Photo: Lisa Fotios

What should my first Instagram post be?

Your first Instagram post is your chance to tell your audience who you are, what you do, and why they should follow you. It's a great opportunity to give your followers some background on your new business and how you can help solve a problem or pain point they have.

skedsocial.com - Best first post on Instagram | How to make an impression that lasts

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If you’ve just created your first Instagram account, congratulations! This is a huge milestone for your online business. Now that you’ve taken the leap into the world of Instagram, you need to create your first Instagram post. People spend days to weeks debating over what to post for their first Instagram post. As a business owner, your time is valuable, and time is money, after all. Let’s avoid wasting yours by following these simple steps to create a first impression for your brand that’s as memorable as it is engaging. Your first Instagram post is your chance to tell your audience who you are, what you do, and why they should follow you. It’s a great opportunity to give your followers some background on your new business and how you can help solve a problem or pain point they have. You never get a second chance at a first impression, so let’s make yours a good one. Here are some tips to consider before you create your very first post.

Know Before You Post

Even if you only have a few followers to start out, you want to put strategy and meaning behind your first post. The best plan of attack in social media marketing is strong preparation, so here’s a few considerations to set yourself up for success on Instagram. Instagram for Business is best for small businesses and brands. It’s important to set up an Instagram business account to gain access to analytics and other key features exclusive to businesses and creators. If you’re creating a Business account for the first time, you should be prompted at setup. If you already have an account set up and you need to change it to a Business one, go into your Settings, and select “Switch to Business Profile.”

Ditch The Perfectionist Mindset

Organic reach on Instagram can be a challenge these days. Don’t get discouraged! Business owners can put a lot of pressure on their Instagram content to perform well right out of the gate, but the reality is that you must accept your first post might not immediately appear on the Instagram Explore Page and blow up overnight. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but don’t get us wrong – you should still put your best foot forward and try your best to create a great first post. Let go of the ideals in your head and try to come across as genuine as possible.

Build a Starter Following

Just because you’re a new account without any posts yet, it doesn’t mean you can’t follow people who you think might be interested in your content. Starting with even a small following can help improve your content’s performance, increasing the odds that your posts will show up on your followers’ Feed the next time you post. To attract new followers, start interacting with people who you think might be interested in following you. Finding these people is incredibly simple. You can go to your competitors’ Instagram accounts and see who follows and interacts with them most frequently. These people will likely care about your content as well. Pro tip: This works best with accounts who have recent posts on their account. If they haven’t posted in a month or more, it might mean they don’t check Instagram that often and won’t follow back right away. If you already have a following on other platforms, such as a blog or other social media network, drive traffic to your Instagram account. Share a post or an update letting them know your new Instagram handle and include a clear call-to-action to follow you for exclusive content they won’t be able to find anywhere else. You can even work with social media influencers to help amplify your content and get the word out about your new business. You can also search up hashtags relevant to your niche by clicking the magnifying glass at the bottom of the Instagram app. From there, enter a keyword related to your niche in the search bar or search terms that you think your customers might use. For example, if you’re a fashion brand, you can start with the word “fashion” to bring up fashion-related hashtags. Then click on the word “tags” to display different hashtags related to your search. Follow or engage with these accounts as often as you can – you never know when they might follow back! When Instagram users visit your page for the first time, it should be immediately clear to them who you are and what your brand is all about. Even if you don’t have any posts up yet, you can use your Instagram bio to provide information about your product or services, niche, or location (if you’re local).

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Instagram business profiles also allow you to add a link to your website. Take advantage of this opportunity and invite your Instagram followers to learn more about you. Your bio should speak directly to your target audience. The best way to do this is to visit their Instagram pages and see what kinds of things they’re talking about online. Make note, and include those things in your Instagram post ideas. Before you go ahead and decide what to share for your first post, it helps to have a narrative or a visual plan in place. Every post you make should fit into the larger theme of your Instagram feed and brand. This includes things like defining a specific color palette for your posts, image style, and graphic design that are unique to your brand. Sked’s Visual Instagram planner can help you get your grid just right. To get your grid looking gorgeous, easily drag and drop your images or videos into the planner and move them around as needed until you get that perfect look. Once your grid is looking good, pick the times and days you want your posts published, or use Sked’s Queue feature to keep a consistent schedule of posts.

