Trying to keep your Instagram feed on-brand and cohesive? Want a tool that can help you plan your posts in advance? Look no further! We’ve rounded up the best apps on the market to help you create an aesthetic that’s all your own.
[app name]: This app allows you to upload photos from your computer or phone, rearrange them on a calendar, and then post them remotely when you’re ready. It also lets you schedule reminders for when it’s time to post!
You can also connect your social media accounts, so you can see all of your scheduled posts for all of your platforms in one place.
Best Apps For Planning Instagram Posts
Instagram planners take the hassle out of managing and scheduling your Instagram feed. Unlike generic social media schedulers where Instagram feels like an afterthought, Instagram-specific planners offer easy-to-use interfaces and tools built specifically for the unique features and needs of Instagram.
Facebook and Twitter have allowed users to schedule posts for years, however, Instagram has famously held out. The result was clunky workarounds, such as tools that sent push notification reminders.
In January of 2018, Instagram finally announced the release of an API that allowed the ability to schedule posts. Instagram users around the world rejoiced.
However, many of the most popular social media scheduling tools either aren’t compatible with Instagram or are awkward to use.
The 6 best #Instagram planners for automating your #InstagramMarketing
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Buffer and Hootsuite, for example, only support direct posting for single images. Videos and multi-image posts require using their mobile notification process. Who wants to go back to clunky workarounds?
Fortunately, there are several Instagram planners that were developed specifically for Instagram. Below, we break down the features, pricing, benefits, and potential drawbacks of the best Instagram planners on the market so you can choose the right one for your needs.
- Preview
Instagram planners
Preview is a surprisingly robust solution as far as Instagram planners go, allowing you to schedule, design, edit, and analyze your Instagram business account all in one place. This is one of the more simple planners, but it offers everything you need at a reasonable price point.
When Instagram is an integral part of your business, you need to know what is working and what isn’t. Preview delivers with a full suite of analytics tools.
Instagram planners
Features
Preview is feature-rich, offering the ability to drag and drop your posts to create a perfect feed and the ability to upload videos and albums, which tools like Buffer and Hootsuite don’t.
Here is a full list of features:
Drag and drop feed design tool for curating the perfect feed
Analytics to track performance, find the best times to post, and the most effective hashtags (full analytics only on the top-tier plan)
Library of themed filters
Free stock photo library of 500,000+ photos
Ability to edit photos, including adding borders
Repost option for photos and videos
Hashtag search, grouping, and analytics
Ability to schedule posts, albums, and videos
Ability to add team members to your account (top paid plan only)
Plus, Preview’s blog is a great place to learn about Instagram best practices.
Instagram planners
Pricing: Preview has three price plans from free up to $14.99 per month, each with varying levels of features. The free plan comes with unlimited posts, two filter packages, and basic analytics. The higher packages offer unlimited users, the ability to re-post, additional analytics, more filter packages, hashtag analytics, and more. You can also add features a la carte, which means you only pay for the features you need.
Drawbacks: Preview is only available in app form, which may be a drawback if you like to work on your desktop. It also doesn’t appear to support Instagram Stories.
Great for: Power users, particularly those in the creative field, who need the ability to do all the things on Instagram. But, the free plan makes it great for those just getting started who might want to scale later.
- PlannThat
Instagram planners
Because many popular social media planning apps were not built specifically with the unique features of Instagram in mind, they don’t offer important features like the ability to edit, upload, and schedule Instagram stories. PlannThat does! There are also plenty of other features to love.
Features
Seriously, so many features. Here is a quick rundown of what you can expect (Note: the features vary by plan):
Drag and drop tool to create the perfect Instagram feed
Ability to mass upload hundreds of photos at once
Organize, edit, and schedule Instagram stories
Robust analytics so you can tell what is working
Snazzy photo editing and image overlay tools (no more using multiple apps!)
