background) also makes sure that the eye is immediately drawn to the image’s central focus:
The rule of thirds is a classic photography rule which any photographer would be able to tell you about. To execute the rule of thirds, you need to imagine a 9-part grid overlaying your image, aligning its most interesting features along the intersections. For a more interesting shot, adjust the focal point in one third of the image.
3. Allow for white space and bordersLeaving white edges around your Instagram images can create an unusual effect which attracts the eye more than an image with no border. This is especially true if the image respects previous points such as the rule of thirds and the clear focal point. Borders help ensure that elements in your design have room to breathe: an important aspect to consider if you want to avoid an overly busy post.
For an image to stand out in an Instagram feed, it must have contrasting elements. The contrast can refer to colors, shapes, fonts, light and exposure, scale, white spaces and many more. Finding the contrast which makes your image pop is entirely down to you – and it is an essential step in getting your followers to engage with your content.
To begin with, you can play around with filters and the editing suite on the Instagram app. These editing tools don’t get a lot of publicity, but they’re really nifty and simple to use for great results. More often than not, the only thing it takes to make your photo stand out is to adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and temperature.
You can also check out VSCO and A Color Story, our go-to tools at Iconosquare when it comes to a quick pic edit!
Conclusion
Hopefully this article has given you some ideas on how to source content for your Instagram account, and you’re feeling ready to plan and curate your feed! 💪 Whether you try all of these methods to source content for your Instagram feed, or just mix and match two or three, you’ll be able to build a feed that makes your audience want to click that follow button!
Explore How to Plan and Create Content Consistently on Instagram
(Update on November 14, 2021 at 9:00AM PT: This blog post was published in 2019.
For up-to-date information, please download our guide on how businesses can make the most of Instagram.)
Read this guide for tips on how you can create content consistently and build a brand for your business on Instagram.
Step 1: 4 tips to keep your look and voice consistent
Maintaining a consistent look and voice across your photos and videos is important to build your brand on Instagram. Keep your look and voice consistent with these 4 tips:
Feature color schemes you already have.
Take a closer look at the aesthetic you’ve already created for your business on and off Instagram. If you feature a specific color scheme in your physical products, logo, website or physical store, incorporate that palette throughout your posts.
Use a consistent color palette across photos and videos.
For example, take a look at how @blooms_france features pink hues through their grid.
You can even use the eyedrop tool in stories to get colors that match your products.
Take photos and videos that have a consistent theme.
Think about how you can take photos or videos in a very distinct way, so that your community recognizes your posts right away. For instance, you can regularly post bird-eye shots or share before and after shots.
Keep a consistent tone when you speak to your community.
Whether it’s through captions, responses to comments, or Direct when messaging specific people in your community, maintain a consistent tone when speaking to people on Instagram.
Step 2: Plan your content calendar in 5 steps
Creating content consistently can feel challenging, especially if you are already busy running your business. Planning your posts and stories in advance with a content calendar can help with this.
Take a look at this sample content calendar that a restaurant created. Download a PDF version of a content calendar you can use here.
Here is how you can use the content calendar above:
In the content calendar above, identify overarching themes.
Think about the type of posts you want your business to share, like behind-the-scenes coverage or product shots. This way, you can remember to incorporate those themes through your photos and videos. For instance, @blooms_france likes to promote the theme of DIY, so they regularly create videos of DIY projects.
Determine the best visual format and type to convey your message.
Consider all your options — carousel posts to get people swiping through your photos and videos, stories to capture real-time moments, videos to grab people’s attention, and more — to make sure you get your message across.
Compose your captions ahead of sharing your content.
This way, you can just copy and paste the caption when the time comes to share your post or story. Don’t forget to include hashtags to reach more people.
Plan the dates.
Determine when you’re going to share posts or stories, depending on your business’ calendar. Don’t forget to also set a date for when you will have all the visuals ready. Make sure to also integrate any holidays that your community may be celebrating. @blooms_france, for instance, planned a series of posts for the Christmas season.
After creating your calendar, choose how you want to create photos and videos – throughout your day or in bulk.
You can shoot a specific number of photos or stories each day, carve time do it all at once, or both.
