Instagram Guide for Beginners: Free Complete Guide 2024

In this article, discover our 2020 Instagram guide for Beginners.
If you are new to Instagram, or if you are starting to use it for your company, this 2020 guide "Instagram guide for Beginners" is here to help you!

A good communication strategy for Instagram will enrich your overall content strategy to generate real leads.

Instagram has been in many people's lives since 2010, but especially in the last two years when new features have been added. If you are brand new, it will take a while before you can really master the tools of this social network. Wiki.

This 2020 Instagram Guide for Beginners will answer the basic questions you may have: How do I post on Instagram? What are Instagram stories? Do I need to use IGTV?

But also to the more specific questions: How do I attract real potential customers? How do I convert them into customers?

Instagram for Beginners: The 2020 Guide

The anatomy of an Instagram profile

On your Instagram profile page, users will see your profile picture, story, headline stories, a profile description, videos posted on IGTV, your photos, and photos where others have tagged you.

For the first part of this Instagram guide for Beginners, find out how to update this information:

Optimal size of your Instagram profile photo

Upload a minimum image size of 110 x 110 pixels for your profile picture. If you want your photo to be sharp, the ideal size is 180 x 180 pixels.

Each time you want to update the photo, click "Edit Profile" on your profile page. You will be able to edit your profile photo, your name, your username, your profile description which includes a biography and link, business information, and private information.

Updating your profile description

When you click on "Edit Profile", a page appears where you can update your biography. The character limit is 150 and you can include a mix of words, hashtags, or emoticons.

In this biography, think about the keywords people will look for when searching for products or services you have.

If you add emoticons, it will add a fun element to your brand.

On your Instagram profile, you are allowed to add a link. This could be a link to a blog post, video or your website, or a link to your online store.

If you want to enhance your biography with multiple links, there are services like Linktree where you can create a biography link composed of multiple links.

You can also create a simple home page on your website with link buttons to several pages that you want to share with a visitor to your profile.

Instagram for Beginners: what you can include in your business information

This section has three parts, namely the page, the category, and the contact options.

Page

If you have an existing Facebook page, you can connect your Instagram account to this page. This will help you create Instagram advertising campaigns through your Facebook advertising account.

In addition, when you create Instagram stories, you can also share them automatically on Facebook.

Category

The category refers to your company's sector of activity. When you select the correct category, it is easier for Instagram to place your content in the correct group on the "Browse" page.

Contact Options

What you select in this section will determine how a prospect will contact you when they find you on Instagram. You can add either your e-mail address, phone number, or both. If you have a physical store, you can also enter your address.

You also have the option to add an action button that allows you to link your Instagram profile to other online services.

For example, you can log in and sync with your Eventbrite account if you sell tickets for an event.

How to use Instagram photo filters?

On Instagram, photo quality can make all the difference between a successful post and a post that users ignore. A good photo makes it possible to obtain more subscribers and to engage Internet users, thus generating leads through the application. Which is the goal of a social media marketing strategy.

It is therefore crucial to embellish the photos to make them more attractive. How do users publish more beautiful than life visuals that make you want to jump across the screen to discover a landscape or eat a dish? Answer: They use Instagram photo filters extensively.

Using photo filters on Instagram: the Instagram for Beginners guide

Instagram is primarily a visual application. It offers many features allowing you to edit photos before publishing them and thus embellish them to make them more attractive or to convey a specific message. Filters are one of them. Read this article for a complete Guide on Instagram Filters.

Take a quality photo

It is the base of everything. Instagram's optimization options may be effective, but they cannot work miracles: a poor photo can never turn into a pictorial masterpiece. A good Instagram post therefore always starts with a quality photo.

For that, you don't have to be a professional or invest in an expensive smartphone. What is needed is a good subject, time, and a few tips to keep in mind: use natural light, take a cue, manage depth of field, try different angles, look for an effect of symmetry. The Internet is full of tutorials on the subject.

