What to post on Instagram: 17 Fantastic Ideas to Get More Likes and Followers

January 10, 2022
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Whether you are a brand, business owner, or influencer, Instagram marketing is essential because of the massive audience Instagram has. However, one of the most challenging parts of this kind of marketing is figuring out what to post on Instagram.

The kinds of content you can post on Instagram have evolved from just posting photos. You can post videos, Stories, IGTV, and Reels nowadays. These types of media make using the platform much more enjoyable. 

No wonder Instagram is the second most used social media platform after Whatsapp, with the average person spending as much as 28 minutes on the platform daily.

Whether you are a beginner who just created an Instagram profile or a practiced Instagram user, sometimes all you need is an idea. We have put together some ideas to up your Instagram game and earn more followers.

Types of Content You Can Post on Instagram

You can post a variety of content on Instagram, which includes:

  • Post on your feed
  • Instagram Reels
  • Instagram Carousel posts
  • Instagram TV (IGTV)
  • Instagram Stories

These are the options Instagram offers you. You can choose whether to make a regular Image upload or share video reels. 

Top 17 Ideas on What to Post on Instagram

You should brainstorm content ideas next now that you know what types of content you can post on Instagram. However, coming up with what to post on Instagram, or content ideas, can be challenging.

The Basic Image Post On Your Feed

Image post on Instagram

Instagram’s primary use is to share images in a square format with your followers. Even though the app has varied options like reels, videos in feed, and IGTV, an image can still impact your audience.

Your Instagram posts can be basic image posts with a lovely caption and relevant hashtags if you are just getting started. Later, we will touch on how to spice up a basic post on Instagram. Now, let us get into the next idea.

Throwback Thursday Never Goes Out Of Style

First #ThrowbackThursday Photo Ever on Instagram | Time

By now, everyone using social media is familiar with the term throwback Thursday. If you don't know the term's meaning, it simply means that Thursday social media posts can be throwback posts. 

You can share a picture of when you were a kid. If you are a small business owner who has built your business over the years, you can share a photo of when you just started. 

Throwback Thursday posts are loved by everyone because it gives your followers a sneak peek into your old life.

Fun fact: If you do not know what the other days of the week are meant to be, here is your guide

  • MCM- Mancrush Monday is all about sharing pictures of your man-crushes on the internet. Monday is a great day to ogle the hotties.
  • TT- Transformation Tuesday is for the gym rats or anyone who went through a significant mental, physical, or spiritual transformation. You can share your transformation with the world.
  • WCW- Womencrush Wednesday is when the entire internet is full of inspirational women. Women around the world share their crushes. It's a fine day to share your inspiration.
  • TBT-Throwback Thursday, as we have shared before. On the day you share a blast from the past.
  • FBF-Flashback Friday is pretty similar to TBT.
  • Caturday - Cute pictures of cats flood the Internet on this day of the week
  • Sunday Funday- Everyone shares the joy of doing for the rest day.

Behind The Scenes Content is Always a Crowd-Pleaser

BTS content on Instagram

Instagram is a social platform. You share your life with people from around the world. Brands and influencers have come up with the most amazing content to entertain their followers. 

On Instagram, there are several ways to share Behind-The-Scenes videos.

  • Share video/images of your team hard at work.
  • Sneak peek into your daily life or how you generate the content for Instagram.
  • Funny bloopers of what goes on behind the camera.
  • Are you working on something new? Share a teaser with your followers.
  • A casual look into your life. What you do when you are not working.

Behind-the-scenes posts work much better than the finished results posts. That's why many artists, influencers, and brands are using this type of content to hook users in. 

If you are a makeup artist, you can show your work in hyper-lapse, how you went from no makeup to glam makeup. If you own a clothing line, you can share a day in your life of how you curate your dress pieces. 

No matter what kind of niche you work in, you can always share interesting Behind the scenes shots with your audience.

The-Ask- me-Anything-Funda

Ask me anything

Instagram introduced a new career line for Millenials-The influencers. Anyone with thousands of followers or hundreds of followers can use this sticker to make their content more engaging. 

People are always curious, and they want to know more. So the Ask me anything (AMA) question trick is a great way to sate the curiosity of your followers. 

Whether you are running a brand or an artist, ask me anything can be a fantastic tool to gain your audience's attention.

How to create an AMA? It’s simple:

  • Open your Instagram.
  • Log in.
  • Click on the "+" button on the right side of the screen.
  • Tap on "Story"
  • Click on the drop-down button on the left side of the screen and click on Create
  • Swipe left until you find the Question icon, which looks like the image below.

You can also make an Instagram post soliciting questions from your followers and start answering them in the comments below. 

Your followers can submit anything, but you luckily don’t have to answer even the craziest of questions. You can choose to answer the questions that you want.

Tutorials But Make It Fun

While people search Google/Quora for most of their queries, Instagram is also a learning place for many viewers. If you cater to a  niche audience, you can share value-based content with them. 

Your Instagram content doesn't always need to be glitzy and glam. You can share tutorials like How to style a white shirt in 5 ways (if you are a fashion influencer).

