What to Post on Instagram: 26 Top Post Ideas & Examples

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Wondering what to post on Instagram?

Wondering if there’s a post template that is guaranteed to be a winner?

You’re not alone, though, unfortunately Instagram marketing isn’t as easy as pushing a “win” button.

There are, however, a few tried-and-true strategies that other businesses continually tap to find reasonably reliable success.

This article will give you 26 examples of what you should post on Instagram to help you master the platform.

Before we get started, one best practice to keep an eye out for in these Instagram posts:

Your Instagram posts should do one of four things: Inspire, Educate, Entertain or Reveal.

See if you can find any that break from the mold…

What to Post on Instagram #1: Plenty of Reels

Short-form video content has taken over social media, and Instagram Reels are one of the best ways to use this type of content. Why post lots of Reels? because they’re fun, incredibly engaging, and they can help you get a much wider reach.

the Instagram algorithm rewards Reels and makes them more visible to other users. If you want to go viral on Instagram, posting Reels is the best way. You’ll just need to get a few things right first – like finding the best time to post Reels and posting about the right kind of trending content.

Everyone loves Reels. Get them right, and you can maximize Instagram engagement in a big way.

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Take a look at these Reels ideas for small businesses to help you find inspiration on what to post on Instagram.

What to Post on Instagram #2: Carousels

Carousel posts on Instagram have been identified as the most engaging form of content on the platform. You can use carousels to post about anything, and you’ll always attract a lot more attention.

The great thing about the carousel post format is that it allows you to tell a greater story. Because sometimes one image just isn’t enough.

If you have a list of ideas to present, like “the top 5…”, then using a carousel post is perfect.

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What to Post on Instagram #3: Behind the Scenes

On Instagram, nobody wants to read your blog articles or learn about how you can address their consumer needs. In fact, unless you do it creatively, even a product launch is difficult to pull off with any success.

Instagram users want to see your personality. They want to see who you are as a company. They want to put a face to the name, so to speak.

Showing behind-the-scenes at your company is a great way to showcase your personality, as Microsoft shows us below:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #4: Current Events

A great way to increase Instagram engagement is to tap into what people are already thinking about.

This can be anything…

  • TGIF or “Boo, Monday!” – style posts
  • Well-known holidays (Christmas, Father’s Day)
  • Lesser-known holidays (National Dog Day, National Hot Dog Day)
  • Events or conferences relevant to your target market (SXSW, ComicCon, E3, Content Marketing World, etc)
  • World events (big movie premier, for instance)

Tapping into what people are already thinking about is a great way to boost Instagram engagement, as Forever21 has done with Father’s Day below:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #5: Co-Campaign

You don’t have to be Vans and Nintendo (the example below) to make a co-campaign work. All you need is to contact the social media marketer for a brand you love and pitch a creative co-campaign.

Remember to only target those businesses with whom you share a target market. There’s no point in increasing engagement with Justin Bieber’s fans if you own an auto shop in Delaware.

This example from Vans shows that they recognized a similar target market who it would be valuable for them to reach (and trade reach with):

What to Post on Instagram

For a walkthrough on how you can create a co-campaign or promotion with another business, check out our article, “A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How We Generated 1,263 New Leads (With a Little Help from Our Friends).”

What to Post on Instagram #6: Funny Content

A post idea that really hits home with the “entertainment” requirement I mentioned before is funny content – an opportunity for your business to get creative and make something that makes your Fans (and prospective fans) smile.

This example, from Vitamin Water, uses humor to appeal to their prospective fans and customers, effectively exposing a common social media trope:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #7: Hashtag Contest

Contests, especially hashtag contests, make it easy for Instagram users to engage with your brand, and they incentivize them to do so.

Users submit their photo to your contest by adding a photo to Instagram and then tagging it with a campaign-specific hashtag.

This example from Starbucks also taps into a best practice – a long-running, draw-a-week structure:

What to Post on Instagram

For more on running an hashtag contest on Instagram, check out our walkthrough, “Instagram Hashtag Contests: Examples and Best Practices for Marketers.”

What to Post on Instagram #8: Post High-Quality Images

It should go without saying, but somehow it doesn’t.

I still see brands (brands!) posting low-quality images on Instagram and then wondering why they don’t have great engagement.

Get a better camera (or buy a better phone). High-quality images will soon pay it off with social media engagement and traffic to your website. And even if they don’t, at least you’ll be taken seriously on the platform.

