The 30 Best Instagram Content Ideas

1. What content works on Instagram?
2. What are the most popular topics on Instagram?
3. What content formats are there on Instagram?
4. Creative ideas for Instagram content

The basis for a successful Instagram account is the content that is displayed. This is basically your business card, with which you can introduce your profile and increase your reach. But which content really works on Instagram, what trend topics are there and what makes my post a good Instagram post? We will answer these questions in this article. You will also receive directly 30 creative content ideas that you can use for your social media presence and learn in which formats you can use them. We will also show you suitable social media tools, that can support you in creating and evaluating your content.

What content works on Instagram?

Whether your content is well received by your community depends on several factors. This can also include the posting time, the activity of the community or current events. However, there are a few criteria that make your content more relevant: new, diverse ideas, inspirations, added value and creativity are decisive factors for successful content on Instagram. You can find creative ideas and examples further down in this post.

In addition, your content should always be oriented towards your target group. For this reason, it is essential for you to keep this in mind with every post and to highlight the added value for this group.

Prompts for action to the community are helpful for increasing interactions and thus increasing reach. With the so-called „Call-to-Action“ (CTA) you encourage the readers to interact. This is usually a question at the end of the post, such as „What experiences have you had?“, „Which picture do you like best?“, or „Where do you like to spend your after-work time?“.

Anzeige

Stop living in spreadsheets - Start putting content out in minutes

No other collaboration tool is as visual, clean or intuitive.

Sign up, it's free

 

What are the most popular topics on Instagram?

There are a number of topics on Instagram that always work well and are well received by large target groups. According to an evaluation by Fanpage Karma, which identified the most popular topics based on used hashtags, the following topics are particularly popular on Instagram:

1. fashion
2. food
3. design
4. travel
5. fitness
6. nature
7. inspiration
8. health
9. party
10. art

In recent years, the aspect of environmental protection and sustainability has also been added. In general, this can be derived from the fact that marketing a positive feeling of life works best. Users want to be inspired and supplied with new ideas that they can also integrate into their daily life. Here too, the point of added value is essential: try to make every post useful for your community. This can be direct tips, but also linking profiles, places or clothing brands.

In doing so, always keep an eye on the current social media trends which serve as a guide for currently sought-after content.

What content formats are there on Instagram?

Once you have chosen your content, Instagram offers you several formats in which you can play it out. Overall, there are four different options: a post, a story, an IGTV, or a reel.

• Post: In this format, you upload one or more pictures or a video (max. one minute long), which is displayed to your community on the start page and saved in your profile feed. You have the opportunity to tag places and people and write a detailed post caption and include appropriate hashtags. A detailed guide to creating an Instagram post can be found here.
• Story: An Instagram story is a short-lived photo and video format in which the content is shown to subscribers for 24 hours. Here impressions from everyday life are usually posted and creatively underlined with the different story stickers and GIFs.. Stories are only shown to your followers, i.e. they are not suitable for increasing the reach, but serve to strengthen your own community.
• IGTV: With the “Instagram TV” (IGTV) format, videos of up to 10 minutes in length (up to 60 minutes for verified accounts) can be uploaded. This tool is particularly popular for reports or longer tutorials. IGTVs are displayed in your profile under the separate tab “Video”.
• Reels: This video format introduced in 2020 is short, fast-moving videos that last 15-60 seconds. Due to the wide selection of sounds and effects, they are particularly characterized by their creative design. In this format, facts can be easily presented, DIY projects explained, challenges carried out, or everyday tips passed on. Reels also have their own tab in the profile, but can also be displayed in the feed. For more information on creating reels you can also check out our guide.

Creative ideas for Instagram content

Personal introduction/ introduction of a team

It is always exciting to see who is behind an account. If you have a personal account, then introduce yourself in a post. Share for example 10 facts about you or describe your mission, which you are pursuing with the account. With a corporate account, an introduction of the team members is always interesting for the viewers. This can be in the form of a carousel post with multiple employees or you create a series and introduce a different team member each week, for example. This makes your company more personal and approachable.

