Even though Reels and Instagram Stories have been growing in popularity year after year, static posts aren’t going anywhere. In fact, they’re still mission-critical when it comes to your social media strategy as an online business.
Static posts help your account grow with hashtag reach. They’re a great way to keep your feed diverse and to share more bite-sized content that connects and converts.
And while static posts are still important, the way we’ve used them has changed. If you want to see how to effectively use static posts on Instagram, read on!
Instagram Static Post Tip #1: Pin a post
Before we dig in, let’s clarify what a static post is: A static post on Instagram is a single image or a carousel of multiple images on your feed. Unlike Instagram Stories (and just like Reels), they stay on your feed (i.e., they don’t disappear after 24 hours).
You can also utilize hashtags, location tagging, and more to help you get discovered by more people in your audience.
They’re great opportunities to play around with your designs or to post professional stock photos and videos that *perfectly* match your captions!
But when you post something, it pushes other static images down the feed. What if you have something that’s a top performer or has REALLY important information your audience needs to know?
Pin it!
What makes a static post special enough to deserve a “pin”?
Are you offering a special discount for new customers? How about an affiliate program? Hosting a webinar or other live event soon? These are all great things to pin to your profile — especially if they’re time-sensitive.
Think about it like a flyer right on the front door that everyone can see as soon as they walk in. You can keep it up at all times (like salons do for business hours, referral discounts, etc.), or while you’re promoting that event or sale.
A pinned post is your virtual flyer telling your audience that you have something important going on!
Instagram Static Post Tip #2: Pin a series of posts (aka a banner)
Did you know you can pin up to 3 posts to the top of your page? Even when new content is added, you’ll have these posts front and center on your feed, which makes them great for announcements, launches, special promotions or just a general way to show off your business or its offers.
But we’ve seen people do so much with this prime real estate, even designing all three as one banner. Want to see how it works? Check out these Styled Stock Society templates above for a few different examples!
Banners help keep everything scroll-stopping and cohesive. You don't necessarily have to pin them either – just make sure when you add new posts, that you’re considering how banners will look further down in your feed.
Instagram Static Post Tip #3: Create a 9-grid feed
Are you launching a new business? Or maybe you’re pivoting in a different direction? Or perhaps you’re pausing your Instagram posts for a while (or for good)… The 9-grid feed offers a simple solution to beat content burnout. Instead of needing to constantly create static feed posts, you create one cohesive grid, consisting of nine images that all flow together. It’s a great option for business owners who are low on time but still want to create standout feed.
From who you are to what you do, who you serve, and what people need to know about getting in touch with you, these are just a few ideas for what to share in the perfect static 9-grid to make it easy for people to get the 411 about your business.
Now that you’ve mastered static posts… let’s talk about Reels
Static posts are always going to be critical in your Instagram strategy — but they’re not the only type of content you should be creating. We still recommend posting on Stories and creating Reels to make the most out of your social media strategy.
Worried about Reels interfering with your feed? You can hide them to where they can only be accessed on the Reels tab, but will still be public and show up on other people’s feeds when published.
New to Reels? No sweat. In this post, we walk you through creating your very first one, step-by-step — and we share a few best practices to help you get up and running in no time.
Pin this post for later!
Need help with the look of your Instagram feed? We want to make your visual game easier (and more cohesive) than ever before. That’s why we offer our members hundreds of Instagram templates to keep their social content beautiful, professional, and 100% on-brand.
From Reels to static posts and more, the Styled Stock Society membership has you covered. PLUS, members also get access to thousands of stock photos and videos with just one click.
