According to the Sprout Social Index, Instagram is among the “big three” social media platforms. With 49% of consumers and 59% of marketers planning to use it in the next 12 months, you can’t afford to not pay attention to the platform’s key statistics.

So let’s find out some of the vital Instagram statistics that will shape your strategy in 2023.

Table of contents

• Instagram stats to pay attention to moving into 2023
• Instagram user statistics
• Instagram usage statistics
• Instagram audience and demographics statistics
• Instagram advertising and marketing statistics
• Instagram Stories and Reels statistics
• Instagram for Business stats

Instagram stats to pay attention in 2023

• Instagram currently boasts 2 billion monthly active users. This makes it the fourth most used social media platform. And if you make use of the latest Instagram trends, you have the potential to exponentially grow your reach.
• It’s now the fifth most visited website worldwide. Although this puts it behind other platforms like Facebook and Twitter, it’s still one of the most popular social media sites.
• According to Insider Intelligence, Instagram generated $43.2 billion in ad revenue in 2022. This is a slight increase from 2021 when the platform’s ad revenue amounted to $42.1 billion.

Instagram user statistics

Understanding how people perceive and use the platform will help you devise best practices for Instagram to connect with them. These Instagram user statistics can give you a better look:

1. Almost every Instagram user uses it alongside other platforms

According to data from We Are Social, only 0.1% of Instagram users are unique to the platform. A large number of users use it alongside other social media platforms such as Facebook (82.9%), YouTube (75.5%) and TikTok (52.2%). That means having a solid cross-platform marketing strategy is crucial for your brand to succeed.

2. Only 25% of American users feel that Instagram protects their data and privacy

A study by Insider Intelligence found that trust in social media platforms dropped significantly in 2022. When it comes to Instagram, only 25% of American users feel that the platform protects their data and privacy. This makes it one of the lesser trusted social media platforms. But it’s still ahead of Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.

3. Posting/sharing photos and videos is the top activity

According to DataReportal, 69.7% of users use Instagram to post or share photos and videos. This makes it the top activity on the platform, indicating the desire for users to be creative and express themselves.

4. It’s the second most preferred platform for customer service

As more and more people turn to social media for customer support, Instagram is a popular channel choice. The 2022 Sprout Social Index reports that 35% of U.S. consumers use Instagram for customer service. This makes it the second most popular platform for customer service after Facebook.

Reviewing your brand’s customer service strategy on the platform could help you get ahead of the race and enhance the user experience.

Instagram usage statistics

How popular is Instagram in terms of usage? Let’s take a look at these Instagram usage statistics to find out:

5. There are 2 billion monthly active users on Instagram

Latest reports show that Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users. While not at the Facebook level, this is still huge for brands. It means there are billions of people you could potentially reach. With the right strategies to get more Instagram followers, these users could turn into loyal fans of your brand.

6. U.S adults spend 30 minutes per day on the platform

Over the past couple of years, video-based platforms like YouTube and TikTok have become a huge hit among social media users. At the same time, people are still spending a significant amount of time on Instagram. American adults spend about 30.1 minutes a day using the platform.

Instagram audience and demographics statistics

Looking at social media demographics helps you gauge which platforms your target audience is using. Let’s look at these Instagram demographic statistics to get a better idea:

7. Instagram is most popular among younger audiences

The platform sees the highest usage among people aged between 18 and 34. People within these age groups make up over 60% of Instagram’s user base. As such, the platform is ideal if your target audience consists of young adults and Millennials.

8. There are more male than female users

Instagram limits its gender-based reporting to male and female. And based on this data, there are more male users (51.8%) than female users (48.2%). However, the difference isn’t too drastic, meaning the platform isn’t inherently better for reaching a male audience.

9. India and the United States have the greatest number of users

Much like other platforms, India leads the way even when it comes to Instagram. The country has 229.5 million Instagram users. The United States comes next with 149.35 million users.

Instagram advertising and marketing statistics

Are you getting the most out of your Instagram advertising efforts? Is it even worth it to market your brand on Instagram? Here are a few Instagram stats to give you the answers you need.

10. Seeing an ad on Instagram gets people interested in a brand

According to internal Instagram data, 50% of users become more interested in a brand after they see an ad for it on Instagram. This speaks volumes about the power that advertising on Instagram has for your brand.

11. Feed ads have a higher click-through rate (CTR) than Stories ads

Brafton reports that the CTR for feed ads on Instagram range between 0.22% and 0.88%. Meanwhile, Stories ads have a CTR between 0.33% and 0.54%. These numbers suggest that in-feed ads have a higher potential to drive clicks than Stories ads. However, consider experimenting with different ad placements to see which one works best with your audience.

12. Instagram has the highest cost per click (CPC)

Instagram may have a competitive advantage over other social platforms when it comes to engagement. But that comes with a higher cost, especially when it comes to advertising. The average CPC for Instagram ads is a whopping $3.56 while platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest manage to keep it under $2.

13. Conversion rates range between 0.30% and 2.6% depending on reach

Brands with a higher reach on Instagram tend to see a higher conversion rate. Interestingly, the study found that reach rate is higher for brands with a smaller following size.

In fact, brands with fewer than 10,000 followers saw the highest conversion rate (2.6%). Meanwhile, some of the top-performing brands had an average conversion rate of 1%.

Instagram Stories and Reels statistics

Instagram offers a wide range of content types to choose from, with Stories and Reels being popular options. Check out these Stories and Reels statistics to see how these formats are performing:

14. Story reach rate is on the decline

According to a Rival IQ study, Instagram story reach rate declined between 2021 and 2022. This decline is consistent across all following sizes. However, smaller brands with fewer than 10,000 followers saw the least decline. Their Story reach rate dropped from 5.4% in 2021 to 4.8% in 2022.

Meanwhile, mid-size brands having 50,000-200,000 followers felt the biggest impact as their reach rate dropped to 1.6% from 2.4%.

15. Story retention rate declines as the number of frames increases

The same Rival IQ study found that the number of frames you post to your Instagram Stories determines how well you retain your audience. Story retention rate starts to dip below 75% after the sixth frame.

16. Short narrative-type Stories are the most popular format

When it comes to the types of Stories that people want to see, short narratives were the most popular. Thirty-five percent of consumers prefer these types of Stories with a mix of photos, videos and text. Stories with quizzes and polls were another popular option.

So if you’re running out of Instagram Story ideas, use these stats to brainstorm new ideas that engage your audience.

17. Reels have the highest reach rate

Unsurprisingly, Reels see the highest reach rate among all media types on Instagram. The Rival IQ study revealed that Reels boast a 14% reach rate while other media types see a reach rate between 9% and 10%.

In another study from Socialinsider, the average reach rate for Instagram Reels stood at 20.59%. This puts it far above other media types such as carousels, images and videos. In line with the Bazaarvoice report from earlier, accounts with the smallest following size saw the highest reach rates.

18. Instagram Reels boast an average engagement rate of 1.95%

In addition to an exceptional reach rate, Reels also see significant engagement. Based on the Socialinsider study, Instagram Reels have an average engagement rate of 1.95%. This puts it well ahead of other media types. So your brand could benefit from creating more Reels to attract and engage your target audience.

Instagram for business stats

So far, the benefits of Instagram for marketing your business are clear. Let’s further dive into these Instagram for business stats to really understand its value:

19. 70% of shoppers look to Instagram for their next purchase

Internal Instagram data reveals that 70% of shoppers look to the platform for their next purchase. Meaning this is where people go to find purchase inspiration and discover new products.

20. Following and researching brands is the second most popular activity

The DataReportal study from earlier found that many users follow and research brands and products on Instagram. It’s the second most popular activity on the platform with 62.3% of users engaging in it. So there’s a good opportunity to attract followers who want to hear what your brand has to say.

21. 90% of users follow a business

To further drive home the above point, 90% of users on the platform follow a business. This indicates that people aren’t hesitating to keep up with brands on Instagram.

Making the most of these Instagram stats

Based on these vital Instagram statistics, you can see where the platform currently stands and how people are using it. It’s clear that there’s no dearth of users who use the platform to follow and engage with brands. Plus, many consumers are also using Instagram to inspire their purchases and inform their buying decisions.

In short, there’s huge potential to tap into with the right strategy. Need help with this? Check out our guide on developing a powerful Instagram marketing strategy.

The post Instagram statistics you need to know for 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Throughout this article, we’re going to cover the top nine trends on Instagram for 2023 so you can seamlessly incorporate them into your own strategies. Let’s look at each example to explore how you can emulate these trends for your own audience.

Table of Contents

1. Instagram Reels still on the rise over images
2. “Add Yours” Story stickers attract buzz and UGC
3. Create partnerships with collaborative posts
4. Social justice movements on Instagram
5. Paid promotion is growing
6. Shoppable posts simplify the ecommerce experience
7. Memes are incorporated into social content calendars
8. Engage users with carousel posts
9. Interact with followers in broadcast channels

1. Instagram Reels still on the rise over images

This has been a trend since their inception, but Instagram Reels are still taking priority. Do me a favor: Open your Instagram app and scroll through the first 10 to 15 pieces of content. As you scroll, you might notice a common theme—most of the posts are Reels.

Instagram Reels launched in 2020 and slowly rolled out to all users throughout 2021. This micro-video addition to Instagram was created to compete with Snapchat and TikTok and has continued to grow in popularity. Many brands and content creators will repurpose their micro-videos across each of the platforms—TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

Instagram began prioritizing Instagram Rees over photos in 2022 and, despite recent news of content discovery becoming a focus in 2023, it seems like the platform is definitely continuing to prioritize this type of content.

However, does that also impact an Instagram account’s overall reach? One content creator even shared on her TikTok that she experimented with posting Reels to Instagram once every day for a month and she grew her follower count by 33% (from 8500 to 11.4k).

While posting Reels every single day may not make sense for your strategy, you might want to consider adding them to your content calendar more often.

Take a look at some examples of how to use Reels for your brand.

1. Ecommerce plant store Bloomscape showcased three giant plants for plant parents, and linked to the products from their Instagram store.
2. Fitness clothing brand AYBL shared a workout routine featuring their activewear.
3. Graphic design tool Visme uses Instagram Reels to show real-world applications of some of their best features.

The takeaway: Start incorporating Instagram Reels into your own strategy to help your brand generate more reach, increase your follower count and stay relevant on the app.

2. “Add Yours” Story stickers attract buzz and UGC

There are a plethora of interactive stickers available to add to your stories, one of the newer ones is the “Add Yours” sticker.

Incorporating stickers like questions, polls, quizzes, etc., into your Stories helps engage your audience and increase the amount of time they spent interacting with your account. This, in turn, increases the likelihood that they see your Stories towards the front of their feed, keeping your business top of mind.

Tap on the “Add Yours” option from the available stickers and type in a prompt. This could be something like “What are you reading?” or “Outfit of the day,” or “Your favorite feature.” Make sure the prompt is relevant to your business but simple enough for someone to want to share their own photo on their story.

3. Create partnerships with collaborative posts

Collaborative posts are another big trend that you’ll start seeing pop up more and more. This is because Instagram recently released a feature that allows users to “invite collaborators” to a post as well as to tag brands in paid partnerships, having both involved accounts show up—and publishing the post to both collaborators’ profiles.

To invite a collaborator, you’ll go through the motions of publishing your Instagram post, then tap the option to Tag people. You’ll see this window pop up below where you can either add a tag (the same way you always have on Instagram) or invite a collaborator.

Select the user you’re working with on your post and publish your post. However, Instagram won’t sow the tag or post to the collaborator’s profile until they approve the tag.

Here’s an example of what this would look like in action below, where a travel guide partnered with a local brewery to host an Instagram giveaway.

Collaborative posts will also be part of paid partnerships as Instagram also simultaneously released a feature that tags when posts are sponsored and even allows the content creator to tag the brand sponsoring the content right inside the Instagram post.

For an influencer to tag brands in sponsored posts, they’ll manage the Advanced settings part of their post before publication, scroll down to the Paid partnership feature and tag the applicable brands. Again, brands will have to approve the partnership before they’re publicly tagged in the post.

Whether you’re partnering with another brand or an influencer, take advantage of Instagram’s features to help improve your overall reach and make your Instagram content more engaging.

4. Social justice movements on Instagram

The two largest age groups on Instagram are 25–34 at 31.2% (Millennials) and 18–24 (Gen Z)at 31%. Younger generations are increasingly more interested in what’s happening in the world and which brands are helping to make the world better and more accessible.

Instagram reports that Gen Z is an activist community, and though only 30% of Gen Z are old enough to vote currently, they care about the brands they buy from. They’re following brands on Instagram that talk about social justice issues and stick up for issues they believe in. They’re following influencers who care about accessibility. And they’re making purchases from the ones that they believe in.

This means it’s okay—in fact, it’s encouraged—for brands to be open about the causes they support and the social issues they believe in. Your customers want to see it. Genuine brand authenticity goes a long way with your customers.

TOMS is a great example of this. The brand was created as a way to give shoes to children in need, giving away a free pair for every pair purchased. They’ve since increased their donations, also giving away impact grants to charities they support.

TOMS shared a 2022 roundup to showcase how much they were able to give away in donations throughout the year:

The brand’s tagline is “Wear TOMS. Wear Good.” And that resonates with customers in 2023.

In this social justice era, we’ve also seen the onset of a number of social justice Instagram accounts like @so.informed and @impact that share news and updates from the US and around the world. These social-justice slideshows help users learn and spread awareness about causes that matter to them most.

5. Paid promotion is growing

As the popularity of social media platforms grows and their user bases grow, the need for algorithms to best serve their users also grows. And when an algorithm is deciding who gets served your content, you might see a decline in reach. Because of this, Instagram paid promotions are a growing trend in 2023.

Let’s go back to our exercise from the first trend, where we scrolled down to see the first 10 to 20 posts.

If your feed was anything like mine, you saw about nine Reels, six regular posts and five sponsored posts. That means about 25% of your feed is filled with paid ads, like the one below.

While that might seem like a lot, let’s look at it from a different perspective. It also means that 25% of your target audience’s feed is filled with sponsored posts. And that if you start investing in Instagram ads, your brand can be part of that 25%.

