How to organize your content: From having a strategy to planning your posts

Creating content for your Instagram is not always easy. What should you post? What should you talk about? Are there enough topics for you to discuss? We know how overwhelming it can be, which is why today we want to show you how to easily organize your IG content with a content strategy.

Your ultimate goal is to not only have a lot of followers, but more importantly to have followers that engage with your content. In order for your Instagram game to be successful, there is one special ingredient that will help you achieve that: consistency. Now this is where it gets difficult. If you leave everything until the last minute, and just post whatever you find in your camera roll you won’t get very far. Instead, you should think about your content in advance, have a strategy and then organize your posts accordingly.

Why have a content strategy?

A content strategy for Instagram can make all the difference when it comes to your success. Having an Instagram content strategy will keep you on track, accountable, and will make sure that you’ve outlined the goals that you’re hoping to achieve.

When you post occasionally, your followers will become less interested in your posts and over time, forget about your account altogether. On the other hand, posting nonstop can have the opposite effect. Figuring out what works best to keep your audience interested and engaged, but not overwhelmed, is key.

This is where an Instagram content strategy comes into play. Creating such a strategy will make sure that your posts are as successful as possible. Having a clear idea of your content can help you feel more in control and prepared for your time on the platform.

How do I create an Instagram content strategy?

Believe it or not, it’s actually easier than you may think. It’s important to note that you can plan as far in advance on your calendar as you’d like. Some people like to plan the entire month, others want to plan their Instagram content each week. There’s no right or wrong way, it’s whatever works best for you.

Before creating the content itself, you need to think about your end goal:

• What is it that you want to achieve with your content?
• What will be the overall purpose of your account?
• How often do you want to post a day/week?
• Is your account going to follow a theme?

Depending on what it is that you want to achieve you’ll also have to think about the formats that will work best for you.

Of course it would be ideal to have a mix of all types of content; switching between normal posts, carousel posts, Reels and so on. However, depending on your goal, there may be one or two formats that you should prioritize, so you need to understand what type of content will bring what:

• Normal picture posts & carousel posts: good to improve your reach, provide value related to your niche and can help tell your personal story. They can also help with your sales if you have a business
• Reels: great way to reach new people, show your personality, improve engagement and drive more sales
• IG Videos: beneficial to teach your followers about a topic in your niche, to build authority and reinforce your engaged audience
• Stories: great feature to build trust and a deeper connection with your audience, you can show your personality, improve your engagement and promote products to increase sales

If you want to focus more on growing, create more Reels. If you want to sell something, make sure to build a deep connection with your audience through stories and carousel posts. Once you have all of that figured out, it’s time to create your strategy.

Create a content strategy with these 5 easy steps

Decide on the amount of posts you want to create

The first step is to decide how many days a week you want to post as this will determine how many posts you need - there are no right or wrong answers, but remember consistency is key. Your followers want to be able to know when they can expect a new post from you. If you stay consistent and reliable with your posts then it'll be easier for you to convert your followers into "fans".  

Brainstorm topic ideas

We suggest selecting a specific day of the week or month to do a brainstorming session, where you throw around some ideas for each week. Start with a topic and then go into different subtopics. For Club Life Design, we create content pillars - the main themes that we’ll be talking about. We try to dedicate each week to another topic, for example “growth”. Then we go in and divide our big topic into smaller subtopics, so for example “how the algorithm works” or “what you might be doing wrong”.

Choose the type of content that works best to convey your message

The next step will be to decide what format you are going to use for each idea. When should you use Reels and when is it better to post a picture? After that grab a calendar (digital or physical) and write down on which day you are going to post, as well as the idea you had in mind.

Create your content

Once you’ve made it to step 4 and your content plan is all set, it’s time to create some content! We always try to batch create ours; on one or two days, we try to shoot as much as we can so that we have everything for the rest of the week / month. It’s a great way to guarantee that we are not going to be left without content. If you want to learn more about planning your photoshoots, you can find our top tips here.

Plan your feed to make it look aesthetic

The last step will be to plan your feed. You can use scheduling apps like Planoly, Unum, Loomly or Later to help you visualize how your feed will look. You'll be able to upload post options and move them around until you like how it looks. This is especially great if you have a specific color theme going on and you want to know if your new posts match the current once. And you can even prewrite your captions, so that you are all set for upcoming posts! You'll be able to save a lot of time by preparing everything in advance and you won't have to stress out about anything anymore. 

And that’s it! The first time that you create a content strategy and calendar, it might take you a bit of time, but with practice it will become easier!

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