Three key features you must optimize for rapid Instagram growth are your profile, stories, and feed.
In this post, we’ll dive headfirst into how to spruce up your Instagram feed for optimum growth.
Instagram says over 95 million photos are being posted every day.
The competition is ruthless. Without optimizing your Instagram feed for reach, your posts will drown in a sea of photos.
And you risk losing out on new followers, engagement, and sales. But we don’t want that, do we? The good news is you can curate your feed to skyrocket your reach and engagement.
We’ve dug into the Instagram algorithm, combed the internet, rummaged our experience, and curated a go-guide for you.
This resource contains more than enough information to get you off on the right foot. Sounds good?
How to Design The Perfect Instagram Feed
When people scroll through your feed, the most important question on their mind is, “why should I keep coming back?”
To make it a no-brainer for people to return for your content, you need to optimize the five most vital components of your Instagram feed post.
These components include:
- The format
- The content
- The Theme
- The caption
- The engagement
#1 The Formats: Photos, Videos, and Carousels, What Works Best?
Instagram is “no longer just a photo-sharing app.” Adam Mosseri of Instagram said so himself. According to him, one of the platform’s priorities in 2022 will be to double down on video.
However, this does not mean photos and carousels no longer work.
Research shows that Carousels are more likely to have higher engagement than single-photo posts.
Even video posts don’t get as much attention. While single-photo posts have a 0.88 percent engagement rate, video posts have a 0.55 percent engagement rate.
Carousel postings, however, take the cake with a whopping 1.05 percent engagement rate.
Still, you can increase your chances of boosting engagement if you post a more extensive range of media on your Instagram feed.
Until you figure out what works best for your followers, create a schedule to post as many kinds of content as possible. Let them include:
- Photos: Photos are perfect for displaying product photographs, offering motivational quotations, and informing your followers.
- Feed videos: Videos can help you show off your products, team, or company in action. Instagram allows you to upload square videos and landscape and vertical videos up to two minutes long.
- IGTV: Consider using IGTV if you have a lot more to present. IGTV posts are Instagram’s long-form video alternative and can last up to 60 minutes.
- Reels: Want something shorter? Create Instagram reels. They’re only 60 seconds long and can include several clips.
Up Next…
#2 The Content: Quality vs. Quantity and How to Strike the Balance
First, clarify what you want to achieve with your Insta-feed content. Are you trying to grow your audience, build a community, or up your engagement game?
Only after answering this question can you start curating your posts to reach your desired goals.
Now listen up: whatever you do, do not hastily churn out contents for the sake of it. It’s preferable to post one fantastic photo weekly than 20 average ones.
This way, your followers will appreciate your posts and wait for the next one with bated breath. Also, if your audience considers your post qualitative and relevant, the chances of responding positively to it increase.
The results? Your posts will rank higher. So, before you push “post” next time, think about how the content contributes to your brand.
Key questions to ask yourself before posting are:
- Is this a post someone will happily like or comment on?
- Is this a post people will save and revisit later?
- Will it prompt someone to tap on my profile?
Extra Tip: Your audience’s actions can tell you a lot about what they like. Analyze your data to see what content succeeds or doesn’t and how your audience interacts with your pieces over time. Then, double down on what works.
#3 The Theme: How to Create a Cohesive Instagram Theme
If a feed looks scattered and inconsistent, would you follow it? Not likely. On Instagram, visuals are everything.
It’s why maintaining a consistent feed of high-quality visuals with a cohesive theme crowns your brand a cut-above in the eye of followers.
Think of your theme as how you want your brand to be perceived, the emotions your feed is supposed to evoke.
There are several elements to creating a striking theme with your Instagram post. These are the most important ones:
- Choose a Color Palette
Have you ever observed that the most successful Instagram accounts use specific color palettes? For one, it makes a feed memorable. It also beautifies and keeps the feed coordinated. One easy way to pick a color palette is to determine your brand personality. By “brand personality,” we mean the set of human traits that represent your brand. So, imagine your brand as a person; what qualities does it possess? Is it fun, laid-back, innovative, feisty, or whimsical? Choose between 1-3 colors that portray your brand’s characters and use only these colors on your feed. For example, a company like Coca-Cola successfully uses red to mark its territories.
- Use High-Quality Visuals
On a platform where visuals are all that matters, the importance of posting only high-quality pictures (and videos) cannot be overemphasized. Whether or not you’re considering buying real likes on Instagram, quality visuals always give you an edge. And you know, the more engagement, the better for your brand. Taking quality shots isn’t that hard. You don’t even need a fancy camera. With a steady hand, good light, and an eye for unusual photo compositions, you’ll take amazing photos.
