A picture tells a thousand words
Before a discussion of types of posts, one thing is universal: All social media requires good images, especially a visual platform like Instagram, so invest in them. Get new headshots, grab a friend and create “fake client photos,” or rent the Influence Studios for a few hours. Better yet, hire someone to create new images for you😉so you don’t have to.
Instagram offers several types of posts, each serving a different purpose. Here’s a breakdown of the types and how small businesses can best use them:
1. Feed Posts
- What it is: A photo or video you share on your profile. It’s permanent unless deleted, and can be seen by anyone who visits your profile or follows you.
- Best for small businesses: Use feed posts to showcase high-quality images of your products, services, or your team. You can also share promotions, customer testimonials, or company updates. These posts help build your brand’s aesthetic and presence on Instagram.
2. Instagram Stories
What it is: Temporary photos or videos that last for 24 hours. You can add text, stickers, polls, and links.
Best for small businesses: Stories are great for showing behind-the-scenes content, offering flash sales, highlighting limited-time promotions, or giving a real-time look at your day. Use Stories for quick, informal updates or to connect with your audience directly. You can also link to products or website pages if you have the "Swipe Up" or link sticker feature.
3. Instagram Reels
What it is: Short, 15-90 second videos that can be edited with music, text, effects, and transitions.
Best for small businesses: Reels are excellent for creating engaging, shareable content that reaches a wider audience. You can use them to demonstrate how your products work, showcase new arrivals, share tips, or have fun with trending challenges that tie into your brand. Since Reels are often featured in the Explore tab, they’re great for attracting new customers.
4. Instagram Carousels
What it is: A post that lets you share multiple photos or videos in a single post (up to 10). Viewers can swipe through the images.
Best for small businesses: Carousels are perfect for showing multiple products, offering step-by-step guides, or showcasing customer reviews. You can use them to highlight different features of a product, before-and-after shots, or a detailed look at a service.
5. Instagram Ads
What it is: Paid posts that appear in the feed or Stories of users, including those who don’t follow your account.
Best for small businesses: Instagram ads are useful for reaching a broader audience. Use them to promote special offers, increase brand awareness, or drive traffic to your website. Ads allow you to target specific demographics to ensure you're reaching potential customers.
6. Instagram Shopping Posts
What it is: Posts that tag products directly, allowing users to click on the items in your post and shop directly from Instagram.
Best for small businesses: If you sell products, this feature is perfect for making the shopping experience easy. Showcase your products in posts and let people purchase them without leaving Instagram. You can also tag products in your Stories and Reels.
7. Instagram Guides
- What it is: A curated collection of posts, products, or places shared in one place on your profile. Think of it like a mini-blog or resource page.
- Best for small businesses: Use Guides to compile related content, like a list of your best-selling products, helpful tips, or advice for your customers. It’s a way to offer more in-depth content that lives on your profile and provides extra value.
Further reading: 13 Ways to Use Instagram Guides for Marketing in 2024
8. Instagram Live
- What it is: A live-stream video that allows you to interact with followers in real-time.
- Best for small businesses: Going live is a great way to connect directly with your audience. You can host Q&A sessions, give live product demos, announce new launches, or run special promotions. It’s also an effective way to engage with your followers and create a sense of urgency or exclusivity.
For further reading: 8 Great Examples of Instagram Live Collaborations
9. IGTV (Instagram TV)
- What it is: Long-form video content (over 1 minute) that you can upload and share on your profile.
IGTV is a separate section on the Instagram app where users can choose to create a channel (like on YouTube) and share longer videos than you can on posts or Stories. IGTV content can be up to 10 minutes long for regular business accounts, and up to one hour long for verified accounts. - Best for small businesses: IGTV is ideal for creating longer, more detailed content like product tutorials, interviews, or deep dives into your business story. It’s a great way to provide value to your followers and keep them engaged for longer periods.
Educational IGTV videos from Bulletproof
Bulletproof is a food, drink and supplements brand for high performance. You might know them by their flagship product, Bulletproof coffee. Many of their customers are people in the biohacking community, which means they care a great deal about the emerging science behind the ingredients and recipes.
Bulletproof has launched an IGTV series of educational videos that explain their ingredients and some of the more technical terms used in their products in a colorful and engaging way. Many of their IGTV videos have animation and a narrator, but you could easily apply this concept in a low-budget way by creating well-designed slideshows. Read more
Other Important Instagram Parts
Instagram Mentions, aka "tagging"
- What it is: A way to tag or mention other Instagram users in your posts, Stories, or comments.
- Best for small businesses: Use mentions to give shout-outs to customers, collaborators, or influencers. It’s also a great way to build relationships and engage with other local businesses or partners.
Link in Bio
Links/URLs in captions are NOT clickable and no one will copy/paste your link into a browser. The workaround: "Click my link in bio for more info"
"Link in bio" on Instagram refers to a clickable web link placed in the bio section of your profile. Since Instagram doesn’t allow clickable links directly in individual posts, businesses and users direct their followers to their bio, where they can put a single link to any website, product page, or landing page.
Hashtags
Hashtags: A word or phrase that helps organize and categorize content. Adding a hashtag to your post makes it easier for people who are interested in that topic to find your post, even if they don’t follow you.
Hashtags connect your post to a bigger conversation or theme, so when someone clicks or searches for that hashtag, they can see all the posts that use it. For example, weddings: Couples often create a custom hashtag (for example: #HeatherThomas) so that when guests are posting photos from the wedding, if someone clicks on that hashtag, it will take them to ALL the photos from that day.
How Small Businesses Can Leverage These Post Types:
- Build brand awareness: Use Feed Posts, Reels, and Stories to showcase your products and tell your brand's story.
- Drive sales: Leverage Instagram Shopping Posts, Reels, and Ads to promote product sales and special offers.
- Engage with customers: Host Q&A sessions and behind-the-scenes looks using Instagram Live and Stories.
- Create valuable content: Use Carousels and Guides to share helpful tips, tutorials, and customer reviews to build trust.
- Reach a wider audience: Use Reels, Ads, and Live to engage with people beyond your current followers.
Explorations
YogaBox: Notice how the flow of their grid is color coded and provides a kind of "zen" sense?