With over 1 billion active users, Instagram is one of the all-time social media networks to annunciate your concern, reach new audiences, and abound brand sensation. So even if you aren't active on the website still, it's never too late to adopt an Instagram strategy in your marketing program.

If you're ready to first sharing content through this channel, we've got you lot covered. Hither, nosotros've cultivated a quick-and-like shooting fish in a barrel guide to posting on Instagram, to ensure you tin begin attracting the attending of your audience with Instagram marketing.

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Posting to Instagram consistently can assist businesses notice resonance with their audition and abound improve, only doing information technology correct is just as of import. Hither's how to post to your Instagram account footstep-by-step.

Step 1. Tap the + icon at the top of your screen.

How to post on Instagram step 1: tap the + icon at the top of your screen

Come across that plus sign [+] in the image to a higher place? That's your starting point. See that mail service from our culture business relationship? That's your endpoint. Click that plus sign and y'all'll be ready for the next stride, below.

Footstep two. Choose a photograph 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 postal service. Alternatively, yous can click on the camera icon to have a photograph or video within the Instagram app itself, if you don't already have an epitome you want to use.

One time you select and ingather an prototype (or carousel of multiple images), click the pointer push in the top right corner of the app.

How to post on Instagram step 2: choose a photo or video from your library or shoot one in the app

Step three. Post multiple images on Instagram.

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

How to post on Instagram step 3: post multiple images on instagram

As you get 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.

Pace 4. Crop the image.

Y'all aren't express to just a square image on Instagram. You tin can really share horizontal or vertical images every bit well. To go more than of your epitome seen, pinch the screen of the photograph you've selected on the Library screen.

How to post on Instagram step 4: crop the image

However, while Instagram does permit vertical and horizontal options, the images nevertheless need to fit into some specific dimensions. Then, you lot might nonetheless need to ingather a tiny scrap of your photo to get it to fit.

Step 5. Pick a filter.

Instagram offers 24 filters — scroll to the correct to peruse your options, and click on one to preview how information technology will look on your photo.

By default, the filter volition be applied by total force. However, if you want to calibration back the intensity of the filter, double click the filter tile one time it'due south been applied, and a scale selector will appear, allowing you to downplay the outcome.

You can too tap the magic wand at the top of the screen to suit the photo further.

How to post on Instagram step 5: pick a filter

(Take a wait at our Ultimate Guide to Instagram Filters to learn more than).

Stride 6. Edit your photo.

Y'all can also click "Edit" at the lesser correct to suit the epitome to your specifications.

How to post on Instagram step 6: edit your photo

Here are the editing options that come up congenital into Instagram for yous:

  • Suit - This helps subtly rotate the image along the center airplane, giving information technology a tilt either to the left or right according to the linear calibration at the bottom of the screen.
  • Brightness - This helps lighten or darken the image. All y'all have to do is pull the selector to the left to darken or to the right to lighten.
  • Contrast - This helps to increase or decrease the intensity of the epitome'southward colors. Pull the selector to the left for less dissimilarity (a dulling effect) or to the right for more dissimilarity (a higher intensity consequence).
  • Structure - This helps to add an HD-like event to the paradigm, bringing out specific details in your photo. Drag the selector to the right to help the image "pop."
  • Warmth - This helps yous adjust the temperature of the photograph. Drag the selector to the left to increase cool tones in the prototype, or drag the selector to the right to increment the warm tones in the paradigm.
  • Saturation - This helps yous accommodate the saturation of the colors in your paradigm. Drag the selector to the left to desaturate the prototype (all the way to the left if you want a monochrome look), or drag the selector to the right for extremely saturated colors.
  • Color - This gives you a number of color options to overlay over your paradigm for interesting colour effects. Only select your colour choice and run across how information technology changes the image in the preview box.
  • Fade - This softens the intensity of the blacks in your image to create an "aged" photo upshot. Simply drag the selector to the right for a higher degree of fade.
  • Highlights - This helps you control the intensity of the highlights in your image. Dragging the selector to the left volition darken the highlights in your epitome while dragging the selector to the correct volition lighten the highlights in your image.
  • Shadows - This helps y'all control the intensity of the shadows in your epitome. Dragging the selector to the left will darken the shadows in your image while dragging the selector to the right will lighten the shadows in your epitome.
  • Vignette - This darkens the corners of the epitome, leaving a circle shape in the heart. Drag the selector all the way to the right for the most dramatic vignette.
  • Tilt Shift - This helps blur the edges of the image in a radial or linear manner, cartoon focus to the details in the center of the image.
  • Sharpen - This helps sharpen sure details of the paradigm, bringing a more dramatic wait to subtler elements in the photo.

Footstep seven. Type your caption.

Become artistic and write a nice, interesting caption to go with your photo. Since text can assist optimize your post in Instagram's search, writing something tin just do good you.

How to post on Instagram step 7: type your caption

Step 8. Use hashtags for post optimization.

With Instagram'southward search feature, users tin search by hashtags. So, you should brand sure to write relevant hashtags in your caption. If someone does a search of a hashtag you placed in your explanation, they might observe your post also every bit others that included the same ane.

Stride 9. Tag friends.

Want your friend or their followers to run into a photo that y'all posted of the ii of you lot? Tag them!

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

Step ten. Add your location.

If you're on a fun vacation or at a not bad upshot and y'all don't feel like including that information in your caption, you lot tin can mark where you are in another manner. On the new post folio, tap "Add Location" to put a location on your image (which makes it easier for people to find your post).

When y'all post an image or video with a location, information technology will show upwards between your proper noun and the block of content on the feed.

Footstep 11. Play with emojis.

Emojis are fun and tin make your caption more eye-communicable. If you know of a few relevant emojis that could fit with your post, stick them in the explanation area. For example, if you're posting a holiday photo, you could include a palm tree 🌴 or a plane ✈️ to show yous flew somewhere.

Here are the top Instagram emojis you tin can utilise:

  1. ❤️
  2. 😍
  3. 😘
  4. πŸ˜‚
  5. 😊
  6. 😎
  7. πŸ’•
  8. πŸ˜‰
  9. πŸ’‹
  10. πŸ‘

However, keep in mind that there's a multitude of choices to add flair to your posts, from keeping it real πŸ’― to the cringe face 😬.

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

Step 12. Share the post on other social media platforms.

Finally, if yous 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.

How to post on Instagram step 12: share the post to other social media platforms

When you lot're ready to mail service, click "Share" in the superlative right.

Instagram Saved Drafts

If y'all're not ready to post right away, you lot tin also save it to your Instagram Saved Drafts. Simply go back to the filtering and editing stride, tap the back pointer in the top left, and select "Save Draft."

Step 13. Edit the post.

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

How to post on Instagram step 13: edit the post

Make the adjustments yous run across fit and salvage them so it reflects on your Instagram. Otherwise, your post is complete and alive for everyone to see.

Grow Your Audience on Instagram Today

Now that you know how to post to Instagram, you tin begin creating content for the platform and connecting with your audience. If you're a business concern or brand, yous'll desire a solid strategy for earning engagement and awareness.

Editor's note: This mail was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Originally published Dec thirty, 2021 7:00:00 AM, updated December 30 2021