Introduce Yourself

For a business account, include elements like your logo, branding, slogan, and features of your product or service. This way, based on your first post, people will have a good idea of what your brand or product is and how they can purchase it. To show off your products in a fun way, consider posting a carousel post that showcases your entire product lineup, or a tutorial that clearly shows how to use it. The best types of content to post on Instagram are the ones that are engaging, so think about how you can go above and beyond just a simple product photo and description. If you’re releasing a brand new product, you can create hype and build suspense through things like countdowns, “coming soon” images that provide clues as to what the product might be, or a giveaway. This keeps all eyes on your account and keeps your Instagram followers coming back for more. If you’re the founder of the business, you may also want to introduce yourself in your first Instagram post. Share what inspires you or how the company started. 70% of consumers feel more connected to brands with CEOs that are active on social media, so don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Your Instagram content doesn’t have to be all about how great your products or services are. In fact, 71% of consumers prefer to buy from companies who are aligned with their values. By sharing a powerful story or message about your brand, you increase the odds that people will identify with it. At the end of the day, you can have the best Instagram feed in the world, but it is your purpose, or your “why” that helps build true brand loyalty. For example, Apple’s is “to make the best products on earth and to leave the world better than we found it.” Communicating a vision like this shows your audience the overall purpose behind what you do and why they should follow you or buy from you. This sentiment should be carried across all of your social networks. Instagram marketing is all about kickass visuals. When starting a new brand account on the social media platform, a compelling, high-quality visual is a clear and direct way to show the world what you’re all about. Get creative with it. For example, if you’re a restaurant, consider posting a photo that captures something unique inside your building, or a photo of your favorite menu dish. If you sell travel luggage, post your most recent tropical getaway. A picture is worth a thousand words. If you choose to go with a photo for your first post, it should be eye-catching and immediately grab your audience’s attention. It should also communicate a message, tell a story, or inspire a feeling in your viewer that lets them know what you’re all about. You don’t need to be a professional photographer these days to take amazing photos. In fact, most newer Apple and Android devices have cameras with settings that can almost mimic a professional lens.

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Check out our top hacks for taking gorgeous Instagram photos. You can thank us later.

Connect To Your Audience With Video

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth ten thousand. Using video for your first post allows you to create a fuller picture of what your brand is all about. Here are a few ideas of how you can use video to introduce yourself: Use a gif to show off your team or different aspects of your business. Your caption on your first post should match the feel of the image or video you choose for your first post. A great tip for writing captions comes from Dana Nicole Designs, who encourages business owners to answer the question of “what’s in it for me?” from the perspective of your audience. This doesn’t just apply to your first post. It also applies to the types of content you post moving forward. Every post you make should be well thought out and aim to help your audience understand what they will gain by following you.

Your captions should also:

Be succinct. The average person’s attention span is around 8 seconds. If your Instagram content takes forever to read, you risk losing a valuable follower or sale. Use a consistent brand tone and voice (if your account was a person, how would they sound?) Avoid heavy, blocked paragraphs of text. Instead, add line breaks to break up larger chunks of text. Use emojis, where appropriate. Emojis can add an element of fun and personality to your brand. They have a playful energy that inspires joy in your readers. Include a relevant CTA (Call To Action). Your CTA can drive users to your link in bio, your Instagram shop, or to take a specific action on the post like leaving a comment, sharing, or saving. If you’ve been in the Instagram game for a while, you probably know that you can add up to 30 hashtags to your caption or comment. If you aren’t using hashtags, then news flash: you’re missing out on a lot of reach (and a lot of potential customers for your business). Instagram is a highly visual platform, and captions that contain 30 hashtags aren’t the most aesthetically pleasing. Instead, find your top Instagram hashtags and place them in your first comment. Bonus: using hashtags on Instagram is also a great way to build your account’s SEO and ensure that you’re ranking high on Instagram’s search feature. You can also create your own “official” brand hashtag. Not only does this build brand awareness as your account grows and your content gets more reach, but it also gives you a handy way to track conversations around your brand on social media. To make sure you’re using a good variety of hashtags according to your content topics, try Sked Social’s Template Manager. This makes it super-easy to add different hashtags to different content themes and ensures you don’t have to type out each hashtag every single time you post. Instagram Stories are photos or 30 second videos that can compliment your feed posts. They add an interactive component that lets you engage your audience through tools like gifs, stickers, links and more.

Ask Yourself If Your First Post Stands The Test of Time

Consider your Instagram account like a time capsule. By posting a first post that’s values-first and tells your story in a way that connects with your audience, you can make sure your posts stand the test of time. Rather than promoting your fave product of the moment or leaning into a trend or meme, consider posting content that’s evergreen. Ask yourself if it will still be relevant in 5, 10, and 15 years time. Your first post should be something that you’re proud of, and always serve as a reminder of what you do, how you do it, and who you do it for. Looking for more great Instagram content ideas? Check out our other posts on Instagram marketing strategy and watch your small business skyrocket on the platform.

skedsocial.com - Best first post on Instagram | How to make an impression that lasts

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