6. Shoppable posts simplify the ecommerce experience

Instagram shopping is still extremely popular, with nearly half of all Instagram users saying they use the app and its shopping features to shop their favorite brands each week. By creating your Instagram shop catalog full of your products, you can make it even easier for your followers to make a purchase.

By tagging your products in a shoppable post, you’re creating the ability for someone to see your post and make a purchase without ever having to leave the Instagram app.

Shoppable posts will continue to be a major trend in 2023 due to how easy it makes shopping for customers. And products can be tagged in any type of Instagram post—a photo post, a carousel, a Reel and a Story.

7. Memes are incorporated into social content calendars

Who doesn’t love a good meme? According to a YPulse study, 75% of those aged 13-36 share memes. Which is why they’ve become and stayed so prevalent on Instagram.

Although brands have leveled-up how they share memes from their accounts by adding branded background colors and other design elements.

Many brands also will take screenshots of Tweets to share on their Instagram with a colorful background to fit their brand aesthetics. Incorporating memes into your social strategy is a fun trend, but make sure the trend works for your brand before jumping in with both feet.

8. Engage users with carousel posts

Instagram carousel posts can include up to 10 photos and videos in a single post. They can be used in a number of different ways to share even more content with your audience at once. Plus, one study discovered that Instagram carousels are the most engaging post type on the platform.

Create carousel posts that tell a story, such as products from a new launch or an educational slideshow.

Here’s an example of a carousel post sharing a brand’s mission and how they want to make a different in plastic use:

And here’s an example of an educational Instagram carousel from our social team at Sprout:

9. Interact with followers in broadcast channels

Instagram recently announced the debut of broadcast channels as a one-way messaging tool for creators to engage with their followers. These channels will give creators an opportunity to give behind-the-scenes or latest updates to their followers in a one-to-many messaging format for a more intimate and interactive space.

Currently, creators can send text, photo, video and voice notes but Instagram will be adding more features in 2023. The goal is to create a new way to connect with fans and followers. It’s still too early to tell if this will expand to other professional or business accounts or if it will remain just for digital content creators.

Use Instagram trends to update your strategy

Instagram trends arise from influences based on other networks and introductions of new features. Keeping up with the current trends on Instagram freshens up your content and shows your audience that you’re not afraid to try new things.

If you’re looking to further level-up your Instagram marketing in 2023, learn how these top Instagram tools can help you plan, create, curate and publish your content for a more streamlined and conscious workflow process.

The post 9 Instagram trends to watch in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

There are so many social media contest ideas out there that could be a perfect fit for your brand, and they can even be a stellar tactic for building a library of user-generated content and new followers.

Throughout this article, we’re going to dive deeper into what an Instagram giveaway is and why you’d want to host one—plus a step-by-step showcasing how to put on your own giveaway successfully.

Why should you host an Instagram giveaway?

An Instagram giveaway or contest tends to start with an Instagram post that asks your audience to complete some sort of task to enter into a giveaway to win a free product or prize. This type of campaign can generate a lot of excitement around your brand, bringing in new eyes and increasing reach and engagement… sometimes by a lot.

There are a number of benefits to employing this strategy—let’s cover the most important ones.

Get more followers

Many brands require that users entering their giveaway must first follow them on Instagram. Follow-gating your giveaway like this ensures that your Instagram following grows alongside your entries. While you’ll likely start receiving entries from those who already follow you, prepare to see some growth as your giveaway gains traction.

Generate higher engagement

Instagram giveaways can generate higher engagement on specific posts (your giveaway announcement, obviously)—but it can also improve your engagement overall. Algorithms work in funny ways, but once it realizes that you’re getting a lot more engagement than usual, it’ll start to place your content in front of even more eyes, boosting your total engagement.

Increase reach and impressions

Similarly, your Instagram giveaway can help you increase your overall reach and impressions. The more engagement on your giveaway posts, the more likely your content will be shown to followers. If users keep seeing your content and interacting with it, you’ll pop up at the top of their feeds more often, helping to increase your reach.

Create an opportunity to collaborate with others

Lastly, Instagram giveaways present a great collaboration opportunity. Many brands (as you’ll see us cover shortly) choose to co-host giveaways. Find a brand with a product that’s complementary to yours (i.e., if you sell silk pillowcases, collab with a brand that sells hair masks) and give away those products together in a beautiful little bundle.

Types of Instagram giveaways

There are five main types of Instagram giveaways that you’ll see brands utilize. We’ll walk you through how each of these works and why you might want to choose that route.

1. Like, comment and follow

One of the most popular methods of entry is to have people like your photo announcing your Instagram contest, leave a comment and follow your account in order to gain entry.

Or, you could make commenting the most important part of the entry, like we see in this fun holiday-themed giveaway from Edible Arrangements:

When you use this tactic, simply name your prize, lay down the ground rules and watch the entries fly in. You can ask people to comment on why they should win, nominate someone to win or simply tag a friend to spread the word.

That last option is a great contest idea all on its own — read on for more ways to make tagging friends in contests work effectively.

2. Tag a friend

Want to really get the word out about your Instagram contest? Ask people to tag a friend when they enter! Users can tag as many friends as they like in order to get even more entries.

Then, those users are likely to enter and tag some of their own friends, creating a ripple effect of awareness around your contest and brand. You can also host a tag-a-friend Instagram contest in order to ask your followers to nominate someone who deserves a prize.

Here’s an example of what this might look like from Edible Arrangements:

Edible Arrangements asked users to enter the contest by tagging a friend in the comments. Many giveaways allow users to tag multiple friends as a way of entering more than once, increasing their chances.

3. User-generated content

If you’re looking to put together a campaign around gathering user-generated content (UGC) to share online, creating an Instagram giveaway around that concept can be a great way to do it.

Ask your audience to share a photo onto their feed using a specific branded hashtag or tagging your business so that you can easily find all of the entries in one place.

Not only does this reward your customers for helping you out, but it gives you an entire arsenal of user-generated photos to share on your feed for future content planning.

Because this type of giveaway entry requires a lot more effort on your audiences’ part, you’ll want to make the prize worth it.

4. Collaboration

As we mentioned earlier, another way to broaden your audience is by collaborating with a similar brand for your giveaway prizes. This way, the audiences of all involved brands can learn about new, similar brands, and have an even better prize at the end.

Here’s an example of this type of collaborative giveaway where three brands got together to offer a major prize bundle as their giveaway prize:

Many influencers also host collaborative giveaways like this, meant to help their followers discover new brands and bloggers, and vice versa.

If you’re working to grow your Instagram presence, a collaborative contest or giveaway might be your best bet.

5. Instagram Stories

While Instagram contests are all about giving back to your audience, there are important benefits for your overall Instagram marketing strategy too: brands can garner a lot of attention and generate a bigger audience through them as well.

Having your audience share a post on their Instagram Stories as a form of entry can be another great way to get the word out there.

It’s super easy for users to share posts to their Instagram Stories, so asking for something like this as an entry isn’t asking too much of your audience, and can be a great way to spread the word.

How to run an Instagram giveaway in 6 steps

Running an Instagram giveaway is a fun way to increase engagement and followers, but you need to follow the right steps to maximize your success. Utilize this blueprint for your next contest or giveaway to make sure you’re covering your bases before you announce the prize(s).

1. Define your Instagram giveaway goals

Before anything else, you need to make sure you define the overall objective of your Instagram giveaway. Otherwise, how will you determine whether or not it was successful in the end?

A few questions you might ask yourself to determine your goals are:

• Are you trying to engage your audience more in your content?
• Are you aiming to generate a larger following?
• Is your plan to build a library of UGC to share on social media?

This is going to determine what type of Instagram giveaway you run. Whatever your main goal or objective is, keep it in mind throughout your entire contest planning process so that everything you do makes sense for your end goal.

2. Identify your budget and prizes

The next step is to identify what your budget is and how large of a prize or prize bundle you’re able to give away for free. You might start with a single, small prize for your first giveaway to test the waters before eventually moving onto a larger prize down the road.

Keep in mind that your prize should be specific to your target audience and something unique for hem to win.

For example, a cash prize or an iPad or iPhone could apply to anyone, whereas a gift card or limited edition product from your shop would appeal only to the people who would buy from you anyways. This helps engage your target audience further and can also help your awareness goals. If the winner posts their own photos of the products they received from your contest, you’ll get additional awareness and reach out of your efforts.

3. Plan and run your Instagram giveaway or contest

First things first, are you running a giveaway or a contest?

For the most part, these are one in the same. However, some brands choose to create more in-depth contests, where entrants are asked to put their best foot forward and a winner is selected by their performance.

A giveaway, though, has a randomly-selected entrant win the prize.

The next thing to consider is how users will enter your Instagram contest. Think back to the examples we shared above. Which contest or giveaway type falls most in line with your main goal or objective?

Whatever you decide, make sure it’s easy for people to enter your contest. No one is going to enter a contest that requires them to do a lot of work–people want your entry process to be simple and easy.

Once you decide the best entry method for your contest, it’s time to start planning out the rest of the details.

First, determine how long your Instagram contest will last. How many days will your audience have to enter? Make sure that deadline is predetermined and that you clearly let your audience know when entering will end.

Second, are you going to use a hashtag for your campaign? Whether you have people post photos with that hashtag or ask them to use it in the comments, creating a campaign-specific hashtag that no one else is using is a good idea. This way, you’ll be able to tell the contest entries from regular posts about your brand.

Third, what is the theme for your contest? This is especially important for UGC-focused contests. You want to make sure your audience knows what types of photos you’re looking for them to share.

And finally, how will you notify the winner? Will you tag them in a comment? Share a new post? Message them? Tag them in an Instagram Story?

These are all things you need to plan before you launch the contest.

4. Design your campaign assets

Next, you need to put together campaign assets to announce and promote your Instagram contest. Not only will this draw attention to followers, it’ll help you cross-promote it on various platforms, in your email newsletter, on your website and more.

Create imagery for both your Instagram feed and to share on your Instagram Stories to increase the number of followers who see the contest early on, giving you plenty of time to collect entries. You’ll want these to stand out and increase the total number of entries. Consider getting high-quality photos of the prize and add “GIVEAWAY” or similar copy in big, bold lettering to the top of your graphic.

Next, you need to think about your captions. Start with an attention-grabbing hook so that you can reel viewers in. Then explain what the prize is, how to enter the giveaway and what the overall rules are. You must also follow Instagram’s terms and release them of any affiliation with the giveaway.

5. Measure your giveaway entry results

Keep a close eye on how many people are entering your giveaway, if you’re receiving any questions about it and how many relevant entries are coming in with the giveaway hashtag.

Use a social media management tool such as Sprout Social to generate reports on hashtag and keyword use, follower count, engagement rate and more.

Keep an eye on all related posts and comments so that you can pinpoint whether or not you met your initial goal with the giveaway. If increased awareness or reach is one of your goals, track the performance of your giveaway hashtags in the Instagram Business Profiles Report to measure the hashtags associated with your brand. You’ll be able to tell if your branded giveaway hashtag is creating the buzz you’re looking for:

Also pay attention during and right after the giveaway to see if you’ve generated an influx in sales as well.

6. Select your winner with an Instagram giveaway picker

Once your giveaway timeframe has ended, it’s time to choose a winner. The best way to do this is by using an Instagram giveaway picker tool. There are a number of available tools for you to take advantage of specifically for these purposes.

Many brands will even record themselves using a tool to select the winner and share the video on their Instagram Stories as a way to prove that the winner truly has been randomly chosen.

A few popular Instagram giveaway pickers include:

1. Wask
2. GiveawayPick
3. Comment Picker
4. Iconosquare

Turn Instagram giveaway entrants into customers

Start running your own Instagram giveaways to boost your followers, increase social media engagement and, best of all, ramp up conversions. By introducing new people to your product, you’re increasing the chances of introducing someone to your brand for the first time and becoming a customer.

For even more ideas on how to convert your social media audience into customers, check out the latest Sprout Social Index™.

The post How to run an Instagram giveaway or contest successfully appeared first on Sprout Social.

Sure, you may be creating awesome content. But if no one is Liking or commenting on it, there’s a good chance your account will fall through the cracks. Next thing you know, you’re struggling to get customers from Instagram, and your investment simply goes to waste.

In this guide, we show you exactly what to do to give your Instagram engagement rate a much-needed boost. Let’s dive in.

Table of contents

• What is Instagram engagement?
• How to calculate your Instagram engagement rate
• What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
• 13 tips to improve your Instagram engagement rate
• Why a good engagement rate matters on Instagram

What is Instagram engagement?

Instagram engagement refers to a measure of how people are interacting with your content. It considers details such as your follower count along with interactions such as likes, comments, saves and shares. This metric helps you gauge how well your content resonates with your audience.

How to calculate your Instagram engagement rate

To calculate your Instagram engagement rate, you’ll need to look at the total number of content interactions. This includes Likes, comments, shares, Story replies and saves. Then use the formula below to calculate.

Engagement rate = (Total interactions/Impressions) x 100

What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?

According to the latest Instagram stats, posts typically get an average engagement rate of 0.98%. So anything around this number should be safe. That said, you’d ideally want to shoot for a higher engagement rate than the platform average.

13 tips to improve your Instagram engagement rate

Now it’s time for the fun part. The following tips will show you how to get more Instagram engagement.

1.     Actually engage with your audience

We’re starting this list off easy. To drive more engagement from your followers, you need to interact with them. Social media isn’t a one-way street. If you want to build an engaged audience, you need to acknowledge your followers. Remember, every comment you get means someone took the time to stop, look at your post and share their thoughts. After all that, why wouldn’t you respond?

If you want to build up engagement, know that it takes time and you need to start conversations on posts other than your own. Asking questions, responding to comments and replying to Stories are some of the few ways to engage more with your audience.

With comment threading, it’s even easier to know which ones you’ve missed on your posts. Not to mention, Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox lets you easily check off comments you’ve already responded to.

As your account starts to grow and you get more comments, you might not be able to respond to everyone. But that doesn’t mean you should give up entirely. You can still Like comments or just try to reply to as many as possible.

For instance, Canva has over a million followers on Instagram. The brand deals with hundreds of comments on its posts, so it’s not always viable to reply to every single comment. However, it takes time to respond to comments that ask questions or bring up an important feature.

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2.     Copy your top-performing posts

What works for you might not work for someone else. Take a look at your past months’ best-performing posts. Is there a common theme among your top performers?

