Are you constantly wondering – “What should I post on Instagram?”. Well, in this post, we’ll share 33 super effective Instagram post ideas with you that you can leverage for your own brand. These Instagram post ideas have been handpicked after analysing best-performing posts from 100+ brands on Instagram across 10+ categories such as food, e-commerce, tech, real estate, fitness, home decor, and more.
Not just that, we’ve also made it super easy for you to adopt these Instagram ideas with the help of ready-to-use templates that you can use for FREE. Head over to InVideo’s Instagram page to get a glimpse of how these templates can be used to create effective brand videos.
Since the ideas are in no particular order, we’d implore you to read all the Instagram post ideas till the end – it will only inspire you more + and get you more templates to use for your own brand.
Let’s dive right in!
What to post on Instagram?
1. Creative product displays
If you’re still sharing catalogue photos of your products on Instagram – you need to update your feed right away. Instagram is a visual platform and nothing works better than an eye-catching image. Check out Bira’s feed – they share interesting product photos that tell a story and help the viewer imagine what it would be like to have a Bira Beer.
To make your product photos more interesting – add props, a human element and create elements of the stories you want to tell. Watch this video to understand how you can click better lifestyle photographs for your Instagram feed.
You can also create stunning videos of your products to make your feed more dynamic. Just like a picture, make sure you add elements that enhance the scene and you can also add animated text, music and effects. You will get more engagement with a video post because your audience will spend more time on it. You can also use stock footage if you don’t have the budget to shoot right away. Check out InVideo’s Instagram page for inspiration, and to understand how you can incorporate all of these elements in your product videos.
Here’s a video template that you can use for free to create your own stunning video post for Instagram.
2. Answer frequently asked questions
Instagram is one of the best places for a business or brand to connect with its audience and solve their problems. While it has just started rolling out the FAQ feature, you can use feed posts to answer important questions for your audience.
Here’s how Penguin CBD, a beauty and wellness brand, does it – simple and to the point.
You can start by posting an image and encourage your audience to post their questions in the comments section, like CheekyGlo, and you can also consider posting videos on your feed, as this Q&A with Grace Kao.
3. Go behind the scenes
Take your audience into your workstation and show them how your product was created. Behind-the-scenes videos have been getting a lot of attention because it is fascinating for people to see what goes into making the things they love and admire.
Check out this video post by Nike from their series Behind The Design.
Here’s another example of how Netflix takes their audience behind the scenes of their favourite shows on Instagram.
Check out this video template that is ready to use and you can be fully customized to suit your brand’s stylebook.
4. Introduce your team
Put the spotlight on your team and let your audience see the faces behind your brand. It can be as simple as sharing portraits of your team members like this post by Ikea or you can share your creative team’s favourite music on a playlist for your audience to listen to as OnePlus Nord did.
At InVideo, we took a spin on things and let our audience see our team while they challenge each other to create super cool videos in under 15 minutes.
You can create a stunning video like this in no time. All you have to do is edit the texts and images, customize it based on your brand colors and fonts and it’s ready to upload to your Instagram feed.
5. Show your audience how to use your product
What better than to show your audience everything they can do using your product. It can be a simple video post like this one by MAC Cosmetics or you can give your audience instructions using a carousel post like Real Thai. Here’s a video posted by L’oreal Paris on how to use their product.
If you’re a food blogger, you’d love this template for your next recipe video.
6. Do a before and after post
Show your audience the result of using your product by doing a before and after post. These can be in the form of a carousel, an image, or even a video post like this one by Loreal Paris.
You don’t need to be a pro at editing to create video posts like these. Check out this video template that can be customized to suit your brand guidelines.
7. Hop on the latest meme trend
Nothing works better on Instagram than memes, and as a business, you must join the bandwagon. A meme is a form of text, image or video, that is typically humorous and relatable, thus spreading rapidly amongst internet users. As a brand, you can creatively use pre-existing memes or create your own to promote your product or service, like this meme by Baalm. You can also check out the #PITFLUENCER series by OldSpice.
Here’s a classic meme example by MeUndies.
We love memes too and so we have created tonnes of ready-to-use templates for you to start creating the funniest memes for your Instagram feed.
8. Give them a sneak peek
Tease your audience by giving them a quick look behind the curtain. You can use creative text or a carousel post like Spotify does and even a video snippet like in the example below. Don’t forget to mention important details about what they should be looking forward to in the description.
