9 Ways to Improve your Instagram Feed
Have you ever searched Pinterest for, “How to have a good Instagram Feed” only to come up with nothing? There are a ton of really simple actions you can take to improve your Instagram feed. Today, I’m sharing 9 simple ways to take your feed from good to next level!
1. Develop a visual theme.
There are a ton of ways to approach the whole theme thing, the most popular being color.
I use a Lightroom preset that I created on all of my photos that go into my Instagram feed. It’s designed to adjust the colors of each photo so it blends with the personal branding photos I got over the summer.
But there are more ways to have a visual theme than just changing your editing style.
Maybe you have the same notebook in every picture or you always use a white background.
Having a visual theme of some kind just means that there is some kind of common thread or consistency in your feed.
2. Use templates
Improving your Instagram feed can be totally simple. And one of the really cool things about social media? You don’t have to be a graphic designer to have a really beautiful feed.
There are a million different template and stock photo combos that you can use to build a custom looking Instagram feed without feeling like you need to go to graphic design school.
I love to use Creative Market for this kind o thing. You can find templates for your Instagram feed, stories, and just about anything else you can think of for your blog.
Creative Market is one of my best-kept secrets 😉
Related: 5 Tools you DON’T need to kill it on Instagram
3. Choose 5 visual themes…
I find that one of the biggest struggles bloggers go through on Instagram is choosing what image to post.
I’ll let ya in on a little secret: You can post the same 3-5 types of pictures over and over again. No one will think twice about it and you get the bonus of a consistent feed.
I’d call that a win.
4. …and 5 caption themes.
The cool thing about Instagram (and marketing in general) is that you don’t actually have to come up with brand new content all the time. In fact, when you stick with the same 5 or so content themes.
When you approach social media with themes it does two things for you:
- It makes social media way simpler.
- It begins to establish you as an authority online.
5. Plan ahead
Believe it or not, planning ahead really can help you take your Instagram feed to the next level.
If you’re type A, then I bet you already have a plan but type B folks, hear me out. You don’t have to plan and execute everything right now. That’s a bit overwhelming. But you can choose your photos and caption themes now to save yourself a bit of time later.
Some plan > No plan. Am I right?
6. Post consistently
I know it seems obvious but posting on a regular basis is one of the most powerful strategies you can have on IG.
And it doesn’t have to make you crazy.
Consistency can be easy. Say, you’re a craft blogger. You could:
- Post something motivational on Monday
- Talk about craft supplies that you love on Wednesday
- Share about your new blog post on Friday
- Promote your freebie on Saturday before you send out your newsletter on Sunday
Posting on Instagram shouldn’t make you feel crazy in the head and when you go into it with a plan for consistency you create both healthy boundaries on social and a sanity plan for yourself.
Sanity = Good
Related: Instagram Highlight Covers: How to create, upload and update them
7. Have an engagement plan
Posting on Instagram is really only half it. And if you want to grow your account following you can’t rely solely on hashtags and hope to do it.
So, having some kind of plan or system in place sets you up with, yes, another boundary for your social media use.
My recommendation? Start with 15 minutes every single day or connecting with 5 new accounts everyday.
(Pssst… I also like the $1.80 method from Gary Vee. But it’s definitely a little more of a time investment.)
8. Use the features of the platform
One of the biggest mistakes (and easiest ways to improve your Instagram feed) I see from bloggers on Instagram is trying to bypass the platform completely and using other programs for all of their content creation.
But Instagram has a TON of features. And they are all meant to help create engaging content that your audience wants to interact with.
Plus, they are easy to use and that is a huge bonus in my book!
9. Utilize a CTA or question in your caption
This is a big one. If people don’t know what to do with your post you won’t get any kind of action out of them.
So, when you’re creating your content ask yourself what the end goal is going to be.
Do you want them to comment? Do you want them to think about something? Maybe you want them to go watch your stories or subscribe to your email list.
When you are really clear what you want your audience to do with your content they are more likely to do it.
