Before Reels, Stories, and going Live, Instagram built itself as the platform for instantly sharing images. Instagram itself still recommends single photos and carousels for engaging followers, and they’re equally ideal for building an aesthetically pleasing grid and keeping your profile up to date with fresh content.
Have you been neglecting your grid in favour of sharing Stories and going Live? Here are some ideas to get you back on track.
1. Tutorial
An Instagram staple applicable to just about any niche, step-by-step tutorials work particularly well as carousels. Beauty influencer Elizabeth Monahan’s viral model makeup tutorial shows how it’s done.
2. Common mistake or myth
Build credibility by exposing misassumptions common in your niche, either as a single image or a collection of related errors (as marketing strategist Anneli Hansson does here). Google “common myths about” plus your chosen subject matter if you’re stuck for inspiration.
3. List of hacks
List some related tips and tricks relevant to your niche. These posts are great for collecting quick morsels of advice that don’t quite justify their own Reel, just as chef Favra Mark does in her 5 Kitchen Hacks post.
4. Your story
Show followers the road you took to become an influencer, introduce yourself to newcomers, open up about your personal journey, and thank those who made it happen. Travel blogger Ellie Green nails it here.
5. Life recap
Share curated highlights from your entire year (as Maria Jønsson did for 2025), show your week in photos (like Olivia Lodenius Björk does here), or simply recap the past few weeks in a casual-looking photo dump (in the style of Laura Haleydt).
6. Before/after: your skills
Showcase your skills (and invite followers to have a peek at your process) using before and after photos. Check out how photographer Kam contrasts raw footage with final edited shots.
7. Before/after: yourself
Gone through an impressive transformation yourself? Followers love seeing personal progress, regardless of niche. Arun Maini’s insane 90-day fitness transformation was nothing to do with his tech specialism, but it still got nearly 67,000 Likes.
8. Tease
Got something big coming up but aren’t ready to share all the details? Give a quick image tease to whet everyone’s appetite. Twitch streamer QTCinderella used such an image to promote her upcoming QTC’s Murder Mystery series.
9. Announcement
Got some dates confirmed for upcoming product launches or events? Post an image to your Instagram so it’s hard to miss. Note how comedian Julia Dicesare covered all relevant info about an upcoming show.
10. Life event
Whether it’s something positive (like gamer Ali-A getting hitched) or slightly less positive (like doctor turned influencer Ali Abdaal breaking his arm), sharing little life updates helps foster a closer connection with your followers.
11. Ask your audience
Receive engagement while getting valuable community feedback by posing a question. Post an either/or image so people can choose a favourite, prompt followers to ask you anything in the comments, or follow Binging With Babish’s lead with a more light-hearted query.
12. Childhood photo
Dig out a childhood photo and post it for the world to see. Pro Fortnite player Mongraal earned over 523,000 Likes for his. Another great post for keeping things personal.
13. Milestone
Whether you’re a nano-influencer like Kit Boardman announcing 600 YouTube subscribers, a micro-influencer like Barbiana celebrating 100,000 followers, or a macro-influencer like Chris Williamson rejoicing over 4.2 million subscribers, every milestone should be posted about so your community can celebrate together.
14. What you’re reading, watching, or listening to
There’s probably a book, show, film, or song you’re currently obsessed with, so snap a shot and share it with your followers, who may share their own lists or opinions! You can even organise a bunch of recent favourites and add some captions, as Courtney Park did.
15. Facts about yourself
This is another type of post that encourages followers to get to know you. Feel free to balance quirky little nuggets with more personal details. UGC creator Hanna includes both a penchant for raw garlic and that she’s been “dealing with grief and very big trauma.”
16. Inspirational quote
Is there a certain quote that keeps you going? It’d probably resonate with your audience, too, so why not share? Single images are fine, or you can take a cue from therapist Aliza Shapiro’s “7 quotes I read in January” post and share multiple ideas across a carousel.
17. Repost
Has someone shared a great pic of you? Ask permission to repost! They receive a boost, while you engage the community and get great content without effort, as when chess player Dina Belenkaya (1.4 million followers) reposted this shot from Kelly Centrelli (300+ followers).
18. Routine
Routine posts show followers what you’re up to each morning or while you’re working, and they’re especially effective when tied to your niche. That’s why lifestyle influencer Elise gives us her healthy morning routine while fitness influencer Taylor Zena unpacks the lead-up to her morning run.
19. Trends
If all else fails, research the latest Instagram trends and make your own. Influencers such as Thuy Lam and Bobby Berk, for example, recently jumped on the “top five horror movies” trend. It’s not something to flood your profile with, since most will be outside your niche, but it’s a good strategy when you’re well and truly struggling over what to post on IG.
Add some polish
You needn’t become a professional photographer or graphic artist, but low-quality images can give your account a sloppy and unappealing look that could end up turning followers (and brands) away before they’ve even read your Instagram bio. “A well-curated grid of stunning images is a key component for growing your Instagram organically and building a loyal following,” according to Rebus Advertising.
Brush up on Instagram’s native editing tool and use tools such as Canva and Adobe Express to customise premade graphic templates to sharpen your profile.
Maintain a cohesive aesthetic
“Having a general vibe helps keep everything on your page looking more cohesive,” says influencer Jessy C. “What vibe do you give off? Do you love clean, minimal feeds with lots of neutrals, or are you more into a maximalist look, like more colours and maybe even some photo collages?”
Whatever your vibe, a consistent editing style and colour palette is visually appealing and builds a recognisable brand. Elle Money’s Instagram is a great example.
Write compelling captions
Instagram lets you mention relevant accounts, tag your location, include hashtags, and write a short caption. Use all that to add context, tell a story, connect with your audience, and help the algorithm place your post.
It may seem like small touches, but they can really drive engagement, expand your reach, and demonstrate an understanding of social media that’s vital when applying for content creation jobs.
Encourage engagement directly
Try to include a call to action (CTA) with each post that tells followers what to do next. You might ask them to share your post, follow if they aren’t already, or simply prompt them to comment a response.
The caption for Aliza Shapiro’s collection of inspiring quotes, for example, asks: “Which one resonates with you the most?” Just one sentence lets followers know you’re listening and encourages them to engage.