It is only in a second step that the use of an Instagram photo filter is essential.

Access filters

Photo filters on Instagram are accessible once the photo to edit has been chosen. You must then launch the application and click on the camera icon at the bottom of the screen. The user can select an existing image or take a photo directly from Instagram (or, if applicable, choose or make a video).

By choosing the first option, the application accesses the phone's photo gallery. This displays by default all the images available on the device, but it is possible to indicate a specific folder from which it will draw. At the same time, different options are displayed on the screen:

• change the format.
• create a carousel.
• combine several images into one.

Choose an Instagram photo filter

Instagram offers around forty filters, including those which are "hidden" (accessible by clicking on Manage at the far right of the scroll bar). All are identified by names: Clarendon, Gingham, Moon, Perpetua, Valencia, Nashville, or Brooklyn, for example.

Each photo filter on Instagram has its own unique personality. It not only changes the appearance of an image, but also the effect it has on the user looking at it. Some of the most interesting examples:

Rise gives a washed-out appearance, with a color balance that tends towards red as well as a strong desaturation. The center of the photo is also slightly overexposed.

Valencia gives the image a romantic side through a global desaturation of colors and a rendering that draws towards red and yellow.
Nashville produces a very marked aged effect, with outlines reminiscent of film. A recent photo thus gives the impression of having been taken in the 1970s.

X-Pro II darkens outlines while accentuating blue and green tones, for a vintage effect. It is the ideal filter for landscapes and overviews. It is also one of the oldest in the application.
Hudson greatly increases the contrast by clarifying the central point of the image, which makes it possible to emphasize an object.

Finding the right Instagram photo filter means trying them out one by one, noting which ones produce the desired effects, then coming back to the most popular ones to make a shortlist until there is only one left. . The user can then change the order in which the filters appear, or even hide the ones they never use, by going to Manage.

Select a filter based on the marketing objective

Every photo filter on Instagram has its uses and can be adopted from a marketing perspective. For example, for Instagram B2B use, choosing a black and white filter like Moon will allow you to tell a story by focusing on the aesthetic aspect of the images.

The choice of the filter is also a way of differentiating the communication of the company. A Canva study has shown that the most widely used Instagram photo filter in the world is Clarendon; it comes first in 119 countries.

The fact that it is ideal for “selfies” undoubtedly explains its success. Given this information, a business will have every interest in standing out by using more original filters.

However, the use of a filter is not compulsory. Instagram gives the possibility of leaving the image natural (“Normal”). It is also a communication process in itself, as evidenced by the presence of the #nofilter in the list of the most popular hashtags.

Adjust different aspects of the image

For each photo filter on Instagram, the application gives the possibility to adjust the brightness. All you have to do is click on the sun-shaped button at the top center of the screen. A slider allows you to modify the brightness by sliding your finger to the left or to the right. Once the right light has been chosen, click on Done.

Other image adjustment options can be accessed via the Edit button at the bottom right of the screen. The user can correct contrast, warmth, saturation, colors, sharpness, and many other elements. For each of them, a side slider allows you to choose the right fit. It is then possible to validate ( Done ) or go back without modifying anything ( Cancel ).

All that remains is to publish the photo by clicking Next, without forgetting to add hashtags.

11 tips to have a beautiful Instagram feed

If you don't know how to make a good instagram feed.

It's time we helped you have a great Instagram feed with some tips. In this article you will find tips for your Instagram feed photos, examples of Instagram feeds and recommendations for different applications on how to make a good Instagram feed. So let's get started!

First of all, know that this article gives you some keys to having a beautiful Instagram feed, but if you really want to break into Instagram, many other tips are given in our personalized Instagram training, do not hesitate to contact us.

Here are the steps to improve your Instagram feed:

• Choose a grid for your Instagram feed
• Define the theme of your IG feed
• Choose what you want to post
• Choose ONE filter and use it
• Organize your Instagram feed photos
• Coordinate colors
• Always check the background of your photos
• Always use the same border
• Natural light is your best friend
• High-quality photos always win
• Have fun

Choose a grid for your Instagram feed

What is an Instagram grid?