Here’s a tried and tested template for a sneak peek video – that you can fully customize to suit your brand.
9. Show your audience how you pack an order
In a new Instagram trend, many small businesses have been showing their audience how they pack their order. A simple video post like this can reflect the thought and love that goes into your product and how much you appreciate the business. Check out this video post by Marian’s Shop, which also happens to be one of her most liked videos.
10. Interesting puzzles and pop quizzes
Want to keep your audience hooked to your posts, so Instagram can record longer engagement? Create interesting puzzles and games that will catch your audience’s attention and get them to participate, like this spot the difference post by OnePlus Nord.
You can also take inspiration from Andrew Knapp’s Instagram posts where he asks his audience to find his dog Momo.
You don’t need to worry about animation and editing with this template that is ready to use to create your own video quiz for Instagram.
11. Illustrations
Create interesting illustrations that can communicate your brand story and values. This illustrated post by Durex not only strengthens their brand communication but also displays their best-selling products creatively.
You can also create video illustrations with your products to increase engagement further.
12. Current events
Create posts on current events happening around the world that either impact your business and audience or is something your brand values stand for. Major brands around the world like Nike always share solidarity with their audiences on world events like Black Lives Matter. Here’s what AirBnB posted recently about the recent hate crimes against Asians in the US.
On a lighter note, Ikea created this product poster after the US elections using the current floating meme to market their products.
13. Caption this
Got an interesting image? Get your audience to engage with you by asking them to caption it. Make sure that your image is humorous and relatable – something that will easily strike a chord with your viewers. Check out this quirky post by Shores Animal Clinic.
14. Conversational posts
Instagram is currently the best social media platform to engage with your users. It is the most sought-after place for marketers to have one-on-one interactions with their audience and to understand how their business can improve. One of the ways to engage with your audience and get them to open up about their opinion or what they need is to have a conversational post. Here’s an example by Opus Cards – make sure to read their description which is written as a conversation starter and then check out the comments below.
15. User-generated content
If your product helps your users create something, you can share their work with your audience. This bank of user-generated content can also help you build social proof for your business. Brands like GoPro, Apple, and Canon rely heavily on user-generated content, and they also organise events and competitions to get their audiences to participate. In the example below, see how GoPro makes the most out of their user-generated content by talking about their product in the description and adding photos to the post as well.
16. Inspirational quotes
Another content type that works on Instagram is inspirational content because it is share-worthy and relatable. You can post quotes from your favourite celebrities, businessmen or even make your own quotes that are inspiring and relatable for your audience. A great example of inspirational content is Foundr Magazine.
To make your quote post more dynamic, you can create a video with soft, inspiring music and text animation.
17. Document an event
If you’re at an event or hosting one, document it for your audience. Give them a peek into what these events are and share the best moments with them. Be sure to give details about the event to your audience in the description and you can also redirect them to a link in your bio to sign up for the next one. You can do a carousel post, spread out your content by uploading individual images or a video post summarizing the event, like this post by Sula Vineyards.
Create a stunning video post like this one – with upbeat music, text, and other elements that will get your audience to stop scrolling.
18. Repurpose content for Instagram
If you’re creating content across different channels like your website or YouTube channel, you must repurpose your content for Instagram. You can use important snippets from an interview and share them as a video post or can share quick insights from a blog. Your pillar content can be repurposed into enough micro-content, which will last you for months. Here’s how we repurposed our video podcasts into video posts for Instagram.
19. Try the most popular trends
Instagram trends can help you reach a wider audience, even outside of those that may be interested in your business. Trends like the BottleCap Challenge lasted for months and people are still consuming that content. As a business, you must make the most of using these trends and creating content for your products around them, like this illustration made by Cycles & Carriage Singapore.
20. Create Shoppable posts
Shoppable posts allow your audience to directly buy your product on Instagram – making the purchase journey shorter and easier to convert leads. Make sure that you shoot a well-lit photo of your product and upload it in hi-res – this makes a very big difference, especially on Shoppable posts. You can tag as many products as you like but try not to have more than 3 products on one image. Check out this Shoppable post by Pull&Bear.
21. Deconstruct your product
Get your audience to understand your product better by deconstructing it. You can show them how it is made (like Faber-Castell does in this video), take them through the materials, and show them the process.
