How to Build a Successful Instagram Blog Content Strategy

 

How to Build a Successful Instagram Blog Content Strategy

Ready to build your Instagram blog?

Here are nine keys to success you shouldn’t miss:

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1. Understand the Instagram mission statement

To come up with the best Instagram blogging formula, you need to start with the website’s mission statement: 

“Capture and share the world’s moments.”

It shouldn’t always be about your products or services. 

If you want to build a recognizable brand, you need to share meaningful moments that resonate with your audience. 

I’m not saying you shouldn’t post custom content that promotes something every once in a while. 

Just remember that even big-name brands like Starbucks upload candid posts that brighten people’s days. 

 

 

2. Use location tags

Don’t forget to use location tags in your Instagram posts. 

Doing so will make your content more discoverable to people within that specific area. 

Plus, adding location tags is incredibly easy. You just tap ‘Add Location’ when adding a new post and enter where you are.

 

 

3. Incorporate a story to every post

Even if you don’t have cream-of-the-crop photos, you can still win your audience’s attention by telling a story. 

Instagram post captions are capped at 2,200 characters. That’s not long enough for traditional bloggers like me, but it’s definitely enough to evoke emotion. 

A good strategy is to tell the story of how you or your company dealt with a particular challenge. 

Check out this post from Nas Daily to know what I’m talking about:

 

Don’t have anything interesting to share? 

Worry not — your post’s story doesn’t have to be that meaningful or elaborate. 

As long as it’s relatable and authentic, you’re good.

For example, when I read the post below, I suddenly got the cravings for some pasta:

 

 

4. Focus on the WHYs instead of the HOWs

There are a few more things to keep in mind if you want to ignite a specific emotion with your Instagram posts. 

First, try to focus more on “why” your audience should care about your post.

There’s no room for in-depth tutorials or articles here.

Just tell your audience why the information you’re sharing is important and encourage them to read more on your website. 

While you can’t add clickable links to Instagram post captions, you can still type in the URL itself.

Observe how Matt Kepnes adds links to Instagram posts right after discussing the “why”:

 

If you feel the need to share some details, the most you can include is a checklist. 

You can refer to what Pinch of Yum does with recipe ingredients in their Instagram posts. 

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5. Include quotable quotes

Social media users love quotable quotes. 

With some practice, you should be able to drop two-liners that can drive home your key takeaways. 

Even better, you can construct entire post captions with quotable quotes. 

 

 

6. Focus on value

While high-quality photos are sometimes enough to make people use the “#goals” hashtag, you should still substantiate the rewards. 

All you need to do is state what your audience can achieve by consuming your content. 

There’s no need to try anything fancy, either. Think it through just once and get straight to the point.

 

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7. Make hashtags your friends

Similar to location tags, hashtags make your posts on Instagram significantly more discoverable.

After all, Instagram’s integrated search engines either display accounts, bios, or hashtags that match keywords. 

 

Another cool thing about Instagram’s search engine is that it lets you find relevant hashtags in your niche. Of course, you’re also free to whip up your own branded hashtag to build some brand awareness. 

As for the number of hashtags in a post, using too many can make it look spammy. 

You can lessen this effect by adding hashtags as a reply so they’re not a part of the actual post. 

Below is an example from Peng Joon:

 

8. Add a CTA

Imagine you made an Instagram post that managed to captivate thousands of users. 

Congratulations!

Quick question: did you include a clear and crisp call-to-action that will convert this attention into action? 

For posts meant to bring juicy Instagram traffic to your blog, don’t forget your CTA.

 

9. Enjoy Instagramming

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s definitely worth mentioning.

To build an authoritative Instagram blog, sharing moments should be something you enjoy.

Regularly posting promotional posts about your brand won’t cut it. You must also be involved in the community aspect by responding to comments, reacting to others, and so on. 

Instagram is, after all, a social media network.