For example, you might find that photos with bright and bold colors get a ton of Likes. Or maybe people are engaging more with Reels that have music in the background.

Use our Instagram dashboard to find your top-performing posts. Then look for commonalities between the posts and try to incorporate more of them in the future.

3.     Use Instagram Stories to your advantage

Instagram offers plenty of stickers that make it easy to drive engagement through Stories. Every time someone engages with those stickers, it counts toward your engagement.

Use these stickers to conduct polls and quizzes or get your followers to ask you questions. See how Living Stone Construction creates a simple poll asking people to vote if they like the renovation work. You could make it more fun and competitive by asking people to guess the correct answer to a question.

The question sticker is perfect for hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. You’ll then be able to share a series of Stories answering those questions.

One of the latest Instagram trends involves using the “Add Yours” sticker. Use this sticker to start a challenge and get people to engage with your brand. Share a prompt and encourage people to participate in your challenge by adding their own content.

4.     Promote across networks

It goes without saying that the audience for your Facebook Page might not be the same as the audience on your Instagram account. Chances are that some of your Facebook audience is on Instagram, but they just don’t know that you exist there yet. Don’t be afraid to sprinkle some cross-network promotional posts to encourage more followers.

5.     Be strategic with Instagram ads

When Facebook added Instagram into their Ads Manager, new targeting possibilities opened up. Sure, you can boost a post or promote your account, but it’s important to be more nuanced and strategic about it.

Take advantage of the customization by using retargeting and custom audiences. For instance, if you visit a furniture store website like Pottery Barn, you’ll start to get ads from other furniture stores. After searching around for a bookshelf, we found the following ads from other brands that sell furniture.

Custom audiences can come from many sources. But to start, try using:

• Your newsletter lists
• People who have visited your store
• Those who purchased from your website
• People who’ve engaged with your Facebook or Instagram accounts

From there, you’ll then be able to find even more people similar to any of the above audiences using the lookalike audience feature.

Getting familiar with all the Instagram advertising options will put you ahead of your competitors. And retargeting will further help you improve conversions and lower your ad costs.

6.     Create more short-form video content

Guess what we found in the 2022 Sprout Social Index? Short-form video is the most engaging type of in-feed social content. That means your Instagram content strategy needs to change direction. And the focus should shift to creating more short-form videos.

In other words, Reels are your best friend for boosting your Instagram engagement. Who knows? It might even be just the thing you need to go viral on Instagram.

Create Reels showing how-to tips and tricks or behind-the-scenes processes, for instance. Reels can be informational as well, providing a quick list of things people might want to know. See how Drunk Elephant creates a Reel listing some reasons why a certain product is great.

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7.     Make the most of the Collab feature

Instagram recently introduced a feature enabling users to create Collab posts with other users. A Collab post shows up in the Feeds of both of your followers, meaning a chance to garner higher engagement. So make the most of this feature to collaborate with influencers, industry leaders and brand partners.

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The Honest Kitchen regularly creates Collab posts with pet influencers to promote its human-grade pet food. This allows the brand to get its products in front of a massive and relevant audience i.e., the pet influencer’s followers. As expected, these posts have managed to garner hundreds of thousands of Likes and comments.

8.     Give sneak peeks and hints

Followers love it when you let them in on a secret. Even if they’re public posts, giving sneak peeks and hints of new releases makes the audience think they’re part of a special group. It entices them to guess what’s going on and encourages them to revisit the profile to see if there’s been an announcement.

Check out how Fourth Ray Beauty shares a teaser for an upcoming product without giving too much away. The Reel gives a short close-up shot of the new product. And the caption only gives a hint by including a cherry emoji.

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9.     Write captions that drive engagement

Your Instagram captions give you the perfect opportunity to include a call for action. In this case, the action would involve some type of engagement. For example, asking a question in your caption would encourage your followers to share their answers in the comments. Or you could share a prompt that would make them want to share their experience or thoughts by commenting.

For example, Pottery Barn shares a carousel post showcasing different stool and pendant pairings for a kitchen island. It then asks followers to vote for their favorite in the comments. Needless to say, the post managed to rack up plenty of comments from enthusiastic followers who wanted to vote.

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10.  Post your content at the best times

Use our Instagram analytics to find out when the best time to post is for you. You want to post when most of your followers are online and engaging on the app. Even with the best photo and wittiest caption, you could still miss out on engagement if you’re posting at the wrong hour.

We did some research into the best times to post on Instagram, and here’s what we found for Instagram.

But keep in mind that the specific timing may be different for your account. Instagram business accounts offer analytics that tells you when your followers are most active. Use this information to schedule your posts and free up your time to engage with comments. Alternatively, use Sprout’s ViralPost feature to automatically schedule your posts at the optimal time. This feature ensures that your Instagram posts go out at a time when you receive the most engagement.

11.  Encourage customer and employee posts

Use branded hashtags to help you organize user-generated content. If you engage in these hashtags and incorporate a UGC strategy, more people will take notice and begin using the hashtags, too.

Your employees can be your strongest advocates as well. Their accounts give a more personal, unfiltered perspective of the company. Remember, people like feeling as if they’re in a secret club. If you reshare from your employees, you’re offering perspectives that your brand normally wouldn’t offer.

12.  Host a fun giveaway contest

Who wouldn’t want to win free stuff? That’s exactly why social media giveaways are so great for boosting your Instagram engagement. They get people to engage with your brand in a way you’ve never seen before.

Whether the contest involves commenting, sharing or contributing a story–you get to drive engagement either way.

That said, your giveaway contest must be strategic and intentional. Make sure to design the rules keeping your goal in mind i.e., boosting engagement. Moreover, the prize should be attractive; it should be valuable enough to get people to participate.

For example, Fenty Beauty hosted a Game Day Giveaway for a chance to win two tickets to the Championship Game. The brand would cover the cost of flights, hotels and ground transportation. As you can expect, this post saw more than 17k Likes and almost 18k comments.

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13.  Improve your Instagram hashtags

It’s a well-known fact that using the right hashtags helps you grow your reach. But with that increased reach comes a greater chance of boosting engagement. The more people see your content, the higher the chance that they’ll engage with it.

Use relevant and niche hashtags that will let you tap into the right audience. The goal is to get Instagram to show your content to users who have shown an interest in topics related to that hashtag. So when these users see your content, they’re likely to check it out and engage.

Why a good engagement rate matters on Instagram

So what’s the big deal about Instagram engagement? Check out these key benefits of having a good engagement rate on Instagram.

Improve platform visibility

The Instagram algorithm uses several factors to rank and display content. While relevance is one crucial element, engagement is another major consideration. Even among relevant content, posts that see tons of engagement are more likely to show up in a user’s Explore. So having a good engagement rate is essential to improve your visibility on Instagram.

Attract a new audience

With higher visibility comes an increased chance of attracting a new audience. Instagram will typically show your content to people who are most likely to be interested in it. If these users like your content enough, they may want to check out your profile and even follow you. In other words, a good engagement rate may help you grow your Instagram following.

Boost credibility

To the average Instagram user, a post that has tons of engagement means other people are enjoying it. As such, good engagement serves as social proof and reflects positively on your brand authenticity. People may feel more comfortable trusting your brand because so many others are engaging with it.

Start growing your Instagram engagement

These tips will give you a much-needed engagement boost on Instagram. But a one-off spike in engagement numbers isn’t enough. Make sure you’re following these tips consistently to maintain high levels of engagement.

Sprout’s Instagram integration will help you get started by managing all your comments in one place in a Smart Inbox, freeing up time for you to focus on improving your Instagram engagement.

The post 13 Ways to increase your Instagram engagement rate appeared first on Sprout Social.

The reality is that Instagram is an absolute goldmine for businesses of all shapes and sizes. However, it’s no longer about silly photos with filters and borders. Instead, you need to have a perfectly curated and visually appealing feed to stand out. Many brands struggle to grow or adopt Instagram as part of their social strategy and we totally understand why.

You can’t afford to “wing it” on Instagram. You need a clear-cut, actionable Instagram strategy if you want to grow a presence and attract customers.

We’ve broken down an Instagram marketing strategy guide to help you get started on the platform and understand the best practices for growth.

Table of Contents:

• What is Instagram marketing?
• Why use Instagram for marketing?
• How to create an Instagram business account
• 6 Ways to create an Instagram marketing strategy
• Instagram analytics and tools
• Get started with Instagram marketing

What is Instagram marketing?

Instagram marketing is a social media marketing strategy that refers to the use of Instagram and its features to build a community and promote your business. Brands enlisting Instagram marketing will need to create content for the platform, build out a cohesive plan for said content, engage with their target audience and more to see success.

Why use Instagram for marketing?

Social media marketing is a wildly popular strategy as there are nearly 5 billion social media users worldwide. Instagram is one of the most popular social networks, having been the most-downloaded app at the end of 2021. Not only that but 59% of Instagram’s 2 billion users log into the app daily.

With a pretty solid distribution of ages and genders on the app, you’re likely to find at least one segment of your target audience on the app.

Instagram is a visual platform with a heavy focus on photo and video. This means that product-based businesses can easily showcase their product in action as a way of selling. But don’t discount the benefits of Instagram for B2B brands as well—videos and graphics are great educational tools for teaching and selling to your audience.

The platform also boasts a number of features that allow you to promote your business in different ways, creating an engaging marketing strategy overall. Some features include:

• Carousel posts
• Instagram Stories
• Story highlights
• Instagram Reels
• Instagram shopping
• Paid partnerships for influencer campaigns

Instagram creates a revenue stream for ecommerce brands, helps build a community of loyal customers and can be a great way to increase brand awareness.

How to create an Instagram business account

Ready to get started with your own Instagram business profile? It’s easy to create one and start sharing content immediately. Let’s walk you through the process.

1. Download the Instagram app onto your smartphone. While there is a desktop version, the app is mobile-first and most tasks are easiest to complete on the mobile app.
2. Input your business email address and choose a password. Follow the instructions until you’re taken to your new profile.
3. Begin your visual branding. Upload a profile photo and input all necessary profile information—your business name, a bio, a profile link, a CTA button, etc.
4. Tap the hamburger menu at the top right corner of your profile to access Instagram settings. Go to the Account menu in order to change your profile to a business profile to get access to tools specific to Instagram for business.

From here, you can easily get started posting photos, videos, stories, reels and so much more.

6 Ways to create an Instagram marketing strategy

Now that we’ve outlined why you should be marketing on Instagram and how to create a business profile, let’s get to work in creating an Instagram strategy.

1. Define your Instagram marketing goals

This might seem like a no-brainer, but you need to be able to answer exactly why you want to have an Instagram presence in the first place. What’s in it for your business? Do you want to generate leads? Build a community? Increase brand awareness?

Setting social media goals is an essential step in any strategy. These goals determine everything from your content strategy to how much time you need to spend on the platform to accomplish them.

There’s no “right” or single goal you have to commit to, either. It’s going to fully depend on your overall business goals and what you’re hoping to achieve. And your ROI from Instagram really boils down to these goals.

For example, Crate and Barrel is a shining example of a retail brand whose Instagram strategy is laser-focused on social selling. Their entire feed centers around showing off their products and encouraging followers to check them out as well.

Meanwhile, beauty brands often focus on highlighting products while also building a community by constantly going back-and-forth with followers.

Local, brick-and-mortar businesses want to keep customers in the loop on their latest promotions while simultaneously building relationships. Notice how Dixie Dharma takes the time to respond to their customer comments in addition to showing off their mouth-watering breakfast offerings.

The beauty of Instagram is the sheer amount of creative freedom available to you. Either way, deciding on the Instagram tactics you’ll use starts with your goals.

Dig through Instagram yourself to help inspire your business’ strategy.

Follow some of your favorite brands. Follow some competitors, too. Experiencing the platform as a user is the best way to understand how businesses and consumers interact with each other.

If you’re still in need of some inspiration, here are some common goals that businesses use for their Instagram marketing strategy:

• Increase brand awareness via followers and reach
• Generate engagement via comments and shares
• Improve website traffic via link-in-bio and stories clicks
• Ramp up sales via clicks or social sales

2. Optimize your Instagram profile

Here’s some good news: in terms of setting up your profile, Instagram is relatively straightforward. However, there are a few small details to watch out for as you put together your profile.

Before you worry about creating content for Instagram, make sure you’ve ticked the following boxes. This rings true for new profiles and brands looking to fine-tune their Instagram marketing.

Convert to a business profile

We covered this earlier, but it’s a big one.

Because Instagram business profiles give you access to features like analytics, paid partnerships, CTA buttons and more, you need to make sure that you’ve switched your account. Doing so also allows you to highlight additional information such as your industry, location, phone number and email address as part of your Instagram bio.

Additionally, Instagram business profiles have access to analytics to help you see how followers are interacting with your account. Of course, we recommend that you go beyond base-level metrics with the help of Sprout Social (but more on that later).

Decide on your brand creatives

Although they’re easy to overlook, your brand creatives are integral to your Instagram marketing strategy.

Specifically, your hashtags and bio.

The process of creating a hashtag doesn’t have to be daunting. For example, most hashtags are either a brand name or slight variations of a brand name.

#Topshop #MyAnthropologie #TargetFinds

The purpose of having a hashtag is to encourage followers to tag your brand and enable you to do the same. Hashtags serve as a call-to-action to encourage customer photos and stories. You can also include your branded hashtags within your bio to encourage even more usage.

In turn, you and your followers can see who else used your tag and shared their snaps.

Craft a compelling Instagram bio

Despite being only 150 characters, your Instagram bio is invaluable real estate.

This is your brand’s first impression with customers and potential followers. It represents an opportunity to highlight what your brand is all about and encourage followers to take action.

And it’s the only place where you can funnel Instagram traffic to your promotions or website.

As part of your Instagram strategy, make sure that your bio includes the following.

• A clear, concise description of what your business does
• Hashtag(s) related to your business
• Some sort of call-to-action
• A trackable link in bio to monitor the behavior of your Instagram traffic

For example, Whole Foods’ Instagram manages to achieve all of the above.

Upload your profile picture

Your Instagram profile picture is confined to only 110×110 pixels.

Therefore, sleek, minimalist and high-res is the way to go. And in order to increase brand recognition and make sure your Instagram looks legitimate, it’s best to keep this to your logo—or as much of it as you can reasonably fit in.