- Choose a Filter
And stick to it. Use a filter to enhance your photos. But don’t overdo it. You don’t want your feed to appear too artificial. If you run an Instagram page that’s all about making amazing cookies, for example, wouldn’t it be weird if the cookies you post look unnatural? People are more inclined to engage with content that appears real.
- Decide on a Grid Layout
The arrangement of the post on your Instagram grid is your grid layout. It helps you know what photo you should put next to another photo. When designing an aesthetic layout or grid, you’re forced to think about the overall look of your feed. And that’s a good thing. Pick and use only one grid layout, and plan each square carefully, ensuring your layout is balanced. Moving on…
#4 The Caption: Making it Punchy, Strong, and On Brand
Some people use Instagram captions as a platform for storytelling and microblogging. Others use it to ask questions and solicit responses.
While you can use captions however you like—depending on your brand needs— What matters is that the caption is strong, relevant, and consistent with your brand.
Quick Tip: Instagram captions can’t exceed 2,200 characters. Plus, as people scroll, they only see a few words and then… ellipsis. If you want your caption to hit home, make your first few words striking.
But you can’t do this without first clarifying the point of your post.
Do you wish to share tips, offer guidance, or tell followers how to use your products?
Always refer to your style guide to ensure that your tone, language, and format are on-brand. Also, add a call to action (CTA). It often improves your engagement and yields better results.
Examples of great CTAs are:
- Swipe up to see more!
- Tell us what you think!
- Click our bio link to browse.
Keep in Mind: Longer captions with storytelling elements are often effective. Why? They make brands appear more authentic and encourage people to connect emotionally.
The Engagement: How to Actively Engage With Your Audience
If you’re a great Instagram user yourself, chances are that your organic reach will grow over time.
The Instagram algorithm is designed to reward genuine, positive behaviors on the platform, such as sharing, expressing gratitude, quick response, and so on.
The takeaway? Beyond optimizing your instagram feed for engagement, you also need to engage actively.
By this, we mean:
- Post high-quality, relevant material (be it informative, inspiring, or entertaining)
- Respond fast to comments and questions on your posts
- Thank everyone who has left a comment on your posts
- Explore other people’s profiles, comment on their posts, and become friends with them
5 Instagram Best Practices for a Highly Efficient Feed
1. Post At The Right Times
While there is no one-size-fits-all best time to post on Instagram, there are optimal periods to reach the majority of your followers. And Instagram makes it simple to know these times.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page in your Audience Insights.
There, you’ll see when your audience is most engaged.
2. Include Relevant Hashtags
Research shows that posts with as little as one hashtag get 12.6 percent more interaction.
Do some research and use 5-10 relevant hashtags in your comments section after posting. Also, experiment with different hashtags to see which ones work best for you.
Note That: If you choose hashtags that are too broad, your post will be competing with millions of others. Instead, select the perfect hashtag for connecting with your targeted fans by combining popular hashtags with industry-specific ones.
3. Always Add a Location Tag
Adding a location is vital if you want people to find your photo when they search Instagram. People interested in the location tag will see your images in the area you’ve labeled them in.
This exposes you to new audience.
4. Post Consistently
You already know you must be active to attract followers and boost engagement rates. The question is, how active should you be?
According to statistics, regular 1-2 postings every day is the sweet spot.
Your feed will remain fresh and current, and you increase the possibilities of drawing attention to your feed. You can stay consistent by creating and scheduling posts in batches.
When you do this, your account will never go dark, even when you’re busy.
Plus, scheduling posts makes experimenting with posting times possible without putting pressure on your mental health.
5. Use Instagram Paid Ads to Widen Your Reach
Sponsored advertisements are great for reaching users who are likely to be interested in your content.
Using various targeting options, Instagram advertising helps you to get your brand in front of the appropriate individuals.
As a result, you’ll be able to attract both new followers and buyers.
Go Rule the Gram!
Ready to bring your Instagram feed to life? You’ve just been armed with all that you need.
Remember, Instagram keeps evolving, which means this journey never ends.
Think of your Instagram profile as a business that is always growing and evolving while creating deeper connections with its fans.
While at it, don’t underestimate the power of data. Always track your post performance and observe your audience interaction through the insight feature.
If you do this and use all the tips we’ve provided above, it’s only a matter of time before new followers start pouring into your account.