Let's talk about the various Instagram post types and some finest practices for motivating engagement.
Images
The most common post on Instagram is an image post. When posting images, share a variety of images. Variety will show your brand name varies and engage your fans in different ways.
It's likewise essential to remember that Instagram users are looking for genuine posts from brand names-- not outright advertisements. Try to record your business culture with way of life shots and behind-the-scenes looks. Avoid publishing a lot of pictures of your product.
Example: Nike's Instagram includes item images, but the bulk reveal genuine athletes, performances, and other types of material that promote the Nike brand name character as a whole.
As you begin to check out the platform, you'll see there are countless type of images you can publish to your account. Get innovative! Keep in mind of any principles or styles you believe would work well for your brand name.
To get you started, we've assembled a list of some successful Instagram image types.
Behind-the-Scenes Posts
These posts provide a glimpse into the part of your organization that individuals do not typically see. It's essential that they don't look staged-- authenticity is essential!
Example: Aeronaut Brewing Company offered a within take a look at its company culture by showcasing its staff members at work.
Reposts From Employees
Excellent content can be right in front of you ... on your staff members' Instagrams. (Just make certain to tag or credit the original poster.) Reposting photos from your employees is a simple way to curate genuine content and humanize your business. Not just will your audience engage with your brand, however they'll likewise begin to "bond" with your employees.
Example: Fenway Park frequently reposts images shared by the premises crew as they prepare the arena.
Educational Posts
Educational posts provide snackable tips on how to do or make something. The photos or videos usually present the directions in a way that fast and simple to follow.
Example: The popular Tasty dish video series from Buzzfeed is educational yet extremely entertaining and simple to duplicate.
Influencer Posts
Influencer posts utilize the fame of a star or well-known public figure to promote your brand. These posts often include a visual of the influencer using or engaging with your item. Among the primary advantages of influencer posts is acquiring the attention of another audience.
Example: Goal Zero shows prominent rock climber and photographer Alex Honnold utilizing one of its solar energy charging stations. Not just is Goal Zero reaching its own audience, it's likewise reaching Alex's 500,000-plus Instagram follower base.
Motivational Posts
An inspirational post integrates an easy visual with an overlaid quote or uplifting text. These posts motivate your audience and magnify your brand values. While efficient, try to post these sparingly to prevent looking cheesy. Apps like Quipio and Typic can help you include text to images in a manner that's consistent with your brand name standards.
Example: Foundr frequently shares motivational posts to motivate its fan base of entrepreneurs, small business owners, and marketers. The posts likewise line up with their mission as a service media business.
User-Generated Content
Similar to staff member reposts, user-generated material (UGC) is curated material from your fans and fans. Your tagged posts and posts with your brand name hashtag are a fantastic source for UGC.
Sharing your fans' and followers' pictures not only make the initial poster feel good, it also reveals that you truly appreciate your clients. Simply make certain to credit the original post with a tag or in the caption. To repost user-generated content, screenshot and crop the initial post or utilize a reposting app like Repost for Instagram.
Example: WeWork conducts a yearly #DogsOfWeWork project and compiles the best submissions together into an annual calendar. WeWork doesn't repost every tagged image, their campaign assists develop invaluable reach and engagement.
Newsjacking (Trending Holiday Posts)
It seems like there's a "vacation" for everything these days. Events like National Learn This Here Now Sibling Day and National Ice Cream Day create a ton of engagement on social networks. Join in the enjoyable by participating in a regional, national, or world trend. A newsjacking post is a terrific way to post funny content that connects to light-hearted occasions.
Example: Corridor Brewing commemorated the Cubs' Opening Day. Through this post, the American restaurant chain took advantage of a popular American pastime.
Capturing and Editing Instagram Photos
Now that we've explored what you can post on Instagram, let's review some ways to make certain your content succeeds. Unlike other social networks platforms, Instagram's basic profile layout forces you to concentrate on the quality of material ... not the quantity.
While this is excellent for engagement, it likewise indicates that you can't hide mediocre content. Do your absolute best to use high-resolution images on your Instagram feed.
Square images must be 1080 x 1080px. Landscape images ought to be 1080 x 566px, and profile images should be 1350 x 1080px. No matter what size you upload, every image will be shown as a square in your profile feed.
How to Take a Great Photo With Your Smartphone
You might be believing How am I supposed to capture the perfect, high-quality shot without a top quality camera? No worries! Phone cam innovation has become so sophisticated that it now rivals thousand-dollar cameras.
Incredible photography is no longer restricted to those with professional cams. You (yes, you!) can take distinctive pictures your audience will like using a tool you already have in your hands. Here are some ideas to drive fan development and Instagram engagement.
1. Follow the rule of thirds.
To immediately enhance your photo structure, switch on your electronic camera grid lines. Objective to put your topic at the intersection of one set of vertical and horizontal lines. This technique, known as the rule of thirds, is popular among painters, illustrators, and professional photographers.
Positioning your subject off center creates a minor imbalance that captures your viewer's eye. To turn on your grid lines (on an iPhone), go to Settings > Photos & Camera and change Grid to on.
2. Focus on a single subject.
A crowded background with several subjects in a frame only sidetracks from the focus of your shot. It can even puzzle your audience.
Instead, concentrate on a single topic in each image. Get rid of diversions by cropping them out or discovering a tidy background to shoot versus.
3. Benefit from unfavorable area.
Unfavorable area is the empty space around your topic. Leaving negative area around your subject will draw attention to the preferred focus of your image and avoid it from looking crowded.
4. Search for interesting point of views.
People are used to seeing the world from eye level. To create interesting and fresh pictures, use shots from different viewpoints. Alter your shooting viewpoint to catch a bird's eye view or worm's eye view. Experiment with different angles to find new perspectives on typical sights.
5. Take advantage of symmetry and patterns.
The human eye is naturally drawn to in proportion shapes and objects. Often, it's best to break the guideline of thirds and center the scene in your frame. Leading lines are another more particular form of proportion that pulls the eye into the image. Individuals are also drawn to patterns. A pattern might be man made, such as a tiled flooring, or natural, such as petals on a flower or vines on a wall. To make things truly fascinating, separate the pattern with your subject.
6. Use natural light.
Standard overhead lighting creates severe shadows and highlights that create unwanted dark and light areas in your images. To avoid this from taking place, use soft natural light anywhere possible. Attempt taking images beside a window, and for outdoor shots, the half-hour prior to sunset and after sunrise typically provides the most striking lighting as the sun is low in the horizon.