Step 3: Create a DIY photo studio
When Bloom’s customers receive their bouquets, they get tutorial videos on how to arrange their bouquets.
Bloom’s creates these videos themselves. “We have a very small set up because we want to promote the DIY side of the business,” Bloom’s founder, Clement Roussel, said. “And we create the content ourselves every week, every day.”
Here are things that you can consider including at your in-home studio:
• A backdrop. You could use a piece of fabric or even just a piece of white paper to make the subject of your shot stand out.
• A light, like a ring light, or natural light from a window. Having ample lighting can enhance the quality of the photo.
• Props. Items that can complement your products in your photos and videos, such as a vase if you are taking photos of flowers.
• A reflector. Material for reflecting light onto a subject, like a piece of metal or fabric.
Reflectors can be used to enhance the light on a subject. You can even create a reflector at home using aluminum foil on a piece of poster board.
• A camera. You can use your phone or even a DSLR camera.
• A tripod for your camera or phone. You can prop your phone up against a wall or buy a tripod to stabilize your photos.
How to create a content plan for Instagram. Rules, tips, examples
A content plan is an island of stability for an SMM manager so that the content is timely and of high quality. In this article, you will learn how to draw up a content plan on Instagram, how it helps in your work, and what are the features of planning for this social network.
- Why you need a content plan for Instagram
- Features of the content plan on Instagram nine0007
- How to write a content plan for Instagram
- What to write in a content plan for Instagram
- How to draw up a content plan for Instagram: convenient services
- An example of a content plan for Instagram
- Ready-made content plan for Instagram - to use or not
- Content plan for Instagram: what to remember nine0007
Why do you need a content plan for Instagram
A content plan solves several problems at once when developing an account.
Firstly, there is no need to urgently come up with at least some topic when ideas for posts have run out. Secondly, you will not be afraid of the imbalance of content - for example, continuous selling posts. Thirdly, the content plan for Instagram helps to align the content with the account promotion strategy.
Elimination of “nothing to post” situations
Sometimes you want to do without a content plan. For example, you run a small business and manage social networks on your own: the work is in full swing, there is always something to tell and show, there is an extra 15 minutes to create a post. nine0004
But there is an emergency or personal problems, you don't have time to take pictures and write posts. The account is put on stop for a couple of weeks, and social networks do not like this. Then you start posting and find that the audience and coverage have dropped catastrophically, and you need to get back to the previous level.
Create an "ideas box" - a separate document where you will enter all ideas for posts.
If the ideas are just yours, even a note on your phone will do. If the command works, put a Google Doc with shared access under the piggy bank. nine0004
Content balance
When you're making content on the go, it's easy to fall into one type of post. For example, constantly post photos from production, simply because you have a whole pack and are too lazy to come up with something else. Subscribers will quickly get tired of this.
With a content plan for Instagram, you will pre-describe all topics by type of content - entertaining, selling, informational, and so on. And you will immediately see in which direction you have a bias, and what should be added.
Based on this division of content (according to Michael Stelzner, author of Content Marketing):
- 40% - engaging, entertaining
- 30% - branded, about the company
- 25% - training, information
- 5% - advertising, selling
It is not necessary to strictly follow this distribution.
Test and select the ratio that will solve exactly your tasks.
Following a strategy
Conducting social networks just like that, without a goal and strategy - like shooting blindfolded. It seems that the cartridges were spent, and they made a fuss, but it makes no sense. nine0004
An Instagram content plan is an important part of your strategy. It is thanks to the topics of the posts and the competent distribution of content by type that you will create an effective funnel from getting to know your brand to repeat purchases.
Features of the Instagram content plan
Instagram content is based on feed posts. Here everything is about the same as in other social networks. In addition, Instagram has two special formats - stories and IGTV, let's talk about them in more detail.
Tape content plan
Instagram is a social network about the visual. Unlike a blog on a website, people come here primarily to watch, not to read. Therefore, when preparing a content plan, you need to consider whether you have high-quality visual content on the topics you want to cover.
You can add one photo to the post, a short video up to 60 seconds, or assemble a carousel.
Frequency of posts in the feed : at least every other day, every day is better.