For example, Casper includes only the first letter of their stylized brand font for a bold profile pic.

Meanwhile, BarkBox manages to include its entire name with clean, legible text.

3. Pinpoint your target audience

Before you start creating and publishing content, you need to know who your target audience is. Which of your customer segments have a presence on Instagram? Make sure you understand Instagram’s overall demographics and have a customer profile or persona filled out so that you can align the two.

This way, you can make sure that your content strategy is only geared toward people who are actually interested in your product or service, rather than marketing out into the void hoping that something resonates to anyone.

4. Create your Instagram content strategy

Now let’s get into the meat of your Instagram strategy: creating content.

Here we’ve highlighted some specific Instagram marketing tips that showcase the types of content that crush it based on best practices. Although these aren’t the only types of content you can publish, consider these post types to be cornerstones of your Instagram marketing.

Eye-popping imagery

Stylish snapshots.

That’s exactly what put Instagram on the map.

Photos featuring some sort of striking creative trademark, whether it be a stunning setting or bright color scheme, are the types of posts that reel in the likes and comments.

Thankfully, most modern smartphones have features baked into them to take compelling photos of just about anything, without relying on professional photographers.

Also, there are plenty of  Instagram apps that include filters and style options to step up your photos.

People-centric photos

Social media is social.

That means centering your content strategy around people. Specifically, highlighting the humans who support your business.

For example, user-generated content and customer photos are staples of Instagram. Sharing such snapshots allows you to show off your satisfied customers and put your products in a real-world setting.

Don’t forget about showing your team some love, too. Going behind-the-scenes and celebrating your colleagues is a simple yet effective way to humanize your brand.

Videos

Video content is among the most popular and shared around social media, Instagram included.

If you’re not a professional videographer, don’t panic. Many brands share bite-sized promos in lieu of big productions.

And yes, you can create video that sells with little more than a smartphone.

Looping videos and timelapse videos are insanely popular and can be put together in a matter of seconds thanks to third-party apps.

Memes and image macros

Not everything on Instagram needs to be staged or come from a camera reels.

Memes are perfect for humor or inspiration.

In fact, memes and image macros are a way to break up the monotony of your feed and engage your followers on a personal level. Even screenshots of Tweets have made their way onto Instagram.

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are also an incredibly popular content type and have a great reach rate.

Why? For starters, Stories enable you to “skip the line” in your followers’ feeds by putting your account at the front of their Story queue. Furthermore, time-sensitive content taps into your customers’ sense of FOMO (fear of missing out).

Furthermore, 50% of Instagram users have visited a website to buy a product or sign up for a service after seeing it in Stories.

Great for deals, company updates or just plain playful content, Stories are something you should strive to create on a daily basis.

5. Publish content consistently

You have your content ready to publish. Simply posting at random isn’t going to do you any good.

As part of your marketing strategy for Instagram, take note of the following before you put out your next post.

Craft compelling captions

Each post you publish should have a unique caption. Even the seemingly smallest details of those captions can impact your engagement rate and whether or not your post is discoverable.

With 2,000+ characters to work with, you certainly have creative freedom. However, you’ll notice that many businesses take a “less is more” approach to their Instagram captions.

No matter what you’re saying or selling, make sure that you include a combination of the following in your captions.

• A call-to-action (a question, “check out our bio,” etc)
• A touch of personality (use emojis, take up a conversational tone)
• Hashtags (including your branded hashtags)

Pay attention to timing and frequency

When and how often you publish your content matters when it comes to engagement.

Most brands publish daily or on a near-daily basis. But don’t want to sacrifice quality for quantity.

Also, the timing of your posts impacts how likely your followers are to see them. For reference, here are the best times to post on Instagram based on Sprout research.

Having to worry about posting in real-time can be a pain. That’s why we again recommend using an Instagram marketing tool such as Sprout to do the heavy lifting. For example, features such as ViralPost can clue you in on when your specific account scores the most engagement. Then, you can automatically schedule your content in advance to hit those times.

Cross-post from other social networks

For many brands, it makes sense to cross-post your Instagram content across networks such as Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest. Doing so saves you some serious time and keeps you from bouncing from network to network. With Sprout, you can cross-post and edit your individual posts to ensure they’re optimized specifically for Instagram.

6. Grow your Instagram followers

No matter what Instagram strategies you’re experimenting with, so much of your engagement depends on how you promote your Instagram so you can grow your Instagram follower count.

Followers and customers don’t show up by accident. As a result, you need to put your Instagram front and center across your other marketing channels.

For example, make a point to prominently feature your Instagram on-site. Whether it’s social buttons or a feed of your followers’ photos, customers should know that you’re active on Instagram.

And of course, growing your Instagram followers also means showing up day after day.

Respond to followers. Engage with other accounts. Committing to Instagram means being an active participant on the platform.

Oh, and don’t forget to monitor your analytics! In-depth insights like the ones provided via Sprout can be huge motivations and eye-openers to brands growing on Instagram. Rather than second-guess what to post next, your analytics more than likely have the answer.

Instagram analytics and tools

The last part of any strategy involves monitoring your performance and keeping an eye on analytics. While Instagram comes with its own built-in analytics, investing in a more comprehensive analytics tool can help—especially so you can get a bird’s eye view of all your social media analytics at once.

Here are a few analytics tools you might consider:

Sprout Social

Obviously, we have to tout our own analytics dashboard. Connect your Instagram business profile to access data like impressions, followers, audience demographics, growth and more.

Sprout can also be used to schedule Instagram content ahead of time, communicate with customers via social media messaging and so much more.

Iconosquare

Iconosquare is another analytics option that’s tailored more to agencies that manage multiple brand profiles at once. This way, social media managers are able to easily switch from client to client. Iconosquare also offers a free account audit for business profiles to make sure you’re adhering to Instagram best practices.

TapInfluence

TapInfluence is a tool that helps brands identify influencers to work with. Their platform analyzes a database of over 50,000 influencers to pinpoint the ones that would be best for your specific offerings. It also includes data on their pricing to help your business quickly and easily find influencers.

Curalate

Curalate is a tool that analyzes and shares potential user-generated content with brands so they can easily bulk up their content calendar. They use their affiliated tool Like2Buy to curate posts added via that link and put them in front of the brands tagged so they can easily repost the images onto their own profiles.

Bitly

Bitly is a link-shortening tool that also tracks clicks and can be a great option for your Instagram bio link. This way you can keep track of how many clicks you’re getting just from your Instagram bio as a way of tracking website traffic ROI.

The post Instagram marketing: 4 ways to update your strategy appeared first on Sprout Social.

Moreover, changes to the Instagram algorithm has put a damper on organic reach. As a workaround, brands are using Stories as a low-hanging opportunity for visibility and engagement.

But if you’re still struggling to make sense of Stories, we get it. That’s why we put together this detailed guide breaking down how to use Instagram Stories. Read on to learn about how to view, create and use Instagram Stories to improve your brand’s Instagram marketing.

Table of Contents:

• What are Instagram Stories
• Why use Instagram Stories
• How to view Instagram Stories
• How to make an Instagram Story
• How to use Instagram Stories as a brand
• Instagram story tips

What are Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are a feed of photos (or videos) that disappear from your profile after 24 hours. Your Stories content is separate from your traditional feed.

Stories act as a sort of slideshow, with each photo or video uploaded to your feed representing a new slide. Photos present themselves for seven seconds by default, while videos can be up to fifteen seconds long.

Whenever you publish a new Story, a purple and orange ring appears around your profile picture. This signals to your followers that you have fresh content to check out.

While Stories expire after a day, you can save your best slideshows as Stories Highlights. These Highlights then appear on your profile right above your regular feed.

Users can reply to your Stories via DMs or through interactive elements such as polls and stickers. Meanwhile, unique captions, overlays and custom music give your Stories a creative touch.

Think of Stories as a sort of secondary, exclusive feed of content for your most dedicated followers.

Why use Instagram Stories

The benefits of integrating Stories into your content strategy are well-documented.

It goes beyond getting your brand in front of the right audience. In fact, recent Instagram stats note that 50% of Instagram users have visited a website to make a purchase after seeing it in Stories.

Here are some key reasons why Stories should be a top priority for growing a company account.

IG Stories put you front-and-center in followers’ feeds

This is the big one. Whenever you post a new Story to Instagram, you automatically “skip the line” in your followers’ feeds.

That’s because the Stories feed is always right there and above the fold on the Instagram home screen.

So, if you’re consistently publishing Stories, you’re always on your customers’ minds.

Considering how the Instagram algorithm is constantly changing, the Stories feed is prime real estate for brands. It allows you to get more eyes on your content without having to worry about reach.

Stories are perfect for humanizing your brand

Keep in mind that most Instagram Stories are off-the-cuff and informal, even from brands. This represents a stark contrast from the more “optimized” or salesy content you might see on your main feed.

Snap a selfie of your team? Want to share a quick personal anecdote? Go for it. Stories are the ideal place to talk to your customers like people for the sake of showing off your brand’s voice and personality.

Insta Stories offer endless opportunities to engage

The features baked into Stories are ideal for brands that want to go back and forth with followers while having a bit of fun. Polls and quizzes. Custom stickers and music. #hashtags and @mentions. The list goes on and on.

With a bit of creativity, Stories empower you to engage followers and get them talking in just a couple of taps.

How to view Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are prominently visible at the top of the screen. They’re often the first thing people see when they open the app, making them more likely to drive views and engagements. Let’s take a look at how you can view Instagram Stories.

Step 1: Go to your Instagram home screen

Once you open your Instagram app, navigate to the home screen by tapping on the home icon at the bottom of your screen.

On your home screen, you’ll see a number of profile pictures with orange and purple circles along the top. Each of these circular icons indicates that the user has an active Story you can view.

Step 2: Tap on the Story you want to view

Tap on any of the circular icons from your Stories feed. This will open up the Story that the user has posted.

Step 3: Tap left, right or hold to explore

Once you open up a Story, you can tap and hold to pause the Story and view it for as long as you like. Tap on the right side of the screen to view the next Story and tap left to go back to the previous Story.

Swiping left will let you automatically skip to the next user’s Story. Swipe right to go back to the previous user’s Story.

How to make an Instagram Story

It’s easy to start creating an Instagram Story. The challenge is creating one that engages your audience. But first, let’s look at the basic steps to make an Instagram Story.

Step 1: From your Instagram home page, tap on your profile picture at the top left-hand corner. This will open up the option to add to your Story.

Step 2: Tap on the “Camera” button in the “Add to Story” window to start creating a new Story. Or choose an image or video from your camera roll to add to your Story. Alternatively, you can swipe right from your home screen to open the Instagram camera app. From here, you can instantly record a video or capture a photo to add to your Story.

Step 3: If you’re capturing a new photo or video, choose a filter at the bottom of the screen. You can even decide on a capture mode for the photo or video. Tap on the arrow from the side panel to expand your options. Then choose whether you want to use boomerang, layout, hands-free or dual. The “Create” button lets you create a new text Story.

Step 4: Once you’ve decided on a filter and a capture mode, tap the “camera button” to take a photo. Tap and hold if you want to record a new video.

Step 5: After you’ve captured the photo or video, tap on the text icon at the top to add text to your Story. Type in your message and the text will appear as an overlay. You can change the font and text color, and even add text effects to get your message across clearly.

Step 6: Tap on the sticker icon to edit your Story with relevant stickers. From the sticker dashboard, you can add location tags, mention tags, music, polls, links, hashtags and countdown timers. Or if you want to add a sticker relevant to your message, type in a keyword from the search bar at the top and choose the sticker you want.

Step 7: Once you’re done editing the Story and adding the necessary stickers, tap on the arrow button at the bottom of the screen. Then choose the option to share to “Your Story.” Instagram even gives you the option to share a Story with a select group of people you’ve added to your Close Friends list. Tap on “Share” and the Story will instantly go live.

How to use Instagram Stories

When you’re using Instagram for business, Stories should be integral to your strategy.

But coming up with content can be daunting for first-timers.

Don’t sweat it. Below, we’ve provided a few actionable tips on how to use Instagram Stories as a part of your social media marketing strategy.

Guides and inspiration for Instagram Stories

Learn more about the important details that will help you maximize your brand’s use of Instagram Stories with these guides:

• How to use Instagram Stories analytics
• How to add links to Instagram Stories
• Instagram Story ads: Rules and best practices for impressive results

Educate your audience with how-to’s and tutorials

The sequential format of Stories makes them perfect for step-by-step, how-to-style content. From recipes to beauty tutorials, you can create bite-sized educational content that’s highly engaging. These are an easy alternative to traditional videos and blog posts.

Go back and forth with polls, quizzes and questions

Stories are a great place to carry on conversations with your customers.

Features such as polls and quizzes make doing so seamless and fun. Benefit Cosmetics regularly uses polls, quizzes, questions and voting stickers in its Stories. This serves as a fun and easy way to engage the brand’s audience.

Make announcements and break your own news

Some brands use Stories as a space to make announcements. This is a smart move for the sake of keeping your followers in the loop about what your business is up to.

Highlight the latest posts in your main feed

This is an example of how to use Stories to bypass the Instagram algorithm.

Let’s say you have an awesome new post in your main feed. Hyping it up via Stories is totally fair game to maximize your reach.

Depending on how often you post to Instagram, don’t be too aggressive about announcing your posts. Try to reserve doing so for your most important announcements and offers.

Now that Instagram allows every user to add links to Stories, you can make the most of this feature to promote new content from outside Instagram. Use this feature to share your latest blog posts, press releases and other important content.

Post teasers of upcoming content or products

If nothing else, Stories encourage you to tease what you have coming down the pipeline. Maybe you’re excited about a new collaboration. Perhaps you’re about to drop a new product.

Stories allow you to spread your message far and wide. Creative stickers and countdowns make it easy to create a sense of anticipation.

Promote time-sensitive offers and deals

Just as you’d promote an offer via Instagram, you can do the same via Stories. This is perfect for ecommerce and brick-and-mortar stores alike. You can use your Stories to promote limited-time deals or simply to highlight a current sale.

Share user-generated content and customer photos

Many brands share Stories dedicated to their followers’ user-generated content.

