How to create content for Instagram

You have finally decided to use Instagram too, one of the most famous social networks of recent times. You would like to start uploading the first content in your profile, but since you are still a beginner, you need some “tips” to use the application smoothly. If that’s exactly the case, then you’ve come to the right place, because in this guide I’ll tell you just how to create content for Instagram!

You must know that on Instagram it is possible to publish various types of content, depending on what you need. Thanks to this, the application allows the user to find the type of post suitable for any situation, so as not to limit the way it wants to show itself online.

That said, it’s time to get to work! Make yourself comfortable and dedicate a few minutes of your time to this guide. You will see that you will learn how to use Instagram in no time and that, at the end of this tutorial, the application will have no more secrets for you. Let it bet?

Index

• How to create content for Instagram
  • Make a story
  • Make a post
  • Make a Reel
  • Do a live
  • Do an IGTV
• Create Instagram featured content
• App to create Instagram content
• How to promote content on Instagram

How to create content for Instagram

The types of content that can be uploaded to Instagram are different and suitable for different situations. In any case, do not worry, because in this guide I will explain how to create content for Instagram of all kinds, guiding you step by step through the various procedures. To find out, therefore, how to create a story, a post, a Reel, a live or a video on IGTV, just keep reading this guide.

Note: in the tutorial I will refer to the Instagram app for Android and iPhone, which is the one that allows you to create the most content. It is also possible to use Instagram on the PC, but in a much more limited way: the Web version of the social network, in fact, is designed above all for the use of contents and not for their creation. Having said that too, we can proceed.

Make a story

The Instagram stories are sequences of photos, video, music and text content that you can add to a specific section of your profile and are visible to the other for 24 hours. They can also be enriched with stickers, questions and other fun elements.

To make a story on Instagram you need to open the application and, from the Home screen, press the icon called Your Story. Alternatively, you can also get to the story screen by simply swiping right.

At this point, if you want to take a photo on the spot, press on the circle icon located at the bottom of the screen. To make a video, press and hold the same button. You can switch between cameras by pressing on the camera icon. By selecting, instead, the round icons you see below, you can apply an Instagram filter to your story in real time.

If, on the other hand, you want to use an image or a video from your Gallery, click on the square icon and select the photo you prefer.

Now, to customize your story, just use the specific functions of Instagram. For example, to add a text, just press the Aa icon and type the text you want to add.

Alternatively, you could also draw on the image you want to add to your story. To do this, click on the snake icon, located at the top of the screen and draw what you prefer.

If you want to make a story more interactive, you can add a question that viewers of the story can answer. If you are interested in this function, I refer you to my guide where I explain how “Ask me a question” works on Instagram.

Another method of engaging the public through a story is the poll, thanks to which the people who open the story can give their opinion on a certain topic. Also in this case, if you would like to learn how to use this function, I refer you to my specific guide, in which I show you how to do polls on Instagram.

When the story is ready to be published, you have to press the Send to button and then press the Share button located next to the word Your story.

Instagram Stories remain online and visible to the public for twenty-four hours, after which they are made private. To retrieve the stories and view them even after this time frame, you can consult my guide where I explain how to see old stories on Instagram.

Make a post

If your intention is to make a post on Instagram, i.e. a content that remains visible in the social network’s feed and on your profile page without deadlines, then the procedure is slightly different from the one illustrated above.

First, click on your profile icon, located at the bottom of the screen. At this point, press the + icon, which you find at the top of the screen and from the screen that appears, press on the Post item of the feed.

At this point, to upload content from your Gallery, click on the GALLERY tab and select the image or video you prefer.

If, on the other hand, you want to take a photo, just press the PHOTO tab and press the circle icon to take the photo. To film a video you have to press on the VIDEO tab and hold down on the circle icon (you can make movies of up to sixty seconds).

When you have chosen the content for the post, click on the blue arrow icon, located at the top of the screen. Before publishing it, you can edit it with a filter, which you can select and preview by simply clicking on the thumbnail of the ones you prefer. When you are done with the changes, press the blue arrow icon again.