Here’s a post by Subko Coffee that helps their audience understand their favourite pastries. They have also included an illustrative chart that tells its customers how much the pastry rates on texture and sweetness.
22. Informative carousels
Instagram carousels are the best tool to share valuable information with your audience. Whether you’re talking about your product or you’re sharing value-adding content – you can use multiple images to keep the story going. Carousel posts are also to improve engagement because your audience spends more time on your post, swiping through every image. So the next time you want to post something informative, cut down on the description and tell the story using a carousel post.
23. Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to build social proof on Instagram. You can share your best reviews and make them eye-catching by using a creative background as Clinique did in the example below.
24. Share your views on important issues
Share your business values with your audience by speaking of important issues – like sustainability, climate change, or women empowerment. This strengthens your brand’s communication and also helps you gain the trust of your audience that shares the same values as your business. Check out this post by SwitchFixCo where they speak about sustainability and planet-care.
25. Get other creators to endorse your business
One of the best ways to grow on Instagram is to collaborate with other creators. If you’re a business, you can encourage your customers to share how they use your product and what results they are getting. Canon USA constantly collaborates with creators who use their cameras, lenses, and lighting solutions to shoot. They have created opportunities like #CanonCreator and #BehindTheShot to encourage their audience to participate and share their pictures.
26. Weekly/Monthly challenges or themes
Another way to get your audience to participate with you is to have challenges every week or month – where you can pick a winner from your audience, eventually making them power partners for your brand. Take the example of Street Photography International which has grown to be one of the biggest online photography communities, most known for its weekly challenges. Photographers around the world participate by shooting for the theme and winners are declared every week. These winners then share SPI’s posts on their feed, stories, and more – getting more attention to the community.
27. Do it with me post
Show your audience to do something, like paint a scenery, 30-minute abs, etc., and encourage them to do it with you while they’re watching the post. These do-it-with-me posts can be great for engagement for two reasons – one, your audience will spend more time watching the post because they are also doing what you’re teaching them, and two, many users will also save the post (one of the best ways to increase engagement) so they can come back to it again when they need it.
Here’s an example of a do-it-with-me post by fitness trainer Kaitlin.
28. Giveaways
You can also encourage participation by doing a giveaway. Giveaway posts can encourage interested users to share and comment on your post, or even participate in an activity. Check out this giveaway post by Running Warehouse.
You can also create a video post like this for your giveaway.
29. Busting myths
Bust general notions that are not true and make your audience more aware. These kinds of posts are informative and can help you build social trust. Check out this post by Tara Costello.
30. Show your product range
If you have got a product that has a wide range of colors, shapes, or sizes for customer preference – show it off. You can do a carousel post to display the range, speak about it in a video post or do a classic feed post like this one by Fenty Beauty.
31. Start a series
Create an interesting content series that will continue to add value to your audience week after week. These can be informative and fun but have to be around a topic that interests your audience. For example, Instagram For Business started a content series called #InMySaves in which your favourite IG creators spill the beans on what kind of posts they save on Instagram. The majority of their audience is creators, marketers, and entrepreneurs – and this series is curated for them.
32. Create interesting collages
Want to create an interesting feed post – try making a collage using multiple images, texts and layers. Check out this post by StoryLuxe.
Take this one level higher by creating a video collage like this video.
33. Share your journey
Talk to your audience about your journey – how did you start, what were the hurdles you faced, how did you overcome them, how many times did you fail and what are your biggest learnings. When you answer these questions, you’re building trust but more importantly, you’re also inspiring those in your audience who want to start something of their own.
For example, let’s take this post by Vanessa Lau where she talks about what she did and why it was important for her journey. She has also added a CTA for her online program in the description.
Summing Up
And that’s a wrap! Believe us, we know how daunting it can be to think of what to post on Instagram next. That’s why we created this swipe file of creative Instagram posts for you to keep coming back to.
If you found this article helpful, please share it with your friends and peers who are looking to get started with Instagram.
Not just this but you can find over 5000+ templates on InVideo that are ready-to-use and fully customizable so you never run out of things to post!
Want to be a part of a community of creators, just like yourself, and discuss Instagram post ideas, what to post on Instagram, and of course, inspire each other? Join the InVideo community – a place for you to connect and learn from 25000+ other video creators like yourself.