Behind the Scenes

Taking a peek behind the scenes is always exciting. Whether in the creation of products, daily doing or a photo shoot. Take your community along the way to a finished product or image and show an insight into the processes. Ideally, you should then show directly the end product that was created.

Quote

Create a graphic with a motivating saying or a quote from a famous personality that fits well with your account. Since such quotes often go unnoticed in the image description, it's worth having a separate post in the form of an image. You should make sure that it is also a phrase that suits you, your industry and the community. In the image description, you can briefly go into the content and background of the quote or portray your point of view. Otherwise, the quote already speaks for itself.

Facts

Interesting data and facts on current topics from your industry or your company can be very well presented in the form of an infographic. Be careful not to overload your followers with too many dry facts. Usually a catchy hook on the title and a simple graphic or a diagram is enough. A detailed explanation can then follow in the image caption.

Best list (e.g. top 5)

Create a list with your top 5 tips for certain areas. Which destinations should one have seen, which programmes to use for image editing, which apps to know or which restaurants in your city to have tried out? There are countless areas to which you can make such a recommendation, topics from your industry or your daily doing work best of course.

The 5 recommendations can also be extended, but you should make sure it doesn't look too cluttered and keep it brief. It's better to share less, but high-quality tips with corresponding explanations.

Before-After

Just like the behind-the-scenes look, the end result of a development process in the form of a before-after picture is exciting. This can be sporty progress, the final photo after image editing or the way from raw material to finished product.

Success stories

Successes should be celebrated and you should be proud of what you have achieved. Share your story with your community and report on your experiences, learnings and share your knowledge about what can be helpful on the way to success. With this insight, you not only make your way transparent, but also provide a motivational boost at the same time.

Failures

The way to success never goes straight. The points at which we supposedly fail or make setbacks are exactly those at which we grow and from which we can learn the most for our further journey. For these reasons, it is a very good idea to share failures transparently. This allows others to learn from your own mistakes and you can directly involve the community by asking them about their failures.

Giveaway

With giveaways, you can give something back to your community and, in turn, get a huge push in the interactions and the number of followers. You achieve the latter if you set the condition that all participants should follow your account. The hashtag #giveaway then provides the desired traffic of new contacts. Although many subscriptions dissolve after the giveaway, a large part remains with you.

Special days (Day of Water, Day of Doing Nothing, ...)

Gradually something special is being celebrated on every day. So there is the day of water, the day of sweatpants and the day of smiles. Whether these naming of the days is really needed? That is up for debate. But they still offer the advantage of always being able to pick up an idea and include motto days that match your account. On the day of water you can create an infographic with water saving tips, the day of idling in invites to a picture of the couch with film tips and on the day of smiling you list your good mood routines.

Seasonal contributions (seasons, holidays)

Whether it's the beginning of spring, Easter, Halloween or Christmas - seasonal topics can always be found and are easy to pick up. Wish your community a happy holiday, share tips for summer vacation or incorporate your products into a seasonal appropriate setting.

Favourite tools for content editing

Introduce the programs and tools that you work with every day and that can also be interesting for your target group. These can be tools for creating content (you can find a few examples of this below), programs for running online shops, or also social analytics tools that support the analysis of social media activities. Your listing once again gives an insight into your work and at the same time shares valuable tips and knowledge with your community.

DIY instructions

Building, crafting or handcrafting something yourself has been trendy for a while. If the creative gene is also in you, then show in form of a step-by-step instruction how your homemade projects were created. This can range from card crafting to furniture building. No matter how big or small and perfect the project is - your ideas are always an inspiration. Both short videos and carousel posts including the instruction are suitable formats here.

Comments from the community

Take a look in the comments of your last contributions and take up particularly exciting, funny or informative comments from your community. You can share these as a screenshot or take them up in the image description. With this action, you strengthen the connection to your followers and in the best case even a previous contribution gets attention and interaction again.

FAQs (Frequently asked questions)

Frequently asked questions from the community or customers can be very well echoed in a contribution. This shows on the one hand that you respond to their questions and can on the other hand directly pass on the most important info in a bundled form. This format is also very suitable as a series and you can pick up frequently asked questions again and again.