At this point, you will be redirected to a screen where you can further customize your post. Among the functions present there is that of the caption, which is used to add a description to the post. To do this, simply click on the appropriate box and type the text you prefer.

Once the post is ready to be published, simply press the √ icon. By doing so, this will appear both in your profile and on the Instagram Home to all the people who follow you. For more details, read my guide on how to post on Instagram.

Make a Reel

If you are trying to make a Reel on Instagram, that is a short video in TikTok style to be displayed in the appropriate section of Instagram, press on your profile icon and press the + icon. Then, from the screen that appears, press on the Reel item.

Now, before you start filming the Reel, you can decide which effects to apply to the movie. For example, if you want to speed up or slow down the playback speed of the video, just press on the 1X icon, from which you can choose the speed you prefer.

If, on the other hand, you want to apply a graphic effect, just click on the emoticon icon and select the one you prefer.

When you are ready to start shooting the video, click on the clapperboard icon. After you have finished shooting the video, press again on the clapperboard icon and finally on the right arrow icon to go to the editor. Alternatively, you can also wait for the maximum thirty seconds of the video length to pass.

Now that the footage has been shot, it’s time to move on to editing. In the screen you are taken to after finishing the video, in fact, there are the same tools that are present in the Instagram stories interface, so you can easily consult the previous chapter to know how to use them.

The only additional function of this interface is that which allows you to add external audio to that of the movie just shot. To access this function, press on the microphone icon and, in the screen that appears, press on the red circle icon to start recording. Once done, press on the red square icon to stop recording.

After you have finished editing the video, all you have to do is press on the right arrow icon. At this point, in the screen that appears, you can add a caption by pressing in the appropriate box and typing what you want.

You can also set the cover of the video (which otherwise would be chosen randomly), by clicking on the Cover item. At this point you can choose it from the video itself by dragging your finger on the timeline or add an image from the Gallery by pressing the Add from gallery item. When you have decided, press the End button.

After you have decided all the various settings for the Reel, press the Next button and finally the Share button to make it public. Easy, right? For more details, read my guide on how to reel on Instagram.

Do a live

On Instagram it is also possible to do live shows, as on all major social media. These are extremely useful when it comes to interacting with the audience in real time.

To do a live on Instagram, from the home page of the app, you have to swipe right to open the camera. At this point, in the section below, scroll until you find the item Live and select it.

Before starting the live, you can set a title. To do this, you have to press on the icon of the four lines and then press on the Add a title field. At this point, type the title you prefer and then press the Add title button.

If everything is ready to start live, all you have to do is press on the circle icon located at the bottom of the screen. That’s all!

During live shows on Instagram, you can also invite people to join, as long as they are viewing the live. To do this, you have to press on the eye icon and select the person you want to invite under the INVITE section. Finally, confirm by pressing the Invite button.

Please note that the person in question must first accept the invitation in order to enter the live. If this refuses, of course, you will be notified. For more details, read my guide on how to do live on Instagram.

Do an IGTV

If among the contents you would like to upload to Instagram there are also IGTVs, i.e. videos lasting between one and sixty minutes, then you’ve come to the right place.

To proceed, access your Instagram profile page, press the [+] button located in the upper right corner and select the item relating to IGTV from the menu that opens. For more details, I refer you to my special guide where I explain how to upload videos to IGTV.

Create Instagram featured content

Using Instagram’s featured content feature can be very useful if you want to show a certain photo or video at the top of your profile. In any case, I warn you that at the moment it is possible to pin at the top only the stories: all other types of content are not compatible with this function.

To highlight a story, you have to open it by pressing on your profile icon and then pressing the Highlight button. At this point, in the screen that appears, type the title you want to give to the group of stories in evidence and, finally, press the Add button. By doing so, the story will appear at the top of your profile and will not disappear after twenty-four hours.

