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Instagram Best Posting Practices 2025
Follow these Instagram best practices to improve engagement and grow your following.
Table of Contents
Almost two-thirds of Instagram users are under 35, according to Statista, making this visual platform a great way to reach younger consumers. Millennials and Gen Z have trillions in buying power, so why not take the opportunity to grow your business using this popular social media channel?
To have a successful and engaging Instagram presence, you have to do more than consistently post a few pictures. However, with the right tools and best practices, you can decipher Instagram’s algorithms and improve your return on investment. Let’s look at the basics of the social media platform and explore tips on expanding your brand and engaging with your target audience.
What is Instagram?
Instagram is a free photo- and video-sharing app and social media platform available to iOS, Android and Windows phone users. The app launched in 2010 on iOS and became available on Android in 2012. It was later purchased by Facebook in 2012.
Instagram users can upload photos or videos, like and share posts, communicate via direct messaging and comment on photos or videos. You can create reels, photo posts, Carousel posts, guides, stories (which stay on your profile for 24 hours) and live videos. Anyone 13 or older can create an Instagram account.
The social media platform also offers the ability to create an Instagram business profile with different features than a personal account. You can include business information, such as a phone number and address in your bio; add a Contact button to your profile; utilize story highlights and covers; and access Instagram Insights, a tool that provides detailed analytics about your followers and engagement rates.
You can also add action buttons that allow you to engage consumers through services such as ordering food or making an appointment directly on Instagram.
How does Instagram work?
The key to Instagram is that it is based on visual content. Everything on Instagram revolves around photos or videos, unlike Facebook or X (formally Twitter), which support a wider range of content and media.
When you upload a photo, it shows up on your followers’ feeds, where they can like, comment or share the post. The more likes or comments you get, the more “relevant” your post becomes and the higher it is placed on your followers’ feeds. This algorithm is a vital part of achieving success on Instagram.
“Instagram offers small businesses an accessible way to build a brand, reach potential customers and drive conversions,” Sarah Remesch, digital and social media marketing expert and founder of 270M, said. “It is especially well suited for small businesses because it allows them to visually showcase their products and services and tell their story in a similar fashion as a microsite would.”
Instagram Reels, another option on Instagram, provide entertaining short videos that can be funny, inspiring and educational. They also get an average engagement rate of almost 3 percent — about double those of other post types. You can increase your reel’s visibility by using high-quality audio or music, keeping it under 10 seconds, adding the reel to your website, including relevant hashtags and scheduling your posts for when your followers are online.
To prevent algorithm issues, you should avoid copying and pasting reels from other social media sites, such as TikTok, and sharing political views. You should also avoid adding too much text, low-quality audio and visuals.
What are Instagram best practices?
Instagram and its algorithms can be complicated. There are many guidelines, best practices and tips available for getting the most out of your efforts to market on the app. It’s essential to go through these tips and best practices and find the ones that make sense for you and your business.
Committing to doing it right is one of the most important aspects of taking your brand to Instagram. This could be the difference between success and failure since you must appease both the algorithm and your followers.
Follow these 15 best practices to set yourself up for success.
1. Post consistently.
You don’t want to be an account that shows up on a user’s feed and makes them wonder, “Who’s that?” To avoid this, set a posting schedule, and stick to it. While there is no magic number of times to post each week, following industry trends can help you stay consistent. Take a peek at what is working for your competitors and what falls flat.
“Consistent posting is important because it helps businesses remain visible to their audience and signals to the algorithm that the profile is active while keeping the brand appearing in-feed regularly,” Remesch said. “However, posting frequency and cadence should be determined based on content performance data.”
Keep a close eye on Instagram Insights or your own analytics for times when your engagement seems highest, and aim for those times.
2. Don’t overpost.
A major Instagram faux pas is sharing multiple photos as individual posts one after the other. This reads as out of touch and can irritate users because all those individual photos will show up on their feeds and leave them wondering why you didn’t just put them all together in one post. Instagram increased the Carousel post limit from 10 to 20 photos in a single post in 2024. But don’t expect followers to scroll through all 20, as it might feel overdone.
“In some cases, posting too frequently can [overwhelm] an audience, [minimizing] the impact of individual posts and potentially lead to unfollows,” Remesch said. “Businesses should create a balanced content calendar that allows for planned evergreen posts while leaving room for unplanned trends, unexpected business updates and potential news media turbulence.”
Consider varying your posting style. Try a reel, story or how-to post to keep your followers entertained and increase your chances of reaching new leads.
3. Only post quality content that makes sense for your brand.
The name of the game for Instagram is quality over quantity. Carefully consider what you post and why. Ask yourself these questions:
- How does it relate to your brand?
- Will your followers like and engage with it?
- What purpose does it serve for your business?
