Great Instagram post ideas promote your brand and make your audience engaged. Therefore, what to post on Instagram is a question that many marketers try to answer daily.
Good Instagram content is what makes your brand unique and what helps to get new followers, fans, get likes, and shares.
Posting a video or a picture on Instagram is no longer enough. You must find ways to bring unique and creative content that your followers cannot find anywhere else. In simple terms – you have to make yourself distinctive.
It can be extremely hard to come up with something engaging yet unique, as there are over 95 million posts made every day on Instagram. So, what can you post on Instagram every day and still remain unique?
Below is a list of 30 ideas of what you can post on Instagram. I call it Instagram Content Bingo. It doesn’t matter if your brand is big or small or what industry you’re in. You can easily use these ideas in your Instagram marketing strategy.
What to post on Instagram?
The ideas below may be something you’ve seen other Instagram users doing. However, it doesn’t make these ideas less creative or less unique.
Pick an idea from the table below and use your unique voice and experience to present it to your Instagram followers. By using your own tone and sharing your experience, you’ll be sure that the content is unique to you.
Remember, we all may experience the same things – but our feelings, perception, and understanding are different.
So don’t get discouraged by “Oh, someone else has done it already” it doesn’t matter because what your Instagram followers want is to hear about your experience.
Announce a promotion
Shouting about a special promotion using Instagram is a great way to let your audience know that something’s awesome is available to them.
Doing a special Christmas sale? Let your audience know!
Many brands make a mistake thinking that Instagram isn’t a sales-generating platform. In many cases, it is true, but make sure to announce your promotions and special deals there as well.
Show behind-the-scenes
Showing behind the scenes is a way for your brand to show the human side of your business. Often your customers only see the final product, however, they have little to no exposure to the process of making something they love.
By showing the behind-the-scenes, you’re also building an emotional connection with your followers.
Don’t get me wrong though. Taking a picture from a boring board meeting won’t bring much value; however, sharing a video from the latest team-building trip can make a nice impression on your brand.
Another great idea could be to show the behind-the-scenes of a commercial or a product video.
Ask me a question
“Ask me a question” is a great idea for a unique Instagram post. The best part about it – it’s very engaging.
Allowing your audience to ask you questions and providing an honest answer can help you build a more personal bond. Instagram is a great platform for such content because Q&As can be conducted via Instagram Stories.
However, even though every business can use “ask me a question” content, it ideally works for brands that want to foster thought leadership, educate and influence their audiences.
Showcase your brand in a video
Instagram is a highly visual platform and videos are a great way to tell a story.
Depending on you, snap a simple video talking about you, your business, or your product. It can be as simple as you filming with your phone. Make the video relatable to your audience.
If you have your company video, adapt it to suit Instagram.
Share industry news
Is there something major happening in your industry? Share the news with your audience!
However, don’t make your Instagram looks like a news portal (unless you’re actually running a channel for news). I often recommend my clients share industry news once in a while. It strengthens the brand and helps to position them as industry thought leaders.
However, be mindful of how you deliver the news, especially if the topic is sensitive (such as politics, race, religion, money, etc.). You shouldn’t take sides and rather be neutral.
You can, however, express support to movements or societal groups: the BLM movement, LGBTQI, etc.
Sharing industry-related news also gives confidence that your brand is up-to-date and follows the latest developments that may impact your customers.
Throwbacks are nice for appreciation
We all look to the past to remember and appreciate something. Did you have an interview published in the local newspaper? Or maybe you gave a speech at an industry event. Maybe you met an influential person who inspired you to pursue your business?
All these memories are great for #thowback content on Instagram.
#tbt or throwback Thursday is a way for you to share something impactful that happened in the past.
The best part – you have the content at hand, no need to create anything additional.
Share your thought leadership
Becoming a thought leader is something that many brands and influencers strive to achieve. Indeed, being a thought leader brings higher authority and better branding.
