60. Instagram Stories, Reels, Profile, News Feed…… what is each section for?
How to make the most benefit of each section of Instagram account
Sometimes it feels overwhelming to keep up with all the different changes and tools that Instagram has to offer, right?
Like one day it’s just photos, then videos, then reels and guides and IGTV or now all video together, but not reels and stories and a shop and what not… should I keep going?
Do you feel like sometimes, you are not sure why you should be using them all? Or what is the best way to use them? Ok, then keep reading, because I put together a nice summary of what each section is for and how to make the best out of it.
The first thing we need to understand is that actually each section of the Instagram account has its own function. The sections I am talking about are the ones that are public and the ones you can use to present your Brand or Personal Brand to the viewers.
THE PROFILE
After someone finds you on Instagram and sees an interesting post, they will most likely check your profile to see what it is that you do and decide on whether it is interesting for them to follow you.
You can only write XXX characters, don’t waste those valuable characters.
Say who you are, what you do, who you help, and include a call-to-action. You can include an offer that potential customers could be interested in.
STRATEGY - attracting visitors into followers: clearly communicate what you do, who you help and give them something interesting to connect with you.
THE FEED
The Feed is to showcase your work, your portfolio, this is where your permanent content lives. When potential followers find you, they will most likely check your feed and see if it is worth following.
Instagram is a visual based platform. Make sure your feed is professional looking and reflects your brand, but don’t overthink it, it doesn’t have to be “perfect”, especially not if this is stopping you from posting.
STRATEGY - attracting visitors into followers: provide value, show your work, this is a sample of the type of work people can expect when working with you.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
You can use the Highlights (the circles under the profile), if you don’t see any, it’s because you haven’t created any yet. There you can present an overview of your areas of competence, your products and services, similar to the way you would use the pages of your website.
They are created through your stories. You create a story and then mark that story as a highlight. You can then add it to a Highlight topic or create a new one.
STRATEGY - overview of products and services: use this section as an extension of your website
THE STORIES
Stories are there to promote connection, behind-the-scenes, bonding, trust with your followers. Here is where you can share your thoughts, things that are off-topic, maybe they don’t directly belong to your business topic or competence, but they are part of who you are, beliefs and ideas, everyday stuff and behind the scenes from your work.
STRATEGY - share what makes you human and relatable.
REELS
Reels are to get discovered by new followers. As Instagram gives more focus to video, this is one thing you can’t get around. Reels are like the invitation to look in. When people start finding your reels consistently and like the content, can relate to it, find it useful, valuable or entertaining, they will adventure looking into your account and following you.
There are many very entertaining reels out there. In my case, many with dogs. You know, for other people it’s funny cat videos, I’m a dog person, so I love funny dog videos… but what I would rarely do, is go and check out a profile that posted a dog video… unless it is something about training a dog for example.
Why? I like those just for the entertaining factor. Now, there are others that I follow, because I consistently see their content, I like it and it makes me want to check out their accounts and even follow them, like recipe ones for example.
STRATEGY - share consistently, but also related to your market.
GUIDES
Guides are ideal to create collections of similar types of posts or those that have similar topics. It is a great organization tool. For example, you can create collections based on the type of post, like your blog posts, or your carousels. You can also do it by topics, for example, if you are a nutritionist and fitness trainer, you could do all your recipes in one guide and another one for workouts. They can be found in the menu above the FEED, the one that looks like a little open book.
STRATEGY - use them to refer your fans to valuable content of a certain topic. You can get the link and share it in other communication channels like your email list.
VIDEO
It used to be that there were different sections for video. There used to be a section for videos under 60 seconds, which could live on the feed. Longer video was stored under the IGTV icon. Now all videos, with exception of REELS which have their own feed, are stored under VIDEO (an icon like the play button)
As Instagram’s Mosseri shares that Instagram will continue to give more importance to video, this section becomes also more relevant. People are consuming video more than ever.
STRATEGY - use video for those areas of your business in which you want to connect or share value.
There you go, that was a quick overview and the strategy associated with each section of the Instagram account.
Just remember that REELS are now the way to be discovered.
If you are working on being discovered, but haven’t gotten around doing reels:
Hi! I’m Blanca!
I’m a Brand Photographer and Personal Branding Coach, helping female entrepreneurs to create a Personal Brand online that STANDS OUT.
I bring your vision to life, help you come up with one and take you by the hand into the online World if you need me to.