You can use your Instagram analytics to see which content performs best with your audience.
4. Tell stories.
Since Instagram has become so big, it’s easy to tell when a user or brand is just “doing it for the Gram,” not because they have a genuine message to share. Focus on telling a better business story through images, video and text, and seek connections with your audience.
Be memorable. When followers feel an emotional connection to your content, they are more likely to engage and become a faithful social media audience.
5. Know your brand.
To sell your brand, you have to know it inside and out. Like any social media app, Instagram has its own culture and etiquette, so part of your initial marketing plan should be to figure out how your brand fits into that culture.
“Your brand’s job is to build a memory in your audience’s mind,” Jaci Lund, founder and creative director at Treebird Branding, said. “Every time you post off-brand content — or something that looks like it could belong to anyone — you dilute that memory. If it’s not on-brand, don’t post it. Full stop.”
6. Be visually consistent.
Users will expect visual consistency when they click your brand page. This doesn’t mean your Instagram needs to look like one big advertisement, especially since today’s users gravitate toward more organic content than paid content.
However, visual consistency is something you should think about and determine early on. What kind of look or vibe do you want your profile to give off? Moody? Bright? Organic? Natural? Whatever you choose, the vibe should be consistent with the rest of your company branding and recognizable to your Instagram followers.
7. Be choosy with hashtags.
Hashtags can make the difference between your post rising to the top of a feed and being buried in a sea of other posts, so it’s important to learn which ones work for you and your brand. Overly generic or popular hashtags, like #holiday and #fashion, can send your posts into oblivion, as they will compete with millions of other posts.
Instead, use industry- or brand-specific hashtags that are easy for users to find and help your content stand out. According to the “creators” Instagram feed, a good number of hashtags to use is three to five per post. While Instagram allows up to 30 on a standard post, a wall of hashtags under your posts can look desperate and unprofessional.
More specific hashtags or keywords will help your posts appear to consumers when they talk to Meta AI. Users can ask Meta AI to show them relevant posts on any topic and if the subject matter relates to your brand, you’ll appear closer to the top of their search results.
Following hashtags ended in 2024. Previously users could follow hashtags, similar to following a person’s account, so they would see relevant posts in their feed. However, now users won’t be notified when posts appear with hashtags they previously followed; they’ll have to search for them manually instead. You’ll need to be extra selective because of this since you can’t expect users to constantly search 30 individual hashtags.
8. Take advantage of user-generated content.
User-generated content is every marketer’s dream. It creates an engagement opportunity for users, reduces costs for your business and shows users that your brand listens to and values customers.
Try creating a branded hashtag that followers can use to submit content; then repost applicable and appropriate content to your business page for all to see. Some great examples of user-generated marketing campaigns are Starbucks’ #RedCupContest and Coca-Cola’s #ShareaCoke campaign. Just make sure to closely follow Meta’s Community Guidelines because Instagram’s AI moderation features will automatically remove anything that goes against these rules.
9. Use Stories for lighter content.
Instagram Stories is a great place for your brand to show a little more personality, day-to-day content or personal tidbits about your business. Stories live on your profile for only 24 hours and can include photos or video clips with music, text, GIFs or stickers layered on. Try livestreaming company events or doing employee takeovers for a day.
10. Use Instagram to boost your website traffic.
Instagram allows you to include one clickable link in your profile bio, meaning anyone who accesses your Instagram page is provided the link to your website. You can also insert a link with a “swipe up” call to action in your Instagram Stories, and any Instagram ads you purchase will also have a link to your website.
Besides using links, you can expect consumers to view your Instagram profile, and this is a great way to convert them into customers on your website. “Your grid is your brand’s mini website,” Lund said. “Those first nine to 12 posts should always communicate exactly who you are, what you do and why people should care. Don’t miss that opportunity.”
11. Apply SEO to your Instagram strategy.
While search engine optimization (SEO) and Instagram may not typically go together, applying SEO strategies to boost your Instagram presence can go a long way, especially as Instagram becomes increasingly competitive.
There are two main SEO-related areas of your Instagram account: your account handle and your account name. Your handle is your @, which you should make short, memorable and applicable to your business.
Your account name appears under your profile picture and should reflect your account handle and industry. When people search Instagram for you, your account name is what will typically show up.
“SEO can be applied by including important keywords in your username, display name, bio and caption copy,” Remesch said. “Captions are also one of the best places to authentically include keywords. This not only helps Instagram understand what your post is about, which can affect where and how it is shown, but it also drives further reach to the audience who you are targeting.”
12. Be selective about influencers.
If you are considering Instagram marketing with influencers, it’s important to consider whom to work with very carefully. No two influencers are the same, and each comes with its own unique audience and areas of expertise.