Discover Chatbot
Build auto sales funnels and answer user questions using a chat bot on Facebook, VK and Telegram.
Content plan for Instagram stories
Two good reasons to include stories in your Instagram content plan are according to research from Facebook:
- 69% of users find stories to be a great tool for alerting them to new products and services;
- 62% of users say they are more interested in a brand after viewing a story. nine0007
Instagram ranks the feed not by time, but by interest. At the top are posts from the most popular accounts that the user is most interested in. If the competition is high, posts from small accounts may show low, and few people will see them.
There will be no ranking problem with stories. All stories fall into one feed above the posts. The user clicks on the first one and automatically scrolls through the entire list. Stories remain at the top for 24 hours from the moment they are created, and unwatched stories are also circled with a bright frame. nine0004 Stories - circles on top. Unviewed ones are circled with a bright frame, viewed ones remain in the feed behind them.
Articles on the topic:
- Opportunities and interesting features of Instagram Stories
- Instagram Ideas to Bring Your Business Account to Life
Content plan for Instagram TV
A video segment in the feed cannot be longer than a minute, in stories - longer than 15 seconds. If you need to publish a longer video, you will have to split it into appropriate segments. This may not be very convenient: the user needs to scroll through the carousel on their own, and the stories will turn out to be simply endless.
Helps out IGTV - a place to store long videos. It has some very handy features:
- IGTV videos are easy to post as a regular post. The user will watch the first minute, then the social network will offer to watch it in IGTV. nine0007
- The video is posted in stories in a couple of clicks.
- Past live broadcasts are saved in IGTV.
- Videos on IGTV can be combined into series - handy when you have several videos on the same topic.
- IGTV supports horizontal videos - you can turn your phone horizontally and watch in full screen. Also, rewind is available here.
IGTV posting frequency : if necessary, depends on your content. In my opinion, it's better not to overuse - after all, people here are used to consuming shorter content. nine0004
Related article: How to use video marketing: content, tools, trends.
How to make a content plan for Instagram
Let's start with the selection of ideas, then we will divide them into topics and headings, "comb" them and turn them into a ready-made content plan for Instagram.
Collect ideas for content
Before you start looking for topics for a content plan, audit already published posts. This will help you understand which posts subscribers like and which ones you waste time on. After all, the more subscribers interact with your posts - like, comment, save, repost, and so on - the higher they will be in their feed and, accordingly, will receive more coverage. nine0004
For content analysis, you can use the LiveDune social network analytics service. In the service, you can not only build top posts by more than 7 metrics, such as post type, likes, comments, saves, reach, RR, ER, ERR and others, but also analyze the effectiveness of headings, post types (image, carousel, video ), the length of the text. A similar audit can be carried out on the content in the social networks of competitors.
Make hypotheses about the success of your posts and posts of competitors from the TOP-10 according to various indicators. For example, let's take the TOP 10 posts by comments over the past month and try to answer the questions: “Why did subscribers comment on this post the most? How is it different from other posts? Examples of success hypotheses in this case can be:
- The post got more comments because the text asked an open-ended question.
- The post was commented more often than others because it touched on a sore subject for our target audience. Etc.
After analyzing the content, you will have a whole list of hypotheses and ideas that can be included in the content plan for testing. Try to work out one hypothesis per post. For the reliability of the results, it is better to test the hypothesis at three posts.
It is also useful to always have a "box of ideas". Write down everything that comes to mind, even if it seems crazy. I sketched out for you a rough list of possible ideas and formats. nine0004
- Feedback reposts - posts and stories from clients. Photos sent to you by clients.
- Interactive - polls, quizzes, collection of questions from subscribers. It is convenient to do it with the help of stories, there are special voting forms and questionnaires.
- Answers to previously collected questions.
- All about products - new items, bestsellers, instructions, comparisons and so on.
- Backstage - photo and video from the office, from production.
- Live broadcasts. During the broadcast, they will be displayed in the same feed above the posts. nine0007
- Dates - anniversaries of the company, thematic holidays.
- Funny stories about the company and in general in your field that your customers may have encountered.
- Principles of work - about love, care, conservation of nature, honesty, punctuality and other good qualities that you try to possess.
