How to never run out of Instagram content ideas
If you want to stay relevant on Instagram, you need to be posting regularly. But, of course, this isn’t always an easy task. Unless you’ve planned out your content for the week/weeks/month ahead, it can be hard to come up with daily ideas worth posting about.
I mean, coming up with the ideas is one thing, but then turning that into an Instagram post? It’s difficult stuff. To kick that content block to the curb, we’ve come up with a quick guide to help you never run out of content ideas for your Instagram.
But wait, what’s “content block”?
We all know what writer’s block is, right? Content block is very much the same kinda thing. Coming up with the right words in a blog article is one thing, but finding things to condense down into an educational/funny/informative Instagram post… Well…
After all, you’ve got 10 slides, you need to use them well. And if you’re looking to just go with single posts, you need to craft your captions in order to capture your followers’ attention.
In order to never run out of content ideas for Instagram, we take a look at a range of things you can get stuck into.
Keep tabs on hashtags
If you’ve already nailed your hashtag strategy, this can be a great place to look for ideas. Here you’ll (hopefully!) find lots of great content that’s similar to your niche. Take note, but don’t copy.
But it’s not just the hashtags you use that are important here. Take a look at those of your followers, your competitors and any influencers in the same business as you. They may be using hashtags that are more targeted to your content - making it a great place to find new ideas. Offer a new spin on a post, whether you agree, disagree or have a different view.
Search by comments
Looking for Instagram content ideas doesn’t have to be a drain! You’d be surprised how much you can find just by looking into your own posts. Pay attention to your comment section to see what people are interested in, mention the most and pay attention to.
Doing this manually can be a little time consuming, however, tools such as Combin will help you determine your best performing posts and see what your followers are there for the most. Sort your posts from most to least commented and you’ll quickly come to see what your audience is most interested in.
Repurpose content
Have you recently written a kickass blog? Turn that blog article into an Instagram post. Take out the key points to make it the most engaging, before pairing it with a cutting caption that explains the rest. Send your followers to your blog if they want to read the rest!
Repurposing content is a great way to refresh older blog articles too. It could be that they need updating, information has changed or you’ve simply found a new angle to look at the topic!
Answer popular questions
A great tool for finding popular questions searched online is Answerthepublic. This search listening tool can help you dig a little deeper into your topic area and answer those all-important questions that people continue to ask.
Get to grips with the ‘how’ ‘what’ and ‘why’ questions in your niche! And if you’ve got more to say, write a blog and incorporate this tool into your SEO strategy.
Look for ideas in forums
Much like informative blog content, Instagram posts often offer its audience a solution. How-to guides, 7 steps to, ‘how I…’ are all perfect templates for creating engaging content. Searching on forums can help you to find topics related to your niche on which you could elaborate further and offer solutions, guides and professional advice.
Put it this way. How many times have you gone to update a Facebook header and forgotten the most recent size? Searches like this happen on Google every day! Which is why we created a social media size guide to keep them all in one place.
Repurpose that on Instagram and you’ll be gaining plenty of saves for later.
Spend some time on Google
It may sound obvious, but a quick search on Google will quickly show you related queries. What you may think people search for and what they actually do could differ greatly. This will help you to both come up with new ideas and tailor its angle in no time.
Come up with 5-10 keywords that are relevant to your niche, type them in one by one to see related queries and jot them down. This will help you to see what topics are popular in your field and which haven’t had much coverage. Use this opportunity to fill in the blanks and attract more fans and followers on Instagram.
Search on Pinterest
If you’re looking for more visual inspiration, Pinterest is a great place to start. No matter what niche you’re in, Pinterest is full of ideas across cooking, fashion, style, travel, fitness and so much more.
Once signed up, Pinterest will offer you a variety of topics to subscribe to. Much like your Instagram feed, these posts will then appear in your Pinterest feed. Get started on your own board for some inspiration, whether it’s design, copywriting or content. There is so much to explore and find inspiration from!
Think behind the brand
If you want your content to stand out, show your human side. People love to see the people behind the brand, so don’t be afraid to share things about you, how you got started and how you’ve grown your account. Personal experience helps others so much more than guesswork.
Instagram stories are a great place to get started if you don’t quite feel confident posting your human side on your feed itself.
Are you struggling to find content ideas for Instagram?
Get in touch and we’ll be happy to help!