So you’re sitting there without a clue on what to post next on your Instagram? And you’re well familiar with the consistency rule? So you’re scrolling through creative Instagram posts wondering how in the world could these people be so on top of the game all the time…
Sounds familiar?
Don’t worry. You’re not alone in this. Everyone has experienced a complete doom when it comes to constantly come up with the coolest Instagram post ideas.
This is especially true for people running a business Instagram account. Every little post matters, and not posting means getting buried under a ton of competitor content.
We get it. It gets really challenging real quick to brainstorm things to put on Instagram every day. That’s why we’re here to do the heavy lifting for you.
Without further ado, here are the 30 go-to Creative Instagram posts for when you’re out of ideas.
30 Instagram post ideas
#1 Product posts
Let’s start with the most obvious choice. But let’s not make the mistake of making your product promotion the majority of your feed posts. No user likes the overly promotional Instagram page, so you should prioritize useful and entertaining content over promotion.
However, when you do post about your product, be sure to go about it the right way. Post a really cool photo of your product. Think about the setting, the lighting, and the overall aesthetic that makes the first and most important impression.
These photos would get some likes by default. Still, to truly make a lasting impression and encourage better engagement, you’ll have to get strategic about captions. Use the space to communicate the key benefits of the product. Not exactly what you would consider the main benefit, but what your happy customers love about your product. Use their words to highlight one benefit at a time.
#2 Get personal and share your passion
Go deep and share your main reasons and passion behind your hard work. What motivates you to create, learn, do your best every day.
Don’t be afraid you’ll get judged if you don’t have some crazy motivational story to tell. Be authentic, no matter how simple it may seem. Whether it’s your family, your pet, or a childhood dream, your followers will appreciate your honesty and relatability.
#3 Raw, Behind-the-scenes shots
Experiencing a bit of a creative mess? Nothing in your office or workspace looks picture-perfect, but you’re enjoying the process? Seize the opportunity to show the magic at work in your company.
Don’t stress if you don’t actually have a perfect office space. Many entrepreneurs work from home or even from a local coffee shop. Paint the honest and transparent picture of your business your customers will love.
#4 Post about what you’re into lately
This could be anything from a great book you’re reading, a YouTube channel you’ve discovered, a podcast, or a TV show. If it’s industry-related, it can be a great conversation starter. Or, even if it’s not, it’s still great to inspire and offer entertainment options.
In addition to providing useful, fun resources, you are also building a community where people can share their opinions on their favorite books and shows.
#5 Share your routine
Have you got a specific power morning routine? What is your favorite running route? How do you push through the long hour days at work? Have you nailed a healthy food prepping process?
Whatever you have developed that could help inspire your followers to lead more fulfilling or healthier lives – share it in your IG posts. Nothing beats the good ol’ motivational post. But be sure to not lecture or show a superior attitude. Share a realistic routine with a positive and relaxed vibe about it.
#6 Announce your goals
Make your audience your personal cheer squad. Share your plans with them to motivate them to create their own and act as your very own supporters.
Many influencers and motivators share their long and short-term goals to keep themselves accountable.
You can do the same and see how your audience reacts. This can include your business goals, such as some super-specific measurable metrics, or some more personal ones like starting that fitness plan or joining a charity.
#7 Post a meaningful quote
Not just any quote that almost lost any meaning because everyone and their momma can be seen sharing it. Think something really useful and concise.
Best if you put it on your photo.
It doesn’t even have to be a quote from a famous historical figure. You can quote yourself or a colleague, as long as it’s something your audience would find useful and motivating.
Inspirational quotes are still among the coolest Instagram post ideas because they have the power to inspire us to grow and learn, and therefore, entice the likes, comments, and reposts.
#8 Repost
We’ve already covered why and how to repost on Instagram. But here, we’re giving a new twist that’s especially useful for businesses that want to see more engagement and, ultimately, sales from their Instagram efforts.
Repost from your customers or fans. You’ve for sure came across a truly awe-inspiring post from your followers. Why not regram it for your audience to see. This shows how much you appreciate your fans, alongside being a source of inspiration.
#9 Highlight a customer
Speaking of appreciation, you can dedicate a series of posts to some of your most dedicated customers.
You can gift them a product and post a photo or a video of the unboxing. Pick a regular customer, someone you know will be excited to be featured. Or you can do an interview with them for IGTV and talk about how your solution has helped them win an award, improve their business, or get that job.
