Instagram is one of the largest social media platforms in the world, with over 1 billion monthly active users. It offers a great opportunity for businesses to reach new audiences, engage with customers, and drive sales.However, creating a successful Instagram strategy can be challenging, and many businesses struggle to achieve significant results.In this cheat sheet, we'll outline some key steps to help you create a winning Instagram strategy for your business.



Create valuable content (really important)

‍The first step in creating an effective Instagram strategy is to develop a narrative that resonates with your target audience. Here's a simple framework to help you reach customer-content fit:Decide what your narrative is.Create 3-5 content buckets that support the broader narrative.Refuse to post anything that does not fall into one of those buckets.Consistently post that content.Post more of what resonates, less of what doesn’t.



Research Your Space

‍To maximize the impact of your Instagram strategy, you need to stay on top of the latest trends and best practices in your industry. Here are some tips to help you research your space:Learn what types of content drive the most organic engagement and reach.Discover adjacent brands that can help you access new audiences to accelerate growth.Use brands you know to discover adjacent brands you don’t know.Study their content and bookmark them for partnership opportunities.Search for relevant hashtags to learn what top-performing content looks like.



Verify User Engagement

‍Fake followers can be a significant problem on Instagram, and they can harm your brand's reputation and credibility.



Understand the Algorithm

‍Instagram's algorithm plays a critical role in determining which posts are shown to users. To maximize the reach of your content, you need to understand how the algorithm works. Here are the three main ranking signals:Interest — Instagram uses past behavior to "predict" which content you'll enjoy seeing and engaging with in the future.Recency — Recent posts are prioritized above older posts.Relationship — Instagram prioritizes content from accounts you interact with frequently.Instagram rewards accounts that post consistently high-quality content that drives authentic engagement.



Optimal Posting Strategy

‍To get the most out of Instagram, you need to develop a posting strategy that maximizes engagement and reach. Here are some key strategies:



Increase reach and get followers:

Get others to share your content with their audiencesGet discovered on hashtag pages and the Explore feedSeek out organic partnerships and collaborations



Optimize your profile for SEO and follows:

Use a username that includes your company name for SEO.Include relevant industry keywords in the name field for searchability.Add a CTA that brings followers into your sales funnel or sends them to a product page (could be a link or DM invitation).Showcase your best stories, results, valuable tips, and PR in your Highlights.For evergreen content that accurately portrays your brand and specific value you provide, create a cohesive grid and aesthetic.



Interact with brands and personal accounts:

Make sure to like and reply to comments on your brand page.Keep tabs on adjacent brands.Engage with Stories and Reels.Like and comment on their followers’ posts.



Seek out organic partnerships:

Brand-by-brand partnerships are one of the only ways to increase organic reach without any monetary spend.The goal is to absorb followers from large accounts with similar interests, and ensure that their audience is engaged with your content.