A grid is a way your photos are positioned on your Instagram feed. It helps you know which photo to put next to another photo. A layout makes it easy to start (and maintain) a cohesive Instagram theme, which is why it's so important to define it before you start.

Define the theme of your feed IG

Call it "vibe", "mood", "soul". An Instagram theme is the way your Instagram feed looks overall. It's your visual personality.

So what do you want your IG feed theme to be? Grunge, whimsical, bohemian, tropical, colorful, minimal, or white? It is up to you to choose.

Choose what you want to post

A theme is not just about the color in your photos. It's also about what you post and what you talk about.

But if you are a blogger or a business owner , I highly recommend that you think about what you are most passionate about and what you want your Instagram to be known for . You have no ideas of what to post? Here are some ideas for posting to Instagram .

Check out your favorite Instagrammers right now. Most of them usually talk about the same topics all the time. They talk about what they are passionate about and that's why you follow them. These topics make people want to come back for more.

So what are you passionate about? Pick a few things that you absolutely love (between 1 and 5 things). And then post about these things all the time. It's your content, your story, your theme. Don't be afraid to let your personality shine.

Choose ONE filter and use it

A theme is nothing without a defined filter. Using the same filter on your photos all the time is the easiest way to launch a theme.

Where can I find Instagram filters to create a feed? There are many different filter collections in different apps such as VSCO, Snapseed, and others. If you have trouble choosing the right filter that will make the difference, we can advise you.

A consistent Instagram feed with always the same filter will be much more pleasant to follow and to visit.

Organize your Instagram feed photos

At this point you have a layout in mind, you know what you want your overall theme to look like, you know what you want to post on, and you have a filter.
Your Instagram feed is starting to look really good!

Now you have to give it some style.

Why do some Instagram accounts look so good?
Because they know which photos are beautiful next to each other.

The trick to this is to rearrange the order of your posts so that your overall feed is smooth.

It can be hard to guess which photos you need to post to get the flow smooth, but the UNUM app can help. You can also find a lot of other apps dedicated to organizing your posts and scheduling it. How to schedule an Instagram post?

You can use them to rearrange the order of your future posts, and see what your Instagram feed will look like before posting to Instagram. Just upload your photos / videos / albums to the app, and drag & drop to move them. If a photo doesn't match, just delete it from your preview feed.

Ok, but which photo should I put next to the other?
Take your time moving your photos around until you're happy with the overall look of your feed. Depending on the grid you use, it will be easy to know what to post and when. For example, if you're doing a tile layout, you know you'll have to alternate between a quote and a photo. It's easy.

If you don't use a specific grid, your goal is to balance your feed. To balance the look of your Instagram feed, space your photos according to colors, or even subject or background.

In general, people avoid putting too similar photos next to each other. They space them out. By spacing out photos that are too similar, they create a contrast between each post. It gives a sense of balance to your overall flow.

Coordinate the colors

A higher level. Coordinate the colors of your photos.

To coordinate colors:

Pick 2-3 colors that you know you will always use in your photos.
Then space your photos in your grid to balance your theme.

Always check the background of your photos

This simple trick will transform your Instagram feed: Pay attention to the background of your photos and quotes. Keep it clean.

Don't let the background distract from your main subject, unless the background is part of your strategy to grab people's attention , like a cool video wall or the Eiffel Tower .

If you look at the two previously given examples, you will find that their backgrounds are neutral and do not bring any particular distractions or unnecessary elements to the photo.

Always use the same border

This tip is for you if you want to add a border to your Instagram photos. For this, you can for example use the following Instagram feed applications: Instasize, Pic Stitch, and Photo Collage.

The borders are awesome. They give space and make your photos breathe. They allow you to have a beautiful Instagram feed . They are great if you take photos of a lot of different things with different colors. And very useful for making your feed look cohesive , very quickly.