Instagram strategy tool to help you set and plan long-term goals (currently only for Apple, but coming soon for Android)
Ability to store hashtag groups so you can schedule posts faster
Easily find and share user-generated content about your brand
Competitor analytics so you can see what’s working for your competitors
Instagram planners
Pricing: PlannThat offers four different plans, from free to an unlimited plan that is just $12 a month. Features vary by plan, but the free version offers up to 30 uploads a month, the ability to upload videos, editing tools, and repost tools. Compared to other tools, it is seriously affordable.
Drawbacks: PlannThat don’t currently offer a desktop version, but it’s coming soon! Several of its competitors at similar price points do not offer desktop versions, so this will be a stand out feature when it is released.
Great for: Medium-sized or fast-growing teams that need a lot of features but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg. At $12 a month, their Unlimited package is a steal.
- Later
Instagram planners
Some Instagram planners offer tons of features, but their interface makes those features hard to use. Later offers plenty of features and makes them super simple to use. If you are looking to drive sales from your Instagram account, Later is a fantastic choice.
Instagram planners
Features
Need a planner that will speed up your planning without sacrificing features? You won’t be disappointed. One area that really stands out is their Shoppable post tools, which makes it easier for you to actually sell products. (Who says Instagram is only good for brand building?)
Here are some of the best features Later has to offer:
Import photos and videos from your phone, desktop, Google Drive, or Dropbox
Manage multiple accounts per platform (paid plans only)
Drag and drop feed planner
Easily find and repost content from other users and automatically credit the original poster
Find the best time to post
Track engagement, followers, and clicks
Make it easy for followers to make purchases with a Shoppable feed
Add multiple links to posts
Use on desktop or mobile
Tag locations and users
Hashtag suggestions (paid plans only)
Schedule videos and multi-image posts (paid plans only)
Post to Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest
Pricing: For access to better support, the ability to schedule videos or multi-image posts, and a host of other snazzy features, you will need to upgrade to a paid account, starting at just $9 per month. Later also offers custom pricing for brands (like marketing firms) who manage more than five accounts per platform. For additional profiles, you will pay $5 each on top of the Brand plan price of $49.
Drawbacks: Later does not currently offer any features for Instagram Stories, which tend to get a ton of engagement. Their top-tier plan is pricey, but it is aimed at large brands or marketing firms.
Great for: Brands who want to manage all of their social media in one place without sacrificing Instagram-specific features. Also a great choice for marketing firms who manage multiple clients.
- Postcron
Instagram planners
A major drawback of most Instagram planners is they only allow you to schedule for Instagram, which is fine if that’s your focus. But with Postcron, you don’t have to trade all the Instagram-specific features for the ability to manage all your social media accounts.
Postcron keeps Instagram at the forefront while also allowing you to manage Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and, apparently, Google+ at one point, all in one place. (Though Google shut it down last year.)
Instagram planners
Features
So, what can you expect? Postcron has plenty to offer as far as Instagram planners go, including:
Upload and schedule up to 1000 (not a typo!) posts at a time from Google Sheets or Excel
Easily add watermarks to all your images
Use their Artstudio tool to edit and alter images
ImageSplitter, which allows you to split one image into multiple posts for a unique Instagram feed
Schedule posts and Instagram stories
Easily search for and add relevant hashtags
Use their “content gallery” to find relevant content and images to share with your audience
Collaborate with other team members
Schedule posts from desktop or mobile to Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, and Twitter in addition to Instagram
Overall, you can expect to trade some Instagram functionality for the ability to manage all your social media posts in one place. However, Postcron doesn’t make you sacrifice the most critical features, so it is a good balance.
Pricing: Postcron does not offer a free plan, as many other Instagram planners do, but it does offer two months free so you can try it out before dropping a boatload of money. It offers four tiers, starting at $12 a month for the Personal plan and going all the way up to a whopping $169 per month for their Enterprise plan.
The Personal plan allows you to schedule 100 posts over eight total accounts (though you are limited to 2 Instagram accounts), access to their content gallery, and ability to upload in bulk. A major drawback is you don’t get access to analytics on the lowest plan.
Drawbacks: Postcron doesn’t offer some of the more niche Instagram-specific tools, such as the ability to repost USG (User-generated Content) content, the ability to tag users and locations, or tools for Instagram Shoppable posts. For access to analytics and their team tools, you will have to sign up for at minimum their second-tier plan, which starts at $24 a month.
