6 Tips to Create Captivating Instagram Visuals

Visual content is what makes Instagram stand out in a sea of competitors. Instagram started as a photo-first platform but has recently begun to focus on reels to compete with TikTok.

If you promote a brand on Instagram or want to impress the world with your creative skills, creating a solid visual strategy will ensure you captivate your audience.

Whether you want to achieve more conversions or build your Instagram following, the following steps will help you plan and prepare a successful strategy rooted in these objectives.

1. Assess Your Posts for Key Criteria

Instagram posts are not only about pretty pictures. They serve a greater purpose for a brand or individual — connecting them to an online audience. Therefore, when you are planning your posts, you should ask yourself these questions:

• Does my post address the challenges my online audience experiences?

• Does my post allow for unencumbered conversation, and does it encourage engagement?

• Does my post blend several media formats to convey a message?

• Does my post come across as natural and authentic?

When you can answer these questions affirmatively, you are well on your way to building a lasting visual strategy. However, these principles are only one of the cornerstones of success on Instagram.

2. Use Graphics, Photos, Videos, and Text to Tell a Story

No medium on Instagram is pointless. You can use all the platform’s features to tell a cohesive story. For instance, you can create a reel to showcase your brand’s most popular products and populate the caption with a call-to-action. Or you could design an infographic with business statistics and use stickers to invite questions from your audience. Infographics are a highly effective visual aid to present facts and data that may be valuable to your audience.

You can also use text overlays to enhance your images and make them more relatable to your followers. Text overlays are popular in memes and humorous posts, and this type of content is highly shareable, which means it will get higher engagement.

When you’re running short on time to create posts, you can request user-generated content on your page. You can encourage your followers to share their experiences with your brand and award the best comments and posts.

3. Create a Recognizable Color Palette

When you use all the features Instagram offers, you have to incorporate your chosen color palette. Otherwise, your posts may take on a haphazard look. If your brand is bright and bold, incorporate these colors into all your posts, even if just in the text.

Speaking of text, don’t be tempted to add blocks of it to your posts. Text is great for explaining the benefits of your products, but no one wants to read an ongoing wall of words. Instead, use your words wisely in captions and overlays, or be creative with your CTAs.

4. Use Your Visual Strategy to Build Brand Equity

A successful visual strategy can help sway your brand in the minds of consumers. To do that, you must first determine the goal behind each post, which may include conversions, website traffic, or engagement.

An established color palette and a set of fonts and visuals that align with the look you want to present will enhance your brand equity.

If you struggle to make your posts look cohesive, your strategy may benefit from editable templates that you can use to drag and drop images and text. You can use templates for single posts, carousels, and stories.

When using images, videos, or carousels, make sure that you use the correct aspect ratios and image sizes. Also, don’t use low-quality images, as this will lead to users scrolling past your content without giving it a second glance.

Swaying your audience means hooking them from the first sentence or image. Low-resolution photos and bland text won’t do that.

5. Use the Popularity of Videos to Make a Visual Impact

Once you’ve chosen templates, high-quality graphics, and videos, you should decide on a trend to further the visual impact. Instagram hashtags and Google Trends are helpful resources when you are searching for the latest trends.

If none of the trends appeal to you, you could share a video series about how you started your business and share before-and-after visuals. These videos and images must be authentic to create a connection with your users.

Use the correct video specifications to provide the best user experience. Keep your intros short, and only expand on the main topics. Include your brand colors and logo so that your followers know whose video they are watching.

One of the most crucial aspects of an Instagram video is the thumbnail. If the thumbnail doesn’t speak to your audience, they won’t click on it to watch the video. The cover image of the thumbnail should include your brand colors and be interesting enough to entice people to want to see the rest of the content.

6. Post Valuable Content

If you’re only attracting attention with colorful and stunning visuals but not backing it up with valuable content, you may lose followers or experience decreased engagement.

There are several ways to combine valuable content with impressive visuals. For example, you could create how-to videos for your products or an infographic listing tips on how to make the most of your products.

Online audiences want to see your product and branded content and know how your product or service can solve their problems. They may also be eager to learn more about your industry and how to achieve success in it.

Moreover, these audiences want a brand they can relate to on all levels. You can humanize your brand by sharing behind-the-scenes stories or information on how many staff members you employ. Your staff can also share their user-generated content.

Content like this is far more compelling than stock images and generic text.

Conclusion

Captivating visuals will always attract attention on Instagram. Posts that include graphics or videos have a far higher chance of being shared, and engagement is always higher when compared to text-only posts. Visual content appeals to the emotional side of your audience and helps them associate specific images and colors with your brand.

Furthermore, you can repurpose your Instagram content for other platforms, including blogs, emails, and podcasts, and, in doing so, reach an even wider audience.