It’s Monday morning, you are fresh off a weekend of margaritas, music and mayhem. Or if you are a mom like me, diapers and meal prep.
You think you are ready for the week, when WHAM BAM, you realize that you don’t have anything to post to your fresh new beauty/lifestyle Instagram.
Panic ensues as you search through your phone for just ONE good selfie. Just one. You throw your phone down and sigh heavily. Might as well just throw your influencer career in ye old trash bin at this point, right? WRONG!
Ladies and gents, I am here to tell you that hope is not lost! I have a few easy solutions of things to post when you feel like you don’t have any hot and fresh new content.
1) Quote Post
I’ll start with the obvious. A nice quote that captures your feeling for the day is always an easy thing to post on IG. Are they cliche? I’ll let you be the judge of that.
The reality is that a TON of people still create nice graphic quote posts that can keep your audience engaged. You can even throw in a funny quote for added comments. Quotes are a great way for your audience to relate to you beyond photos as well.
Savvy tip: Start a Pinterest board with your favorite quotes to store for a rainy day. Just remember to cite the author of the quote and/or IG account that it came from.
2) Selfie
When all else fails, post a selfie!! People love to see your face. Trust me. Especially if you are a makeup or beauty blogger, people want to see your face and know what is on it!
It seems simple, but people love that kind of stuff! The more personal and helpful that you seem to your audience, the more likely you will get connect and start to engage with your posts.
Savvy tip: Put your “everyday” face on and then detail to your audience what products you used and give a mini review of your favorites. Then hop on your stories and give them a behind the scenes look or tips on application.
3) #TBT or #FBF
I want to personally thank whoever created the #tbt. This tiny hashtag has enabled me to dig through the archives of my past and allow some simple pre-planned posts. I LIVE for a #tbt because it allows the lovely people of IG to take a day off from shooting the perfect #OOTD or “me looking cute while drinking coffee” shot.
It is easy to get caught up in the pressure of having to post a new look or style daily, but I rely heavily on a great #TBT to help bring variety and engagement to my feed. Plus, people love teen and baby photos!
Savvy tip: Make a folder of your favorite #TBT and #FBF photos. I think of this as my past “photo bank” when I feel like I don’t have any super recent or cute to post for the day. I usually reserve these posts for Thursday and Friday.
4) Before & After Post
Side by side photos are solid gold. People LOVE a good transformation photo and I have found that I always get more engagement on those type of posts. You can show a photo of your bare face next to your face beat to the gawdssss hunny. Or you could do an Instagram vs. Reality photo (as long you have a witty caption).
If you are into fitness, you already know the power of a dramatic weight-loss/fitness before and after post. I personally think that Instagram is all storytelling and if you are telling a story that connects with people, then you will get more likes and comments.
Savvy tip: Use the Layout app or PiCollage to for templates for easy side by side before & after photos. Also, create a few great before and afters to store for future “rainy day” posts, aka when you have nothing good to post at the moment.
5) Current favorites + Roundup posts
A Saturday with no real plans appears out of the blue. To binge Mad Men on Netflix, or to work on your blog? That is the question. Well, you can do both!
It only takes a few minutes to set up a cute flat-lay or snap a photo of your new favorite blush. Extra points for a post of your current seasonal products. The trick here is to know your audience and what kind of content they engage with most. You can find out the content that your audiences likes most by creating IG story polls or by asking questions to your audience in the captions of your posts.
If you are a lifestyle blogger who gets on matte lipstick selfies, it might be best to do a roundup of your top liquid lipsticks. If you are a fashion blogger that always gets an insane amount of DMs about her airport outfits, maybe try to create a comfy “airport friendly” fashion roundup of your favorite traveling outfits.
Savvy tip: Set a recurring calendar reminder for the first week of the month, so you can do a “monthly favorites” roundup post.
I hope this gave you inspiration for some fresh new IG content that won’t cost you hours of your precious time. The truth is that maintaining a beautiful and engaged Instagram can man a lot of hard work, frustration and learning moments. If you post QUALITY content that people genuinely engage with, you can easily learn the posts that resonate most and replicate them.
What is your favorite low effort post that always gets your audience talking on IG?