There are a bunch of different borders that you can use in different apps to feed Instagram data lately. It's great, but sometimes you can get too excited and you might end up using a bunch of different borders on your photos. Which isn't necessarily a good thing… Sure, it can work and look awesome. But sometimes it doesn't work. Your Instagram feed can end up looking messy and no one likes it.

Fortunately, there is a simple solution if this is the case: use the same border on all of your photos. This will make your feed look polished and professional instantly.

Natural light is your best friend

How many times have you heard this tip? If you don't use natural light when taking pictures, you are missing out.
Why? Because you will have better quality and more detailed photos. Photos taken with natural light will also look better when you apply filters.

The best natural light for taking pictures is:

The morning
At the end of the afternoon
Take the photos near your window.

High quality photos always win

Sounds silly to include this tip. But it will make a difference in the number of likes you get. A blurry photo won't impact your community as much as a high-quality photo that's crisp and inviting. It makes us want to DOUBLE TAP and check out the rest of your Instagram feed.

When you share a photo , make sure it's a good quality photo:

Avoid the front camera (lower quality)
Use your rear camera (top quality)
And remember to edit your photo

Have fun

It's Instagram's secret sauce: Have fun.

Your ig feed will never be the way you want it to be if you don't have fun.

Love what you are doing. Take your time to create what you want to see and share. There is no right or wrong with creativity. Have fun planning your feed! And don't hesitate to learn more on Instagram by training yourself in its use.

Using Instagram to Build a List of Friends

If you want to make use of Instagram, then you need to have a basic understanding of the way this social network works and what you can do to optimize it. It is not as complicated as you might think.

For starters, Instagram uses a very simple layout: each user is represented by a circle in the center of their screen. The circle's size changes depending on who is viewing it. The top users will be at the top of the screen, while the bottom users will be shown at the bottom of the screen. You can also add a comment or photo to any user in order to make them aware of what you are doing.

There are two main types of Instagram users. The first type of user is the "lurcher," while the second type is the "shooter." The shooter can look at any photo or image he wants to and click on it to see the description, tags and settings associated with that photo. If he likes the photo or image, he clicks on it to view its settings and tags.

Another way to use Instagram is to browse through the images and comments other users have posted on the pictures. This makes it easy for people who do not like to use social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter to keep up with what is happening in their own social networks. You can search for a specific user by name or simply browse through their entire photo album.

To use Instagram to its full potential, you need to know how to properly use the features it has. One of the easiest ways to start using Instagram is by creating an account and choosing a username. Don't choose a name that is obvious, such as your full name or your pet's name. Instead, choose something less personal. A good suggestion for a username might be something related to your location or hobby, something related to your favorite activities, etc.

After choosing a username, you need to remember that you need to use it throughout your Instagram account. Never forget to put your picture into a caption, which includes the date, the location and the date when you took the photograph. You can also add keywords that can help people find your photo on the search engine. Always use hashtags that show the location of your photo as well, so that people searching through the internet will be able to find it.

It is also a good idea to update your images on a regular basis, because users usually comment on the images that they like the most, so updating your pictures regularly is a great way to keep followers and visitors interested in your Instagram account. Remember to add a caption every once in a while to tell followers how the photos came about, how it was created and what inspired the photographer to take it.

Another way to make your Instagram page interesting is to make it relevant. If you are a business owner, use your business name and logo in your Instagram images so that potential clients will be able to see who you are and where you work. Make your photos and posts related to your business and be sure to link them back to your website. If you are a mom and are into fashion, you can post photos related to your blog and website.

In addition to this, you can also add text in your Instagram images, especially if you post pictures from the events, places or products you sell, such as on your blog or in your Instagram account. You can include a description that includes the date, the city where the event took place and the location of your booth at the event.

By using relevant and interesting photos on your Instagram, you can get more followers and visitors to your page. You can also make a lot of money with Instagram by using the paid and free features to build a list of friends. The more friends you have, the more likely you will be to generate sales.

