Instagram Hacks You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
January 31, 2020
Instagram is one of my favorite social media platforms, and it can be hugely beneficial for PR and brand exposure if you use it correctly. There are also many hidden features that you probably don’t know about, so here are some of my personal favorites that I find super useful and fun!
See all the posts you have liked
Looking for some inspiration? How about looking at what you’ve liked to see what has inspired you already.
HOW:
- Go to your profile
- Tap the three lines in the top right corner
- Go to Settings > Account > Posts You’ve Liked
Get notifications for your favorite users content
Loving someone’s content and want to make sure you don’t miss anything?
HOW:
- Go to the profile of the account you’d like to get notifications for
- Click on Following under their bio
- Tap Notifications and choose what you’d like to receive notifications for ie. posts, stories, IGTV’s and live videos.
Save and organize posts where only you can see them
Seen a post from a competitor that you think might look cool on your feed? Or perhaps you’ve spotted a recipe that looks delicious, a seen workout you want to try.
HOW:
- Go to the post you want to save
- Tap the bookmark icon underneath the post you want to save
- Tap Save to Collection, and either add to an existing collection or tap the + to create a new folder.
- To see what you’ve saved, tap the three lines at the top of your profile, and go to Saved.
Add multiple photos to an Instagram story without using a collage app
Did you know that you can actually create a collage on your Instagram story without using a third-party app?
HOW:
- Open your Instagram, and swipe to open your Instagram story
- Tap the bottom left icon to open your camera roll and select one picture you want to include
- Come out of Instagram and go to your photos
- Open another picture you want to include, tap the bottom left share icon and select Copy Photo
- Open Instagram back up and the photo that you just copied will pop up in the bottom left corner saying Add Sticker
- You can then move them around and do the same to as many photos as you’d like.
Save drafts for later
If you’ve got a photo you want to post, but you can’t think of a caption, or just want to come back to it at a time to post for better engagement, you can actually save your edits and come back to it.
HOW:
- Tap the + icon at the bottom of the screen to take a photo or upload an existing photo or video
- Edit the photo as you like, add filters, captions, locations, etc
- Tap the < icon on the top left corner of your screen to go back to the editing screen
- Tap the < icon again and a pop-up menu will appear, select Save Draft
- When you’re ready to post or resume editing, tap the + icon then select Library
- A new Drafts section will appear above Camera Roll
- Tap your desired post, or select Manage to view all of your saved drafts
- Select a post, edit, and share as usual
Share someone else’s post in your Instagram Story
Whether you’ve seen a post that resonates well with you and your beliefs and want other people to see it, or you want to give some support to a friend who is trying to get themselves out there on social media.
HOW:
- Click on the paper airplane icon below the post you want to share
- Tap Add post to your story
- The post will appear as a sticker with a custom background
- You can move the sticker, and tap it to explore other styles
- Tap the Your Story button once you’re happy with it. The post will show the original poster’s username. When someone taps the post, they’ll be able to see the original post and more content from the person who created it.
Here are some of my personal favorite Instagram accounts:
@nike – they use a nice mix of video, photo, and IGTVs also weaved in there
@shona_vertue – educational, engaging content and again, a mix of photo, video, and IGTV. Plus she is funny and makes you feel motivated in the mornings!
@natgeo – obviously beautiful imagery
@boopmynose – because I just love dogs!
It all boils down to creating content that is appealing to your unique audience. So, use these tips to look at your favorite Instagram accounts, see what you can take, get a strategy in place, make sure you have a backlog of content so that you don’t run out, and remember to mix it up!
Carla Richardson
Account Manager
Instagram Hacks You Probably Didn’t Know Existed
January 31, 2020
Instagram is one of my favorite social media platforms, and it can be hugely beneficial for PR and brand exposure if you use it correctly. There are also many hidden features that you probably don’t know about, so here are some of my personal favorites that I find super useful and fun!
See all the posts you have liked
Looking for some inspiration? How about looking at what you’ve liked to see what has inspired you already.
HOW:
- Go to your profile
- Tap the three lines in the top right corner
- Go to Settings > Account > Posts You’ve Liked
Get notifications for your favorite users content
Loving someone’s content and want to make sure you don’t miss anything?
HOW:
- Go to the profile of the account you’d like to get notifications for
- Click on Following under their bio
- Tap Notifications and choose what you’d like to receive notifications for ie. posts, stories, IGTV’s and live videos.
Save and organize posts where only you can see them
Seen a post from a competitor that you think might look cool on your feed? Or perhaps you’ve spotted a recipe that looks delicious, a seen workout you want to try.
HOW:
- Go to the post you want to save
- Tap the bookmark icon underneath the post you want to save
- Tap Save to Collection, and either add to an existing collection or tap the + to create a new folder.
- To see what you’ve saved, tap the three lines at the top of your profile, and go to Saved.
Add multiple photos to an Instagram story without using a collage app
Did you know that you can actually create a collage on your Instagram story without using a third-party app?
HOW:
- Open your Instagram, and swipe to open your Instagram story
- Tap the bottom left icon to open your camera roll and select one picture you want to include
- Come out of Instagram and go to your photos
- Open another picture you want to include, tap the bottom left share icon and select Copy Photo
- Open Instagram back up and the photo that you just copied will pop up in the bottom left corner saying Add Sticker
- You can then move them around and do the same to as many photos as you’d like.
Save drafts for later
If you’ve got a photo you want to post, but you can’t think of a caption, or just want to come back to it at a time to post for better engagement, you can actually save your edits and come back to it.
HOW:
- Tap the + icon at the bottom of the screen to take a photo or upload an existing photo or video
- Edit the photo as you like, add filters, captions, locations, etc
- Tap the < icon on the top left corner of your screen to go back to the editing screen
- Tap the < icon again and a pop-up menu will appear, select Save Draft
- When you’re ready to post or resume editing, tap the + icon then select Library
- A new Drafts section will appear above Camera Roll
- Tap your desired post, or select Manage to view all of your saved drafts
- Select a post, edit, and share as usual
Share someone else’s post in your Instagram Story
Whether you’ve seen a post that resonates well with you and your beliefs and want other people to see it, or you want to give some support to a friend who is trying to get themselves out there on social media.
HOW:
- Click on the paper airplane icon below the post you want to share
- Tap Add post to your story
- The post will appear as a sticker with a custom background
- You can move the sticker, and tap it to explore other styles
- Tap the Your Story button once you’re happy with it. The post will show the original poster’s username. When someone taps the post, they’ll be able to see the original post and more content from the person who created it.
Here are some of my personal favorite Instagram accounts:
@nike – they use a nice mix of video, photo, and IGTVs also weaved in there
@shona_vertue – educational, engaging content and again, a mix of photo, video, and IGTV. Plus she is funny and makes you feel motivated in the mornings!
@natgeo – obviously beautiful imagery
@boopmynose – because I just love dogs!
It all boils down to creating content that is appealing to your unique audience. So, use these tips to look at your favorite Instagram accounts, see what you can take, get a strategy in place, make sure you have a backlog of content so that you don’t run out, and remember to mix it up!
