What to post on Instagram as a business: 30 ideas and a ready week
The hardest moment in social media is the one where the caption box is empty and you have to think of something to say. Here are 30 concrete ideas that suit almost any small business, and an example of what a single week can look like.
Post the work you already do every day. Five things work for a small business: finished work, the steps behind it, the people who do it, answers to the questions customers keep asking, and what is available right now. Those five pillars will fill a month without inventing anything.
The problem is not a shortage of ideas
When a post does not get made, it is rarely because there was nothing to say. Ten things happened during the day that you could have made a good post out of. They just happened while your hands were full.
The fix is not to think of better ideas in the evening when you are tired, but to decide in advance what the week contains, and to take the photo while the thing is happening. A few focused minutes in the middle of a working day produce a better post than staring at an empty screen in the evening.
Five kinds of post that work for almost everyone
Nearly all content that works for a small business falls into one of these five. Once you can name them, your own working day starts to look like material.
- Finished work. What the customer got. This is what people come to look at.
- The steps. How it came together. This builds trust in you and your business.
- People. Who does the work. This is what separates you from a chain and from faceless big companies.
- Answers. To the questions you hear often. This brings new people in from search and gets saved.
- Available now. Free slots, new arrivals, opening hours. Once you have given information and answers first, these can finally be the signal to buy.
Turning an idea into a post in three minutes
Take the photo first and write afterwards. The first line of the caption says what is in the picture, the second says why it matters to the customer, and the last says what they can do next. Nothing more is needed.
If a sentence reads like an advert, say it out loud. Then say it the way you would say it directly to a customer, and write it again that way.
30 ideas that suit almost any business
None of these need a photoshoot or a script. All of these happen in your business already.
Finished work
- 1.The best piece of work from today, shot close up in daylight.
- 2.The same job before and after, two photos from the same angle.
- 3.The detail the customer never noticed but that took the longest.
- 4.A customer's reaction or their feedback, with permission and anonymous if that is easier.
- 5.A job that did not go to plan at first but turned out well in the end.
The steps behind it
- 6.The first half hour of the morning before the doors open.
- 7.Tools or ingredients laid out the way they actually are.
- 8.A stage the customer rarely sees, like preparation or cleaning up.
- 9.How long a step of the work really takes.
- 10.Why you do one thing differently from everyone else.
The people behind the business
- 11.Who you are and why you do this work, briefly.
- 12.An introduction to an employee and what they are best at.
- 13.The question you dread being asked, and an honest answer to it.
- 14.A day that did not go to plan.
- 15.What your workplace looks like at the end of the day.
Answers to questions
- 16.The questions you hear again and again.
- 17.What a customer should know before booking.
- 18.How to care for what you sold so that it lasts.
- 19.How the price is made up and what is included.
- 20.When to book in order to get the slot you want.
What is available right now
- 21.This week's free slots or a cancellation that just opened up.
- 22.A new or seasonal item that has just come in.
- 23.Changed opening hours before a holiday.
- 24.What is left, when something is running out.
- 25.A reminder of what needs booking well before the season.
When nothing much is happening
- 26.An old post that did well, with a new caption.
- 27.The three most popular products or services this month.
- 28.A tip that is useful even if the reader never buys anything.
- 29.How the weather or the season changes what is worth doing now.
- 30.Thanks to customers for something specific, not just a general pleasantry.
What one week can look like
Three posts a week is enough for a small business. What matters is not posting every day but posting regularly. Below is an example of a week where selling is only one post of the three.
| When | What | Why this one |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | This week's free slots or what is available | The start of the week is when people plan their week. |
| Wednesday | Finished work, or a step behind it | Shows what you can do without asking for anything. |
| Friday | A person, or an answer to a question | Longer posts get read and tips get saved towards the end of the week. |
| Any time | A story about what is happening right now | Stories need no polished photo and keep you visible between the other days. |
Common questions
How often should a small business post on Instagram?
Two or three times a week is plenty. A steady rhythm matters more than volume: three posts every week does more than ten in one week followed by a month of silence.
What do I do if I have no good photos?
Shoot on your phone by a window in the middle of the day, and get considerably closer to the subject than you first feel like. A sharp close up of unfinished work works better than a wide shot of the whole room. The flash is rarely worth using; natural light is best.
Do I have to be in the pictures myself?
You do not have to, but it helps. A post once a month showing the person behind the business usually gets noticeably more attention than a product photo. Hands at work are enough if your face does not feel right.
Do hashtags still work?
Hashtags no longer decide whether you are seen, though they do no harm either. Instagram now caps them at five in any case, so there is no longer even the option of a long list. Pick a few for your trade and your town.
What time of day should I post?
When your own customers are on their phones and active on social media. For many that falls in the morning before the working day or after eight in the evening, but it varies by trade and by audience. Your account's insights show the exact time. It rarely shifts quickly, but it is worth checking now and then, especially if your follower count grows a lot.
Or let Bobbi do these for you
Bobbi reads your website, comes up with the subjects for you, writes the posts in your own voice, suggests the photos and publishes them on schedule. All that is left for you is approving the week, which takes about 15 minutes, or longer if you post every day. No more hunting through a list for an idea.
Try Bobbi free