21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

MARKETING | 6 MIN READ

How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step

Guide

Written by Caroline Forsey

@cforsey1

With over 800 million active users, Instagram is undoubtedly one of the most far-
reaching social media networks you can use for marketing purposes.

Instagram has proven a viable advertising option for businesses today, and
shows no signs of slowing down -- in fact, eMarketer estimates worldwide
Instagram ad revenues will exceed $10 billion by 2019, an exponential increase
from 1.86 billion in 2016.

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

If you're not already using Instagram for your business, you're missing out on a
ton of opportunity to grow brand awareness and reach a wide audience.
Fortunately, adopting an Instagram strategy can be relatively easy with enough
time and effort.

However, if you've never used the app, you might be daunted by the first
question likely to cross your mind -- How can I post my first image?

If you're ready to post an image to Instagram, we've got you covered. Here,
we've cultivated a quick-and-easy guide to posting on Instagram, to ensure you
can begin attracting some of those 800 million users today.

Download our essential guide to Instagram for business for

more helpful tips and tricks.

How to Post on Instagram

1. Tap the + icon at the bottom of your screen.

2. Choose a photo or video from your library -- or shoot one in the app.

3. Crop the image.

4. Try a carousel post.

5. Pick a filter.

6. Type your caption.

7. Use hashtags for post optimization.

8. Tag friends.

9. Add your location.

10. Play with emojis.

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

11. Share the post on other social media platforms.

12. Edit the post.

1. Tap the + icon at the bottom of your screen.

 

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

2. Choose a photo or video from your library -- or shoot one

in the app.
Instagram will show you the photos already saved to your phone. Choose one of
those to post. Alternatively, you can click "Photo" or "Video" in the bottom to
take a photo or video within the Instagram app itself, if you don't already have an
image you want to use.

Once you choose an image, click "Next" in the top right.

3. Crop the image.

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

You aren't limited to just a square image on Instagram. You can actually share
horizontal or vertical images as well. To get more of your image seen, pinch the
screen of the photo you've selected on the Library screen.

However, while Instagram does allow vertical and horizontal options, the images
still need to fit into some specific dimensions. So, you might still need to crop a
tiny bit of your photo to get it to fit. 

4. Try a carousel post.

Do you have multiple photos and want to highlight them all? Instagram allows
you to do this with its carousel feature. 

As you go to tap a photo or video, first tap the icon just above your photos to the
right that looks like stacked squares. Once you tap this, you'll see a number on
the corner of every image or video you tap. This number notes where the content
will show up in the carousel.

5. Pick a filter
Instagram offers 25 filters -- scroll to the right to peruse your options, and click on
one to preview how it will look on your photo. (Take a look at our Ultimate Guide
to Instagram Filters to learn more). You can click "Edit" at the bottom right to
adjust contrast, brightness, etc.

When you're ready, click "Next" in the top right.

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

6. Type your caption.

Get creative and write a nice, interesting caption to go with your photo. Since
text can help optimize your post in Instagram's search, writing something can
only benefit you. 

7. Use hashtags for post optimization.

With Instagram's search feature, users can search by hashtags. So, you should
make sure to write relevant hashtags in your caption. If someone does a search
of a hashtag you placed in your caption, they might find your post as well as
others that included the same one. 

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

8. Tag friends.
Want your friend or their followers to see a photo that you posted of the two of
you? Tag them!

On the post page, you can click "Tag People" to tag other Instagram accounts in
your post. Alternatively, you can include their handle (or their username
beginning with an @ symbol) in your caption. 

9. Add your location.

If you're on a fun vacation or at a neat event and you don't feel like including that
information in your caption, you can mark where you are in another way. On the
post page, tap "Add Location" to put a location on your image (which makes it
easier for people to find your post).

When you post an image or video with a location, it will show up between your
name and the block of content on the feed. 

10. Play with emojis. 

Emojis are fun and can make your caption more eye catching. If you know of a
few relevant emojis that could fit with your post, stick them in the caption area.

For example, if you're posting a vacation photo, you could include a beach
umbrella or a plane to show you flew somewhere.

Be sure not to go overboard and post emojis just for the sake of posting them. If
you post a bowling emoji along with a photo of a beach, that obviously won't
make sense to people. Similarly, if you post 20 emojis that loosely relate to a
post, you might just annoy your followers or come off as desperate.

11. Share the post on other social media platforms

Finally, if you want to share your content on your other, connected social media
sites (like Facebook or Twitter), simply slide the bar from the left to the right.

When you're ready to post, click "Share" in the top right.

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

12. Edit the post.

Typos happen to everyone! If you just posted something and notice a glaring
spelling error, don't panic. Simply tap the three dots that appear on the right
across from your name, then tap "Edit." 

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21/08/2019 How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide

To learn more about how to use Instagram, including how to create a new
account, how to manage notifications, how to connect other social media
accounts, and how to upload to your Instagram Stories, take a look at our How to
Use Instagram: A Beginner's Guide.

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