3 strategies to help to determine what to post next on Instagram

So, it’s that time again. Time to plan your next batch of Instagram content, but you’re not really sure what post to make next. The best way to keep those creative juices flowing is by having a planning routine that you can follow each time you sit down to plan our your next set of content. Today, I want to walk you through the first three steps I take when determining what to post next on Instagram. Are you ready? Let’s get to creating!

Step 1: Check for audience feedback

One of the most important strategies when coming up with your next post concept, is checking for audience feedback. When I create content, I always keep the end viewer in mind - so why not do the same when coming up with the idea in the first place. The end viewer, a.k.a - your audience, is usually pouring thoughts,, feedback, and questions in your DMs or comments on your post. So why not start there? Here are a few different ways I go about grabbing that feedback:

Your Instagram Insights: You might not initially think that your Instagram insights fall under the category of audience feedback, but your insights show you the performance of your posts - which in a nutshell - is the feedback of your audience. If it performed well, that means your audience found it interesting and engaging. Analyze your top-performing posts and use that information to decide on topics or even styles of designs to use in your next batch of posts.
Comments: The next step is by checking out your comments and reviews. Now, of course, you will want to check your Instagram comments, but you can also check comments on other platforms as well. For example, if you have a YouTube channel or TikTok - you could review the comments on all three platforms and note any commonalities or repetitions with your audience’s feedback. You could also check the reviews of your podcasts or products if have them.
Email Newsletters: If you have an email newsletter, this is a perfect way to get feedback from your audience. You could even add a prompt in your newsletter asking for feedback, questions, or content ideas that could help them out in their journey.

Pro tip: if you are just starting out and don’t have a lot of audience feedback at this time, check out our fellow influencers or brands on Instagram within the same niche, and see what type of feedback they are getting on their post. If their ideal audience is the same as yours - this is a perfect way to get “audience feedback”, even if the audience isn’t yours …. yet.

Step 2: Check for industry news & trends

Next up is doing some research and finding industry news and trends that I can report on or share with my audience. There are a few places I personally like to go to start looking for these ideas.

Leaders in your niche: The first place I like to go is Adam Mosseri’s Instagram page, this is because he is the head of Instagram and therefore drops deets on all of the latest Instagram updates and news. You will of course want to make a list of industry leaders that fit your niche, and start there when doing your digging.
Blogs & Articles: Now, you can of course just do some online research when trying to find updates and news in your industry, but it’s also helpful to have a few regular blogs in your back pocket that you always check first. With my niche being social media, I regularly check out the Later blog, I have talked a lot about Later in the past - it’s a social media scheduling software, but they also have a killer blog that features social media news. I also check out a website called The Verge, which is a tech news website, they have an entire Instagram section I tend to check out. I would spend some time doing research in your industry and find some solid blogs that you can revisit each time you’re working on your content.

Step 3: Gather leftover ideas from last time

The next place I go when coming up with my ideas is, well … my own brainstorming. I do this brainstorming every time I sit down to come up with my post ideas, so occasionally there is overflow - I also will come up with an idea randomly throughout the day and when I do, I will jot it down. When I am working on my post concepts for the week or month, I will reference this brain dump.

My biggest tip here would be to have a project management system that makes it really easy to reference back to previous ideas or jot down quick new ideas that come randomly. I recommend Notion for this because it is super customizable and very easy to drag ideas around, but also there is an app - and that way you can have quick access on your phone to hurry and dump some ideas you might have throughout the day.

If interested, we just dropped a Content Creator Notion Bundle, which includes my in-depth content calendar (with 9 custom views to keep your content organized on all social media platforms), a brand partnership tracker, an affiliate marketing tracker, and a customizable brand guide. Definitely check it out if you are looking for a system to track your ideas and plan your content.

If you want to watch me come up with my content strategy in action, make sure to check out monthly “plan my Instagram Content Calendar with me” videos on my YouTube channel, which is just youtube.com/katie - still can’t believe I scored that URL. Also, shoot us a DM over @creatorlymedia on Instagram if there are any podcast topics you would like us to cover next. See what I did there. 🙂