How to plan and curate Instagram posts in 4 simple ways is not only doable, but planning and curating an ENTIRE month of posts is very doable!
(full video training-click here)
Planning and curating a whole month’s worth of posts in one day might seem impossible, but I can tell you it’s not! I was once that person who woke up each morning and wondered what I was going to post on Instagram that day. Shoot! Some days I would just totally forget. I would spam my MLM business for 5 days straight, disappear from Instagram for a few days, then come back and talk about my dog.
Not a very good strategy. Honestly, I had no strategy. Not until I branded myself and understood my purpose on Instagram. Before you begin planning and curating for Instagram, think about your overall mission and why you are on Instagram in the first place. Instagram is all about making connections and engaging with your tribe, so if you plan to spam your products post after post, I’m sorry to say but you will lose at the Instagram game.
Let’s dive into the 4 simple steps to plan and curate posts for Instagram.
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Define your Instagram Categories.
At the beginning of each month, sit down and define your categories (they may be the same month after month). Categories are the ‘post types’ you will be posting to Instagram. They should be a combination of your personal life and business (valuable content driven). I recommend that you choose no less than 6 and no more than 12 categories. For example, the main categories I use are tips/tutorials, gratitude, about me, inspirational/funny quotes, mom life/family, skincare, WAHM lifestyle, behind-the-scenes, branding and coffee. For more examples of categories >>click here.<<
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Map your categories on a calendar.
Yes, I’m old-fashion. I use a printed monthly calendar! Once your categories are established, start spreading them out for the month. Write down a category for a specific day. Is there a specific pattern to follow? No. Spread out your categories as evenly as possible throughout the month. One or two categories might only be posted twice a month, and that’s okay. I would make sure it’s one of your least popular categories. For example, I usually only talk about skincare 1-2x per month, whereas my quote posts get the most engagement so I post quotes more often.
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Organize your photos and graphics.
Once my calendar is in place, I curate and save all my photos and graphics in one folder on my computer (or utilize Drop Box to have access to the folder on my smart phone.) This will save time and energy down the road. For quote graphics, I recommend using the free design tool, Canva.
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Planoly
If Planoly was a person, I’d want to marry Planoly! What is Planoly? It is a visual planning tool for Instagram! This is where your brand and grid takes shape. If you don’t already have an account with Planoly (it’s free), >>click here.<< Remember all the planning you did with your categories and calendar? Now it’s time to curate your plan! Using Planoly, you will upload your photos and graphics, add captions and hashtags, and schedule your posts for Instagram. Watch your brand and grid come to life! For a Planoly tutorial, >>click here.<<
Now you might be thinking, “All of this in ONE day?” Yes, I do it. I purposely dedicate a day to planning and curating for Instagram. It definitely pays off in the end and allows more time in the month to work on other important business tasks. Now, I’m realistic. Life gets in the way sometimes and your entire month may not be perfectly planned in one day. I know. It has happened to me. Kids interrupt, mom calls, or a neighbor pops over. Not all your captions may be written in one day, you might be missing a graphic or photo, or you might just get tired staring at your computer. It’s okay! Just continue your planning another day. Month after month this will become easier and second nature to you.
If you’re still confused on ‘how’ to brand yourself on Instagram, grab my newly released INSTAGRAM BRANDING eBook! I walk you through the steps of defining your brand. BONUS: receive 30 days worth of photos and graphics WITH caption suggestions. >>CLICK HERE<<
Love these tips, I need to start thinking about my categories and planning my Instagram account a lot more!
Beth x | https://bethrebecca.com/
Love this, I need to start thinking about my categories and planning my instagram account much more!
Beth x | https://bethrebecca.com/
SO helpful! Thank you!! I use IG as mostly a daily life snapshot but I think it would help to have some of these ideas in my back pocket and cut down on the stress of getting a good, related picture every day!
Very informative post, thank you! We’ve recently been trying to grow our Instagram accounts as a means of reaching a new audience for our blog(s). It’s tedious work but will hopefully pay off in the future. I’ll definitely check out Planoly, thanks for the suggestion!
These are really great tips and I have to try Planoly. I hear so many great things about it and it sounds like it could really be helpful in making sure your IG feed is compelling.
I really need to get my Instagram posts organised. I love the idea of getting it all planned out for the month – will be trying to do this in future!
This is great! I am so bad at my Instagram! I post one day then not for a long time then get back into it!! I am definitely taking note of this. Thanks!
I share a love-hate relationship with Instagram. But going to implement your tips to up my Insta game. Thanks for sharing!
Super helpful!! I need to start planning out my month and use planoly! 🙂