How to Create an Instagram Content Plan

Want to know how to create an Instagram Content Plan? If so, you are in the right place! I’m going to show you step-by-step how to create your own Instagram Content Plan so you can ensure that you are consistently and strategically marketing your business on this social media platform.

This page includes affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I may earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.

1. Decide which aspects of Instagram you’ll create content for

Back in the days creating content for Instagram was easy. The only thing that existed was the feed and you could pour your energy and creativity in there. However, those days are long gone and now there are four options:

The Feed
IG Stories
IG Live
IGTV

The Feed
This is where most people start creating Instagram content. The feed consists of images or videos that are cropped into a square format when viewed on your profile. With each post you have the option of tagging people, adding a location, writing a caption and including up to 30 hashtags. These will stay on your profile forever unless you delete them.

IG Stories
These can be a graphic or video (max 15 seconds). They are displayed in a portrait form and take up the entire screen of the video. They last for 24 hours before being archived. (You have the option of saving archived stories to your highlights).

IG LIVE
This is where you do a live video. This can be a solo or duo video. People can watch live and then the recording will last for 24 hours.

IGTV
This is Instagram’s version of YouTube. Videos can be uploaded and will remain on your profile until you delete it.

As a business owner you’ll need to work out what aspects of Instagram you want to create content for. It isn’t compulsory to use all of the options and I would advise you do so in the beginning. Usually I would advise clients to start with The Feed and Instagram Stories. Then once you are consistent creating for those two aspects you can consider whether it is valuable for your business to also utilise IG Live or IGTV.

Remember what you decide now isn’t forever. You just need to be clear of what you’ll be using for the foreseeable.

2. Choose your publishing frequency for each aspect

In order to plan your Instagram content you need to know how much content you’ll need to create. To do this you’ll need to set your publishing frequency.

One of the most common questions I get asked is “How often should I be posting on Instagram?”. There really isn’t a definitive answer. Different marketing experts will respond a range of answers. Below I’m sharing my recommendations, but you should also keep an eye on how your audience is responding. Also after a while you can adjust your frequency and monitoring the results.

The Feed – Anywhere from every other day to 4 times a day. I would usually recommend once a day.

Instagram Stories – Stories only last for 24 hours and ideally you always want to have some Stories for people to watch. With that in mind as a minimum you should be creating 3 stories a day. Ideally you should aim for 8-12 a day and ensure the stories are taking people on a journey.

IG Live – These are live for 24 hours so you definitely don’t want to create more than one a day. If you want to use IG Live to build your community then I’d recommend you set up a regular weekly slot where you host a live. Otherwise, this is the one aspect of Instagram where I believe you can use it ad hoc.

IGTV – This should be treated in a similar manner to YouTube. Minimum of once a week. Create more frequently if you can maintain that schedule ongoing.

3. Select your Content Themes

By now you should have a good idea about how much content you need to create and what type of content, but what will it be about?

There is nothing worse than sitting down to create content and then having no idea what to create. To ensure this doesn’t happen to you it is vital to define your content themes.

Content themes will help make your content creation process easier and it will ensure that your content remains strategic.

To choose your content themes you should have a look at your business and see how you break what your business does into smaller sub-topics. For example, if you are a health coach your topics might be around: exercise, diet, supplements and sleep.

In addition to the content themes of your business, you might add in other themes that are designed to help people connect to you as an entrepreneur. For example you might have a theme that is to show the behind-the-scenes of your business or if you are passionate about something (like I am about reading) then you might include that.

You could also decide to choose a theme that takes advantage of a Instagram hashtag. For example, I always post a #MotivationalMonday post. I know this is a popular hashtag and if fits within my brand of being a cheerleader and motivating people to take action.

4. Create a content calendar

Once you know the elements of Instagram you’re going to create content for, you know how often you are posting and you you’re your themes it is time to create a content calendar.

In the beginning I would recommend you start by creating a calendar for the week. Then as the weeks go on you can start extending the content calendar to be for a fortnight and then a month.

Here is an example of what a blank weekly Instagram content plan would look like. Then day by day you can add in whether you’ll be posting and the theme.

Instagram Content Plan Template

Now to make your life easier in the beginning I’d recommend you have one theme per day. For example on Wednesdays I always post a new blog post. Therefore on Wednesday my Instagram post on the feed will be about the blog post and then I’ll also go Stories, which are again promoting the blog post.

5. Create the content

By now you should know exactly what you need to be creating for the next week, fortnight or month.

When it comes to content it can be divided into two categories: live content and prepared content. Live content such as IG Live has to be done in real-time, whereas prepared content can be created in advance.

I always advise my clients to create as much content in advance as possible. By creating your content in advance you can batch your content creation and use your time more productively. You can find out more about the advantages of batching your content by clicking here.

For live content you can still prepare in advance by making a note of the topic for your stories and if you are doing a live you could even make some bulletin points for what you want to cover.

6. Schedule content

For the content you create in advance (such as content for the Feed) you can use a scheduling tool to post this automatically. There are a number of scheduling tools but my favourite Instagram scheduling tool is Later.

One of the reasons I love Later is because you are able to preview your feed in advance. (You can find out the other reasons why I love using Later here). This means you can see how your posts will look alongside each other. This is especially important if you’ve decided to create a certain aesthetic for your feed. (How to create a cohesive Instagram feed).

Some people don’t like to have a scheduler that auto-posts content. Even so, I still would recommend using a scheduler like Later so everything is prepared and then you can get a reminder to tell you to manually post at the set time.

7. Add live content into your diary, calendar or planner

Unfortunately, not everything can be scheduled. Most people aren’t looking at their Instagram content plan daily so make sure if you have decided to do an IG Live on Friday that you add that to your diary so on Friday you don’t forget.

There you have. Now you know how to create an Instagram content plan.

I know that creating a plan might be daunting, but it is hardest in the beginning and after a while it will become second nature.

BOOK AN INSTAGRAM POWER HOUR

If you know you need an Instagram content plan but it feels too much for you to set up by yourself book a Power Hour. I will help you to understand the best aspects of Instagram to use for your business, as well as define your posting schedule and themes. I’ll also give you access to my personal templates.

In just one hour, you’ll leave with a content plan that you can follow month after month and consistently show up for your audience and grow your business.