Question to the community

Involve your community by openly asking for help. This can either be in the image caption or directly visible with the call „I need your help…“ on a plain background. In doing so, you can, for example, address an everyday topic („What do you do when…?“), involve the community in the selection of an upcoming contribution („Which topic are you most interested in?“) or ask for tips for a special travel destination or the next restaurant visit („What should I absolutely see / do / eat in …?“).

Captions from the community

Another possibility to involve the community is the question for an appropriate image caption. Especially with funny pictures, this can be not only a fun game for you, but especially for the followers.. As a special incentive, you could reward the most liked comment with a small win (e.g. a product or a shoutout in the story).

Product introduction

If you want to market your own product, then a detailed introduction in a post is sensible. What is it used for? What materials were used? What makes your product unique? What details are not visible at first glance but of great significance?

All this is information that is interesting for your potential customers and makes the purchase decision easier.

Product in action

After you have introduced the product, short videos are perfect to demonstrate the application. Either you choose a neutral background or a setting from a bird's-eye view, in which only the product can be seen or you bring a bit more personality into the video and explain the product yourself or have your team test the products. Go into the details and tricks again that make your product special.

Customer feedback

Honest reviews from customers are always very well received. If your products or services go down well with the community, you can use their reviews for your own advertising. Of course, this not only applies to products, but can also be feedback on the content of your channel or your work in general. In the form of screenshots or quotes, these feedbacks can be ideally packed in a contribitution (if they are private messages, they should be anonymised).

Product pictures from the community

If you are tagged in stories or contributions, in which your products are used or your community tries out ideas from you, then you can include these in a contribution. This makes your products more tangible and at the same time a good and honest advertising for you. Of course, you should get the permission to use the pictures beforehand.

Event tips

In the near future, are there events like webinars, events or workshops that are happening near you or that you might even be participating in yourself? If yes, then share this info with your community and encourage them to participate.

Teaser for upcoming products/ events

Upcoming events or products can always be teased well. “Look forward to…“, „Still … days", „We can't wait until...” are good ways to generate excitement and bind your community to your account. In addition, you can include the countdown function in the story or (if available) recommend signing up for your newsletter.

Recipe inspirations

What's for dinner today at your place? Which are your favourite dishes or which dishes can your team get excited about every lunch break? You don't have to directly share a recipe, although that is also very popular. A listing or a carousel post with several inspirations will be gladly taken by the community and save diligently, which again increases the reach of your contribution.

Job advertisements

Instagram can also be used to attract new employees for your team. Especially creative job ads can achieve high reach and thus, on the one hand, make your company more attractive as an employer and, on the other hand, ensure a boost in applications. In addition, by sharing an ad, you directly reach people from your own community who are already interested in you and your topics.

Current news from the industry

Offer your community added value by providing them with the latest information from your industry. This can be technical innovations, political decisions or special events that are important in your industry. An example in the field of sustainability/ gastronomy: the ban on single-use plastic in July 2021 and the upcoming obligation to use deposit from 2023. Gather information about the topics and show what it means for you or the affected people.

Presentation of other accounts/ brands from your niche

In line with the motto „Sharing is Caring“ you not only make the recommended accounts or brands in your industry happy with the recommendation, but also expand and strengthen your own network at the same time. In addition, with this action the probability grows that you will also be introduced once and new people will become aware of your account.

Sharing blog posts

If you have your own website or a blog, you can use Instagram to draw attention to new content. Blog posts allow for a more intensive examination of certain topics, so teasing them on social media is ideal for linking the articles.

Week hashtags everyone knows

Join the #MotivationMonday and share motivating quotes or tips for the start of the week. #TransformationTuesday shows before and after pictures. These can be sports successes or product developments. The #ThrowbackThursday (#TBT) brings forth past images: holiday memories, special moments or personal milestones. On #SocialSaturday, profiles or content from other accounts are shared to support each other.

Collect feedback – customer survey

Depending on the size of your community, you can obtain interesting insights about your target group with a survey on Instagram. In particular, the story functions „poll“, „quiz“ or „ask a question“ allow a quick survey of interests. By the way, these tools also increase the reach of your stories, because the Instagram algorithm always likes it when the community interacts with you.