So you’ve set up your business Instagram account, and now it’s time to create your first post! Here we’ll take you through the steps of uploading your first post to your Instagram grid. Watch our quick tutorial, or read on to get into the nitty gritty.

1. The image.

Of course, you can post whatever you like to your grid, but we would suggest keeping your message in line with both your business, and with recent events. Try to ensure that grid posts are of good quality, as they will form a ‘highlights’ reel for your business.

To start, Tap the ‘+’ icon at the top of your screen, select post, then choose the image you want to use from the menu that appears:

Instagram also has a decent editing suite built in, with a number of filters and editing software available. You can opt for a filter if you so choose, and reduce the strength of the filter by double clicking on the filter name; additionally in the ‘edit’ section you can brighten, adjust, crop, sharpen etc, all to make your photo look its best. Once you have used an edit button, a small dot will appear beneath the icon, to remind you that you’ve used it.

Finally, the ‘Lux’ function; at the top of the screen. You can use this to soften or sharpen your image (if using, most people opt for the Lux enhancement function as a final edit) before posting.

2. The caption

Pithy captions are great Instagram fodder, as long as they suit your tone of voice. The same goes for emojis; they can add to a caption, as long as they are appropriately used. Make sure that your captions are spelled correctly, use proper grammar, and fit your branding guidelines!

3. The hashtags

Did you know that you can use up to 30 hashtags per post on Instagram? Ideally, it’s best to go for a good mix of hashtags, as you will want to attract followers based on the context of your grid post, as well as your organisation overall. 

We would also suggest researching hashtags to ensure that you have a mix of sizes (by this we mean the number of times each hashtag has been used); the more popular a hashtag, the more posts are attached to it, so the likelihood of yours being seen is smaller. Use ‘big’ and ‘small’ hashtags in each post, and regularly review them to make sure that your posts are being seen by the right people (your target audience).

4. Extras

Tagging other accounts

When you post an image to Instagram, you can leave it as is, however if your image is part of a collaboration, or you would like it to be noticed by an account in particular, you can use the tag accounts function here. Click to add an account, and they will receive a notification once your image has been posted.

Location services

Adding your location (either the location of your business or the location within the post) will help more people to find you and your content.

5. Post!

All that’s left to do now is hit that post button...

And that’s it! Before long you’ll have a beautiful grid to feel proud of. As you get used to Instagram, you can make use of its other features, including Instagram Stories.

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