Feel free to analyze competitors and spy on their topics: look at accounts in similar topics, posts in other social networks, YouTube videos, specialized forums. Check out our guide on how to search for topics for a blog - it will also work for creating an Instagram content plan. nine0004
Organize ideas into topics and categories
Analyze all the ideas that you have collected in the piggy bank. Already now they can certainly be divided into some approximate headings and determine what type of content each will belong to.
Once you've got the headings, start working on the ideas - turn them into ready-made topics for posts. For example, "Tell about autumn jackets" becomes "A series of photos of our autumn jackets, location - the courtyard of an office building."
Determine posting frequency
Determine how often you will post. Take as a basis the norms that I indicated above, and calculate your strengths. I strongly advise you not to rush into battle right away, but to increase the frequency of posting gradually - less is better, but regularly.
Make a plan in the form of a table
Now let's move on to creating a content plan on Instagram in the form of a table. Here we will write down ready-made themes and their release dates. In the following sections, I will tell you what to include in it, how to style it, and what services you can use. nine0004
What you need to write in the content plan for Instagram
Let's see what else you need and can include in the content plan and why these elements are needed.
Required:
- Content Type and/or Category
- Release date
- Format
- Topic
- Text and illustrations ready
- Status (approved for release/not approved)
Optional:
- The title is the beginning of the publication. For posts in the feed, only the first 70 characters are visible, which, together with the picture, should catch the attention of the subscriber. So it’s better to think over the headlines in advance and see how they look together. nine0007
- Publication expectations - what you want to achieve. For example, to create interest in a new product among a specific segment of the target audience.
- Indicators - likes, comments, reposts. If you use some kind of auto-posting service, the results can be viewed in it. But it will be convenient to attach the plan to the report so that other team members can see the results without getting into a third-party service.
- Link to materials if they are stored online - convenient not to look for the necessary pictures and drafts. nine0007
How to make a content plan for Instagram: convenient services
I picked up four familiar services that can be used as a platform for creating a content plan, and also sketched a small list of SMM platforms where you can make a plan and immediately publish posts.
Google Spreadsheets
My favorite way to create a content plan is Google Spreadsheets. It is always at hand, you can work on it together, and if necessary, download it. It is also simple, free and multifunctional, unlike various scheduling and auto-posting services. nine0004
The content plan for Instagram in Google Sheets looks almost the same as the plate in Excel:
The content plan for Instagram in Google SheetsGoogle Calendar
Google Calendar is your option for creating a content plan on Instagram. There is a handy separation feature here: you can create different calendars for different projects.
You can share a project with a colleague - for example, send him a calendar in an email.
Let's see how to use a Google Calendar event to schedule a fast. nine0004
- Subject and date - everything is clear here.
- The "Join Google Meet" function will not be useful to us. Although you can automatically schedule a meeting to discuss the post.
- "Add notifications" is a good reminder to once again see if everything is in order with the post and finish it.
- Color circle — an option to change the color of the event. With its help, you can, for example, indicate the status (ready / not ready) or different types of content (post or stories).
- In the description field, you can add the text of the post itself or instructions for creating stories. Here you can also attach a file - a picture or video for publication, or add a link if the file is on a third-party storage. nine0007
This is how your plan might look like in the end:
Content plan for Instagram in Google CalendarTrello
The Trello task scheduling service is also useful for compiling a content plan for Instagram.
It won't be as visual as a calendar, but Trello has plenty of options to make an entire CRM account for content production.
The main thing is to decide on the stages through which the creation of posts will take place, the stages will look like task lists. I suggest you start with the basic ones: ideas for posts, posts in progress and ready for publication. You can add a list with some basic elements - templates, instructions, checklists. nine0004
I advise you to use the basic features of Trello to make the cards effective: in addition to the date, text and attachments, use colored labels, indicate the due date for each task and assign responsible persons.
Trello Instagram content planEvernote
Evernote is also suitable for creating an Instagram content plan. This application works in a browser, on a computer and on a phone - all versions are synchronized with each other, so you can work from any convenient device. nine0004
Content is stored here as notes.