Great for: Medium-level Instagram users who want to drive engagement on Instagram but don’t need access to every last Instagram feature. It is a fantastic choice for big brands that have large social media presence across multiple platforms but still want access to Instagram-specific tools.
- Schedugram
Instagram planners
If you are all-in on Instagram, you will want to take a look at Schedugram. Created specifically with Instagram in mind, this tool offers tons of nifty features that are designed to take your Instagram game to the next level.
Features
The self-proclaimed “Ultimate Instagram Management Platform” lives up to the hype. Take a peek at some of their top features below:
Design, preview, and schedule grid layouts to create a striking Instagram feed
Professional-level editing and layout tools so you can crop, resize, add text, and much more
Ability to tag people or places for added engagement
Make posts shoppable by tagging products
Schedule single photo, multi photo, carousels, videos, and Instagram Stories
Calendar view so you can easily see your scheduled posts for the next few weeks
A hashtag manager so you can store past hashtags and add them to new posts with ease
A tool to easily regram content you find on Instagram and automatically tag the original poster
Instagram planners
Pricing: Unlike other Instagram planners, Schedugram does not offer tiered-feature plans. Pricing starts at $20 a month for one full-featured account with less than 10K followers. Prices go up based on followers and the number of accounts you manage. Schedugram will automatically adjust your bill as you add or remove accounts from your plan. Very low hassle, which is awesome. There’s also a free 7-day trial.
Drawbacks: One of the major benefits of Schedugram is that is was designed specifically for Instagram, however, that also means it doesn’t support scheduling for other platforms like Facebook or Pinterest. Also, with a starting price of $20 per month, it is one of the pricier Instagram planners on the market.
Great for: Brands and influencers who have major skin in the Instagram game. This isn’t a beginner’s tool, but a powerful planner for those who want to get the most out of Instagram.
- HopperHQ
Instagram planners
If you are looking for Instagram planners that also let you post to Facebook and Twitter, HopperHQ is worth a look. It offers plenty of features in an easy to navigate dashboard.
It also does a great job of balancing the specific needs of Instagram with the ability to post to other platforms.
Instagram planners
The editing tool is quite robust, with the standard features like the ability to add text and apply filters, but you can also add frames, adjust colors, enhance, and more.
Instagram planners
Features
If you are looking for Instagram planners that are feature-rich, Hopper is where it’s at. It offers many of the same features as other planners and much more.
Here is a quick outline of their most impressive features:
Upload up to 50 photos at a time from most major storage platforms including Flickr, Google Drive, and Dropbox
Use calendar view to see all the posts you have scheduled by week or month
Use the drag and drop tool to reorder posts easily from the calendar view
Schedule and post from mobile or desktop
Use the editor to add filters, crop, add text, adjust the orientation, and more
Add @mentions and captions
Add the first comment, either to start a conversation or include more hashtags
Manage multiple accounts
Collaborate with multiple team members (each person gets their own login)
Post to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter from one place
Pricing: HopperHQ plans start at $19 for a bundle that includes one Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter account. You will pay an additional $20 per bundle up to five, after which the price per bundle drops to $15 each. There is also a free two-week trial available.
Drawbacks: HopperHq is a powerful tool, but it doesn’t use the Instagram API, relying instead on cloud-based Android phones. The company does say it is operating within Instagram’s terms of service, but it is a bit odd.
Great for: Brands with multiple accounts, or small to medium-sized marketing teams who want to be able to post to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from one easy-to-use dashboard.
Bonus: Revive Old Post
A screenshot of the Revive Old Posts plugin.
Our very own Revive Old Post plugin is now compatible with Instagram! This means you can use Revive Old Post to automatically share images from your WordPress Media Library on a schedule specified by you, select what types of images you want to share or not share, and customize the hashtags used in your shared posts.
Revive Old Post is also compatible with a variety of other social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Instagram planners are your key to Instagram growth
If you have been considering leveling up your Instagram game, the timing couldn’t be better. Instagram is growing fast, with over 1 billion monthly active users as of early 2018.