“The influencer bubble is popping,” Lund said. “Trust is eroding because followers know most endorsements are paid. Instead, we recommend building real relationships with micro-influencers, especially ones with local or niche followings. They create more authentic content and drive higher-quality engagement.”
13. Explore Instagram advertising.
With Instagram’s advertising program, you can create campaigns to attract users at all sales funnel stages as part of your Instagram marketing strategy. Instagram users have a high engagement rate with ads, as Instagram Reel ads alone have a reach of up to 11.6 percent of the global adult population. Learn more about advertising on Instagram here.
14. Maintain your brand’s voice across all content.
Ensure that your Instagram posts and stories align with the rest of your business’s communication style. Your social media content should be an extension of your business’s culture and voice, so a drastically different communication style can be jarring for your customers. “Your voice is the emotional handshake of your brand,” Lund said. “It’s how your audience builds trust. People make decisions emotionally, not logically. If your voice is inconsistent, your brand feels unreliable — and that’s a trust-breaker.”
To help ensure consistency, develop a set of branding guidelines for all of your promotional materials, including advertisements, internal documents and social media marketing.
15. Engage in the comments.
One of the best ways to build engagement on your posts is to be engaged yourself. Respond to customers’ comments as much as possible. This will help build your credibility by showing that you care about what your customers have to say and that you are using social media for a good reason. “This is where relationships start,” Lund said. “Comments are the front porch of your brand, so show up, say hello and be a real human.”
Stick to your branding guidelines to maintain a consistent voice. Lululemon’s Instagram page is an excellent example of a consistent voice in comment responses. If you’re unsure of how to respond to comments, you can use Meta AI, which provides advice on what to say. You can even tag Meta AI in private or group chats for it to chime in.
Why should you use Instagram?
Instagram can help you build an audience, sell products or engage with your customers. It’s also quick and easy to use; all you need is your smartphone and a plan. [Read related article: 12 Reasons to Use Instagram for Your Business]
“Instagram builds credibility,” Lund said. “For small businesses, it’s often the first place someone checks after Google. B2B brands don’t need to post as often — one to two times a week is fine — but you do need a presence. B2C? Three to five times a week, with regular Stories. It’s a modern-day storefront and trust builder.”
These are some things Instagram can help you do:
- Put a face or personality to your brand
- Increase your audience
- Sell products directly through the app
- Engage with customers
- Partner with influencers to help grow your brand
- See what competitors are doing
- Share information, background and personal stories about your business
- Build connections with other businesses
- Stay up to date with consumer trends
- Collect customer data
- Expand your marketing strategy
- Use Meta AI for assistance
“Instagram’s features make it easier for organic discovery and advertising provides an additional path to visibility to drive conversion,” Remesch said. “The ability to interact directly with users through comments and messages also allows small businesses to build strong relationships, answer customer service questions and gather feedback. Overall, Instagram is a vital marketing tool that can support small business growth and should be considered a marketing ecosystem extension for any small business.”
Instagram success stories
The following companies are doing social media the right way. Their social media marketing is on point, and they have experienced unprecedented growth in a short period. Use their strategies as inspiration to create your own Instagram posts that keep your customers engaged and coming back for more.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
Source: Freddy’s Steakburgers’ Instagram
The chain restaurant Freddy’s uses a simple strategy to increase its followers and improve brand awareness: posting as many delicious food photos as possible. The company allows the menu to speak for itself while also having fun with the Instagram Stories feature by highlighting interactions with founder Freddy Simon. This grounds the restaurant and makes followers feel like part of the restaurant’s family.
NASA
Source: NASA’s Instagram
NASA’s social media team has utilized Instagram Stories to interact with visitors. The content is easy to understand and delivered in a fun way to appeal to all ages. Instead of posting complex space news, NASA uses great visuals to draw in the audience.
America’s Test Kitchen
Source: America’s Test Kitchen’s Instagram
America’s Test Kitchen has used polls on Instagram to its advantage. One poll asked visitors whether they preferred crispy or noncrispy bacon. The company includes its handle to increase followers after users view the poll. The brand also uses eye-catching food visuals in all of its polls and other posts to increase clicks.
Tentsile
Source: Tentsile’s Instagram
This outdoor-gear retailer engages users by showing stunning locations within product placements. The marketing campaign aims to make Instagram users want to share in these experiences. Another great way that Tentsile is making connections with social media users is by sharing user-submitted photos on its Instagram page. Visitors feel a greater impact when they know a photo hasn’t been staged by a company.
GoPro
Source: GoPro’s Instagram
Another company that uses stunning imagery for its products is GoPro. Its Instagram posts are informative, showing exactly what types of photos you can take with GoPro cameras. The company also uses its posts to highlight any special sales.
Amanda Hoffman and Julie Thompson contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.