Using Stories to do so allows you to either create a dedicated customer slideshow. And you won’t have to worry about clogging up your main feed with UGC.

Plus, reposting content into Stories is even easier than traditional methods of regramming.

Take your followers behind-the-scenes

Part of the beauty of Instagram Stories is that they don’t have to be big, polished productions. In fact, many brands create Stories that are on the fly and unfiltered.

Think of different ways to use Stories to take your followers along for the ride. You could post event photos and “day in the life” content that highlights your typical routine.

Instagram story tips

While Instagram Stories don’t require a ton of optimization per se, you shouldn’t just start blasting them at random.

To wrap things up, let’s look at seven key best practices of Instagram Stories as you integrate them into your content strategy.

1. Leverage stickers in your Story

Instagram offers a ton of stickers that you can use to customize your Story. With these, you can add fun graphics and GIFs to jazz up your Stories. Additionally, let’s take a look at the key types of stickers and what you can do with them.

• Location – This sticker lets you add a location tag to your Story. Tap on the sticker icon and search for the place you want to tag. Select the location and this will automatically add the location to the Story.

• @Mention – This lets you mention other accounts and users in your Story. Select the sticker and enter the username of the person or account you want to tag.
• Add Yours – The “Add Yours” sticker lets you create a prompt and add a photo based on the prompt. When other users view your Story, they can tap on the prompt to contribute their own photo.
• Questions – This lets you collect questions from your followers. Some even use this to ask a question and collect answers.
• Music – With this sticker, you can choose your favorite music to add to the Story. This is a great way to keep your Story interesting with fun audio tracks from the Instagram music library.
• Poll – This sticker lets you create a poll and provide up to four answers/options. Users can cast their vote by selecting the option they want best.
• Quiz – The quiz sticker works almost like the poll feature, except you need to select one correct answer. This is a fun way to keep your audience engaged through Stories.

• Emoji slider – The emoji slider is a type of voting sticker. You enter a prompt or question, and users have to slide the emoji to provide an answer. For example, they may share how excited they are about an upcoming launch.
• Link – This sticker lets you add an external link to your Story. Tap on the icon and enter the URL, which will appear as a link in your Story. You can customize the text that will show up in place of the naked URL.
• #Hashtag – The hashtag sticker is pretty self-explanatory. It allows you to add a hashtag to your Story, which users can tap on like a regular Instagram hashtag in feed posts.
• Countdown – This sticker lets you add a countdown timer to your Story. You can name the countdown and set an end date and time. This is perfect for counting down to an upcoming event such as a product launch or a sale.

2. Mention and engage with other users in your Story

Mentioning other users is a great way to ensure that people see your Story and engage with it. You can mention influencers, customers, employees or even other brand accounts. This is perfect for starting conversations and getting others to hear what you have to say.

To mention another account, use the @Mention sticker from your sticker dashboard. Alternatively, you can tap on the Story to start typing and enter the “@” symbol to mention another account.

If you’re in luck, the tagged users might even share the Story with their own followers. This allows you to get more views for your Stories.

3. Allow users to share your Story

Speaking of other users sharing your Story, give your followers the freedom to share your Story with their friends. This would enable them to share the Story via DMs, enabling you to get more Story views.

To allow other users to share your Story, go to your Privacy settings. Select “Story” and under “Sharing,” slide on the option to allow sharing to Messages.

4. Get creative with Instagram Story features

One of the best parts about Instagram Stories is the ability to get as creative as you want. Since it offers so many cool features, tools and stickers, you can have fun with them to come up with eye-catching and original content.

For instance, the pen tool lets you draw directly on your Story. This allows you to highlight some parts of the text or even point to specific details in your photo. You can change the color and pen style as needed.

Instagram even lets you create custom ink and background colors. So you can choose the perfect shade to match your branding guidelines or creative vision.

Just choose a photo from your camera roll that contains your desired color. Then open the pen app by selecting the “Draw” icon. Tap on the color picker icon at the bottom of the screen and drag the picker to your desired color.

If you want to use this new custom color as a background color, tap and hold the screen. This will change the entire background to the color of your choice.

5. Figure out your publishing frequency

A key upside of Stories is that you can publish them frequently without worrying about spamming your followers.

That said, there’s no denying investment of time and resources that goes into publishing anything on a daily or near-daily basis. Consider Stories as a supplement to your regular posts without sacrificing content quality.

Once you’ve figured out the ideal publishing frequency for your Stories, follow it consistently. Additionally, it’s important to publish your Stories at the right time when people are more likely to take notice. Try to find out the best time to post to your Instagram Stories and plan your publishing schedule accordingly.

6. Take full advantage of creative features, tools and formats

Beyond what we’ve discussed already, Instagram is consistently rolling out new features and functions to Stories.

For the sake of finding fresh opportunities to engage customers and keep up with trends, we recommend keeping a close eye on such updates.

The recent updates that Instagram has implemented to compete with TikTok are a good example. For example, you can upload trending music to your Stories and cross-post your Reels.

7. Keep a close eye on your Instagram Stories engagement

Watching your social analytics is a no-brainer, but Stories are often treated as an afterthought when it comes to tracking data.

That’s because Stories are so simple, right? What’s there to glean from a few seconds of content?

However, consider how tracking Instagram Stories analytics can clue you in on insights such as:

• Which types of Stories receive the most views, replies and engagement
• How often you should publish Stories based on firsthand data
• How engaged your total audience is versus your Stories viewers

The good news is that Sprout Social can highlight all of the above in a simple, easy-to-read dashboard. These data points let you fine-tune your content strategy. So you can publish Stories that really resonate with your audience.

But of course, you can’t understand what’s working and what isn’t until you start publishing Stories on the regular.

And with that, we wrap up our guide!

Are you making the most of your Instagram Stories?

There’s no doubt about it: Stories should be central to your Instagram strategy.

Given so much creative freedom, publishing your initial Stories might require a bit of trial and error.

But by sticking to the tips and best practices above, you can get started with Stories with a sense of confidence.

Check out how you can work smarter and gain powerful Instagram insights with Sprout’s Instagram management tools.

The post Instagram Stories: The complete guide for your brand appeared first on Sprout Social.

Think about this: if you like a photo or video on Instagram and then go to the profile and their bio is completely blank (or lacks vital information) you’re going to immediately lose interest or think the account is a fake and leave. No follow and no looking back.

Others do the same, so it’s important to fully optimize your Instagram strategy—bio and all.

Table of Contents

• What is an Instagram bio?
• Why an Instagram business bio matters
• What to put in an Instagram bio
• Tips for writing the best Instagram bios for business (+ examples)
• Create a compelling Instagram bio for your business

What is an Instagram bio?

An Instagram bio is a description of your business that sits at the top of your Instagram profile. It can only be up to 150 characters, so you want to be concise, sharing what your business does and who it serves in as few words as possible.

Take a look at our own Instagram bio to get an idea of what this might look like:

We’ll get into each of these more thoroughly later, but our full bio includes:

• Our Instagram handle
• Our brand name
• Bio description
• Bio link

There are a few more things you can consider including within your own bio to further share what your business does.

Why an Instagram business bio matters

First of all, why does your Instagram business profile bio matter so much? As simple as it may seem, an Instagram bio plays a critical role in establishing your brand presence. It shows people who you are and what you sell. You can also use the same space to tell them why they should care about your business and its offering.

In many cases, your Instagram profile may be the first point of contact whether someone finds you through an Instagram hashtag or by clicking through from a paid post or sharing on Stories. Your bio is an important first impression while clarifying why they should follow you.

That’s why you should focus on creating an Instagram business bio that effectively portrays your brand personality and establishes your unique value proposition. In other words, it should factor into your overall Instagram business strategy.

What to put in an Instagram bio

Writing your Instagram bio for business is one key part of creating the perfect Instagram business profile. Here are the essential elements that go into your Instagram bio:

1. Name and username

Your Instagram username is your @handle and your Instagram identity. It’s a part of your Instagram profile URL (instagram.com/myusername) and holds a prominent location at the top of your profile page.

On the other hand, your name is your real or full brand name. Depending on data sources like audience and keyword research, you may know of abbreviations or name variations commonly used for your brand name. You might consider using those in one spot in your Instagram bio, such as in your username.

For instance, in the following Instagram business profile example, the username for Sprouts Farmers Market is just @sprouts but the name section has the full name of the business.

2. Profile photo and branding

This should be relevant to your brand’s visual identity. Best practices dictate that you should use a high-res image of your logo in order to improve brand recognition and keep all of your social media profiles on brand. However, solopreneurs and public figures often use headshots, and that’s a perfectly acceptable alternative.

For brands with a widely-recognized visual identity like National Geographic TV, the iconic yellow rectangle logo makes for a great profile photo.

Another way to brand your Instagram profile is through your Instagram highlight covers. While not necessarily a part of your bio, these still show up at the top of your profile and give you an opportunity to inject even more color into your Instagram.

3. Instagram bio copy

This is the section under your name, where you get to express yourself (or in this case, your brand personality). You have 150 characters to tell people what your Instagram profile is about, what your brand offers and why they should follow you. So you don’t have much to work with, which makes it even more crucial to plan ahead and perfect your Instagram business bio.

Here’s an example of great bio copy from BarkBox. They start with a simple sentence that explains exactly what their business does. They tag their parent company. Then they even include a couple of hashtags that BarkBox customers can use when showing off their boxes.

4. Bio link

This is the only section that allows you to add a clickable link on Instagram to your website, so make sure you use this space wisely. While you can always add a URL to your homepage, you can also update this link more frequently by posting new products, new content, new projects and more.

Many brands use a link-in-bio tool to maximize the single link limit by taking the user to a landing page with shortcuts to featured content and product pages.

5. Category

Instagram also allows you to specify which category your brand falls under—whether you run a restaurant or a media and entertainment company. This shows up right under your business name if you choose to enable it, so it helps free up space in your Instagram bio for other important details.

As we can see below, Bloomscape has selected “Patio/Garden” as their brand category.

6. Call-to-action and contact buttons

You could further free up space in your Instagram bio if you make the most of the call-to-action buttons available for Instagram Business accounts. This allows people to take action straight from your Instagram profile when on the mobile app, making it easier for customers to convert on actions—from buying tickets to booking tables.

Keep in mind that these are only accessible on the mobile app, and they’ll look something like the “View Shop,” “Message,” and “Call” buttons below:

Tips for writing the best Instagram bios for business (+ examples)

Now that you know what goes into an Instagram bio, let’s take a look at tips on how to write the best Instagram bios for business.

1. Know what your goal is

Since you have to stay within the 150-character limit, it’s crucial that you have a clear sense of direction when writing your Instagram bio. Knowing exactly what you want out of your bio will help you narrow down what to say.

For instance, you could simply use it to convey your brand’s personality and announce your Instagram presence. You could also use it to promote your latest products and offers or inform people about what your business does. If you do promote sales and recent products, be sure your team is ready to regularly refresh your Instagram bio and ensure this info is up to date.

Some businesses also use this section to express their brand mission and what they stand for. Check out the following Instagram business profile example from Grove Collaborative. The company’s bio tells us a little bit about what the business sells and what its overall mission is.

Here’s another great example of a basic bio that’s straightforward and explains exactly what the company (Slack in this instance) does:

2. Let your brand personality shine through

Make the most of your Instagram business bio to express your brand personality. This includes the language and tone you use or what you say, in general. For instance, Reese’s uses a fun and friendly tone in its bio while using the opportunity to establish its brand authority.

Some businesses may also add relevant emojis if that kind of approach fits the brand personality. But note that special characters and emojis may not translate well on a screen reader. Be sure to keep accessibility best practices in mind for all your followers and avoid filling your entire bio with characters that are hard to read or understand for customers using screen readers.

3. Include relevant hashtags and profile links

Instagram lets you add clickable hashtags and profile links in your bio. So make the most of this to direct customers to your other Instagram handles or to relevant, tagged content.

The option to add profile links is great for businesses that manage multiple accounts. See how Madewell added a link to their Instagram account for menswear.

Brands can also take a page out of Weezie’s book, tagging the accounts of their founders as well as their brick-and-mortar store (ideal when you have two different social media strategies for your retail versus ecommerce avenues).

As for hashtags, adding them to your bio will let you direct your audience to stunning tagged user-generated content. You could use a branded hashtag to collect user-generated content like Cupshe. The swimsuit brand included several hashtags they track for content to feature on their own account.

4. Make sure it’s easy to read

As mentioned earlier, your Instagram bio should be able to convey what your business does or what it offers. So it’s crucial that people can easily read and process the information without too much trouble. Formatting such as line breaks and spacing makes it easier to read and emphasize important information at a glance.

You could use a pipe or vertical bar character to space out your info like in the following Instagram business profile example from Leder Games. They used the symbol to separate their most popular game offerings.

You could also use line breaks to style your info in a list format. See how this bio skillfully uses lists, incorporating emojis as a kind of bullet point.

Keep in mind that these characters and line breaks will factor into your total character count. So make sure you use them sparingly and strategically to avoid going over the character limit. You could also test different formatting to see how they impact your overall profile engagement. Use a tool like Sprout Social’s Instagram analytics suite to measure how your profile engagement changes as you update.

5. Include a compelling call to action

While the call-to-action buttons frees up a lot of space in your bio, it doesn’t hurt to get more direct with your CTA. Make sure people know exactly what they need to do when they visit your profile by including a CTA in your bio.

Get very specific with this depending on the goal of your Instagram business account. You could invite them to visit your website, shop your feed, check out your latest blog post, download your new guide or even share their own photos using your branded hashtag. If you want to grow your Instagram following, you could even add a CTA to “follow us” for your regular content such as daily recipes, fashion updates and so on.

For example, Ahrefs uses their bio text to create a CTA that points (literally, thanks to their use of emoji) to their latest feature release.

Dress Up uses its bio to direct people to sign up for SMS marketing messages by offering a discount right inside the bio. This is a great way to get people to take immediate action and increase your text marketing list.

Create a compelling Instagram bio for your business

The post How to craft an impactful Instagram bio for business (+ examples) appeared first on Sprout Social.

And that’s why 59% of marketers plan to up their investment in Instagram this year.

But if you’re not thrilled with your Instagram growth and engagement, you’re not alone.

