Content plan on Instagram* must be carefully thought out. It is a multifaceted social network where visual content comes first, so when creating content for an Instagram* blog, it is important to consider behavioral factors.
Types of Content
Managing an Instagram* account is not just about posting photos. You need to carefully consider the topics and types of content to make it interesting and useful for followers.
Images
To create quality content, you need to first consider the dimensions of images for posts, which in the standard version are shown in the format 1080x1920px or 600x315px. These are all minimum requirements to ensure high-quality display on different devices. If you have non-standard content, there may be difficulties with its display, such as the appearance of a white background on the edges or cropping to the format needed by the application.
Posts
Besides images, it is important to create engagement through textual content. This could be a planned post on a certain topic or a spontaneous urge to engage followers in discussions by sharing opinions about events in the world or their field. Often, bloggers plan ahead what they will write about today, in the week, or this month. These posts can be published both independently and through auto-posting services.
However, there are cases when events occur that require immediate response. In such cases, authors post content deviating from the usual posting schedule to support their audience or express an opinion.
Stories
Not only are photos and posts important on Instagram*. Such accounts look faceless and "non-lively." To increase audience interest, it is recommended to include in your monthly content plan for Instagram* the regular publication of stories. They can be prepared in advance or taken on the spot and posted immediately.
Content in stories on Instagram* is another important element of a content strategy on Instagram*. They allow for quick sharing of important information and maintaining audience interest. Videos for stories should be short (up to 15 seconds) and contain useful information. You can also use stickers and text written in a unique font for additional attention.
Highlights
Besides "vanishing" stories, you can create entire catalogs. These allow you to save important information for a long period. For example, you can save answers to frequently asked questions, information on available products, etc. This helps maintain follower interest and increase traffic to your website or blog.
To capture the attention of more users, you need to determine the format of content to be used and its goal.
Video
Additionally, Instagram* offers 2 more popular video formats: IGTV and Reels.*
IGTV is used for longer videos such as reviews, event recordings, and livestreams. The allowable video length for upload is 60 minutes.
Reels are short videos not exceeding 60 seconds. This video format allows the use of effects and retouches, changing video speed, setting timers, and creating video collages. All these features are available when recording videos.
Both video formats have a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, ensuring high image quality. It is important to remember that videos in these formats can be found in the general Instagram feed or in the corresponding sections.
How to Create Content on Instagram*
If you are wondering how to create a content plan for Instagram, it's important to clearly formulate answers to the following questions and follow the strategy:
| Content Goal | Direct Sales | Personal Brand Blog Development | Content for Content's Sake |
|---|---|---|---|
| The account should be vibrant, posts should grab attention immediately, constant activity in stories, and maximum audience engagement. | The account should have its style, a calm environment encouraging commentary. Posts convey their atmosphere, which keeps followers connected. | Maximally aesthetic content: vivid photos, perfect reels, ASMR videos. | |
| This format can be adapted for any niche, from manicure to car dealerships. | |||
| Audience Age | 15-25 | 25-40 | 15-50 |
| For a young audience, themes like psychology, healthy lifestyles, relationships (self, partner, parents, world), bloggers' lives, digital education, sports are suitable. | Aesthetically appealing content, client pains (motherhood, household chores, cosmetology, self-care, etc.). | To capture an audience with a wide age range, informative content (life hacks, selections, animal blogs, funny videos) is suitable. | |
| Account Goal | Subscriber Acquisition. | Like Acquisition. | Audience Engagement. |
| Clickbait posts, closed accounts, subscription gifts, vines, trending reels, collaboration with other bloggers or barter advertising. | Contests, giveaways, vines, beautiful visual content, extreme photos, photos with celebrities or more famous bloggers. | Providing useful content with visual design, raising topics of interest to the audience, answering follower questions, streams, and live broadcasts. |
All this is a recommended plan for creating content in Instagram*, which will help you get started. Once you gain your audience, you can analyze what they like and base your content plan for the next month on their interests. This is an important step, as it's crucial not only to gain an audience but also to retain it. Doing this at the initial stages is quite challenging. Therefore, don't hesitate to ask followers for their opinion on the content and experiment with formats and topics.
Content Formats on Instagram*
You can choose from the following categories of content:
- informational;
- entertaining;
- engaging;
- user-generated;
- promotional.
To separate these categories, the following methods are used:
- Different hashtags, they also help users search for specific posts;
- Unique images for posts — when it comes to a specific category, it doesn't have to be a beautiful image or the best photo from the gallery. It is important for users that the very first image in the carousel has a title since the full post description is hidden. If your cover doesn't attract them — they are less likely to read the content and leave their opinion in the form of a like or comment.
- Assigning a specific date to a certain rubric. This will help you quickly adapt and prepare content in advance.
What is Organic Content
Organic content is content that has not been purchased or paid for. This can include photos and videos made by the user, as well as content created by other users and published by them.
How Often Should Content be Published on Instagram to Maintain Activity?
It is recommended to publish new posts at least once a day. However, the frequency of publications may depend on your niche and audience. If you have a business account, it is recommended to publish more frequently to maintain connection with followers.
What Content is Best Suited for Promotion?
For promotion on Instagram*, bright photos and videos are best suited. Stories with useful information also work well. Remember to use hashtags and geotags to attract more views.
Can You Promote Your Content Without Buying Ads?
Yes, you can. To do this, you need to use hashtags, geotags, and other methods to draw attention to your content. Additionally, you can participate in various contests and activities related to your content to attract new followers.
What if I Don't Have Time to Write Content?
To avoid worrying your followers, you can temporarily convert all content into a text format. The neural network Postmypost AI can help you come up with post ideas and quickly write text. This is not just an artificial intelligence but a full-fledged marketing tool that helps businesses stay on top and saves you time for rest or other tasks. You don't need to search for the 25th hour in a day when there's a service that can take over some of the routine tasks.
* The Meta company, which owns Facebook and Instagram social networks, is recognized as an extremist organization in Russia and is banned in the country.
