Perfect Your Instagram Layout With an Instagram Grid Planner
If you’ve been on Instagram for more than a second, then you’ve likely come across feeds that look different. They’re beautiful, organized, and cohesive. They paint a cinematic, color-graded image that’s impossible to deny.
Welcome to the world of grid planners.
If you’re interested in curating and planning an Instagram feed worthy of the Louvre, we’re here to show you how. We’ll also cover some of the amazing benefits of creating a curated Instagram feed.
Introduction To Instagram Grid Planners
Instagram grid planners are precisely what they sound like – an app that lets you plan your feed.
The feed grid is the layout you see when you look at someone’s Instagram profile. Log into your Instagram app, click on your account, and scroll down. The three side-by-side images and the infinite scroll is your unique grid. It’s your Instagram fingerprint.
Most people post without considering what it looks like on their grid. But what if you post a picture that completely clashes with the one next to it? What if all the random posting turns into a chaotic and unsightly mess?
With a grid planner, you can upload content and plan the grid ahead of time. Shuffle the images, find the layout that looks the best, and post them in that order. Some grid planners even do the posting for you.
Grid planners are an easy way to customize every aspect of your Instagram to create a cohesive and curated feed.
Why Use An Instagram Grid Planner?
First impressions count, especially when you are on Instagram. When people view your profile, your feed is the first thing they see and it’s a major deciding factor on whether they’ll follow or not.
If your goal is to just enjoy Instagram, then you don’t need a grip planner. But if you hope to distinguish yourself and build an online presence, a grid planner will help you build a portfolio people will want to follow.
Benefits Of Using An Instagram Grid Planner
But it’s not just about building a portfolio. Using an Instagram grip planner comes with a host of awesome benefits that will help you maximize your Instagram potential.
Cohesive, Organized Content
A grid planner is multifunctional. Whether you choose a free or paid one, the software will let you upload and plan your content. This gives you time and space to organize your content until it looks and feels the best.
By organizing your content, you’ll also show a more cohesive and put-together front for potential followers and brand partners.
Organizing your content also means using as much of it as possible. Simply posting as the content comes in can leave you with great content that gets lost on the way to the Instagram content mill. Don’t waste good content just because you forgot about it while in the swing of things. Plan it all out with a grid planner!
Stand Out & Showcase Your Brand
As a brand, whether you’re an influencer or a business, your image matters. You’re also likely dealing with a lot of competition, whether for a niche or a product. And the only way to become victorious is to stand out.
A grid planner will help you do this. An organized feed that optimizes your content and your brand is a striking visual. It shows that you put effort into your brand and social presence. As a result, people will be more likely to hit that follow button and trust you to be a good brand partner.
Consistent Content
By organizing your content in advance, you’ll have access to one more major benefit: Consistency!
People will know what to expect from your content. They can browse the past and present for an idea of what to expect in the future.
People want to follow content creators who will consistently produce the content they like. By planning your grid with relevant content your followers want, users are more likely to trust and follow you. They know what to expect from you.
How To Use An Instagram Grid Planner (Step-by-step Guide)
Here’s how you can use an IG planner to plan your Instagram feed.
Step 1: Settle On An Image & Aesthetic
If you’ve been posting on Instagram for a while but you’re not sure what your particular vibe is, don’t worry. Go to your Instagram and view your profile. Scroll down and take in your content from the perspective of a follower.
Next, think of the content that inspires you. Whether this be your Pinterest inspiration boards, your camera roll, or a favorite magazine, examine the elements you like and try to emulate through your posts.
Once you have an idea about what inspires you and what you’ve been producing, you can establish a few key identifiers. This can be everything from your brand color palette to a specific filter you use.
For example, if you’re a beachy influencer who posts mostly beach pictures, you’ll have a very specific color palette with blues, beiges, and pops of bright color.
Luckily, you don’t always have to stick to this formula. You only need one picture or video cover that fits the grid theme. For example, the rest of the content (like an Instagram carousel of images) can be as wild and free as you want.
While doing this, do a little competitor research. Find out what works, what doesn’t, and see where you can improve. It’s also a good idea to find a gimmick, something that is unique to your content. If you do what everyone else does, you won’t stand out.
Step 2: Create & Customize The Content
Once you know what you want, it’s much easier to create it. Use the above observations to create a few editing ground rules.
- What filter will you use?
- What is the best aspect ratio?
- Landscape or portrait?
- What are the defining colors?
- Should the images be bright and bold or low-light and moody?
Go through all the content you already have and edit them to fit this vibe. Keep the tone consistent.
You should also keep these ideas in mind when taking photos or filming. It’s much easier to stick to a theme if you’re creating the content to match it before the editing phase.
Step 3: Plan With A Grid Planner
Once you know what you want and the rules you need to follow to get there, and you have the type of content you want to post, you can download an IG grid planner.
Upload the content to the grid planner and take an objective look at the content. Shuffle the images around until they look the way you want them to look. Find the pattern that works the best and put images together that look good together.
You can have fun here. From a checkerboard pattern to one column of text and two columns of images, the grid planning possibilities are virtually endless.
When you’re done, you can use scheduling software to plan and post your content. This will ensure you post on time and that the images stay in the right order. Alternatively, create your own schedule and post your pics manually in the order you’ve decided on.
As you create more content, just repeat steps 2 and 3.
Best Practices For Using Instagram Grid Planners
Now that you know how to add Instagram grid planning to your repertoire, here are a few practices to keep in mind when planning your feed.
Stay Consistent
To get the most out of your grid planner, it’s important to stay consistent. It’ll also look much better. If you’re dealing with one theme and then suddenly add an image that clashes with the others, it’ll be jarring.
However, don’t get hung up on the finer details. If you want to post a different image for a special occasion, don’t let planning your Instagram grid ruin your day. Post the image and get back to your regular posting schedule afterward.
Introduce Change Slowly
Inevitably over time, you’ll change and so will your content. When you outgrow your theme and find yourself on to new, better things, use your grid planner to slowly introduce the changes. You can do this by adding different content in between old content or by slowly making editing changes that naturally flow into your new aesthetic.
If you need to change your content immediately, start a new chapter. You can use your grid planner to create a clear line between the old you and the new you.
Plan Ahead Of Time
To make the most of your grid and your time, plan the content ahead of time. The more time and content you have, the more you can play around with the grid and the content.
Having your content prepped and ready to go two to three weeks in advance also takes the pressure off creating new content. You’re not constantly stressing about what to post. Rather, you can take time creating new content and simply add it to your queue.
Conclusion
Instagram grids aren’t something most content creators think about but they can have a big impact on your feed. To make the most of your first impression and your profile, use an IG grid planner to curate your dream feed.
Follow the above steps and best practices to make the most of your time, your content, and your brand.
To grow your social media presence even more, get in touch with ShoppableSocial today.