Thanks to Instagram's new format- Reels, now you can share short tutorial videos with ease. A video can speak volumes and can explain better. This makes using Instagram reels THAT much more important to grow your business.

Tutorial Tips

  • Keep it short.
  • Use texts because many people prefer audio less scrolling.
  • Despite that, use trending audios with the arrow sign to reach a larger audience.

Leverage User-Generated Content

Instagram Example

People like knowing their voice matters. Your followers will be over the moon if you share their content on your page. User-generated content is a reliable resource for growing any social media profile, but it’s especially effective with Instagram. 

With Instagram being a place where producing great content to engage your users is essential, user-generated content is a shortcut to success. If you want to take advantage of user-generated content on Instagram, then you need to follow these steps:

  1. Make sure your brand/company/niche can help customers to create content.
  2. Determine what kind of content do you want your target audience to make.
  3. Choose an intelligent hashtag that customers can use in their posts.
  4. Encourage users to use the hashtag and tag you in the posts.

Shared hashtags are essential for user-generated content campaigns. To create one, you need something that will differentiate your company from any other. 

Some companies like to make new hashtags for each promotional campaign, while others prefer to use one branded hashtag and never change. All you need for a good hashtag is something unique to your company. 

From big brands like Starbucks to small business owners, anyone can leverage user-generated content to increase their reach. It is also a lovely way to keep your followers engaged. Reposting UGC helps you reach more people and encourages your followers to share branded content.

Everyone Loves A Giveaway

Leifshop Instagram Giveaway

Giveaways and contests are not a new thing. You can do it on social channels as well in real life. However, the excitement of a giveaway remains the same in social media and real-time. 

If you want to commemorate a business milestone or gain more followers, giveaways and contests are the way to go.

In this fast-paced society, contests and giveaways are a surefire way to get people talking, create excitement around your brand, and generate social proof. 

Offer a prize that's relevant to your target audience, even if the general population won't care as much. You can ask your followers to tag friends in the Giveaway so that you can gain more Instagram followers through it. 

These benefits combined make giveaways a sure-fire way of getting more engagement on Instagram.

Keep up With What's Trending

You can't Keep up with the Kardashians, but you can keep up with what's trending on Instagram. If ever you suffer from creative block, you don't need to scratch your head for ideas. Jump on a trend and save yourself some time. 

Try to follow trends - one of the first trends was the Bottlecap challenge, where people had to open the cap of water bottles by kicking. 

Recent trends like- dancing on Woman by Doja Cat, Aurora dance challenge, and What a Shame transformation challenges were a huge deal. Here are some tips on using trends for growing on Instagram

  • Scroll through Instagram reels and identify trends. You can do so by trending music and hashtags.
  • Hop onto the trend as soon as possible to entertain your followers.
  • Share the reels/posts with your followers while the trend is still on, so you reach the maximum audience.
  • Do not make the trends content overly promotional. Try to teach your brand into it, but do not be forceful.

Fun, relevant content is ideal for brands, but you should avoid anything that might hurt the brand. The bottle cap challenge, for example, may seem like a fun idea, but it's best to stay away from anything foolish. 

Sharing a funny meme or making your own can also be compelling.

Collaborate with Influencers

Chose Influencer marketing

Instagram gave birth to a new breed of millennial celebrities-Influencers. These Instagram icons have a lot of influence over their audience. You can collaborate with influencers to advertise your brand. 

Influencer marketing can help your brand stand out. Big-name influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers are not always necessary to create a positive impact. 

You can also reach out to smaller, less popular influencers with tens of thousands of followers. Many people may not know these influencers, but they will usually still have relevant connections in your niche.

Share Your Morning Routine

People on Instagram love watching morning routines. What do you do after you wake up? How do you plan your day? Do you work out? Have coffee? You can answer all these questions in your morning routine.

It is always better to share a video of your morning routine. You do not have to share images after images explaining what you do. Thanks to Instagram reels, now you have the opportunity to share short videos.

Do Audience polls

If you are going out with a  friend, and they ask you for your opinion on their outfit, do you like it? Do you like being asked your opinion? It always feels nice when someone asks for your feedback. Your followers will also like when you ask for their views.

Instagram Story feature has two sticker polls you can use. One is a Yes and No poll. And the other is a question poll, where you give audiences more than two options on what to choose. 

You can use these two stickers to know more about your audience. Moreover, this is engaging content; your followers will interact with your stories; always good news for your brand.

Posting Quotes Never Go Out Of Fashion.

A quote can be motivational for getting your audience in the mood to learn and grow. A famous quote from someone famous is a great idea, but you can also include something you wrote yourself. 

Posting your quote in your caption and photo is a great way to get likes and shares. You can also make short reels using quotes, so not only you but your followers can share them as well.

Classic Before and After

Before and after posts are different from Throwback photos. Because in Before and after posts, you do not draw a comparison; it is just a memory you share with followers. This kind of post works exceptionally well in the fitness niche.

People love to see before and after photos of your work. You can show how you’ve turned your logo around over time, the way your office looks now, or any other before and after you think makes a compelling story. 