If you want to edit a story in evidence or a group of stories, just press on its thumbnail, then press the More button and, finally, on the item Edit the story in evidence from the menu that appears. From the panel that opens you can change the cover, title and stories included in the featured group.

App to create Instagram content

In case you are looking for some application that can help you create content for Instagram, you need to know that there are a couple that are right for you. Thanks to this type of application, you will be able to publish personalized posts or stories with the best tools that will be offered to you.

Adobe Spark Post

The first application I recommend is Adobe Spark Post, used for creating content for multiple social media including, of course, Instagram. This is available for both free and paid, and each package offers different features, which you can see below.

• Starter Plan– This free package offers all the basic features of the app, including free templates and icons.
• Individual– this package, at a cost of $ 9.99 per month or $ 99.99 per year, in addition to the tools of the previous one offers new features, including the addition of premium templates, the ability to apply your own logo and removing the watermark. Plus, you can try it out with a free thirty-day period.
• Team– this package, at a cost of $ 19.99 per month or $ 239.88 per year, in addition to the tools of the previous one, offers the possibility to assign the various licenses to your collaborators and gives access to dedicated customer support.

You can download Adobe Spark Post from the official page of the Play Store (or from an alternative store, if you use a device without the Play Store) if you have an Android device, or from the official page of the App Store if you have an iPhone.

After downloading and opening the application, you need to create an account by pressing the Register button for free. Then fill in all the fields necessary for registration and finally press the Register button.

Now that you have created an account, all you have to do is choose a template to your liking by clicking on its thumbnail. When you have decided which one to use, press the Remix this template button to access the editor.

In the editor you can edit various elements of the chosen template. For example, you can change the text present within it simply by pressing on the one already present in the base and typing what you prefer.

Plus, you can change the size to fit the template for the type of content you want to create, whether it’s a story or a post. To do this, click on the Resize button and select the size you want to give to the model. Finally, press the END button.

After you’re done creating the content, you just have to remove the watermark if possible and finally export it. To do this, you have to press on the icon with the three dots and then press the Feed button, if you want to create a post or the Stories button, if you want to create a story. That’s all! Simple, right?

Unfold

Another good application for creating content on Instagram is Unfold, which also specializes in creating posts for Instagram and Facebook. The application is available with various packages, including a free one, and you can view them below.

• Unfold– This free package offers all the basic functionality of the application, including various templates to use for your own content.
• Unfold +– this package, at a cost of € 3.19 per month or € 20.99 per year, adds hundreds of templates to the benefits of the previous package to use and grants early access to new templates coming soon. Plus, you can take advantage of a seven-day free trial.
• Unfold for Brands– this package, at a cost of € 5.99 per month or € 42.99 per year, adds to the advantages of the previous package custom templates, the ability to create Web Stories and the ability to manage content from a PC. Plus, you can take advantage of a seven-day free trial.

You can download Unfold from the official page of the Play Store (or from an alternative store, in case your device does not have the Play Store) if you have an Android device, or from the official page of the App Store if you have an iPhone.

Once you have downloaded Unfold, you can start creating content by opening the application and pressing the + icon and then the History or Post button, depending on the content you want to make. Finally, confirm by pressing the CREATE button to switch to the editor.

At this point, continue by pressing the + button again and choosing one of the available models, pressing on their thumbnail.

What you need to do now is to customize the template you have chosen, by clicking on the various elements and modifying them as you wish. For example, by pressing on the text you can enter what you prefer, simply by typing with the keyboard.

When the changes have been completed, all you have to do is press the down arrow icon and, in the screen that appears, press the Instagram button. By doing so, it will be shared in your profile without the need to download it to your device.

How to promote content on Instagram

One of the most important steps to take after creating your own content on Instagram is to promote it. Through various methods, such as hashtags or geolocation, you can get your content to be reached by a greater number of users.

If you are interested in promoting content, then I refer you to my guide where I explain how to be successful on Instagram. You will see that thanks to simple and effective solutions you will be able to increase your audience in no time!