You can add text, links, tables, images to your notes, format the text and mark it with colored fill. For a content plan, you can either create separate notes for each post, or collect them in a table in one note.
SMM auto-posting services
Instagram content plan can be created directly in auto-posting service. You can immediately write text, add emoji to it, and in some cases even process the image. Try these:
- LiveDune,
- Amplifer,
- SMMplanner,
- Kuku.io,
- Seolit,
- Social Kit.
Or find the one that's right for you.
An example of a content plan for Instagram
Let's use an example to show how to create a content plan for Instagram. We will think over the content for the week ahead for the online store of heaters.
I'll come up with some ideas first. My clients are interested in everything related to heat: how to heat an apartment or a private house.
From here you can accumulate a lot of related topics, for example:
- Money is saving. Choose a cheap and efficient heater model, do not pay a lot for electricity.
- Safety - Locate so that there is no danger to children, animals and the elderly.
- Variants of use - put in the house, in the country, in the greenhouse, on the street.
I came up with seven topics and designed them in Google Sheets according to the content that I showed in the previous section. In addition to the text, I used color indication - green indicates fully prepared and approved posts, yellow - ready, but not approved, red - not ready. nine0004 An example of a content plan for Instagram
Of course, your finished Instagram content plan will be different: add or remove columns, change colors, indicate the results you want to track. The main thing is that the plan helps you prepare content, and does not take extra time.
Ready-made content plan for Instagram - to use or not
There are templates of content plans for Instagram for different niches on the Internet.
When you start to develop social networks, there is a temptation to save time and take one of these. This is a bad idea, and here's why. nine0004
A template content plan for Instagram doesn't tell you about you. This is a set of average posts that can be taken and applied to any business. They will not tell you why customers should buy from you, they will not describe the quality of service, they will not convey the atmosphere. And just such things push people to choose one brand over others.
In addition, a ready-made content plan will not help you follow your own business development strategy. As a result, you will spend more time and effort to achieve the desired result. nine0004
You can take a content plan template for your Instagram account if your ideas are really bad. But be sure to customize it for yourself.
Instagram content plan: things to remember
An Instagram content plan is part of your Instagram business development strategy. With it, you can build posts so that they guide customers through the sales funnel from the first entry into the account to repeat sales.
With a content plan, you will never have an emergency in publications, because the posts will be ready and thought out in advance. nine0004
Choose the right service for your content plan, write down your ideas and get to work! But don't forget that social media content isn't everything. Register with SendPulse and try to create a chatbot: a virtual assistant for your VKontakte, Facebook and Telegram groups.
How to Create Content for Instagram: What Big Brands Post
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| Content Marketing | – Read 12 minutes |
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Illustration: Maria Marikutsa
Elizaveta Voropaeva
Zengram Marketer
In this article I will talk about what content is, why it is needed and how to create it on Instagram. In addition, I will analyze the accounts of the stars of this social network and reveal the secrets of their popularity.
Content is a relatively new word.
It began to be used in the 90s, and now it has become popular thanks to social networks. The word "content" is borrowed from English and translated as "content". What this content consists of, read on ↓
Content:
1. Secrets of popular content
1.1. Create useful content
1.2. Diversify your content
1.3. Track the interests of the audience
1.4. Post content regularly
1.5. Make quality content
2. Content types
3. Popular bloggers' content review
3.1. Content reminding that life is short
3.2. Content that reminds you that dreams come true
3.3. Content that makes us believe in something more
3.4. Content that reminds us that we are loved
3.5. Content about forgotten truths
3.6. Life-affirming content
3.7. Content that tells a compelling story
3.8. Content that motivates
3.9. Content that makes you smile
3.10. Content that makes you cry (from sadness or joy)
3.
11. Content revealing secrets
3.12. Surprising content
3.13. Content that makes you not give up
3.14. Content reminding that all people are one
3.15. Content reminding that there is something more
3.16. Content confirming our assumptions
3.17. Entertaining and educational content
3.18. Content that makes you look at ordinary things differently
4. Creating a content plan
Conclusion
Secrets of popular content
Any popular content on Instagram consists of three components:
- information;
- entertainment;
- personalization.
