Although Instagram was born as an image sharing social platform, video is on the rise. IGTV, Stories, and Instagram’s newest feature, Reels, show us one thing — Instagram is looking out to the horizon, and video is looking back.
With 85% of people wanting to see more video content from the brands they follow, get ahead of the game and turn one, five, or all 36 of these post ideas into attention-grabbing videos in a snap with the Biteable video maker.
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Ideas to amp up engagement
1. Celebrate holidays and events
Every day brings something to celebrate. Whether it’s Christmas Day or World Turtle Day, there’s something to post about every day of the calendar year.
2. Ask your audience a question
Whether it’s a product-related AMA or a question about their favorite children’s book, asking your audience a question is a sure-fire way to increase engagement and get the conversation flowing. Keep the question relevant and current, and be sure to interact with replies in the comments.
3. Run a giveaway or contest
Everyone loves free things — use that to your advantage. Craft an engaging video or graphic with all the need-to-know details of your giveaway or contest. For bigger giveaways, keep it to special occasions, like a milestone, event, or product launch.
4. Stay hip with memes
What would social media be without memes? A sad, listless place, that’s what. Memes don’t have to look unprofessional — create your own memes to keep things within your brand’s style guide. Keep an eye on upcoming trends and jump aboard the meme-train when one comes up that works for your business.
5. DIY some DIY ideas
Teach your audience how to do something at home. Parents and children are always looking for new ways to occupy their time in creative ways.
6. Share your favorite quotes
Motivative, inspire, or share some wisdom with a quote you love or that reflects your brand and what you stand for. Go the extra mile with a quote video to give your chosen quote the spotlight it deserves.
7. Pets!
People love pets. Introduce your audience to the office animals or create a funny video of an animal using your product or service. Don’t fur-get most people are ready to wax poetic about their pets at any given moment — give them the space to do so on World Animal Day or just a regular ol’ Tuesday.
8. Lean on infographics
There’s just something about infographics that compels people to double-tap. Share information on a topic your audience will want to know more about in a snappy video that’s entertaining and educational at the same time.
9. Caption this
Sometimes a social media manager just needs 10 minutes off, ya know? Throw it to the audience and let the funniest (or punniest) caption win.
10. Get your countdown on
Let your audience feel like they’re in on the next exciting launch or announcement with a hype or countdown video. Tease just enough to get people interested, but remind them they’ll need to check back on the launch day for all the juicy details.
11. Holler about your blog post
Tease your latest blog post with a teaser video or turn your post into a video listicle. It’s a double-whammy way to rake in Instagram engagement and clicks to your blog.
12. Set a #challenge
Pick a hashtag and make a video explaining the rules of your brand’s unmissable challenge. Make it fun or make it serious, but whatever you do, make it a challenge people will want to be a part of.
13. Make an announcement
Don’t just hide updates in the middle of your newsletter, keep your customers and clients in the loop with an announcement video. Prove that your socials are where people should be for all the good scoops.
14. Time-lapse something cool
This one is broad, but the potential is equally as limitless. Instead of posting an image of your latest witty sidewalk sign, film the chalk-to-board process and post it as a time-lapse video. Launching a new product? Time-lapse it in a cool way like this Taco Bell video. It’s more interesting than an image and is sure to stop the scroll.
Ideas for selling stuff
15. Flaunt your products with stop motion
Stop motion is a relatively easy effect to pull off, but the results make you look like the next Spielberg. Where you might typically just post an image, take the extra time to give your products the 15 minutes of fame they deserve.
16. Teach with a tutorial or how-to
Don’t just tell people how great your product is — show them. If you don’t have a product of your own to push, show your audience how to do something they’ll find interesting, helpful, or just fun to watch.
17. Show an influencer influencing with your product
Influencers come with a built-in relationship with their audience, making them the perfect customers to show-off on your socials. Reach out to relevant influencers in your area or keep an eye on your tagged photos and hashtags for bigger accounts who might already love what you do.
This post by Casper might just look like a regular snoozin’ dog, but that dog is more famous than you’ll ever be.
