How to create a better-looking Instagram feed
Does your Instagram page need some TLC?
Presenting your content well on Instagram is extremely important since it gives your audience a glimpse into your brand and your fitness business!
People can make quick judgements in seconds about you and your professionalism just by taking a few seconds to look at your bio and the first few posts on your feed. Therefore it’s important that you visually captivate your audience with a professional-looking and inviting Instagram page.
why is it important?😳
This is very important for new potential followers because when a new follower lands on your profile, you have just around 5 seconds to appeal to them before they decide to follow you or leave your page.
So if the combination of your profile picture, your bio, and the first 9 posts on your page doesn’t appeal to them and make them want to follow you, you’re most likely to lose them.
With this in mind, here are my biggest tips to fine-tune your Instagram page and make it look captivating and professional👌🏻
1. NAIL YOUR BRAND BIO
Make sure your Instagram ‘Brand Bio’ speaks to your ideal audience. Since you’re limited with how many characters you can use - be as concise and descriptive as possible, and tell your audience EXACTLY what you do. Consider the points below:
👉🏻 Don’t assume people will know and understand what your brand is all about. You have to tell people exactly what you do and how you can help them. When someone looks at your Instagram page for the first time - they need to instantly understand who you help and why they should follow you, so make sure this is very obvious,
👉🏻 Use a descriptive adjective to describe your business (e.g. busy, stressed, overworked) - these will help to resonate with your audience.
👉🏻 Try to write at least one word that describes how your product or service is different and unique. This can help you stand out in a sea of other coaches.
👉🏻 Explain what the customer will get or accomplish with your product or service - will the results you help them to achieve be life-changing?
👉🏻 Explain exactly how your product or service will change your customer’s life. (For example, will they be able to live a worry-free life? Or will they be able to enjoy life more, and spend more time playing with their kids?) Remember to always remind your audience of the outcomes of working with you.
2. choose a good Profile picture
Your profile picture needs to show your audience who you are & what your brand is all about. They need to be able to remember you! It’s best to choose an image where you are visible and not too far away. There are several ways to make your profile stand out:
👉🏻 Cutting yourself out and placing your image on a colour background is one option. This can be a pattern or a graphic background.
👉🏻 You can also include a colour outline around your image (a colour circle outline).
👉🏻 Include a shadow behind you to make your image stand out and "pop".
👉🏻 Refrain from using a logo as your profile picture. Your audience will remember and recognise you better if they see you as a person.
3. sort Your IG story highlights
Use your Instagram ‘story highlights’ to inform and educate your followers about the story behind your brand, what you do, and the results you help people achieve. This is a great way to ease your new followers into your business!
If you are struggling for room inside your Bio, you can use Instagram Story highlights to add more details about you and your business and your services, as well as your lead magnet, client reviews, etc. Remember to add covers to your highlights for clear and easy navigation.
4. post Content Consistently
Your content needs to look consistent. This is most important for the first 9 posts on your Instagram page because these are the ones that your audience will be judging you most on. Here are my top tips for content consistency:
👉🏻 Make sure you're using consistent fonts and font sizes - this appeals to any graphics you post.
👉🏻 Use your brand colour(s) consistently - this should be clear to see from looking at your Instagram page.
👉🏻 Make sure the covers (front slides) of your posts are eye-catching - they need to grab your audience’s attention. Your posts need to be able to stop your audience from scrolling and make them want to consume & engage in your post. A ‘punchy’ heading together with an eye-catching image helps with this - just look at my @marsha_coles page to see how I use this.
👉🏻 Use good looking and professional photos to enhance your content. You can use images of you and effective stock imagery that your audience will find relatable. If you’re taking photos on your phone - make sure the quality is good.
👉🏻 Remember to pick good video and reel thumbnails - or upload custom graphics to serve as your cover.
5. create Engaging content
You need to ensure you are posting not only good-looking but engaging content too. This is the type of content your audience will want to dig into and read, save and come back to later. It's also the type of content your audience will want to share with friends and family.
To create the most engaging content you need to share as much value as you possibly can inside your posts and captions, and learn to expect nothing in return.
6. INCLUDE a variety of Content types
Your audience wants to see a variety of content from you. Include a variety of content throughout your page. Rotate a combination of Photos, Videos, Reels, Graphics and Carousels (which should include Client Results and Testimonials).
Keep a close eye on your Instagram insights to study your best performing posts. You should monitor your metrics and adjust your content strategy based on your findings. You may find that your audience starts engaging with something that you didn't expect to - if so, implement more of this content into your week.