You can also use reels to make before and after content, which seems to be quite popular right now. If your reels blow up, you can achieve brand recognition in no time.

Cross-Posting

Cross promotion examples

Sharing content from other social media platforms is called crossposting. For example, you can take a screenshot of a tweet or a video from YouTube and post it to Instagram

This will allow you to cut your time on social media in half by cross-posting your content to more than one site. When someone follows you on Instagram but not Facebook, for example, you can cross-post that item to Facebook as well.

While cross-posting, you need to ensure that the content is optimized for the specific social media platform. You can't directly share a Youtube video on Instagram reels, and you need to optimize the time limit, change the aspect ratio and add texts, etc.

Product Showcase

To succeed on Instagram, high-quality images and videos of your products are a must. Sharing content that features your products in all their glory will help you drive sales and promote your business on Instagram. 

Avoid making your posts look like ads by posting aesthetically-pleasing content and using the right hashtags to interact with other users.

You can also use these product photos and videos for product promotion. Share reels showcasing your products. You can also feature your products on Instagram stories. 

Instagram now has Instagram ads, which you can use to promote your products. But if you're going to choose an organic way to reach your audience, make sure your promotional posts do not look too promotional.

Talk About Your Business

Remember, you aren't on Instagram just to entertain. You have to educate your followers about your brand in a fun way. Go on live video, talk with your followers, answer questions about your business. Talk about your business every chance you get.

Another great example is sharing updates about your business. Are you launching a new product? Do you have an upcoming event? Are you looking for new people to work for you? Share updates about your business on Instagram.

Post Consistent Festive Content During The Festive Season.

Seasonal Instagram posts

Your customers love it when you share festive posts. There’s no need for a significant event or an unofficial one – they’ll enjoy any holiday you want to celebrate.  However, make sure to create timely posts that are relevant to their interests. 

In addition to the major holidays, posts about summer vacations, winter weather, and even a National Sibling Day can work.

However, you need to keep a few things in mind when posting seasonal content. 

  • You can organize giveaways/contests during the festive time. 
  • Offer discounts during big festive seasons. It is a sure-fire way of getting your followers to buy from you. 
  • Use relevant seasonal hashtags because more users are likely to seek them out. 

Cross-Promote

Cross promoting

Cross-promotion is saying, "Let’s help each other out." Cross promotions are a fantastic way to build relationships between merchants. This can entirely benefit the industry, the local area, or something else. 

You can team up with another merchant to promote your products or just mention them in your posts. The goal is to let customers know that you are invested in the community.

Play Around with Carousel Posts

Carousel posts

Carousel posts are incredibly versatile and powerful because they allow you, the user, to see more than one media at a time. You can use these slides to show different ways to use a single product or other related products.

FAQs: What to post on Instagram

What should I post for my first Instagram?

When you've just created an Instagram account, it's best to introduce yourself in the caption as your first Instagram post. Talk about your interests and what people will see from your Instagram account. 

If you want people to engage with your account quicker, try asking a question relevant to your business and relatable to your audience.

How do I make my Instagram posts attractive?

To create an attractive Instagram post, you need to do a few things:

  1. Get a clear understanding of your audience
  2. Upload high-quality photos
  3. Fine-tune your phone's camera settings
  4. Maximize your depth of field feature
  5. Use the proper lighting and the right angles

How many reels should I post a day?

According to Instagram, it's best to post 5 to 7 Reels every week. However, it's ultimately up to you at the end of the day; ensure that you do so consistently.

What is the best time to post on Instagram?

While posting times on Instagram differ from one industry to another, certain posting times usually result in the highest engagement rate. According to Later, who analyzed 12 million Instagram posts worldwide, below are the best Instagram posting times:

  • Monday: 6 am, 10 am, and 10 pm EST
  • Tuesday: 2 am, 4 am, and 9 am EST
  • Wednesday: 7 am, 8 am and 11 pm EST
  • Thursday: 9 am, 12 pm, and 7 pm EST
  • Friday: 5 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm EST
  • Saturday: 11 am, 7 pm, and 8 pm EST
  • Sunday: 7am, 8am, and 4pm EST

Should I like my posts?

Liking your posts has divided opinions between many people. However, we think you don't need to do it because posting your content means that you already "like" it.

How Offeo Can Help Create Scroll-Stopping Instagram Content

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How to make an Instagram video using Offeo?

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Are you looking to customize your social media video even more? If so, click on the edit button. You can then add text or effects to your video with ease.

Conclusion: What to Post on Instagram

Back in 2012, 44% of mobile video plays happened on social media. It has since gone up to 74% and keeps going. That's a ridiculous rate of increase. Instagram finally rolled out the capability to upload videos up to 60 seconds long to get people to watch. 

Now, you can upload Reels (60 seconds), and feed videos can also be 1 minute long. If you want to share longer videos, you can always use IGTv.

If you want to stand out in the Instagram feed, you need to invest in videos. You can record new videos from scratch or upload existing videos from your phone's library. But you know the best way to create cool social media videos for Instagram? Offeo!

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Written By
Ankita

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