Ten years ago, the Australia-based skincare brand Frank Body made a bold choice: Instead of opting for traditional ads, they turned their attention primarily to Instagram. At the time, the brand put up $3,000. In their first year alone, they’d made more than $3 million. From Glossier to Away, other brands have since found Instagram fame, leveraging their social followings to cultivate brand awareness and create communities.
Instagram has evolved significantly since those early days, but today’s small business owners continue to use the platform to connect with new audiences and build their brands.
We asked five social media pros to share their tips for solopreneurs in 2023. From the underrated feature that helps drive sales (it’s not what you’re expecting) to the best time to post on Instagram, here are their most inspiring insights.
Read on to learn how to grow Instagram followers and maintain a presence online.
When Is the Best Time to Post on Instagram?
To determine when to post on Instagram, check your Instagram Insights. Available on all Instagram Business accounts, these will reveal when your followers are most active and likely to see your content. Outside tools such as Iconosquare, Later, and Planoly can also provide similar data.
“Investing in an Instagram Business account or third-party social media software is the most strategic way to determine the best time and day to post,” marketing consultant Kate Talbot tells us.
“This way, you have rich data on your audience and their insights, which can tell you the best times to post. Without clear data, it’s just a shot in the dark, and you want to be strategic about your posting schedule.
“When starting out before you have audience data, test different times—early weekday AM, Friday night, Sunday afternoon—and see the engagement levels. Testing and then using data points to determine best practices will lead you to building a strong relationship with your audience.”
Ultimately, the best time to post on Instagram will depend on your specific audience—and your schedule. Sue B. Zimmerman, the co-founder of The Instagram™ Expert, recommends planning your feed based on when you can engage and interact.
“Personally, I think the best time to post is when you have time to stick around,” she explains. “Make sure you don’t ‘post and ghost.’
“Many people check posting on Instagram off their to-do list once a Reel is published or a post is put up, but the real magic happens in the comment thread when people either endorse what you shared or ask a question.
“Instagram rewards you for engaging, and this is often something people overlook. When Instagram sees lots of conversation or interest in your posts, it will be more likely to show it to more people.”
How Often Should You Post on Instagram?
While there’s no magic formula, the experts we interviewed recommend posting at least one to two times a week—and more if you can.
“As a general rule, I typically recommend posting three to five times a week in the feed (including Reels) and daily, if possible, to Stories,” the social media consultant Jenn Herman clarifies.
“That said, it’s better to be consistent than frequent, so pick a schedule that works for you. For most brands, if you’re posting to the feed every day, it’s too much. You’re actually making your content compete with itself for reach and distribution. You’re better off posting every other day, generally.”
Herman also urges businesses to take advantage of different types of posts: Reels, Stories, static posts, carousels, and so on. Try everything, and see what resonates with your customers.
Instagram Best Practices
Optimize Your Profile
You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make it count.
“So many people leave their profiles empty or poorly formatted, and that’s a mistake,” Herman admits. “You want a good photo that represents your brand: A good photo of you or a simple version of your logo that is legible when decreased super small.
“Your bio should convey three things: Who you are, what you do, and what’s in it for ‘them’ (your audience). This should be in bullet point format and easy to understand. It should not be a bunch of corporate jargon or confusing language. Keep it simple and clear.
“And then set up your link in bio and contact buttons to make it easy for people to connect with you beyond Instagram.”
Vary Your Content
We touched on this point briefly while discussing how often to post on Instagram, but it’s worth reiterating: Share more than just single, static posts.
“Videos are so powerful, and Instagram has been favoring this type of content,” Zimmerman tells us. “When people can hear you, see you, and feel your energy, you can make a deeper connection—faster.
“Carousels are also a powerful medium right now, as they keep your viewer on your content for longer (you can have up to 10 slides in a carousel), and you can include short video snippets within the carousel, too.”
When putting together a carousel post, start with your strongest image, and make sure it’s easily visible and grabs attention even on smaller screens.
Start Strong
When sharing video content, make the topic immediately clear.
“Attention spans are quick nowadays. You need to hook your audience in the first three seconds of a video. You can do so through a bold statement, a question for your audience, or a fun data insight,” Talbot shares.
“To learn the best video hooks, spend time on Instagram watching Reels, following competitive accounts, learning from influencers, and viewing and analyzing what content goes viral. Then bring those best practices to your business.”
Share Stories Consistently
Don’t forget Stories, either.
“We all know that Reels have been the cool kid on the scene for almost three (!) years,” the prominent social media marketing educator Elise Darma says. “And, while Reels are great for growth and visibility, I’m seeing a resurgence in Stories.
“This now-underrated feature contributes to most, if not all, of my Instagram sales (and I know I’m not the only one). Stories are powerful because they can generate and drive Direct Messages, which is also where the sales happen.”
Perfect Your Captions
Don’t overlook the power of a strong caption.
“The days of punny captions are long gone,” Talbot explains. “Now, it’s all about authentic storytelling. Use the captions to expand on your post. The more you share, the more your audience will connect and trust you. As a small business owner, the impact of ‘like, know, and trust’ is incredibly important.”
Puno, the Founder and Executive Creative Director of the creative platform ilovecreatives, agrees. “I find the captions are more important than the visual,” she tells us. “My most engaged content has really meaty captions.”
Take Advantage of Hashtags
Hashtags still have their place in Instagram best practices.
“Don’t stop using hashtags, especially on Reels,” Herman urges. “Even though you may feel like reach is down from hashtags, they are important for search categorization on Instagram (basically SEO on Instagram). They help tell Instagram what your post is about and where to categorize it.
“Ideally, you want to use as many relevant hashtags as possible, up to the max of 30. And, you want to keep them in the caption (not a comment) so that the AI can track them—AI doesn’t look at hashtags in comments for categorizing.
“As a warning, if you’re leaving your hashtags in the caption, I recommend you use camel case (#UseHashtagsLikeThis, #notlikethis) so that screen readers can easily decipher the hashtags and not frustrate your audience. This is key to making your content more widely accessible.”
Include a CTA (Call-to-Action)
Finally, give your followers something to do!
“A CTA (call-to-action) tells someone what you want them to do next,” Zimmerman explains. “This can be something simple, like asking for a comment—or something more, like making a purchase. Use a variety of different CTAs on your posts.”
Parting Thoughts
When determining when to post on Instagram, how often to post on Instagram, and how to grow Instagram followers, it’s important to remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Engage with your audience, and invite their feedback. Feel free to try different approaches and strategies to see what boosts engagement for your brand.
“Building an Instagram account and audience takes time and effort,” Talbot tells us. “You won’t magically go viral the first time you post, so remember it’s a long game. Be consistent, and it will pay off.”
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License this cover image via Middle Red and guteksk7.
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