#10 Offer value in exchange for reach
We’ve all seen those amazing posts where a brand asks you to tag a friend who…
And as much as you’re aware it’s a hack, the offer is too irresistible to pass.
That’s exactly what you need to do. Ask your followers to tag a friend, but make the offer super valuable. Say you’re a nutritionist. You can offer a month of free meal plans for a specific diet you know your audience would find useful.
It’s a perfect win-win if we ever saw one.
#11 Ask questions
We’re used to seeing the question tags in Instagram Stories, but why not do it in the posts and solicit a ton of comments.
Questions are smart Instagram content ideas for when you want an instant engagement boost. People simply love giving their opinion on the topics they care about.
Moreover, if formulated right, they can also be useful for learning more about your audience. Questions can be a valuable resource for new content.
For example, if you’re a pet store owner, asking your audience what’s been the most challenging part of training their dog, you can get a ton of new content ideas.
#12 This or that
Like the Polls in Instagram Stories, you can ask your users to help you decide between the two options. It would be best to put it in the photo as well, so it’s clear at first sight.
If you’re a furniture designer, you can ask which color scheme or material combo they like better. Or, if you’re planning a new product, but you can’t decide between two options, ask your followers what they prefer.
#13 A Tutorial
Show your users how to do something. Research the comments or common questions you receive to find out some of the most prominent pain points and do a tutorial.
This is how businesses and influencers have built their brands on Instagram. Who doesn’t appreciate a good ol’ free tutorial? Especially coming from someone who they love and trust.
You can do a short subtitled video or a post with detailed step-by-step in the captions. It depends on the topic and the niche you are in.
If you’re a beauty blogger, you can do a video tutorial on a specific skin routine, for example. Not really feeling video ready but still eager to share your best bakery recipe? Simply post a great photo of the meal, and break down the recipe in the caption.
#14 A quick tip
Or a hack, if you will. Unlike tutorials that can be as long as you want and can be turned into a series of posts or IGTVs, a quick tip or trick is a relatively short form. It can be done as a one-off or whenever you feel inspired.
Share a short but valuable piece of information that helped you realize something or proved a helpful solution to a problem. Say you’re a photographer. Share a tip on when it’s the best time to do a shooting session at a specific popular location. Or how you fixed a common lighting issue.
#15 Solicit questions
And get an immediate engagement boost.
The popular AMA – Ask Me Anything posts are a super interesting and fun way to engage your audience. They enjoy this immediate communication where they can get a quick response. While you get to enjoy the engagement and still get to control which way the conversation is going by answering the questions you think are relevant.
Post an AMA photo asking your followers to leave questions in the comments. Dedicate about an hour to answer as much as you can. You can use the rest and recycle them for Stories, IGTV, or IG Live content.
#16 Interview a thought leader in the industry
Show you’re well informed and willing to share all the knowledge with your community.
Try to get an interview with a respected expert in your field and let your audience post questions.
This will both help you prepare for the interview while securing content you know your community will engage with.
# 17 Join a trend
Every now and then, we’re seeing a viral meme, a GIF, or a challenge take over Instagram for a week.
Brands, celebrities, and regular folks all take to Instagram to show their take on the trend, and we can’t get enough of these brilliant and hilarious bits.
If you feel especially inspired by a recent viral meme, give your contribution to the fun, and watch the positive momentum reflect in the reaction you get.
#18 Take your grid to the next level
Create a beautiful photo collage to add that something extra to your profile.
Your followers will love it. And you’ll get the nine-posts worth of content for the price of one, so to speak.
Sure, it takes a bit extra work to arrange everything, but it’s well worth the effort.
It works perfectly for visually oriented brands that sell physical products and arts and photography profiles.
But even if you’re not in these particular business categories, you can do an inspirational collage. Just takes some brainstorming and a creativity kick.
For the perfect execution, you’ll have to use some tools like Over or Adobe Photoshop software.
# 19 Share a cool #tb
Or then and now photo collage for inspiration.
Everyone loves a good success story, so why not share yours.
No matter the industry you’re in, you can always find the right angle that inspires your community and shows how perseverance and hard work pay off. Post a photo of you as a child in a costume of the profession you’re in now. Or, show your first basement office in comparison to your company building today.
Whatever makes for an inspirational story will be well received among your audience.
# 20 Share your bad days
As much as we all think, Instagram is a place to show off your best moments, that’s not always the best policy. Especially when it comes to building an honest brand image.