Competition on the platform is fierce as more and more brands get on board. Thing is, taking steps to grow your audience is absolutely worth it. That’s because the bigger your audience, the more opportunities to delight your customers.

Ready to tweak your presence to attract authentic and organic Instagram followers? This post breaks down how to make it happen.

10 ways to increase Instagram followers

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, this post is about building an organic following.

And yes, the distinction matters!

Some brands want to take shortcuts when it comes to trying to get more Instagram followers. We don’t pretend that pay-for-play sites exist.

That said, these services aren’t worth it for brands long-term. The Instagram algorithm weeds out low-quality accounts and phony engagement from paid bots.

But we’ll bite: there’s definitely some legwork involved in growing your audience authentically.

Doing so it worth totally worth it, though. Below are our ten best tips for getting more Instagram followers the right way.

1. Optimize your Instagram account

Before you worry about how to get followers, consider how your Instagram account is set up first.

Ask yourself: does your profile “look the part?” For starters, consider your:

• Your Instagram bio (including your slogan, tagline and/or a branded hashtag)
• Your profile picture
• Your bio link (and where it points to)

These details define your brand identity on Instagram. More importantly, they impact your account’s discoverability. Building a follower-friendly account means:

• Having a search-friendly username. Stick to either your brand name or whatever’s closest to your existing social handles. If your name is too long, shorten it to a variation your audience would recognize (ex: Cold Stone Creamery’s account is @coldstone).
• Making your profile picture professional. An appropriately-sized logo is ideal. Any text in your profile picture should be legible on a smartphone screen.
• Minding where you point your bio link. This is crucial for turning Instagram followers into meaningful traffic or customers. It’s your only way to funnel social traffic to your site and promotions.

Linking to your homepage is fine but not always ideal. To encourage more meaningful interactions, a social landing page that points to multiple links can help.

This gives your audience total control of how they engage your business next. That means a better experience for your followers.

The best way to optimize your account is to follow a proven Instagram marketing strategy. Download our free guide to get started.

2. Keep a consistent content calendar

Momentum matters on Instagram. In other words, you likely won’t get followers on Instagram if you post at random.

Creating content and providing value is what builds your audience. Doing so consistently is what helps you keep them. Don’t let your Instagram account gather cobwebs.

That’s why sticking to a regular posting schedule is crucial.  In terms of when and how much to post, you don’t have to stick to a set-in-stone number. Most brands post daily or near daily. This tracks our own research on how often to post as well.

For reference, below is a breakdown of the best times to post to Instagram.  “Optimal” engagement is during the mid-to-late morning and early afternoons during the week.

If you’re worried about your posts not getting seen enough, we get it. Consider how features like Stories can get more eyes on your content if it wasn’t seen the first time.

3. Schedule Instagram posts in advance

There’s no denying that brands are at the mercy of the Instagram algorithm for reach. Still, posting at the right times can still give your posts more visibility. Anything you can do to maximize engagement is a plus.

This speaks to the value of scheduling Instagram content. With Sprout’s newest tools, brands can schedule Stories, Carousels, Reels and Posts.

Scheduling content in advance ensures control and organization. Instagram scheduling tools ultimately help you hit that cadence we mentioned earlier. The ability to crosspost content from other networks helps here, too.

You can also use Sprout’s ViralPost feature to nail down your timing, too. Our platform analyzes your engagement history and identifies the best times to post.

Perfect your Instagram content plan with Sprout Social

In addition to scheduling a complete picture of your Instagram content calendar, Sprout offers even more features to perfect your brand’s feed.

Share IG-approved visuals with your team using our Asset Library, or test out our grid preview feature to make sure every aspect of your presence is true to your brand style.

Get a hands-on look at these features and more with a 30-day free trial of Sprout.

4. Engage with customers, brand advocates and influencers

Figuring out how to get more Instagram followers means engaging your audience.

And one of the best ways to do that is through responding to and republishing their posts.

Enter the power of user-generated content. UGC campaigns build social proof by showing followers you’re invested in them. For example, Drunk Elephant regularly regrams their followers’ posts. They gather content with their #BareWithUs and #DrunkBreak hashtags.

Partnering with influencers with an established following is another way to grow your own audience. Content creators can get your brand in front of your target audience and build ongoing awareness for your products.

5. Avoid fake Instagram followers

There’s a big difference between fake and legitimate followers on Instagram.

We get it, too. For the sake of quick growth, it might be tempting to purchase followers.

But the drawbacks outweigh the benefits 100%. Why? Because fake Instagram followers…

• Confuse your potential organic followers. An inactive, low-engagement account with a big following is suspicious. This can be a turn-off for fans that’d otherwise follow you and engage.
• Provide no monetary value to your business. Think about it. Your bot followers can’t buy your stuff, can they? 
• Generate no buzz: If you have 10,000 fake followers, how many are going to engage with your posts? Does it really even matter if your posts are brimming with spam comments?

For example, Lush Cosmetics takes the time to answer questions and engage followers all the time. This results in customers regularly returning to share shout-outs and positive comments.

6. Showcase your Instagram everywhere you can

Don’t be shy about promoting your Instagram if more followers are your goal.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting your ‘gram, either. Here are a few ideas:

• Add social media icons to your website and marketing emails. Social media icons make it easier for people to find your business and help you connect with customers.
• Feature an Instagram feed on your homepage or product pages. Many ecommerce brands have dedicated UGC feeds on-site (see below).
• Reshare Instagram-specific content or announcements on other social channels. For example, you could talk about an upcoming IG Live via TikTok or Facebook.

7. Post content that followers actually want to see

Easier said than done, we know.

Filters. Captions. Content types. Post times. That doesn’t even scratch the surface.

There are so many variables to consider, right? It doesn’t help that Instagram’s algorithm is fickle. What works for one brand might not work for the next in terms of format and timing.

For example, some brands swear by Carousels. Others are all-in on Reels. Both approaches can work. You’ll quickly find on Instagram that some content performs better than others. This is why testing is so important.

Instagram’s native analytics are surprisingly powerful. That said, investing in Instagram analytics tools will take things to the next level.

For example, Sprout makes it easy to benchmark and analyze Instagram content across accounts. Rather than second-guess what’s working and what’s not, our reporting spells it out for you.

Be confident in your content strategy by analyzing those variables we mentioned earlier.

And if you’re unsure where to start, try analyzing your competitors. A staggering 90% of brands say that social media data helps them keep up with competing social accounts.

You obviously shouldn’t copycat your competitors. That said, you can take notes on what they’re doing or posting that drives engagement.  Sprout’s Instagram Competitors report can provide a breakdown of what’s working in your industry. A little competitive research can go a long way.

Oh, and keep your ear to the ground with new Instagram trends. That way you won’t miss out on platform-wide opportunities to hop on trending content formats.

For example, Reels are popping off right now. Our data shows that 66% of consumers want to see more short-form videos from brands. In terms of trends, Reels should be on your radar.

8. Make meaningful conversation with your audience

Food for thought: 60% of marketers use Instagram as a service channel.

The platform is perfect for going back and forth with followers. Likewise, many popular post ideas center around asking questions and engaging in a dialogue for a reason.

Off-the-cuff questions, shipping concerns or praise for products are all fair game from followers. Check out how Cometeer responds to all of the above on their Instagram posts:

Being supportive and responding promptly shows people that you care.

You’d be surprised at how your Instagram followers increase once you start acting more personable. Our Index research shows that 89% of consumers will buy from a brand after following them on social. Every interaction counts.

Again, try to respond to as many questions or comments as possible. Doing so could make or break someone becoming a long-term follower or a customer.

9. Find hashtags where your followers hang out

Instagram hashtags have been a staple of the platform, like, forever.

That said, they don’t hold as much weight as they used to.

Dumping hashtags into your posts isn’t going to net you any new followers. Especially when there’s so much noise on the platform.

Be proactive by focusing on industry-specific hashtags relevant to your customers. For example, Lashify regularly posts content to the #LashEducation hashtag. Tags are less general and competitive than #beauty. Becoming more visible within these types of tags is meaningful for brands in the right niche.

Understanding how your hashtags perform on Instagram is critical. With Sprout Social’s hashtag analytics tools, you have direct access to in-depth performance and usage data. Figuring out which hashtags to use is just a few taps away.

10. Take steps to delight your Instagram followers

When you make your Instagram followers happy, you’ll see the payoff in audience growth. The best Instagram accounts have fans and communities (hint: not just followers).

The tips below are the building blocks for a follower-friendly account. Put them into practice in a way that aligns with your brand voice and values. Avoid coming across as needy,  solesy sales-driven or robotic at all costs.

So much of how to get Instagram followers for free is about creating an authentic community. For many accounts, this means building customer relationships. Content that highlights your personality and the humans behind your brand is a plus. This includes:

• Inspirational content
• Humorous content
• Re-sharing UGC with unique captions
• Storytelling posts
• Behind-the-scenes photos and videos
• Posts that raise awareness for social causes

How to get more Instagram followers (the wrong way!)

Disclaimer: Sprout Social does not endorse purchasing Instagram followers. We don’t recommend services that sell followings or “Likes.” 

As the social space becomes more crowded and competitive, brands are willing to take risks for the sake of instant results.

We’ll say it again: brands shouldn’t buy Instagram followers. Nobody should!

Why you shouldn’t buy followers on Instagram

Here are some reasons why buying followers to grow your account is a serious mistake.

Your real followers know what fake followers look like

Social consumers are getting savvier. Privacy concerns and social scammers have made people hyper-aware of weird activity. In short, people today are spam-detectors.

A sudden follower spike is a red flag. Not to mention having bots stink up your account with endless spam followers. This all damages your reputation and keeps you from growing an authentic Instagram following.

Fake followers bring nothing to the table

You’re probably worried about your Instagram metrics and understandably so.

That said, your follower count doesn’t mean much if your “followers” don’t drive engagement. You might look “bigger” at a glance but who cares? Consider how your engagement rate on the platform will suffer if your follower count is inflated.

If nothing else, buying Instagram followers violates TOS

No surprises here.

Consider how Meta has taken direct action against buying engagement in the past. They’ve gone as far as to shut down companies that sell likes. That’s because this practice violates the platform’s terms of service:

Help us stay spam-free by not artificially collecting likes, followers, or shares, posting repetitive comments or content, or repeatedly contacting people for commercial purposes without their consent.

How are you growing your Instagram following?

Listen: getting more followers on Instagram isn’t going to happen by accident.

And despite what you might have heard, there’s no silver bullet solution for making it happen.

The tips above can help you build the foundation for an organic following that actually engages with you. Putting these tips into action is so much easier with a powerful publishing and analytics tool like Sprout.

Want to see our suite of tools in action? Start a free trial today and see for yourself!

The post Get more Instagram followers with these 10 tips to grow your real audience appeared first on Sprout Social.

Social media is constantly giving itself a makeover and has changed dramatically over the last few years. This Instagram-born brand has had to evolve its social media strategy along with it.

Join Glossier’s Jamie Dinar, Senior Manager of Social Media & Digital Content, as she reflects on the past year and unveils how the brand will continue to evolve its approach in 2023 and beyond. You’ll hear about:

• How to adjust your social strategy to remain relevant
• Why community-building is the foundation of Glossier’s brand & how to do it well
• Top tips for TikTok & social ecommerce

The post How Glossier Contours Their 2023 Social Strategy Around TikTok, Community & More appeared first on Sprout Social.

But even the best copywriters get a brain block every now and then, which is why we’ve put together this list of 400+ Instagram caption ideas to get those gears turning and help you pump out high-quality Instagram posts time and time again.

Follow along for a full list of ideas for your Instagram captions—regardless of what your post is about—and tips to help you write unique captions.

• Promotional captions
• Seasonal captions
• Holiday captions
• Playful captions

General promotional Instagram captions

• It’s time for [product]!
• The more [product], the better.
• You + [company] = the perfect match. [Explanation.]
• BRB, on my way to [action your product is used for]!
• Let us introduce you to your new favorite [noun relevant to your brand: activity/treat/self-care routine]: [product].
• This month, we’re donating [amount] to [charity]. Join us in support of [movement]!
• [Solution to pain point]. All you have to do is sign up!
• This could be us but you’re [action product will help with].
• Three things about [product] that just make sense: [list].
• [Number] things that make it easy (and SO fun) to [verb] with [product]: [List benefits].
• The perfect gift for [her/him/them].

Sale Instagram captions

• 10% off on EVERYTHING only for today! Link in bio to shop. Hurry before the sale ends.
• Save big on [sale category] this [holiday season/event]. Use code: [code] to get 20% off. Happy shopping!
• We know how much you love the holidays, so we’ve decided to give you a little treat. Here’s 15% off on us. Use code: [code]. Valid till: [deadline].
• Good things come to those who wait for [upcoming promotion]! Get [discount] from [date] through [date]!
• Have you tried our new [product/product line]? Shop our website to get [discount]. Link in bio.
• Buy [product] and get [product] free! [Details.]
• Swipe to shop our early access sale [dates] ONLY. Don’t miss out. Score unbelievable deals on everything from [product category] to [product category].
• Get your [most popular product] for up to 30% off. While supplies last. Link in bio.
• Shop our best holiday gifts up to 50% off and you’ll be smiling all the way to your next adventure. (Link in bio.)
• Your early access to the [sale name] sale is here. Shop up to 60% off by using code [code].
• That’s right. The biggest sale of the year is HERE. [Creator] shows us their essentials. Grab them today at the link in our bio. (Note: include an image or Reel of creators showing off their favorite products you offer)
• Because nothing this good can last forever.

Contest and giveaway Instagram captions

• This [prize] could be yours! Participate in our [contest]. To enter: [contest details]
• Get a chance to win [prize]. All you need to do is participate in our [contest]. More details in bio.
• Ever wanted to try some of our [product]? Well, here’s your chance. Enter our [contest] and you could win [prize].
• In honor of [social media holiday relevant to your brand], we’re giving away [product]! [Giveaway details.]
• ✨GIVEAWAY✨ [Giveaway details.]
• ACT FAST, submissions close [date]! Top 5 finalists will win [prize]. Enter now at the link in our bio.
• 🗞️ HOT OFF THE PRESS 🗞️ To sweeten our new [brand event], we’re giving away [prize]. Yes, you read that correctly. Download our app to automatically be entered to win. Good luck!
• 🎁 GIFTING GIVEAWAY! 🎁 Enter to win a gift from our [name] Collection. We’re giving away [prize]! To enter, tag a friend below with [branded hashtag]. Share this post on your story for a bonus entry.
• Enter for your chance to win [prize]! Like this post, tag someone who would love this with [branded hashtag] in the comments.
• ⚡️To celebrate our [brand event], we are giving one lucky winner [prize]!
• GIVEAWAY ALERT! Get the deets at the link in our bio.

