
Planning your feed
One of the best kept Instagram secrets is planning out your feed in advance. Yes, you may think that people throw up posts whenever they feel like it but this is rarely true when you see a stunning, put-together Instagram account. Content is usually planned out days in advance while leaving room for a couple spontaneous posts in between.There are many apps that will help you plan out your feed – UNUM, Planoly, and PLANN. These are beyond helpful in guiding you through the process of planning out your feeds easily. Using these apps will keep you from posting blindly. If you plan ahead then it also takes the struggle out of wondering what to post every day to stay consistent. Consistency is always key on social media, especially Instagram. You keep your followers engaged by posting regularly. Your audience is following you because they are interested in your content so give them something to follow every day or at least every other day.

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Here are some incredible examples of planned out feeds that will help guide you to plan out your own amazing Instagram.Jasmine Star does an incredible job at planning out her Instagram content. You can tell as each post beautifully transitions into the next. As you can see, she uses negative space to frame up some posts so they visually stand out amongst the rest. It gives her feed an altogether balanced and clean look.

Choosing a theme
Choosing a theme will be a natural extension of what your business is all about. This will not only help your aesthetics stay consistent but keep your feed focused so people can expect the type of content they will be following along from you.Try to think of one main theme for your Instagram. This can be as general as you can get. For me, my main focus is color inspiration. I capture colorful moments whether that’s in my work, photography, or daily life. Next, think of 3-6 different types of content you will post in regards that theme.If you are a health coach some examples for you could be – delicious healthy recipes, restaurant interiors, beautiful food photography, yoga or your healthy daily lifestyle.Choosing a theme does not limit you instead it opens up more opportunities to create more focused content. The more focused your content is the more you can attract those specific people who align with your business. Sticking with a theme also guides your account to be more cohesive in visual terms as well. Here are some useful examples of people who have their themes down like a pro.Caroline White is one of my favorite Instagram accounts as her feed is filled with photography inspiration and I love that I can count on exactly what type of content she is going to post. She is a lifestyle photographer who captures women entrepreneurs and her content clearly reflects that. Not only are her photos breath-taking but I get to discover new accounts and businesses from the people she works with. Her Instagram is focused, clear, and themed with beauty, color, and travel.

A consistent editing style
This is one of the most important components involved in creating a cohesive Instagram layout. If you keep your editing routine consistent, then you have more flexibility to capture and post a variety of photos to your Instagram feed. This is something that can truly make your cohesive Instagram masterpiece shine. This is also where most of the cohesive magic comes from.Also from a branding perspective, having a unique editing style will set you apart from every other Instagrammer around. This is a way to extend your brand aesthetic past your website and into the somewhat crowded Instagram space. Be sure to choose an editing style that aligns with your brand aesthetics. A great place to pull inspiration for your own editing style is on Pinterest. Pin photos that you feel aligned to and try to pick out what exactly makes that photo look the way it does. For example – are the colors saturated or desaturated? Is the photo exposed and bright? Does it have warmer or cooler tones? Once you have a feel for what you want your photos to look like, recreate your own unique editing style and stay consistent with it for every single photo you post. You can also use the same filters for every photo to keep everything consistent as well. Some of my favorite editing apps are VSCO cam (which has great filters), Snapseed, and A Color Story.Here are some examples that will help you see how people have used a consistent editing style in their content.Chloe Wen has a very branded and beautiful editing routine. You can tell all of her photos are consistently edited with less saturation, light contrast, and a slight green tint. She may use a consistent filter or she may edit these consistently every single time. Either way, they are unique to her own branded style.

Add quote graphics
Adding quote graphics are amazing for creating negative space between two busy posts. It is also another way you can extend your brand color palette through your Instagram feed. This will provide fun pops of color to your feed while staying consistent in your branding. They don’t always have to be colored graphics. Having a white background with black text will do the trick as well – especially if don’t want the color in your graphics to compete with the color in your photos. You can even reverse it and do a dark background with white text as well. Here are some examples of 2 of my favorite accounts who are really utilizing quote graphics to keep their feeds cohesive and branded.Amira Rahim‘s account is absolutely dreamy. Her use of consistent color makes her one of my favorite accounts to follow. As you can see, she uses a pink quote graphic in her feed to promote a podcast she was on. I love the way it transitions so gorgeously into her other colorful posts and paintings. It provides that negative space between her two adjacent posts which really makes one another pop.

Keep it balanced
There is an art to creating a cohesive Instagram layout. Most of the art comes from creating balance between your posts. This gives a sense of visual stability and always gives a cleaner aesthetic. This is something that will come easier as you get more comfortable posting but here are some incredible examples of accounts that have conquered Instagram feed balance.Elsie Larson from A Beautiful Mess is an Instagram content genius. Her feed is always balanced with color, texture, and amazing use of negative space. As you can she separates busier posts in her feed by negative space or muted colors. In her latest post that is a flat lay of a smoothie bowl, you can see that the white background helps create balance between the cactus post that has a busier texture that creates more visual weight. Balance is all about creating contrast so each post can stand out equally instead of all meshing together into a big mess. Elise’s account is a clear example of balance done right.

Trust the learning process
Creating beautiful content and cohesive feeds on Instagram is a journey of constant learning. It will get easier and more fun with time. Don’t let the fear of Instagram perfection slow you down. The beauty of Instagram is that things move fast. You may have a post or an area of your feed you don’t like, but if you post consistently eventually it will be too far down your feed to even remember. Get out there and start posting content as you will learn how to create cohesive content even more along the way.Some cohesive Instagram packs at Creative Market
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Download this kit to quickly export Instagram shots that match your brand's visual style. PSD and AI files are included, as well as a moodboard to display your brand's assets.
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