The best time to post on Instagram for Likes

Reach out, comment on, and like, oh my! Instagram can be an essential business builder if you use it right, especially considering that it has over a billion active users who log on every month. And with Instagram, using it "right" means knowing how to get engagement on your posts, which includes likes and comments. The Instagram algorithm loves engagement!

While likes aren't the only factors in Instagram's success, they help keep your content at the top of your ideal audience's feeds, which is exactly where you want them to be. We've dug into the research to find out about the best times to post on Instagram for likes to increase your reach and relevance on the platform.

When to post on Instagram to gain popularity

Typically, the best time to post on Instagram for similar reasons is between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. EST. We usually say because that time frame can vary significantly depending on your audience and when they tend to connect. We will come back to that in a moment.

You may also see an increase in engagement very early in the morning when your audience wakes up, around the 5-6 a.m. window, on weekdays. On weekends, Instagram sees later - and less frequent - connections, so waiting to post between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. is your best bet.

Tips for posting on Instagram and getting liked

Since there are many factors that can influence your Instagram tastes, we've put together some tips to help you determine the best times to display your specific brand:

Relevant content trumps new content

The Instagram algorithm is constantly evolving. Currently, Instagram displays content that it thinks is more relevant to users than the most current content. So relevance is technically more important than display time.

What does this mean to you ? You will need the engaging photos that use relevant hashtags to monitor them. All it takes is one amazing photo in someone's feed, and they'll click on your account, see what you're up to, and decide to follow you.

Keep in mind that Instagram no longer shows its likes in public to followers but they still make a difference. More likes mean your post is popular, so the Instagram algorithm is likely to show your content to more users. As an Instagram user, you can still see the preferences for your own posts, but the total number of preferences will not be shown publicly below your post.

Consider time zones

There are multiple time zones around the world, which makes crafting your perfect assignment schedule a bit trickier unless you're a 100% local business. If you want to engage globally, you'll need to experiment even more to find the right times to post.

It is best to post on Instagram daily. What you can do to gain the favour of users around the world is change your posting times every day. For example, aim for the Central European time zone at 5 a.m. on Thursday, the Eastern time zone at 2 p.m. on Friday, and the Pacific time zone at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Or, keep experimenting to see if a particular time can boost engagement in most time zones.

Also know the best display days

For organic enthusiasts and Instagram engagement, the best posting days are between Tuesday and Friday, with Wednesday being the most active day on the platform. Unsurprisingly, Saturday and Sunday are at the bottom of the barrel.

That doesn't mean you should avoid posting on these days; Fresh and consistent content is the key to Instagram's success. But on the days of low commitment, you may want to be more attentive to the times when you post to get the most potential.

Consider your niche and audience

The engagement of the programs varies a lot according to the different companies and audiences. Beauty and fashion brands, for example, are typically engaging at any time of the day because their audiences are so diverse. In contrast, the engagement of a tech company is more likely to follow the 9 to 5 schedule of the workday with peak engagement in the early morning, during lunch break hours, and in the evening.

You can use Instagram's built-in analytics - Instagram Insights - to find out when your followers and fans tend to jump on their feeds. However, the best way to accurately measure engagement is to do some testing, testing, and testing others. Instagram analytics isn't foolproof, and it can't help you learn everything you need to know your audience. But trying different posting dates and times over the course of several weeks can give a clearer picture of what is working for your business.

Start increasing the number of your Instagram followers

Looking to increase the number of Instagram followers in order to boost engagement? You can install our Instagram follow button within minutes. This handy little tool is placed directly on your website and allows your visitors to find your account and follow you with just one click. Engagement starts with your audience. Having this button at your fingertips makes it much easier to expand your fan base and get more likes.

Download Social Media videos.

Looking to download Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook videos? here is a handy tool you can check to download these videos.

Check it out: Instagram Video Downloader.