It is necessary to interact with the audience along these lines. A useful, interesting blog, imbued with the charisma and charm of the author, is always gaining popularity. To speed up the process of achieving popularity, use various methods to promote your profile.
There are many such ways: official advertising on Instagram, advertising with bloggers, mass liking, mass following, sfs (“shout out for shout out” or “mention for mention”), automatic account promotion programs. nine0004
In addition to the standard set of functions, our Zengram promotion service has a parser, analytics and instaspy. So if you do not have the desire and time to manually search for the target audience, then try the automatic one.
First of all, you need to determine the subject of your channel: what you will write about, what to show and what to tell. Introduce your target audience for which your posts will be targeted. Decide what goals and objectives you will pursue when creating a blog. After that, you can start. nine0003
Create useful content
Any content on Instagram - informational, commercial, entertaining - should be presented in a blog format. Not a single user will be interested in an Instagram store that only publishes products with a price tag.
Come up with a unique concept for your store, commercial company and blog around this concept. Along the way, beautifully and appropriately offer your products and services. nine0003
Remember : bad profile content will backfire, it will annoy and distract from the commercial component. Post only useful, interesting content. There is nothing more powerful than useful content. On Instagram, it is easy to track the interest of the audience by likes and comments.
Diversify your content
Create content in three directions:
- photos;
- video; nine0003
- texts.
Use posts, stories, broadcasts for this. The more diverse the content, the higher the conversion. Associate content with the brand. Talk about the features of the product, service, share the history of creation, production technology, service features, make reviews and publish reviews.
Track audience interests
Identify your target audience and monitor their interests. This kind of tracking will help you write posts that are relevant to your followers. Thus, consumer interest in your brand will grow significantly. If you write for everyone, then you write for no one. nine0004
Post content regularly
No matter how "gold" content is, it will lose ranking if you post intermittently. Disappearing and appearing is not the best strategy for success. Create a content plan for the week, for the month and stick to it. Then Instagram will regard you as a decent blogger, evenly generating content, increase the reach of of your publications and engagement of .
A blog forgotten by an author for a week will lose significant coverage. This means that your next posts will be seen by fewer users. Do not abandon your account, Instagram does not forgive this.
nine0003
Make quality content
Keeping a popular blog is work. Good texts, edited photos, a thoughtful posting plan - all this takes time and effort. Therefore, blogging is worth it if you really love it, you have a soul for creating posts and communicating on social networks. Otherwise, you will quickly get tired of blogging, and you will quickly abandon your Instagram account.
Content types
There are six main types of content:
Informational - tells, provides information (news).
Entertaining - fun, distracting, light, meaningless content.
Expert or educational content teaches.
Selling . The purpose of such content is to sell a product or service.
Custom or custom content is a personal blog format.
Combined - combines several types of content.
The most important thing to remember is that the content should be relevant to your target audience, be bright, noticeable and useful.
Content review by popular bloggers
Do you want your content to be successful with the audience? Follow bloggers who have already achieved success through personal content. Let's analyze the examples in more detail:
Content that reminds that life is short
The channel of the popular blogger Alvaro Rojas @wanderreds will remind each of us: we are not eternal, we need to have time to fulfill our dreams. Alvaro's goal is to travel around the world. He has already visited about 100 countries. And at the same time he manages to work from 9 to 17:
Content that reminds you that dreams come true
The channel of an ordinary girl from Cheboksary @enjoy.katie, who gained popularity thanks to the vines. Several thousand subscribers turned into 150 thousand.
Her dream came true: she opened a women's clothing showroom:
Content that makes us believe in something more
The exciting @nasa account has 34 million followers. The main content is fascinating pictures and videos:
Content that reminds us that we are loved
The blog of the expert in love matters @milalevchuk. She has 1.7 million followers on her page. Mila Levchuk expertly talks about how to stop plowing, endure and start loving yourself and others:
Content about forgotten truths
Alena Storm's popular blog @alena_storm stands for animal rights. We do not often think about how our smaller brothers live. Alena's blog reminds people of simple truths: we are responsible for those we have tamed.
Life-affirming content
Sergey Kutovoy @sega_kutove coped with excess weight, learned to live with one leg (he lost his other leg in an accident) and found his love.
