The Anatomy of a Great Instagram Post
Have you ever looked at a big influencer’s photo and thought “how did that get 2 million likes, it’s just a crappy photo of a shoe”?
The truth is that bigger accounts can get away with more. When you’re Kylie Jenner, of course you can have your Instagram bio read just “Kylie”, everyone knows who you are! Of course you can post an image of a shower and caption it “happy friday” (sic!) and still get 3.4 million likes!
But the same doesn’t apply to the regular small business trying to grow their account these days. Not when there are SO many other accounts to compete with…
So if you want to play it by the book and grow your account organically, you want to consistently share good quality content that attracts your ideal client.
Of course, any great Instagram post starts with a strong image. And just captioning it “happy friday” won’t work for most of us. You need an image that grabs attention and a caption that keeps your ideal client reading until the end.
And then, there’s the details that tie it all together… Always remember to:
Add the location tag. Often disregarded, this option actually increases the chances of your post being discovered by people outside your following. Make it as specific as possible (though probably not so specific as to share your home address).
Tag products and/or people. If you’re selling products, do tag them in your posts, so people can shop! Also tag people or brands as needed, and be sure to check you’ve got the handle right before publishing. If you’re tagging someone to credit them for the photo, be sure to also tag them in the caption as a courtesy. You already asked for permission, right?
Use an eye-catching, clear image. Yes, phone photos can be enough, especially as Instagram’s general aesthetic is changing towards more natural, ‘real life’ images. You can also opt for stock images or Canva graphics, like I do. A text overlay is a good idea if you want to stop the scroll. And remember that carousel posts (now up to 20 slides long!) and photo dumps are gaining more traction in 2024, in addition to Reels.
Use a vertical image, 1080 x 1350 px. While you can technically use square, vertical or horizontal images on Instagram, a 4:3 ratio is ideal. This takes more space in people’s feed - the whole screen, actually - making it more likely that they stop and read your bit. There’s also talk that Instagram will remove the square-shaped grids on your profile in favor of a more organic look, so keep that in mind when you create new content.
Write an attention-grabbing caption before the ‘more’ button. Instagram cuts your caption after the first two rows, so you want to make sure people will tap on that ‘more’ button. This is the place for your hook.
Use all 30 hashtags, at the end of the caption. Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags on each post, so take advantage and use them all. Add them to the end of your caption, below the ‘more’ button. You can alternatively add them as the first comment, but it’s just an extra step for you.
There you have it. These six details can make or break your Instagram post. Share them with a friend :)