With a well-planned Instagram feed, you can visually convey who you are and what you do in a matter of seconds — which is key for converting visitors into followers.
Discover why planning your Instagram feed can leave a lasting impression on your audience and contribute to your growth on the platform, below.
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Why Should You Plan Your Instagram Feed?
Your Instagram feed is the first thing a visitor sees when they land on your profile.
Think of it as the sign above your shop door that encourages people to walk in.
So if you want users to pop by and continuously revisit, you need to think about more than just your individual Instagram posts and consider your feed as a whole.
And a strong visual aesthetic is a great way to start.
While it doesn't have to be perfectly curated (more on that, later), planning your Instagram feed in advance can help you tell a cohesive brand story and be consistent.
And consistency = more engagement!
TIP: Later’s Visual Instagram Planner lets you plan and preview your Instagram feed before you hit publish. Try it for free, now.
4 Tips for Planning Your Instagram Layout in 2024
Want to learn how to make a lasting impression and grow your community? Here are four tips to get started:
Tip #1: Define Your "Aesthetic" or Brand Colors
In 2024, the Instagram aesthetic may no longer be “picture-perfect,” but users are still drawn to grids that tell a cohesive visual story.
This could be a grid that makes use of complementary colors, or one that mixes up memes and lifestyle posts.
Check out how Acid League maintains a bold, colorful grid to showcase their product assortment:
Remember, your brand colors, fonts, and textures all play a part in achieving a captivating aesthetic on your Instagram feed.
TIP: Create a mood board to get your creative juices flowing and guide you in the direction of what you want your grid to look like.
Tip #2: Use a Variety of Content Types
When planning your Instagram grid, it's important to incorporate a variety of content types to keep your audience engaged.
Translation: Diversify your posts.
Mix up static images with Reels and carousel posts to give your community more ways to connect and keep your feed from feeling one-note:
Whether you're sharing behind-the-scenes footage or announcing a sale, changing up your Instagram content gives you more ways to engage and highlight what makes your brand unique.
Plus, if you’re tracking the performance of your posts, you’ll be able to see what content resonates with your audience most.
Tip #3: Be Consistent
Ask any social media manager or influencer, and they’ll say the number one reason for their success is having a consistent posting cadence on Instagram.
If you work on your personal brand you won’t have to pitch anymore. Let this be your reminder to stay consistent and keep posting!
— Johanna Lynn | UGC | Tiktok Specialist (@JohannaLynnUGC) October 17, 2023
While it doesn’t have to be every single day (we know that’s not realistic!), it’s important to post content throughout the week to keep your audience engaged.
By planning your Instagram feed in advance, you can easily post consistently (even when you're on the go).
Tip #4: Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is key to curating a strong visual aesthetic — that way you can show your value and entice followers, right out the gate.
With Later’s free Visual Planner, you can preview and rearrange your feed before you post — so you can see your profile the way your followers will.
Which brings us to the next section...
How to Plan Your Instagram Feed With an Instagram Grid Planner in 2024
First impressions on Instagram matter; they can mean the difference between a user hitting follow or tapping away.
Here’s how you can visually plan your Instagram feed and create your own, tailored aesthetic:
Step #1: Prepare Your Instagram Content
In order to curate your feed, you’ll first need to prepare content to post.
This can be your own existing content dropped to your Media Library, sourcing visuals via stock sites or tagged posts, or creating graphics with a tool like Canva.
An easy way to create a cohesive Instagram aesthetic? During the editing process.
Choosing the same filter, crop, or editing “rules” will help keep your photos looking consistent.
Here at Later, we use a bright and poppy color scheme to help reinforce our brand's look and feel:
If you don't have the budget or capacity to shoot new content all the time, supplementing your feed with user-generated content (UGC) can be a great way to elevate your feed.
And Later’s suite of UGC tools is a great place to start.
With Later, you can review the posts you’ve been tagged or mentioned in, and search for posts that include a certain hashtag.
It’s an affordable way to share high-quality content on Instagram, while also bringing your community together — win-win!
Create an account to start finding and scheduling UGC today.
Step #2: Curate a Cohesive Feed
Next up, it’s time to think about how your posts will look alongside one another.
Later’s Visual Planner makes it easy to see how your feed will look in advance, so you can make sure your upcoming and existing content fit together seamlessly.
Rearrange (or swap out) photos and videos by dragging and dropping posts from your Media Library until you’ve found the best composition for your feed:
Once you’re happy with your overall grid, tap “Save” to schedule the posts to your feed — and don't forget to write captions and add hashtags to optimize for SEO.
It’s that simple!
Scheduling your posts ahead of time doesn’t just help you maintain a consistent aesthetic, but it also helps you post more regularly — the perfect recipe for growth on the platform.
So, what are you waiting for? Preview your feed before you post with Later’s Visual Instagram Planner tool. Sign up today — for free.