This example from high-end cotton candy company BonPuf shows how beautiful a photo of your product can be if you put it in the right framework and use the right filter:

What to Post on Instagram

We’ve put together a great list of the top Instagram marketing tools if you want to check it out.

What to Post on Instagram #9: Influencer Content

Influencer marketing can boost your business’ reach exponentially, as there are some Instagram users out there with more reach than any business.

You can pay for that reach, for sure (many influencers take cash for a share or endorsement) but you can also approach influencers with a strategy in mind.

My recommendation? Make it far better on their end, at least in the beginning, than it is for you.

And also, don’t (and I mean “don’t”!) approach an influencer whose fans aren’t related to what you sell. As I said above, what’s the point of getting 1,000,000 Beliebers to see your website if you sell car insurance?

This example, from Converse, taps into the celebrity of Maisie Williams (from Game of Thrones) to appeal to their target market:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #10: Campaign Hashtags

A good campaign hashtag allows your Fans to see the content they want quickly, easily, and in one place. It makes Instagram more easily and accurately searchable.

If you’re releasing a new product, consider attaching a hashtag to it with every post you use to promote it. People will soon identify which campaign they’re most interested in (and making their lives easier is never a bad thing).

This example, from Forever21, places their beauty product line as somewhat independent from the rest of what they sell:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #11: Instagram Giveaway

If you don’t have the energy or time to run an Instagram hashtag contest, you can always run a simple Instagram giveaway and promote it within a post.

Just link to your giveaway’s page within your website in your Instagram bio and tell Fans how they can enter for a chance to win.

Here’s an example of an Instagram giveaway from LoveSuja juice:

What to Post on Instagram

Here’s another example from BonPuf cotton candy:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #12: Lifestyle Content

Instagram users want from your brand the same thing they want from any other Instagram user – an insight into their lives and how awesome it is.

And that’s great because that kind of content is also super helpful in driving trust with prospective customers. The person that knows you is far more likely to buy from you.

Here’s an example of an “insight into the life of a brand” (lifestyle) Instagram post from Google:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #13: Pets

There’s not a whole lot to say here, honestly. People love pets, and if your business can find a way to incorporate them into your Instagram presence, do it. And then do it again, and then consistently forever.

Pets/mascots show that your business is hip, fun, modern, and has an awesome personality. And those are characteristics of businesses that people want to buy from.

Here’s an example of a Pet-based Instagram post from social media management tool Hootusite:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #14: Polls

This used to be one of my leading post recommendations on Facebook, but since they cracked down on asking for Likes or Shares, Poll posts have fallen in popularity.

And that’s why I’m excited to see them coming up on Instagram. People love to categorize themselves. They love to feel part of a community. And polls give them that.

There’s a coffee shop by my apartment, and they have two tip jars on their countertop. They have that cool blackboard paint on them, and every day the barista writes a poll on each – things like “Tip for Superman,” and “Tip for Spiderman.”

I asked her, once, if she’s gotten more tips since she added the tip jars. “Hands down,” she said. “Not even a competition.”

Here’s an example of a poll post from MTV’s Instagram profile:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #15: Product-Focused Content

Every once in a while you need to be more than just a pet-posting pollster. You need to remember that Instagram is also a place where you can showcase your products and encourage people to buy them.

This is especially true if you’re a retailer (and your products are attractive).

Just remember you can’t link to your products within the post copy itself, so remind people that the “shop link is in bio” – and continually update that link so it sends people to your product landing page.

Alternatively, try out Instagram Stories, as those do enable users to swipe up to navigate to a linked page.

This example from Forever21 combines a well-framed, professional photo with a great outfit and an @mentioned model (all best practice):

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #16: Seasonal Content

Tapping into what people are already thinking about goes beyond holidays and current events. A great way to connect with Instagram users is to appeal to their enthusiasm (or lack thereof) for the seasons.

Ben & Jerry’s taps into seasonal posts fairly regularly, including this post they did to recognize the beginning of Spring:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #17: Story Content

Story posts are a bit of a challenge and more effectively done by utilizing video, but they’re a powerful strategy.

People love to hear stories, and we’re far more able to remember what we hear if it’s told in story format.

For instance, when Groove tested the addition of a story to their article, they saw a 300% increase in time-on-page.

It’s just as powerful on social media.

This post example, from Tesla Motors, taps into the story to drive engagement on Instagram:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #18: Posts with Style

“Style” is a pretty generic term; I get that. But it’s accurate.

Anything you can do to stand out from the rest of the Instagram news feed should (at least) be tested. Creativity and style are the best ways to do that.

