Embarking on a journey to revitalize your Instagram? Look no further. In a realm where visual storytelling reigns supreme, staying ahead demands a touch of innovation. This guide is your gateway to transforming your Instagram account from ordinary to extraordinary. Brace yourself for a collection of 12 captivating interactive post ideas that promise to breathe new life into your feed.
Whether you’re an influencer, a brand, or simply an avid Instagram enthusiast, these ideas are tailor-made to add that much-needed spice to your online presence.
Let’s dive in and unleash the potential of your account like never before.
1. Give your audience a mind break with a puzzle
Our lives are often consumed by constant busyness, causing us to rush through tasks without prioritizing self-care. Rather than sharing the usual photos, consider crafting an image that prompts your audience to pause and contemplate.
Take Casper as an example; the mattress company revolves around the concept of relaxation. Hence, it’s logical for them to produce content that mirrors this core value. Through the use of charming graphics and animations, the company uploads puzzles on both their feed and Stories. Solving these puzzles yields no tangible reward except for personal gratification. By utilizing the question sticker in Stories and the gallery post feature in the feed, Casper nurtures a continuous cycle of engagement.
Moreover, these designs bear resemblance to their previous Stories, ensuring familiarity for those who’ve encountered them before. This contributes to the establishment of brand recognition among the audience.
2. Take on a recurring challenge
This occurrence can take place daily, weekly, or even monthly, depending on your preference for tackling the challenge. To accomplish this, you can either research existing challenges or design one that aligns with your brand’s identity.
Meet Summer, a houseplant influencer renowned for her diverse range of plant-related content. In 2019, she undertook the “365 Days of Plants” challenge, committing to share a daily video about a plant from her collection. Each video adhered to a consistent format and was published on her YouTube channel.
For brands, an alternative challenge format could be selected, one that encourages active participation from the audience, motivating them to contribute their own interpretations of the photo challenge. Incorporating distinctive Instagram hashtags can further enhance engagement tied to the challenge.
Incorporating imaginative Instagram content not only fosters engagement but also encourages sharing and bookmarking—vital metrics for expanding your influence on Instagram. Explore in-depth insights on crafting a comprehensive Instagram marketing strategy through our guide.
3. Write a caption first, then find the photo
For brands possessing a unique tone, push yourself to formulate captions before seeking or generating the corresponding photo. You might discover that outlining your content becomes smoother when you have a clear idea of the message or atmosphere you intend to convey. This approach contrasts with crafting a caption tailored to an already provided photo.
4. Combine a photo essay with a link in bio
Continuing the theme of exceptional captioned copywriting, our subsequent post concept draws inspiration from the publishing sector. When your enterprise is founded upon remarkable content—whether it comprises images, text, or videos—it seamlessly extends to your social media identity.
Pro Tip: This form of post presents a fantastic opportunity to repurpose pre-existing content, particularly if you maintain a blog or website. If you’re already generating content for your company blog or other platforms, leverage this approach to re-share your established material. A prime illustration of this strategy in action is reusing graphics from an annual transparency report within a gallery post.
5. Add product teasers
Are you in the habit of unveiling fresh products or services via Instagram? Instead of straightforwardly introducing a new offering, consider leveraging Stories and posts to generate curiosity. Foster excitement by sharing teaser images, videos, and incorporating question stickers.
Pro Tip: Generating intrigue doesn’t necessarily entail crafting enigmatic posts. To coincide with product launches, team up with influencers to discuss novel features. Within Stories, harness poll and question stickers to foster interaction among your followers. Transform it into a guessing game and acknowledge the initial correct responders with a prize.
6. Run a flash sale in Stories
Stories on social media platforms are transitory by nature, vanishing after a mere 24 hours. This ephemeral quality presents a prime opportunity to leverage Stories for rapid and time-limited sales, often referred to as flash sales. In the realm of retail, these flash sales can span the spectrum from the eagerly anticipated (as outlined in our previous idea about teasers) to the pleasantly unforeseen. Regardless of the approach, their brevity compels customers to act swiftly to secure the offer before it elapses.
In a specific instance, this account employed Stories to unveil an additional gift for the next ten orders. For those already contemplating a purchase, this supplementary incentive acted as the catalyst, motivating them to finalize their order promptly.
