As most social networks, Instagram asks for new content all the time. You are constantly on the lookout for creative Instagram post ideas. To be really successful, find an audience, engage with followers and grow your account you need to be active – very active. And often it is not that we do not WANT to post, it is just that we are running out of ideas.

Often it is the daily routine that blocks imagination, sometimes the time we have to spend on social media is so limited that we just want the quickest way out without having to think a lot about it. That is the killer of any creativity.

Coming up with great content for your social media account is a task that deserves more respect – it is the key to your social media success. Especially on Instagram, creativity and variety will be the key to success.

Here are some ideas for creative Instagram post ideas. For optimal success on Instagram, the right mix of different updates often works best.

1. News and posts on current events

Examples are comments on national holidays or events like national puppy day, national croissant day, national siblings day.

There are endless options, I am sure you will find some national days that will fit well on your Instagram feed. You can check out what is going on today on the NationalDayCalendar.

2. Statistics

Put a number on an image and you are ready to go. Choose statistics from your niche and aim for a little surprise it will help you catch the attention and inspire a reaction.

3. Quotes

Quotes are always doing well on social media. They inspire engagement and comments. But again you should aim at quotes that are somewhat related to your niche. An audience you build on motivational or funny quotes that do not relate to your niche will in most cases not be your best-converting audience.

Image Source: Around.io

4. Behind-The-Scenes

You want to build a connection ad relationship with your audience. You want to put more personality into your brand, business, or even your blog.

One chance you have is to show what is going on behind your front door (your blog or landing page). Show who you are. Show people working for you. If you are producing something, why not show images of the process where your product is manufactured.

Why not feature your cute office dog, a picture from a nice business lunch – or even the chill out corner in your office? I am sure there are some great shots that are not directly about your products or offers – but make a great story on Instagram

5. Humor

It is good to laugh once in a while. Why not post a funny image or even a joke? Again, try to make it related to your business – or to your person.

6. Memories and Nostalgia

Have you heard of throw-back-Thursday? Or just wondered what that little three-letter hashtag #tbt was all about? Posts with this hashtag are a look down memory lane. They feature images from events that are (long) past.

You can use this to fill your feed with older images and stories from the past. There are also nostalgia hashtags for other days of the week (see next item on this list for some inspiration)

7. Daily Hashtag Challenge

There are more daily hashtags you can use to add some fresh ideas to your updates. They give you some additional exposure, and you can use them to spice up your feed.

Here are some examples of Daily Hashtags:

• #MondayBlues
• #MotivationMonday
• #TravelTuesday
• #TipTuesday
• #WednesdayWisdom
• #WonderfulWednesday
• #ThrowbackThursday #TBT
• #FlashbackFriday
• #FridayFact
• #FridayFun
• #Caturday
• #SelfieSunday
• #SundayFunday

Image Source: Hootsuite Blog

8. Promote content

If you are deep into content marketing, promoting your blog posts, white papers or other content is probably something very upfront in your mind. Instagram may not be the best network to get traffic, for the simple reason that you cannot share links to your content with every post.

Still, with a great image to post on Instagram and a significant audience, you will be able to promote your content and find an audience for it.

9. How-tos

If you want to promote your own products, why not use Instagrams video feature or even the slideshow option, to explain something about your products. You can even answer customer questions – if you find a way of putting your answer into an Instagram post.

10. Product Features or Promotions

Sure, you are allowed to promote your products. Especially if you have special offers your audience will appreciate it.

For most brands, the rule is: You can promote, but do not ONLY promote. And the best promotion is creative, witty – and often uses humor and an element of surprise.

Why not show your product in a totally unexpected use case:

Image Source: Sprout Social

11. Tag-a-friend posts

This is a little tricky because they work better if you manage to provide a good reason why people should tag a friend. If you get it right, however, this type of post is great to spread the word about your Instagram.

12. Repost

You can repost your customers, your employees, your partners. Keep in mind never to repost without an explicit permission – and pay respect to the original author of the post.

Here are some ideas to find the best content to repost on your Instagram account:

• You can ask your fans and followers to submit an image that you should feature (repost) via a hashtag.
• You can browse pictures that mention your Instagram
• Invite your fans to submit a post
• Run an Instagram photo contest

Image Source: Hubspot Blog

13. Contests or Giveaways

The idea is simple: Offer that you will give something for free. Get people to comment on your post to enter the contest. Choose from the comments. Or have your audience follow a link to the contest.

Make the rules clear.

14. Tell a story

Why not have a sequence of updates that add up to a story.

15. Ask a question

Questions are a great way to inspire engagement on your images – and connect to your audience. Make sure that you join the discussion and answer some of the comments – don’t let your fans and friends alone in the rain.

Image Source: Sprout Social

16. Use Account Takeovers

You can hire influencers or experts to take over your account for a while. That is a grat chance to add flavor to your account and get access to the audience of the influencer or expert.

Choose the influencer with care, the topic of the posts should still match your target audience.

Image Source Sprout Social

Final Words

There are endless ideas for what to post on Instagram. Just don’t get stuck in routine but keep your mind open and use your imagination – or simply browse around and get inspiration from what others do.

Plus, remember to tell stories in your Instagram  feed. And check out Instagram stories as well – you have even more options for creativity there.

And if people find your Instagram feed interesting – growing your blog with the help of Instagram is not far out of reach.