A Guide To The Perfect Instagram Post

A lot of things in Social Media are out of our control, but one thing that is - crafting the perfect Instagram post. Over the last year or so, we've broken down every aspect of how to most efficiently and effectively create a post on Instagram, so here we finally pull everything together in one convenient place.

If you’d prefer to watch us run through the perfect post, take a look below:

1. Upload a High-Resolution Photo or Video

First things first - the actual piece of content. As always, ensure that you're uploading a high-resolution image or video (for a Reel) that is properly edited in a style and colour scheme that works for your brand and your feed.

If you're posting a Reel, try to leverage Trending Audio to capture some more reach (you can find trendings songs when you select your music when posting a Reel under the Trending Audio tab).

For more information on how you can create your content, check out our video on budget-friendly content creation tools, and with regard to creating content in convenient batches, watch our video on How To Create One Week of Content in an Hour.

2. Write a Caption

So once you've got your high resolution image or video and selected it within the app, it's time to write the caption. Your image hooks the user but the caption is where the real action is. Ensure your captions are educational (teaching people something) and entertaining (funny, tell a story), they evoke an emotion or have emotion attached (sad, whimsical, nostalgic, joyful), and ask a question (which helps with engagement). For more information on how to increase your opportunities with engagement when creating a post, check out our video about getting more likes and comments on Instagram.

3. Tag All Relevant Brands

Your photo is selected, you've written your captivating caption and now it's time to tag. Any brands or people in your image or video should be tagged to ensure they receive the notification and can engage with and share your post, which will in turn expose you to their audience. This is the first step in our High Season 3-Tag Approach, which you can get more detail on via our How To Grow On Instagram Using Hashtags video.

4. Tag Location

The second element of our 3-Tag Approach is the location tag. Always tag where you were when the piece of content was taken, as this allows the post to be searched by location. Even if you're at home and you don't want to expose your address, simply tag your city or neighbourhood to capture those interested in your region.

5. Alternate Text

One of the newest elements of the perfect Instagram post is the Alternate or Alt Text. This is something that was brought over from the SEO world of Google, which not only tells the crawlers what the image or video is about, but it also provides context for those who are visually impaired. It will help Instagram better sort and rank your post and put you ahead of those who aren't using this function. Also, don't forget to add in any Topics if the existing ones are applicable for your post. For more information about Alt Text, check out our video about How To Get On The Instagram Explore Page.

6. Post Your Hashtags

The third and final element of our 3-Tag Approach is posting the hashtags. Ensure you always use all 30 available hashtags and max them out to make sure you're capturing every opportunity to reach new users. Hashtags should always be posted in the first comment and not in the caption, mostly for aesthetic reasons. For more information on how to break down the types of hashtags to use, check out our video on point 3 about how to use hashtags.

7. Share to Stories

The final step in crafting the perfect Instagram post is to share your post to Stories. The ultimate organic algorithm hack, sharing your post to your Stories with clear CTAs to "Tap here!" or "Swipe up!", fun GIFs or drawings, and appropriate tags (the 3-Tag Approach still applies to Stories) will ensure more of your followers (and potential followers) see your post. Take a look at this video on some Instagram Stories Features you may not be aware of.

Looking to step up your Instagram and social strategies for your business? Book a consultation for tailored guidance.