Don’t get us wrong, we don’t mean you should go on a negative spiral and document every downfall you’ve ever experienced. Think of it as a valuable learning experience you’ve had. Something your followers could benefit from.
Share the video of a failed attempt to do a specific yoga position, if you’re a yoga instructor, for example. Explain what happened in the caption, and don’t forget to outline the lessons learned.
Show the human side of your brand and personality by acknowledging your flaws or mistakes. Let everyone know that it’s ok to fail as long as you get up and try again.
#21 Spotlight a tool
Have you recently tried a great new tool that’s making your job easier? Review it in a post and let your audience in on its remarkable benefits.
Not everything has to be a sponsored deal done for profit only. It’s a great practice to highlight a useful tool just for the sake of helping and informing your community.
# 22 Spotlight a person or a brand
Again, no strings attached. Share a post about someone in your industry who is doing a great job. Write about what you admire about them or their product.
People love to see these uplifting and empowering messages from brands. It’s refreshing to see a brand praising rather than bashing the competition.
Moreover, you’re associating your business with that brand or a person, which opens up another set of opportunities for a collab.
# 23 Promote your blog
Your blog could use more traffic? Kill two birds with one stone, and promote it on your Instagram.
Share an excerpt from your most popular blog post to remind your audience about your blog. Use the caption to give more detail, or add another paragraph from the blog.
Leave the link in the Bio and let your readers where they can find it.
Often when we think of what to post on Instagram, we disregard our other platforms entirely or lead magnets. And there’s no better promotional platform than Instagram. So why not put it to good use.
# 24 Promote your other social media accounts
Cross-promote your Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube profiles and channels. At the same time, you’re directing your Instagram audience to follow your other accounts, and you’re doing the two content pieces at once.
Post a tweet, do a screenshot, and share on Instagram. Create a teaser for your latest YouTube video, and post it on Instagram. Really anything you believe your audience would love. Recycle and reuse it.
# 25 Share mind-blowing stats
People react well to stats if they find them truly jaw-dropping. Bear this in mind when you’re brainstorming ideas.
Check out websites like Statista that offer an enormous database of stat resources on practically any niche. Find something really cool for your industry that supports your business idea, and post it alongside a nice pic.
# 26 A hot take
Instead of following the herd mentality, take the road less traveled and share how you really feel about a popular topic.
Don’t be afraid to speak your mind, of course, as long as you’re not bringing harm onto anyone.
For example, the popular opinion in your industry almost everyone agrees on is that particular software is the best possible one. Feel free to express your viewpoint and suggest a better alternative.
# 27 Show your funny side
We could all use a little bit of humor to brighten up our day-to-day. And essentially, that’s one of the main reasons people go to social media.
Share a funny video from your team building, or repost a cat meme that got you laughing for days.
Of course, be careful not to offend anyone. That’s not the image you want to be associated with your brand.
# 28 Announce important events
Is there an important industry event coming soon? Use it when you’re fresh out of Instagram post ideas.
Share your excitement with your community and earn some extra engagement points that go beyond your followers. By posting about an event, you’re also getting discovered by the diverse audience that follows that event. And what better way to connect than through shared interests, right?
# 29 Capitalize on Holidays
Don’t miss the opportunity to make the most out of major holidays and the traffic you can secure from the holiday hashtags.
It takes some preparation in advance, but most importantly, you need to think creatively and include the emotional effect. Remember, holidays are when we are letting our feelings take the wheel, so make sure your posts are geared towards the most beautiful emotions.
# 30 Giveaways
Yes, people still very much love the free stuff. Especially if it is a really valuable gift from a brand they love.
You know the drill:
- Set the rules
- Add your branded hashtag
- Wait in the comments
- Announce the winner
- Post about it
- Repeat
Still not sold on how Instagram giveaways can improve your brand exposure and Instagram engagement? Read all about it in our blog post – How To Run an Original Instagram Giveaway: The Complete 4-Step Guide.
Tried every single Instagram strategy out there, and nothing really worked in the long run? You’re happy with your creative Instagram posts, but they never seem to generate any more significant results? Your audience simply isn’t growing fast enough no matter what you do?
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Takeaway
There is truly a countless amount of Instagram post ideas you can try to leverage Instagram for your business. From throwbacks and funny trends to sharing personal narratives and showing vulnerability.
It’s all about finding your voice and understanding what your audience responds best to.
