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Want to know why some Instagram accounts are sooo much more aesthetically pleasing than others? It’s because they’re carefully curated! There’s thought and care put into each and every post and the feed as a whole.
Think about a bookshelf where everything is simply organized by author or genre…. versus a bookshelf that’s also been organized by color like the one below. One is definitely more satisfying to look at, right?
When someone visits your Instagram page, we want your feed to really capture their attention. That’s where a curated and cohesive Instagram feed comes into play. Because here’s the thing…. a busy and incohesive feed will deter potential followers (and customers!), but an aesthetic and branded feed will help attract them directly to you.
Creating a cohesive Instagram feed that you love doesn’t have to be super difficult. And today, we’re showing you exactly how you can do it with these 13 sneaky secrets.
So, let’s get started!
1. Keep your editing style consistent
Using a similar editing style for all of your photos will help you to easily maintain a cohesive Instagram feed—especially if your photos contain different lighting, colors, or subjects.
If you’re not comfortable with editing your photos, or simply don’t have the time to fuss over them in photoshop, applying the same preset will be a great option for you! A preset is simply a photo filter. And the best part is that they do all the hard work and editing for you. Win, win!
2. Optimize your image quality
ALL of the images you post to Instagram should be as high quality as possible. No one likes a blurry photo. Luckily, high-quality images can be taken straight from your smartphone these days.
But there’s almost always room for improvement. So, here’s a quick tip to optimize your image quality after you’ve edited them or applied your preset, of course. ;)
Every social media platform has an ideal image size that allows your image to be viewed at its very best. Instagram’s best size is obviously a square. But more specifically, it’s 1080px by 1080px. When you save your image in this specific size and ratio, you’ll prevent your image from getting too pixelated or blurry when you post it to your profile and when it shows up in your audience’s feeds.
3. Make use of white space
White space is an important element in the composition of a single photo…. but it can also be important to your feed overall!
Having white space surrounding the subjects of each photo can help prevent the eye from feeling overwhelmed by having too much to look at. Try breaking up your feed every few photos with one with more white space.
4. Put your brand colors in photos (not just graphics!)
Yes, you should try to stick to your brand’s family of colors when designing any graphics you plan on posting to Instagram. But you should also incorporate those colors into your actual photos, too!
This could be the outfits you wear, the props you use, the background…. there are so many ways you can get them in there! But make sure you’re being mindful of what colors you’re leaving out as well. If your brand colors are very muted and beige, it wouldn’t make sense for you to be wearing a neon pink top or posing in front of a bright red background, now would it?
When you stick to your brand’s color palette, you’ll not only create a cohesive Instagram feed but your posts will also be more recognizable to your audience when they see them individually in their own feeds.
5. Utilize branded graphic templates
Having plug-and-play templates at the ready for things like special events, announcements, and more will allow you to keep your entire Instagram feed completely cohesive and branded.
There are a few options for this, you can either:
purchase your templates pre-made (that allow you to plug in your brand fonts and colors),
hire someone to design and personalize them for you,
or make them yourself.
If you’re going the DIY route for your branded graphic templates, we highly recommend using Canva.
6. Always choose a cover photo for your videos
This is a super quick tip and also super quick for you to implement!
When posting videos or reels, always take a moment to select the cover image that will appear in your grid as a post. Otherwise, Instagram will choose a very unflattering candid image of you from that video (ask us how we know, lol).
7. Repost, repost, repost!
We officially give you permission that not every single piece of content that goes in your feed needs to be original. If you’re running low on new photos or need to throw something up quick that you know will look good with the rest of your feed, it’s 100% okay to post the same photo that you posted a few weeks ago. (We promise you, most people won’t remember or they won’t have even seen it the first time.)
Another option is to post someone else’s photo. Because if you find a photo that you love, it’s totally okay to repost it in your own feed…. as long as you 1. give the original creator credit within your caption and 2. contact them before reposting to tell them how much you love their work and get explicit permission to repost it with credit.
8. Get the most out of your photoshoots
If you’re a solopreneur or a very small business, you’ll want to regularly be posting photos of yourself or your team in your feed so your audience can get to better know, like, and trust you.
But we know it can be freaking exhausting coming up with new photos to post in your feed. That’s where a photoshoot comes in! You can hire a professional photographer, have a friend take your pics, or do it all on your own with a self-timer.
Whatever the case is, our 8th sneaky secret for a cohesive Instagram feed is to get THE MOST out of it! Get shots of yourself in allllll the poses—sitting, standing, looking left, looking right, with props, without props, and more.
As you can see, one outfit can go a looooong way. So just imagine how much content you can get out of one photoshoot with an outfit change or two!
9. Use your photo (not your logo!) as your profile pic
And yes, this tip is coming to you straight from a business that literally designs logos! But again, if you’re a solopreneur or a small business, you’ll want to have your photo NOT your logo as your Instagram profile picture.
The reality is people want to connect with people first, and your business second. We know it can feel weird to have your face everywhere but this is how your audience will connect with you, and trust you, and then, of course, buy from you.
10. Brand your stories & highlights covers
While your Instagram stories aren’t technically part of your feed, you should still keep them in mind if you want to create an overall cohesive Instagram feed. So, take the time to include your brand colors in your stories. (And don’t forget about your highlight covers! Those should coordinate with your feed, too.)
11. Choose a layout for your grid
One of the biggest factors that go into a cohesive Instagram feed is curation. And that’s where choosing a layout for your grid comes in.
There are soooo many grid layouts to choose from, but by far the easiest to keep up with—and the one you’re most likely to recognize—is the checkerboard grid. This is where you alternate between two different types of posts, like graphics and images. You could also alternate between 2 different kinds of images or 2 different kinds of graphics. Whatever works the best for you!
The key takeaway here is that you are thinking beyond each individual post to what your feed looks like as a whole. Because here’s the thing…. the page where people can click that link in your bio and actually buy from you is on the same page where they can see all your posts in one glance. Just saying.
12. Create content pillars
A cohesive Instagram feed is a consistent Instagram feed. And one of the easiest ways to stay consistent? Use social media content pillars! They’re AMAZING for streamlining your process so that you never have to run out of ideas for content ever again.
Want to know more? Click here to learn all about social media content pillars.
13. Preview your feed
And last but not least, our secret weapon: Planoly.
If you want a cohesive Instagram feed, you’ve got to be able to see your feed before your posts go live. Planoly is amazing for this with its drag-and-drop features. Plus, you can schedule out your Instagram content directly from there, too.
Hey there, friend! Did we catch you skimming to the end? Here’s a quick recap of all the sneaky secrets for a cohesive Instagram feed that we just went over!
Keep your editing style consistent
Optimize your image quality
Make use of white space
Put your brand colors in photos (not just graphics!)
Utilize branded graphic templates
Always choose a cover photo for your videos
Repost, repost, repost!
Get the most out of your photoshoots
Use your photo (not your logo!) as your profile pic
Brand your stories & highlights covers
Choose a layout for your grid
Create content pillars
Preview your feed
And if you need a little more help creating your cohesive Instagram feed…. we gotchu covered with our Instagram branding packages, social media strategy sessions, product photography, and more!
Click here to apply to work with us now because you deserve an aesthetic and branded Instagram feed that literally attracts your exact dreamboat clients to you.