Event Instagram captions

• Join us for [event] at [venue] on [date and time]. Link in bio to register.
• We’ll be in [city] for [event] on [date]. Stop by and say hello.
• *One Day Only* We’ll be opening pop-up stores across town this Saturday. Link in bio to get more details.
• Register for our upcoming webinar on [topic]! Join us at [date and time] to learn more. Seats are limited—sign up through the link in our bio!
• Our final [event] of the year is [date] at [time]! Register at the link in our bio.
• Join [event curator] online on [date] at [time] for [virtual event]. Sign up today.
• Will you be tuning in and where are you tuning in from?
• You won’t want to miss hearing from [speaker A] and [speaker B] about [topic]!
• Want to learn more about [something awesome]? Join [speaker] at [event, date, time, location] as they’re presenting [session title].
• Check out our booth onsite at [event name, booth number] and say hello to our team! (Note: add picture of onsite space)
• See you at [tradeshow]! Our team will be on hand to discuss [latest trends]. Visit us at booth [booth number].
• We are joining some of our friends onsite at [event name]. Be sure to say hello to [our partner name] to learn about [something we do together] at [your company name].
• No one likes #FOMO. Don’t miss your chance to join us for [event]. Buy your tickets today!

Product launch Instagram captions

• Something exciting is coming your way. Watch this space. (Note: keep it short and mysterious when you can’t give out a lot of details about the launch yet.)
• We’ve got something brewing… Hint: Think [new feature]. Get ready for an exciting announcement in the coming days.
• Something BIG is arriving on [date]. Save the date!
• You asked; we listened. We’re excited to announce the upcoming [product], which has [feature + benefit]! Coming to you this [month of launch].
• The most innovative solution to your [pain point].
• Ready to [solution to pain point]? Introducing [new feature].
• Our newest drops are perfect for [solution to pain point]. Get yours today.
• It’s HERE! Introducing [product].
• Did you hear? Your favorite [popular product] is now [reinvention of popular product]!
• Our most requested [product/feature] is finally here.
• SNEAK PEEK.
• Peep some new stuff! 👀

Brand partnership Instagram captions

• [Your name] 🤝 [brand you’re partnering with]
• Introducing our latest collaboration with [brand you’re partnering with].
• X just got better. Introducing our new partnership with [partner brand’s name]. Here’s what to expect: [details of partnership].
• Name a better duo. I’ll wait.
• What is [influencer’s or brand’s name]’s secret to X? [Answer]. Learn more from the link in our bio.
• The [brand you’re partnering with] x [your brand] collection is available NOW.
• The crossover you’ve been waiting for.
• What happens when [your brand] meets [brand you’re partnering with]? [Result].
• Unveiling the partnership that will change the way you [verb to describe the partnership].
• When two GOATs 🐐 join forces.

Employee appreciation Instagram captions

• This weekend, the [company] team took part in a marathon to raise money for [cause]. Here are some photos of our fun and fulfilling day.
• Here at [company], we value [positive characteristics]. [Employee name] has been with us for [duration] and perfectly exudes those qualities. Thank you, [employee name] for being part of the [company] team!
• Congratulations to [team member role and name] for [achievement]!
• It takes a lot of skill, time and patience to produce even just a single piece of our [product]. We’d like to take this moment to show our appreciation for the people who make it all happen. Our production team works tirelessly to give you the quality you deserve and expect in our [product].
• It’s our [employee role and name]’s birthday today! [Employee name] has [company achievements]. They’re celebrating with a well-deserved day off today!
• [Employee role and name] has officially been with us for [length of employment]. Thank you for everything you do for [company]!
• We’re giving our team some much-needed time off on [date]. Here’s how they’re spending it:
• Meet [employee name]—a [role] here at [company] who helps us make sure [job function]. Without team members like [team member], we wouldn’t be able to achieve our mission: [mission statement].
• Meet our [specific team] team! Our [roles] are essential to our [job function]. Check out some of the amazing tasks they perform everyday!
• We are excited to welcome [employee name] as [role]! In their new position, they will [job function]. Fun fact: [Share a fun fact]. Drop your warm greetings in the comments!
• [Value]: [definition]. [Employee name] personifies this value. From all of us at [company], thank you!

Celebrating a milestone Instagram captions

• We did it! [Details of the achievement].
• [Company] turns [age]! Thank you for joining us on our journey.
• We put our blood, sweat and tears into it and we finally made it happen! [Details of the milestone].
• [Company age] and counting.
• Started from the bottom, now we’re here.
• It’s been [number of years] years, [hours of work] amount of work, X number of [fill in the blank] and today we’re excited to share that we’ve done it!
• [Number of years] years! We can’t believe it. Thank you for your support every step of the way.
• [Number of years] years. [Number of employees] team members. [Number of customers] customers served. And this is just the beginning.
• We’re celebrating [number of years] years by sharing photos from our earliest days.
• In honor of [number of years] years in business, we’re sharing [number of years] moments with our customers that made all the hard work worth it.
• The countdown to [accomplishment/momentous event] begins.

Podcast promotion Instagram captions

• On today’s episode, [podcast host name(s)] cover everything you need to know about [topic]. Listen now at the link in our bio.
• This week, we’re telling you the story of [topic]. You can listen to this episode right now by clicking the link in our bio.
• Our latest episode is in your feed. Listen to our take on [topic] at the link in our bio now.
• Today’s episode is a must-listen. We’re joined by [guest name] to cover [topic]. Listen to the episode at the link in our bio or wherever you listen to podcasts.
• How can you [topic]? On today’s episode of our podcast, we’re joined by [guest] to discuss underrated tips. Tap the link in our bio to tune into the conversation now.
• During this season of [podcast name] we talked to [podcast guests] and more about [topics]. Tune in to hear the highlights in the link of our bio.
• Listen to the whole convo that led to this moment. (Note: share with a video snippet of your pod episode)
• Bloopers from this week. Full episode available at the link in our bio.
• This episode is live now.
• 🎙New Podcast Episode: [Episode title]. In this episode, our own [host A] and [host B] unpack [theme] and [why it matters for your audience].
• Here’s a roundup of our favorite podcasts to learn about [topic]: [List podcasts].
• 📣 New episode alert! Join us for [episode title] to hear about:
  🔮 [example: Social media predictions for 2023]
  📈 [example: Tricks to hack your engagement next year]
  👯 [example: How to supercharge your engagement]
  (Note: Change the emojis based on your topics and themes)

Blog promotion Instagram captions

• We made a list of the [blog post topic]. 🔗Link in bio to see what made the cut.
• Listen up. Anyone can learn to [blog post topic]. Click the link in bio to learn how.
• Find [number] tips to [blog post topic] at the link in our bio.
• ✨NEW ON THE BLOG we are breaking down [blog post topic] with specific takeaways you can start using today. Find it at the link in our bio.
• Get our hot take on [trending industry topic] at the link in our bio.
• You’ll find the full blog in our bio, but here’s the rundown for how you can [blog post topic]: [list key takeaways from the blog post]
• Discover our experience trying [blog post topic] at the link in our bio.
• Get the full story by clicking our #linkinbio.
• Link in bio for more tips and tricks to [blog post topic].
• “[Quote from the article].” Read more from [subject matter expert] at the link in our bio.
• Think X is easy? Learn from [insert employee name] about [blog post topic] to create [product or service].
• The new blog post in three words: [word A, word B and word C]. Head to the link in our bio to read the whole thing.

Instagram captions to generate engagement

• How often do YOU [insert something your product can help with]?
• What’s your favorite part of this [insert what’s depicted in your image]?
• Drop a [emoji] in the comments if you [something relevant to your image/brand/product].
• Did you know: [fun fact relevant to your brand/product].
• Double tap if [something relevant to your product].
• Tag [person] if [something relevant to your product].
• [Your product/brand] has entered the chat.
• [An adjective to describe your product] 🤝 [another adjective to describe your product].
• Use [branded hashtag] to get featured!
• Felt cute, might delete later.
• It’s time for a [product A] vs [product B] showdown. Comment ❣️ to vote for [product A] or ✨ to vote for [product B]
• True or false?
• Tag the person you’d share this with.
• Our favorite day of the week has arrived: [hashtag e.g. #TellMeSomethingTuesday]. We loved your responses last week! Check out some favorites here 👇 and be sure to share with us this week for a chance to be featured next time!
• Fill in the blank. “The [brand name] [product] I can’t live without is _____.”
• Show us how you use [product].
• Pop quiz: [Question]? Drop your answer in the comments. 👇 Then check our Story for the answer!
• We want to know what YOU want to know! Comment with your biggest questions about [industry topic] 👇

Reposting user-generated content Instagram captions

• We love this look from [username]. Don’t forget to tag us in your pics and hashtag [branded hashtag] for the chance to be featured and to win a [prize]. New winners every week.
• Consider us influenced. Spotted: [username] with our [product]. Tap to shop.
• You’re absolutely going to want to see the final result of this. (Note: share a video of a customer doing a DIY project using your products)
• We’ve all been there. (Note: share a relatable moment)
• Look 🗣️ at 🗣️ them 🗣️ go.
• Inspo: [username]
• We saw you posting about us and thought it was time to return the love. [username]
• [Your product], but make it fashion.
• We see you 👀 Keep tagging us [brand username] for a chance to be featured next.
• We can’t pick which photo is our favorite. (Note: include a carousel of multiple UGC images or compile multiple UGC videos into one Reel)
• Meet [creator username], the [adjective] creator who teaches us how to [verb].

Winter Instagram captions

• It’s giving season.
• The perfect complement to any holiday party is available now.
• Winter is coming.
• Sending all the cozy vibes your way.
• We’re celebrating the snow day by [winter activity]. How are you seizing the day?
• Embrace hygge this season.
• It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
• Make this holiday season one to remember.
• It’s the season to be freezin’.
• Hot cocoa weather is here.
• Unfortunately, it’s cold outside. Fortunately, we have the perfect indoor [product].

Spring Instagram captions

• Yay! It’s gonna be May!
• The first signs of spring.
• Live life in full bloom.
• Views on a rainy spring day. ☁️
• It’s giving… MEMORIAL DAY SALE!
• Ready for sunshine. 🌞
• Our [location] is thawing out. 🧊
• May flowers 💐
• The best thing about spring? New beginnings.
• What are your favorite things about spring?
• It smells like spring.
• Let’s do some mental health spring cleaning: What’s one thing you are letting go of this spring? (Examples: other peoples’ opinions, negative self-talk)

Summer Instagram captions

• OOO vibes 🌴
• [product name]: The must-have item for your vacation packing list.
• The season we never want to end.
• It’s iced coffee season.
• This weather is what dreams are made of.
• Category is: vacation energy.
• POV: it’s the last weekend of summer.
• How are you celebrating this three-day weekend? Here’s how our employees are recharging:
• Heading to [festival]? Here are our 4 tips to make the most of it.
• Fill in the blank: My favorite thing about summer is _____.
• What songs are on your summer playlist?
• How have you enjoyed the outdoors this summer?

Fall captions for Instagram

• If you were a Spice Girl, you’d be pumpkin spice.
• It’s Gilmore Girls season. 🍁🍂
• Taken straight from your Pinterest board.
• Awe-tum vibes. 🍁
• *Our camera roll the second it turned fall* 🍁
• Cozy is coming.
• Pumpkins, spice and everything nice.
• My favorite thing about the fall season is ______. We love X. Tell us yours.
• We love fall, most of all.
• POV: the first day of fall.
• When the weather drops below 70 degrees.
• We’re falling for you. (Note: include an image of your product)
• Sweater szn is upon us.
• Out with the swimsuits. In with the sweaters.
• Cozy szn is here. What’s your cozy core fall essential?

New Year’s Instagram captions

• Let’s cheer in the new year! Happy [year] 🎊
• New year, same energy ✨
• Happy New Year! May you have many happy days ahead.
• The countdown to NYE is on. Shop our New Year’s collection at the link in our bio.
• [Last year] was fun… but BIG things are happening in [this year]! Stay tuned.
• We have a feeling [new year] will be your year.
• Cheers to [new year]! Bring on the bubbly.
• What was the best advice you received this year? Share it in the comments.
• To our customers, partners and team members—what an amazing year! Here’s to everything [new year] has in store. Happy New Year!
• What are your New Year’s plans? Tell us: are you ringing in the new year at a party or relaxing at home?
• The new year is here! May all your resolutions come true.
• [Last year] ✔️ Cue the confetti!
• [New year] is the year to prioritize _____.

Lunar New Year Instagram captions

• Wishing you a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year!
• Here’s a roundup of all the Lunar New Year events happening in our community this year.
• Did you know that over 20% of the world celebrates the Lunar New Year? For many who celebrate, it’s the most important holiday of the year!
• Happy Lunar New Year! What traditions are a part of your celebration this year?
• Wishing you a Lunar New Year filled with family, good luck, health, hope and prosperity.
• Celebrate the Year of the [zodiac animal]! Happy Lunar New Year! [zodiac animal emoji]
• Get your lanterns, red envelopes and dumplings ready—Lunar New Year is here!
• May health, longevity, prosperity, fortune and happiness find you this Lunar New Year!
• Hoping this #LunarNewYear outshines the rest!
• Here are a few of our favorite ways our community is celebrating #LunarNewYear:
• Here are [number] things you should know before celebrating #LunarNewYear: [List]

Valentine’s Day Instagram captions

• Sometimes the best love is self-love ❤️
• Hugs, kisses and best Valentine’s Day wishes xoxo
• Happy Valentine’s Day! How are you showering your partners/besties/family (and yourself, of course!) with love today?
• Dream Valentine’s Day aesthetic. 😍
• Galentine’s goals.
• This #ValentinesDay, let’s reminisce. What’s the first [product type] you fell in love with? Tell us in the comments.👇
• How are you spoiling your Valentine today? Gift ideas in our bio link.
• Here are 10 reasons we love our customers. #ValentinesDay
• Thankful for all the love from our team today! (Note: feature images of employees wearing company swag)
• People have been celebrating #ValentinesDay since 496 AD. Here’s a look back at some vintage celebrations.
• One for you and one for your Valentine.