Thought leadership often comes in the form of sharing the latest trends, hottest tips, or proven how-tos. Once you share knowledge, your followers will start seeing your brand as a source of information. It will boost your engagement and brand awareness.
For example, anyone who is interested in fitness and weight loss can rely on tips shared by @apfau, who has built lots of credibility through his Instagram posts.
However, if you’re not a thought leader, no problem! You can still share content that helps to educate your audience and followers.
Have an Instagram Live
More and more people are glued to their screens nowadays. Brands know it, and social media networks know that too.
Instagram Live has become a new type of live broadcast, but this time it is not exclusive to TV channels. In fact, anyone can have a live broadcast today.
Instagram Live video is a perfect way to bridge the brands and consumers. It provides intuitive real-time interactivity that is much more engaging than any video or post.
This means that Instagram Live is the ultimate tool for building strong relationships with your audience.
No wonder 80% of people would rather watch a live video from a brand than read a blog.
Hint! Remember that Instagram Live pushes your content to the first position in Stories at the top of users’ feeds.
So, put on your creative hat and come up with a brief idea for your Instagram Live. It’s best to keep it unscripted and as natural as possible. You could announce a new collaboration or product; you can also have a live Q&A session or a tutorial.
Always use User Generated Content (UGC)
You don’t have to create every single post yourself. Chances are high your followers and your customers have published content about you in the past. Appreciate it and use it on your feed.
To me, Airbnb does it best. I crave to see their feed which is full of content created by Airbnb users (both hosts and travelers). It is an extremely powerful marketing strategy and shows appreciation to your users.
So, if your customers also share your products on Instagram, drop them a quick message and ask if you could share their post.
If they agree, don’t alter the post – use it the way it was made, and don’t forget to credit the owner.
UGC often talks thousands of words more than any advertising. Your prospects want to see their peers (customers like themselves) using your product and endorsing it.
Share “How to“ solve their problem
Let’s be honest – in many cases, we follow someone on Instagram (or social media in general) because they help us solve problems that we have. It can be anything – weight loss, muscle gain, gardening tips, beauty advice, makeup tutorials, etc.
Incorporate how-to posts in your Instagram strategy. Tell your audience the ways to solve their problems. Not only will it increase engagement, but it will also position your brand as a thought leader.
You can also use pictures, infographics or carousel for your how-to posts. Take not, that they may not necessarily tell how to do something, but instead solve an issue.
Showcase your team
We spoke earlier about showing the human side of your brand. Another way is to praise and showcase the team that makes all the magic happen. Simple appreciation of the team is often perceived in a very positive light and will give you extra brownie points in the eyes of your followers.
You could do monthly appreciation posts or mention major accomplishments that your team managed to achieve.
Employee appreciation posts are excellent for employer branding which leads to more candidates applying for openings in your company. A bigger pool of candidates gives you a chance to choose the best of the best.
Run Instagram content or giveaway
Instagram contests and giveaways are the best way to generate a lot of engagement and excitement amongst your followers. It is also a great way to grow the number of new followers and become viral.
For the best results, offer a prize that’s relevant to your audience, even if it’s something that’s not interesting to the general population. Your aim is to boost engagement with your existing audience.
Make the entry to the giveaway easy to get the maximum impact of the campaign and reward the winners.
Are you still wondering what to post on Instagram?
I am sure that by now you have a lot of news ideas for your Instagram feed.
If you’re still feeling stuck, take a look at the suggestions in Instagram Content Bingo and highlight what types of content you have been creating.
Then assess the types that you haven’t created in the past and see how they fit with your brand. Ask yourself why you haven’t explored these types before?
Ultimately, your goal is to get more exposure and get new Instagram followers. To achieve that you should consistently post things that are relevant, beneficial, and interesting to your audience.
By now, what to post on Instagram shouldn’t be your main concern. Instead, concentrate on producing unique content that will give value to your existing audience and drive new followers.