For instance, ditch the photo and go with a graphic created just for Instagram. Or ditch the graphic entirely and post a quote on a white background. Or just post an awesome image with no caption whatsoever. Who knows?

The goal here is to test what works for your audience and to stand out from the rest of the brands publishing on Instagram at that minute of that day.

This example from Adidas taps into their own style, using a graphic instead of a picture of the shoes they’re promoting:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #19: Appreciation Posts

Whether it’s congratulating your employee on her new baby, one of your customers on a successful campaign, or your Fans for reaching a particularly exciting threshold, Instagram users love to celebrate with you.

They love to be a part of something happy, and showing appreciation for something awesome allows them to do just that.

This example from BMW is probably one of the more typical posts which show appreciation. What can your brand come up with to celebrate?

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #20: Trending Hashtags

Just as it’s a best practice to tap into what people are already thinking about with current events, holidays, and seasons, you must also examine what hashtags are currently trending. This allows you to jump onto an already runaway train and take it to the bank.

But don’t force it. BeatsbyDre (the example below) identified the #MarchMadness hashtag as being relevant to their brand and target market. If you’re a spa and hotel in Singapore, #MarchMadness may not be relevant to your Fans (at all), and trying to make it so will just get people confused and, possibly, annoyed.

Here’s the example of a post by BeatsbyDre which includes a trending hashtag:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #21: User-Generated Content

Just like people love celebrating holidays or achievements, they also love celebrating each other.

Create an Instagram post that features user-generated content to tap into the network of the person you’re featuring. UGC also shows you have a relationship with your fans and customers and drives trust.

Here’s an example from Canadian outdoor outfitter MEC:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #22: Video

Creating longer video posts on Instagram is a definite Yes.

But if you don’t have a studio, audio equipment, and an extreme sportswoman to fly off a jump on a motorcycle, consider Instagram Stories, Reels, or a casual-style, candid video.

Take your smartphone and turn the selfie video feature on. Show an unboxing of your new product, an interview with your CEO, or a weekly interview with your product and marketing teams about what they’re working on and why.

Top Tip: If you want to, upload your Instagram videos to Facebook to double your Reach.

Here’s a more professional example of video posts from Redbull:

What to Post on Instagram

What to Post on Instagram #23: Inspirational Content

People love to be inspired by social media. It’s why so many Twitter posts are Elon Musk quotes. But more than the fact that people like seeing an inspirational post, people like sharing an inspirational post.

Instagram (and social media users in general) want to be the people who inspire others. Make it easy for them by identifying inspirational quotes relevant to them and making it easy to share. Even to the extent of prompting them to do it in the post caption.

Here’s an example of an inspirational post from social media management tool Postplanner:

What to Post on Instagram

What To Post On Instagram #24: Tutorial

Tutorials make great Instagram content because they’re a great way to engage with your audience and help establish you as an authority in your field. If you’re not sure what kind of tutorial your Instagram followers would enjoy, consider asking your followers for ideas. A good idea for a tutorial is something that you can teach your audience quickly and easily.

If your Instagram content is centered around beautify, for example, posting a hair tutorial that shows your audience how to achieve a certain hairstyle is a simple idea if you’ve run out of other things to post like @hair2pearl have done below:

What To Post On Instagram #25: Flatlay Your Bag

If you want to give your audience some insight into the personality behind the scenes of your brand, a fun way is to take all the items in your handbag and arrange them neatly and shoot them from above.

This makes for visually interesting Instagram content, but it also lets your followers know a little bit about who you are as a person.

Here’s an example from the fashion page @simplystyledby_veronica:

Flaylay Your Handbag

What To Post On Instagram #26: Your Outfit Of The Day

People love using their Instagram feed as inspiration for outfits. Take advantage of the fact by sharing what you’re wearing with your followers. When it comes to Instagram content ideas, the #OOTD (outfit of the day) is a great way to show your followers your style and sense of fashion.

For the design & fashion page @americanstyle, they went one step further and didn’t just post one outfit but a whole week’s worth!

Related Content:

Wrapping it Up

Hopefully, this article has given you a few ideas about what to post on Instagram. Post the right thing, and you can expect to get more likes, more followers, and more engagement.

A few of the top to focus on…

  • High-quality images
  • Current event/seasonal content
  • User-generated content
  • Creative/stylized posts
  • Polls
  • Pets/Cute posts

If you have any questions about what to post on Instagram, don’t hesitate to reach out in the comment section below!

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