Mother’s Day/Father’s Day Instagram captions

• There are no words to describe how grateful we are. #HappyMothersDay!
• [Mother’s Day/Father’s Day] isn’t always easy. Holding space for whatever emotions you’re experiencing today.
• Dear Dads, one day isn’t enough to celebrate all you do. #HappyFathersDay!
• We wouldn’t be here without our [moms/dads/parents]. [#HappyMothersDay/#HappyFathersDay!]
• Thanks for being the Lorelai to our Rory. #HappyMothersDay!
• To all the moms out there: You were right—about everything. #HappyMothersDay!
• To all the father figures in our lives, thank you.
• Dads, thanks for keeping us humble. #HappyFathersDay!
• Finish the sentence: The best thing about my [mom/dad] is ______.
• To everyone struggling today, we see you. Celebrate yourself and all who have helped you get to this moment.

Independence Day Instagram captions

• Baby, you’re a firework.
• It’s a party in the USA ❤️🤍💙
• Red, white and blue ✨
• Keep calm and sparkle on.
• Family, fireworks and the 4th of July.
• American pie ✔️ Baseball ✔️ Fireworks ✔️ Happy July 4th, friends!
• Current mood: ready for fireworks.
• Happy Independence Day! Wishing you a joy-filled celebration with fireworks, family and fun.
• American dreamin’
• What are the essential parts of your 4th of July celebration?
• Today, in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Second Continental Congress, officially establishing the USA. Pop quiz: how many people signed it?

Halloween captions for Instagram

• All treats, no tricks.
• #SpookySeason
• Happy #Halloween, witches!
• Happy #Halloween! What is your pet dressing up as this year? Show us using [insert hashtag].
• Eat, drink and be scary this Halloween.
• Like Grandma Aggie always said, “Being normal is vastly overrated.” From here to Halloweentown, we hope you have a spooky night!
• Something wicked this way comes.
• Ghouls just wanna have fun!
• Tag the Gomez to your Morticia. #Halloween
• Only [number] days until Halloween! What’s on your #Halloween bucket list?
• We want to see your #HalloweenCostume! Use #Halloween and #[branded hashtag] to be featured on our Story.
• Here’s everything you need to make your Halloween decor next-level #spooky. #HalloweenNeeds

Diwali Instagram captions

• To everyone celebrating the Festival of Lights, Happy Diwali!
• Love and light to you this Diwali ✨
• May the light and joy of this beautiful holiday brighten your life—today and always.
• Wishing you a bright Diwali!
• May the festival of lights fill your life with the glow of happiness and the sparkle of joy
• Hope this year is as bright as ever. Happy Diwali!
• Happy Diwali! Sending you light and love.
• Diwali is a symbol of hope. May this celebration bring compassion, awareness and inner peace to all.
• Best wishes for a glowing Diwali!
• Shubh Deepavali! Wishing you the happiest Diwali this year.
• Let the light of Diwali lift you up this year!

Thanksgiving Instagram captions

• Thankful for all of our customers this holiday season.
• Tag 3 people you’re thankful for in the comments.
• #Thanksgiving is right around the corner. What dish are you most excited for?
• Give thanks.
• The more we express thanks, the more gratitude we feel.
• Football. Naps. Repeat.
• Your #Friendsgiving inspo.
• Get ready for the big day. 🥧🍗 🏈
• Are you ready for #BlackFriday? Head to the link in our bio for our best deals.
• #Stuffed
• BRB, recovering from too much turkey. In the meantime, swipe through this carousel for [topic].

Hanukkah Instagram captions

• With each candle you light, may your home grow brighter with peace, joy and love.
• Happy Hanukkah! Wishing you eight days and nights of happiness.
• Sending you peace and light on the first day of Hanukkah.
• Celebrate the miracle of the season. Happy Hanukkah.
• Wishing you peace, love and joy during this Hanukkah season.
• Bright and joyful Hanukkah wishes.
• May your home glow with the warmth of family and friends during this year’s Festival of Lights.
• Let it glow. Wishing you joy this Hanukkah!
• Happy Challah Days! May your Hanukkah be filled with light and love.
• Laugh. Latkes. Happy Hanukkah, friends!
• A little more fun. A little more love. A little more light every night. Happy Hanukkah!
• May your light shine bright this Hanukkah.

Christmas Instagram captions

• We’re feeling *extra* festive this year. Shop all your Christmas favorites at the link in our bio.
• Opening up our [holiday products] is music to our ears ❄️
• ‘Tis the season to tap to shop.
• Your favorite Christmas gift guide for [year] has arrived.
• May your days be merry and bright.
• Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals.
• Christmas starts Nov 1, right? 🌲
• Son of a Nutcracker! We can’t believe Christmas is almost here. Head to the link in our bio for items you can still get by the holiday.
• We believe there’s room for everyone on the Nice List.
• PSA: It’s not too early to start watching Christmas movies.
• I’m only a morning person on Dec 25th.
• Merry Christmas! Wishing you many joyful moments this holiday season.
• Merriest Christmas wishes! Sending you peace, love and joy.
• It’s Mariah Carey season!

Kwanzaa Instagram captions

• Habari Gani! May Kwanzaa bring you time to enjoy the blessings of family, community and togetherness. ❤️🖤💚
• May Kwanzaa bring happiness to your family and friends.
• Joyous Kwanzaa! During this seven-day celebration of Black culture, families light a candle each day on the kinara and enjoy food, song and dance.
• ‘Tis the season of the harvest. May you have a joyous Kwanzaa filled with community and joy!
• To mark the beginning of Kwanzaa, we wish you and your families a joyous celebration.
• Happy Kwanzaa! How are you celebrating this year?
• Wishing you and your family a blessed Kwanzaa.
• May the light of unity and hope shine brightly during your Kwanzaa celebration.
• We hope the rich traditions of Kwanzaa fill your home with joy and unity during this week-long celebration.
• Things from our community’s Kwanzaa celebrations that just make sense. (Note: share UGC of Kwanzaa celebrations)
• The official theme of Kwanzaa this year is [theme]. How will you honor this year’s theme? What does this theme mean to you?
• Habari Gani! Today is [day/principle of Kwanzaa in Swahili, (English translation)]. What does [principle] mean to you? How do you celebrate this day with loved ones? Tell us in the comments.
• Habari Gani! Today is [day/principle of Kwanzaa in Swahili, (English translation)]. Tag someone who reminds you of this principle.

Social media holiday Instagram captions

• May the 4th be with you. Happy #StarWarsDay!
• DONUT tell me you forgot about #NationalDonutDay! It’s not too late to grab one for your work bestie.
• On #NationalUFODay, we want to know: Do you believe life exists outside of Earth?
• It’s #WorldEmojiDay! Share the last 5 emojis you used in the comments.
• Happy #NationalHotDogDay! We have to know. Are you team ketchup or team Chicago style?
• #NationalIceCreamDay is here. Poll: What’s your favorite nostalgic ice cream treat? Share in the comments.
• It’s tequila time all-day today! Bring on the margs. #NationalTequilaDay
• To our biggest supporters, we can’t thank you enough. #ParentsDay
• Who knew cheese makes the best dessert? Happy #NationalCheesecakeDay!
• Tag your bestie. #InternationalFriendshipDay
• To our organizer friends, your vacation itineraries keep us grounded. We salute you. #NationalPlannerDay
• Sister, sister. Tag the Tia to your Tamera. #NationalSistersDay
• Cats make the puuuuuurfect fur-ever friends. How are you spoiling your kitty on #InternationalCatDay? 🐾
• A holiday we can get behind. #NationalLazyDay
• We truly believe children are our future. Here are [number] things we’re doing to empower the next generation. #InternationalYouthDay
• In the past 100 years, the world’s elephant population has shrunk from 12 million to 400,000. On #WorldElephantDay, we’re highlighting the advocacy work our friends at [nonprofit organization] are doing to save the elephants.
• Lefties, you’re one of 980 million. Really! Roughly 12% of the world’s population is left-handed. Today, we salute you for surviving (and thriving) in a right-handed world. #LeftHandersDay
• Black cats are iconic—from Sabrina’s Salem to Hocus Pocus’ Thackery Binks. But they are still less likely to get adopted than other felines due to the superstitions surrounding them. Let’s flip the script! Share your favorite photos of your black kitty with #BlackCatAppreciationDay.
• This year’s #WorldHumanitarianDay theme [theme of the year] is personified by these members of our community. Thank you for all you do!
• On #WorldPhotographyDay, we’re sharing your best snaps. Tag us at [branded hashtag] and include the holiday hashtag to be featured.
• Q: Are french fries really French? A: No, the first fries were invented in Belgium. But you can enjoy them no matter where you are. #NationalFrenchFryDay
• A bond like no other. #NationalDogDay
• The love of a grandparent is like no other. Extra thankful for our #1 fans, the best huggers and our ultimate role models on #NationalGrandparentsDay.
• Today’s history lesson starts with a pop quiz. How many people signed the US constitution? A: 39 men. Swipe for more #ConstitutionDay facts.
• Americans consume 50 BILLION cheeseburgers per year. That’s 150 burgers/person. Needless to say, they’re basically a national pastime. #NationalCheeseburgerDay
• Don’t talk to us until we’ve had our coffee. #NationalCoffeeDay
• Us when we remember the first pancakes were enjoyed in the Stone Age 30,000 years ago. #NationalPancakeDay
• Here’s to our emergency contacts. #NationalBoyfriendDay
• Forget the flowers, bring tacos. Happy #NationalTacoDay!
• #WorldMentalHealthDay reminder: you’re loved, valued, brave, appreciated and NOT alone.
• If you were a type of pasta, what would you be? #NationalPastaDay
• On #WorldKindnessDay remember: One small act of kindness can have a lifelong impact.
• Brands to be on the lookout for 👀 Meet the small businesses with products we couldn’t live without. #SmallBusinessSaturday
• Today is your chance to support our nonprofit partners [nonprofit A’s username] and [nonprofit B’s username] in their mission to [mission statement]. #GivingTuesday
• In honor of #Festivus, it’s time to “air our grievances.” Clear your mind and scrub your soul by sharing your biggest holiday pain points in the comments.
• Take a hike! It’s #NationalHikingDay.

Short Instagram captions

• ICYMI
• Click the link in bio.
• No caption needed.
• You know what to do.
• OMG
• 🌞
• TREND ALERT
• Game changer
• [Branded hashtag]
• Truth bomb 💣
• Oh hey, [creator name/brand partner name/celebrity name]
• As requested
• Your go-to coffee order?
• Life hack.
• Someone had to say it.
• Our vibe right now.
• Can’t pick just one.
• Glow
• We feel seen.
• POV
• THIS MOMENT
• More of this, please.
• Screaming
• Us in a nutshell.
• 👋
• It’s a mood.
• We said it.
• Our go-to.
• Happiness is…

Funny Instagram captions

• That Monday morning mood has me like:
• TFW you don’t let your pizza rolls cool down.
• Business in the front, party in the back.
• “On Oct 3rd he asked me what day it is.” – Mean Girls
• This is what the [product] you [wear/buy] says about you.
• POV: our team, caught in the wild.
• Are you seeing this?!
• The perfect [product] for [Air/Water/Earth/Fire] signs.
• Good things come to those who [verb related to your products].
• We promise the next photo will be better.

Cute Instagram captions

• There’s magic in every moment.
• Here’s to finding joy everyday.
• Remember: diamonds are made under pressure. 💎
• Following your passion brings joy and light from within.
• Honor yourself today.
• Keep showing up.
• Remember to stop and appreciate how far you’ve come.
• This hit us right in the feels. 😭
• What would make you the best version of yourself today?
• Rest is an essential part of progress. 😴
• Embrace every season.
• Don’t underestimate your influence.

How to write an Instagram caption

To write good Instagram captions, you must always keep your target audience top of mind. Who are you writing for? How do you want them to feel when they see your post or read your Instagram caption? What actions do you want them to take?

Here are a few more tips for creating Instagram captions that resonate.

1. Give your audience more context

A picture might say a thousand words, but your Instagram posts need captions to provide more context. Especially when sharing branded content, you need some copy to fully explain the point you’re trying to convey.

Use your caption to:

• Describe to your audience the image you shared
• Explain why you’re sharing it and why it’s relevant
• Give your audience an action to take

Most importantly, do so in a way that’s concise and to the point. Which brings me to my next tip.

2. Keep captions short and sweet

Instagram captions can be a maximum of 2,200 characters, which is between 310 and 550 words. However, that doesn’t mean every one of your captions should take up that much space.

In fact, it’s typically better to create a succinct, quick and easy-to-read caption over a large block of text—except for in rare circumstances when that space is needed to fully flesh out an offering, contest, giveaway or promotion. Sometimes, it might be best to only write a one-word Instagram caption.

3. Stick to your tone of voice guidelines

Every brand should have standard brand voice guidelines to follow. This helps your marketing team be consistent, not only in every single Instagram caption but also everywhere else including your tweets, Facebook posts, blog content and email newsletters.

4. Incorporate holidays, hashtags, emojis and acronyms

Even for a business, Instagram is still a fun social media platform, so don’t be afraid to let loose a little. Celebrate your followers’ favorite holidays and seasons. Incorporate emojis. Use a bit of slang. Throw in some popular acronyms (i.e., DM, IRL, IMO, FOMO). Of course, always be sure to use Instagram hashtags.

5. Drive engagement

While someone may “like” your photo just because it’s high-quality or well-designed, as a brand you’re hoping for a bit more than that. Maybe a comment, a follow or—best-case scenario—a purchase or signup.

To further engage your audience, use your caption strategically. Ask a question or tease a new product or feature using some of the examples we shared above.

Take advantage of these Instagram caption ideas

Start creating your own incredible Instagram posts with these Instagram caption ideas. We can’t wait to see what you come up with.

And if you want to up your Instagram game, learn more about how your brand can maximize your Instagram efforts.

The post 400+ Instagram captions to get you through every season of business appeared first on Sprout Social.