18. Launch a product or feature
Make a spectacle out of a new addition to your brand with a launch video. Nothing builds the hype like a killer soundtrack.
19. Sales and discounts
Sales! Discounts! Savings! Shout about all of them in a short video ad showcasing what’s on offer.
20. Put your expertise to good use
Share a fun fact or bit of informative know-how in a quick first person or animated video. Remind your audience that you know what you’re on about, and sell yourself as an authority in the process.
21. Get clever with hacks
Everyone loves a good hack. If there’s a creative way your brand or product can make life easier for your audience, show them! Even if it’s not directly related to what you’re selling, hack videos are great for engagement.
22. Showcase your work
Show off what you do! Post examples of work you’re proud of and show people what they can expect from your brand in the process.
Ideas for building rapport
23. Shout-out a good cause
If your business regularly supports a charity, or just wants to shout-out a good cause, feature a charity you love with a video about all the good they do. It gives some heart to your brand, and some good is bound to come from it!
24. Share user-generated content
Feature content from the people who know your brand best — the people who use it! Establish a hashtag for audiences to share their own images, then share some of your favorites on your account. Apple uses #ShotoniPhone to find user pictures like this one:
25. Customer testimonials
If you feel like you’re running out of ways to tell people why you’re the best, let your customers take the reins for a minute. Animate the text of a written review or use first-person video footage of a real customer’s testimonial to draw people in.
26. Instagram takeover
When things are feeling a little stale, consider an Instagram takeover. You might hand your credentials over to another industry professional, an influencer, or just another department of your brand with a new and interesting perspective.
27. Event recap
If you hold or attend in-person events, dedicate a post to a recap all about it. A video recap of what went on with images and footage of the soiree is a great way to make those who weren’t there feel involved (and maybe more likely to want to attend the next one!)
28. Promote self-care
Prove you’re more than just a brand by focusing on wellness and mental health every now and then. Remind your audience of the importance of self-care for everyone with a video of your best wellness tips.
Ideas for growing your brand
29. Go behind the scenes
Show off your well-oiled machine by lifting the curtain and inviting them to see behind the scenes. This looks different for everyone — maybe it’s a sneak peek of how your products are made or a look into the design process the client doesn’t usually get to see.
30. Highlight your employees
Let people see the smiling faces of the people behind your brand. Introduce or shout-out employees with a fun and snappy video that tells everyone a little bit about them and what they do. If you find these work well, consider making them a monthly feature.
31. Celebrate business anniversaries and milestones
Celebrate your successes with the people who made it all possible. Mark the special occasions with a celebratory video highlighting your achievement and thanking your audience for their support.
32. Hype up hiring opportunities
Depending on your type of business, Instagram might be a great place to get the word out about the chance to be a part of the team. Craft a video that shows what it’s like to work with you and summarize the role. Include a link to where people can submit their resumes to avoid the incoming DMs.
33. Shout-out your city
If you’re proud of your city, give it a shout-out. Community support is vital for smaller businesses, so show your community that you support them, too. Make a video of all the things that make your city great. Be sure to tag your location so your community can find you online. It’s a great way for the followers who don’t live near you to know a little more about who you are and where you’re from.
34. Recommend something
Found a podcast, book, small business, or another Instagram account you think your followers should know about? Tell them! Good recommendations can be hard to come by, so be sure to tell them why you love it. You just might become a trusted source of good things.
35. Tell your story
Share the journey that brought you to where you are now. Whether it’s your origin story or something notable that happened last week, use video and images to tell the story of who you are and what makes your brand unique.
36. Throw it back
Nothing says Instagram like a #TBT. Post a throwback to the baby days of your business or just a favorite memory you want to share. If it’s an image you’ve shared before, turn the throwback into a video to revamp it for its #TBT return.
Create Instagram posts for your business
There’s no one perfect post for every brand, so pick and choose which Instagram post ideas feel like they might work best for your business. Spice things up with video posts to stand out from the pack.
Create professional-quality videos in minutes with the Biteable video maker. Start with a ready-to-edit template or a blank canvas and craft the perfect video for every post.