Expert Tip: This form of post holds applicability for items with limited availability, giveaway events, or even promptly discounted items that aren’t typically subject to price reductions. The element of surprise intrigues the customer and encourages them to frequently peruse your Stories in anticipation of potential flash sales. By incorporating flash sales as a strategic marketing tactic, you’ll likely observe a noticeable uptick in engagement within your Stories analytics.
7. Interview on Stories
This presents a fresh approach to the concept of social media takeovers, particularly appealing to those who feel apprehensive about entrusting their virtual account to an unfamiliar individual. Utilize the Stories feature to orchestrate Q&A sessions with special guests. Enhance the interactive aspect of the Q&A by encouraging your followers to submit inquiries, which you can then address in a novel Story format.
An example of this strategy is evident in Domino Magazine’s utilization of Stories to showcase designers. They seamlessly blended various content elements, such as a pre-arranged Story containing questions, alongside a casual video where they provided answers. This structure was maintained for each question integrated into the Story. Upon conclusion, they invited their followers to suggest potential interviewees for their forthcoming features.
8. Broadcast instructional Live videos
The realm of Live videos offers a multitude of avenues to explore, with the optimal choice hinging on how well it aligns with your brand. Predominant strategies for Live videos encompass event broadcasts and interview sessions. To introduce a refreshing shift, consider adopting the approach of an instructional Live video. This dynamic how-to video not only imparts guidance but also facilitates direct interaction by enabling you to address questions in real time.
A case in point is exemplified by Smitten Kitchen, who took the initiative to showcase the preparation process of her Cacio e pepe recipe through a Live broadcast. Via a feed post, she proactively informed her followers about the slated Live broadcast timing, ensuring they were well-prepared for its commencement. Given the abundance of existing how-to videos, the shift to an interactive format serves as a welcome departure from the norm, offering a pleasantly different viewing experience.
9. Add stickers to your posts
Listen to us carefully: stickers and collages have a purpose beyond Stories. Infusing your feed posts with lively stickers and creative graphic overlays sets them apart from ordinary photos. This strategy is particularly effective for brands that boast vibrant, playful, and fanciful visual aesthetics.
Ciera employed A Design Kit to incorporate stars into the photo. The stickers are applied in a way that doesn’t overpower the image; instead, they subtly captivate the viewer’s attention with their playful charm.Stickers and overlays constitute a contemporary Instagram trend. These elements offer an enjoyable avenue for experimentation, and when employed judiciously, they have the potential to elevate your visual.
10. Host Q&As
An age-old method of fostering engagement from your intended audience is through a classic question and answer session. You have the option of conducting your Q&A using the live video feature on Instagram. This approach is particularly favored by brands and provides an avenue for real-time engagement with your followers.
If the live format isn’t your preference, you can gather questions from your community and subsequently create a recorded video interview where you address those queries. This video can then be shared on Stories or even on your main feed.
11. Repost user-generated content
If your Instagram community is highly engaged, it can transform into an excellent content source as well!
Rather than consistently producing your own content, consider sharing user-generated content (after obtaining permission). This approach will naturally enhance the level of engagement with your content. Audiences enjoy viewing content created by fellow users who are relatable.
When you distribute UGC and tag the creators, the likelihood of them sharing the content with their followers increases. This results in an immediate surge in engagement!
12. Invite them to fill in the blank
Although fill-in-the-blank posts have been overly used, they continue to be effective! They nearly guarantee receiving comments from your audience. Just ensure your question is enjoyable or intriguing. For instance:
The destination I love most for holidays is _________________
The romantic comedy that tops my list is _________________
If there’s one food I could eat endlessly, it’s _________________
Conclusion
Given the constantly shifting Instagram algorithm, generating new ideas for Instagram posts can indeed pose a challenge. We trust that these 12 post ideas have provided you with inspiration to experiment with for your brand. Instagram presently provides an array of content types spanning Stories, regular posts, and IGTV. It’s crucial not to confine yourself to a single type merely due to familiarity.
Should you desire further creative fuel, take a moment to explore some of the Instagram accounts we recommend following. Trends from various industries might very well spark the emergence of the next significant trend within your own domain.