Let's discuss the different Instagram post types and some best practices for motivating engagement.
Images
The most typical post on Instagram is an image post. When posting images, share a range of pictures. Range will show your brand name is diverse and engage your followers in different methods.
It's also crucial to bear in mind that Instagram users are searching for real posts from brands-- not outright ads. Attempt to Useful Source capture your business culture with way of life shots and behind-the-scenes appearances. Avoid posting too many pictures of your item.
Example: Nike's Instagram includes item images, but the majority reveal genuine athletes, concerts, and other types of material that promote the Nike brand personality 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 imaginative! Keep in mind of any concepts or styles you believe would work well for your brand.
To get you began, we've put together a list of some successful Instagram image types.
Behind-the-Scenes Posts
These posts provide a look into the part of your business that people do not typically see. It's essential that they don't look staged-- authenticity is key!
Example: Aeronaut Brewing Company supplied an inside look at its company culture by showcasing its workers at work.
Reposts From Employees
Fantastic content can be ideal in front of you ... on your employees' Instagrams. (Just make certain to tag or credit the initial poster.) Reposting images from your Navigate To These Guys workers is a simple method to curate genuine content and humanize your organization. Not just will your audience engage with your brand name, but they'll also begin to "bond" with your workers.
Example: Fenway Park frequently reposts images shared by the premises team as they prepare the arena.
Educational Posts
Educational posts offer snackable tips on how to do or make something. The images or videos typically provide the instructions in a manner that are quick and simple to follow.
Example: The popular Tasty dish video series from Buzzfeed is academic yet very amusing and easy to duplicate.
Influencer Posts
Influencer posts utilize the fame of a celeb or well-known public figure to promote your brand name. These posts frequently include a visual of the influencer utilizing or connecting with your product. One of the primary advantages of influencer posts is acquiring the attention of another audience.
Example: Goal Zero shows prominent rock climber and professional photographer Alex Honnold using among its solar energy charging stations. Not just is Goal Zero reaching its own audience, it's also reaching Alex's 500,000-plus Instagram fan base.
Motivational Posts
A motivational post combines a simple visual with an overlaid quote or uplifting text. These posts encourage your audience and enhance your brand values. While reliable, try to post these moderately to avoid looking cheesy. Apps like Quipio and Typic can assist you include text to photos in a way that's constant with your brand standards.
Example: Foundr typically shares motivational posts to encourage its follower base of business owners, small business owners, and online marketers. The posts also line up with their objective 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 hashtag are a terrific source for UGC.
Sharing your fans' and fans' pictures not just make the initial poster feel excellent, it likewise shows that you truly care about your clients. Just make sure to credit the initial post with a tag or in the caption. To repost user-generated material, screenshot and crop the original post or utilize a reposting app like Repost for Instagram.
Example: WeWork performs a yearly #DogsOfWeWork campaign and assembles the best submissions together into an annual calendar. WeWork does not repost every tagged image, their campaign helps develop indispensable reach and engagement.
Newsjacking (Trending Holiday Posts)
It looks like there's a "vacation" for everything these days. Events like National Sibling Day and National Ice Cream Day create a ton of engagement on social media. Join in the enjoyable by participating in a local, national, or world pattern. A newsjacking post is an excellent way to post amusing material that associates with light-hearted events.
Example: Corridor Brewing celebrated the Cubs' Opening Day. Through this post, the American dining establishment chain took advantage of a popular American leisure activity.
Capturing and Editing Instagram Photos
Now that we've explored what you can post on Instagram, let's review some ways to make sure your content succeeds. Unlike other social networks platforms, Instagram's easy profile layout forces you to focus on the quality of material ... not the quantity.
While this is fantastic for engagement, it also indicates that you can't hide average material. Do your best to use high-resolution images on your Instagram feed.
Square images ought to be 1080 x 1080px. Landscape images ought to be 1080 x 566px, and profile images ought to be 1350 x 1080px. No matter what size you publish, every image will be revealed as a square in your profile feed.
How to Take a Great Photo With Your Smartphone
You might be thinking How am I supposed to catch the best, premium shot without a top quality electronic camera? No worries! Phone video camera technology has become so innovative that it now equals thousand-dollar cams.
Remarkable photography is no longer restricted to those with expert cameras. You (yes, you!) can take eye-catching photos your audience will like utilizing a tool you already have in your hands. Here are some ideas to drive follower development and Instagram engagement.
1. Follow the rule of thirds.
To quickly improve your image composition, turn on your video camera grid lines. Aim to put your subject at the crossway of one set of vertical and horizontal lines. This technique, known as the rule of thirds, is popular among painters, illustrators, and professional photographers.
Putting your topic off center develops a slight imbalance that catches your viewer's eye. To switch on your grid lines (on an iPhone), go to Settings > Photos & Camera and change Grid to on.
2. Concentrate on a single topic.
A congested background with multiple subjects in a frame only distracts from the focus of your shot. It can even confuse your audience.
Rather, concentrate on a single topic in each picture. Remove distractions by cropping them out or discovering a tidy background to shoot against.
3. Benefit from negative area.
Unfavorable area is the void around your topic. Leaving negative space around your subject will draw attention to the wanted focus of your image and avoid it from looking crowded.
4. Search for interesting perspectives.
People are used to seeing the world from eye level. To produce interesting and fresh photos, use shots from different viewpoints. Change up your shooting point of view to catch a bird's eye view or worm's eye view. Try out different angles to discover new viewpoints on typical sights.
5. Leverage balance and patterns.
The human eye is naturally drawn to balanced 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 balance that pulls the eye into the image. People are likewise 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 interesting, separate the pattern with your subject.
6. Usage natural light.
Basic overhead lighting produces harsh shadows and highlights that develop undesirable dark and light locations in your pictures. To prevent this from taking place, utilize soft natural light any place possible. Try taking images beside a window, and for outside shots, the half-hour just before sundown and after sunrise frequently uses the most striking lighting as the sun is low in the horizon.