He overcame life's trials despite everything he writes about on his blog. 406 thousand subscribers:
Content that tells a fascinating story
Blogger Sasha Zvereva @sashazvereva, an independent mother of three who moved to Los Angeles shares her fascinating life story in her posts:
Content that motivates
Nilova
8 liliya.nilova said goodbye to being overweight, having lost 90 kg, and created the Popartmarketing marketing school, where she teaches the tricks of social network marketing. Lilia publishes her photos before and after losing weight, and also writes motivational posts:
Content that makes you smile
Gusein Gasanov @gusein.gasanov is a popular blogger who makes funny vines. Why words? Just look and laugh, because laughter prolongs life.
Content that makes you cry (from sadness or joy)
Just look at this wonderful cat with an extra chromosome @meetmayacat.
She easily and naturally charmed Instagram. Take a look at the number of followers she has:
Content revealing secrets
Igor Zuevich's blog @igorzuevich is read by everyone who is interested in promoting their Instagram page. There is a lot of useful information on the channel - Igor, as they say, “fires chips”:
Surprising content
The account of the makeup artist @tal_peleg, who draws amazing pictures on her face:
Content that makes you not give up
3
Yulia @ylifit defeated a spinal tumor and created the body of her dreams. Julia shares her story and weight loss tips with subscribers:
Content that reminds everyone that all people are one
Winnie Harlow @winnieharlow is a girl with an unusual appearance. Her blog is proof that people with an unusual appearance have nothing to be ashamed of. Each person is unique, and humanity is one.
Content to remind you there's more
Deep ocean blog @brianskerry. Brian sees the wonders of the ocean with his own eyes, takes pictures and shares amazing content with his followers:
Content that confirms our assumptions
The @great_russian account is dedicated to the rules of the Russian language. Here you can find confirmation of what we were taught in school, as well as learn something new:
Content that questions our assumptions
The blog of the psychiatrist-psychotherapist @sona_land, which will challenge conventional beliefs. Is white really white and black really black? For the answer - to Sonya. nine0004
Fun and educational content
The @schreinerkate channel is dedicated to moms. The author shares with subscribers information on how to develop children in a fun way:
Content that makes you take a different look at familiar things
look at the familiar from a different angle.
Sonya fights for rights, and Varya is an eco-blogger exposing the beauty industry:
Creating a content plan
Let's summarize our review. Content on Instagram is divided into several types:
Educational - consists of expert articles. Profiles with educational content are maintained by a person who understands a particular issue. The blog of a cosmetologist, endocrinologist, midwife, astrologer, psychologist always contains educational content that is useful to the audience.
Commercial - all Instagram stores and companies that provide certain services are built on commercial content. nine0004
Personal is content consisting of Instagram user's personal posts. In a personal profile, bloggers share their thoughts, stories about life, experiences and impressions. Such blogs belong to the Life style blog category.
To create a content strategy, you need to follow a certain algorithm.
Just a few steps - and the plan is in your pocket:
- Decide on the type of content. What is the soul for? What do you do better: entertain or teach? Are you the best at talking about yourself? Many people like to spy with one eye on the life of a neighbor. Can you sell? Sell if you are the best at it, and the product is unique and you know how to present it! nine0003
- Create a structure. Commercial content - selling texts. Educational account - benefit under the slogan: "Learning is light." A personal account cannot do without your charisma and attractiveness.
- Emphasize what sets you apart for the better from other similar bloggers.
- Create a content plan for the next week.
Conclusion
Want to produce better content? Look for yourself! Express yourself in your texts and photos, listen to yourself and your audience.
nine0004
- Create useful and varied content with a unique concept. Posts, stories and live streams will increase conversions.
- Define your target audience and observe their interests.
- Keep your Instagram account alive, post regularly to increase your reach and engagement.
- Treat blogging like a job. Do not forget that you spend time and effort on processing photos and preparing texts.
- And be sure to study (not equal to "copy") the accounts of your competitors. This way you can find new ideas for content and interaction with your blog readers. nine0003
Be as bold as popular bloggers once did. Perhaps you will be lucky to catch a wave ;)
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