Getting Instagram contents to post can be difficult. You might think coming up with concepts and then figuring out visuals for your feed is easy, but it isn’t. In order to reach your intended audience, your Instagram content needs to be both relevant and interesting. 

In general, successful social media marketing campaigns rely heavily on the use of eye-catching and compelling images, and Instagram is no exception. It’s time to step up!

 Instagram accounts live or die by content. The good news is that finding content doesn’t have to be a huge hassle.

Even if you don’t have the resources or time to take your own photos for Instagram, or if your business doesn’t sell tangible items like clothes or beauty products that appear nicely on an Instagram feed, don’t worry!

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to create an engaging feed, even if you’re selling a not-so-glamorous product, or promoting an entirely digital product that’s difficult to visualize.

The purpose of this article is to walk you through how to locate images for your Instagram account, where to find them, and what to consider when using them to  promote your brand. Let’s get started!

#1. Use templates to create Instagram content

Designing a branded image from scratch used to require hiring a designer. Today, it is fairly easy to find websites offering pre-designed templates that can be modified to fit your needs without much effort.

Perhaps you are interested in promoting a special offer, or maybe you would like to announce a change in business hours… With a template, you can send any message you want effortlessly without needing to consult a designer!

#2. Look for good stock images

Unsplash and Shutterstock are two good sites for finding high-quality photos that do not look “stocky.” They offer a range of images that are free, and you will definitely find something appropriate for your niche.

You might consider Stocksy if you’re working with a low budget. As expected, because these services are paid, they offer considerably high-quality stock images with a wide range of selection.

To make your stock images stand out (since we all use the same ones) you can further customize them by adding text overlays, filters, icons, borders…whatever you like. 

Platforms like Venngage, for instance, lets you upload stock images and edit them directly in a “blank canvas” template. Also, keep in mind that the recommended Instagram post dimensions are 1080p x 1080p. Consider sticking with a dimension for the sake of uniformity.

#3. Repost Instagram content from brands within your niche

Do you have trouble creating content for Instagram, or brainstorming new content ideas? That’s okay, you don’t always have to!

Some Instagram accounts may already be providing content that interests your target audience. You can repost Instagram content from brands similar to yours, or from any account that shares content relevant to your brand and audience as long as you get their permission and credit them in the post.

Here are the steps you need to take in order to repost Instagram content legally:

• Look up hashtags and accounts for quality content:
  
  (a.) To find content to repost, brainstorm brands that have inspiring Instagram accounts, similar audiences to you, and who aren’t direct competitors. Jotting down ideas on a notepad can be helpful.
  
  (b.) Look at their Instagram accounts and then choose those with the best posts you can share.
  
  (c.) Make sure you follow them so you can stay updated on their recent posts, and save any posts you deem share-worthy by clicking the bookmark icon below any Instagram post.
  
  (d.) Also, you can create a list of all the main hashtags relevant to your account and search these hashtags for related content from other users. You can even create a separate Collection, where you can save the posts you want to re-post to your audience in the future.

• Request permission from the user to repost

In order to share other people’s content on the feed, you need to:

(a.) Let the user know you enjoy their Instagram content and that you think your followers will be interested in it, and

(b.) Request permission to share it. Ensure they know you will give them credit for their contributions. They’ll always be grateful to get more exposure, and want to know you think they are doing a great job. This strategy could also earn you a few shoutouts and help expand your reach.

• Share the photo or video to your feed
  
  Once you have permission to share the content, you have two options:
  
  (A.) Download the image from Instagram, create the caption and tag the owner in the caption and the image when you upload the image to your feed.
  
  Or
  
  (B.) Use a repost app. You can easily repost images & videos on Instagram while giving credit to the original content owner. If you find something you want to repost, copy the URL and paste it into the Repost app.
  
  Once in the app, you can position the watermark and send the reposted media back to Instagram. But note that with the Repost app, it’s not possible to remove the watermark.

#4. Run a User Generated Content (UGC) campaign

User-generated content (also known as UGC or consumer-generated content) refers to content related to your brand that’s created by someone who’s not an official representative of your business. It could be a social media update, a review, a video, a podcast, or a number of any other types.

This is a nice approach in generating content for your page as it provides you with options to choose from while freeing up time for you to focus on other aspects of your brand. However, you will need to provide an incentive for users to share content about you and your products unless your brand is big and well-established.

You can explore competitions and campaigns, where users can win by creating an Instagram post and tagging it with a customised brand hashtag of choice for easy tracking. You can build momentum for your campaign by promoting your competition on other social media outlets, using newsletters, giving out free products or discounts. These will make people more likely to use your hashtag and participate in your campaign, thereby generating for you a larger content pool, and more brand awareness. 

The UGC strategy should be like an alternative when finding and curating content for your feed, not the primary focus. Your followers will feel like you’re exploiting them if you rely too heavily on UGC, and this can cause you to have less control over the aesthetic  of your feed. So, go easy with UGC.

#5. Build relationships & collaborate with influencers

Working with influencers will give you more control over your Instagram feed, provide a consistent flow of on-brand content, and enable you to have some great content on your feed. Collaborating with influencers who already have a large following can also help expand your audience and increase the number of new followers on your own account.

For small businesses with limited budgets, it makes sense to partner with micro-influencers instead of the big-named celebrities. Micro-influencers are more like upcoming influencers with a follower-base of between 10,000 and 50,000 people, so striking a partnership with them is easier. Before you reach out or partner with a micro-influencer, ensure they’re selling a product genuinely relevant to their audience. You should only be reaching out to influencers who are within your niche.

What has helped you create great and engaging Instagram contents? What else do you think makes an engaging Instagram content? Share in the comments below.