The platform also continues to add new features, such as the new IGTV and shoppable posts. It’s clear that Instagram is more relevant now than ever for your social media marketing strategy.
Instagram is more relevant to your #SocialMediaMarketing strategy now than ever before; use an #Instagram planner to make the most of it
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A full-featured Instagram planner will let you focus on your followers while still driving engagement and sales on one of the fastest growing social media platforms. I’d encourage you to check out each of the solutions above, test their features so you can find the right planner for you, and don’t forget to dig into your analytics afterwards.
instagram grid layout planner
Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from endlessly scrolling through your feed — and endlessly scroll through someone’s individual Instagram page instead.
Welcome to The Grid.
Lined up neat rows of three, each Instagram post suddenly is part of a bigger picture. A peek into a user’s soul… or at least their content strategy.
And Instagram power users know just how to work this viewpoint to their advantage, with artfully planned posts that, together, create a gorgeous Instagram grid layout.
If you haven’t thought about what your own rows of squares add up to, it’s about time. Here’s all you need to know about building an attention-grabbing Instagram grid to grow your following and engagement.
Table of Contents
Why your Instagram grid layout matters
7 creative ways to design an Instagram grid layout
5 tips for planning a gorgeous Instagram grid layout
Bonus: Get 5 free, customizable Instagram carousel templates and start creating beautifully designed content for your feed now.
Why your Instagram grid layout matters
When someone follows you for the first time, or navigates to your profile to check out your content, your grid is an opportunity to showcase your vibe or brand.
The grid gives you a birds-eye view of a user’s posting history. This is your first impression of their, uh, body of work: an introduction at a glance to their personal or professional brand at a glance.
For individual users, creating a beautiful grid may not matter — sure, color coding your posts could be a fun personal challenge, but if you’re just on the ‘gram to connect with friends, not amass an audience, branding likely isn’t too important.
But for brands, creatives or influencers, consistency and style are critical… particularly if your account is focused on aesthetics or lifestyle.
After all, your grid is a quick and easy way to get your message across. Plus, anyone viewing your profile is thinking about following you. This is your chance to show exactly what you offer.
Are you avant-garde, or on trend? Will your content soothe, or bring the drama? Is your brand consistent, or chaotic? One look at a grid, and they’ll get the (sorry not sorry) picture.
7 creative ways to design an Instagram grid layout
Great grids start with a vision, so we’ve scoured the depths of Instagram to dig up some of the slickest styles to inspire your own look.
Commit to a color combo
This is probably the most common grid style going — not that I’m calling anyone lazy (don’t @ me!), but it really doesn’t get much easier.
Pick a color palette (pinks and greys?) or a certain tone (high contrast neons?) to feature in every photo. Viewed together, your gallery will look like a matching set, even if the content of your pics vary. Home and lifestyle influencer
@the.orange.home exclusively features photos with bright, white backgrounds with earth-tone accents. It’s a vibe.
The Orange Home consistent color palette
In case your home or office isn’t decorated like an Insta-ready backdrop, one easy way to make sure your photos all speak the same visual language is simply to use the same filter for every photo to help create a consistent tone.
A variation on this theme? Using a standard filter or color palette, but also working in an “accent” color or filter every few posts, too. Maybe your feed is mostly dreamy, sepia-toned boho fantasy, but every few rows, we see a vibrant pop of forest green. Woo! You’re playing with fire!
Create a checkerboard effect
By alternating the style of photo you post, you’ll easily create a checkerboard look on your grid. Try alternating text quotes with photography, or mixing close-up shots with landscape photos. Going back and forth with two distinct colors can work, too.
Some adorable inspo for you: here, parenting resource @solidstarts alternates between photos of snacking babies and how-to graphics.
Solid Starts babies and how-to graphics
Hot tip: if you’re using text-based posts, keep the background color or fonts consistent to really make the pattern clear. Check and mate.
(Need a little help on the graphic design front? There are tons of great tools and templates out there to create visuals that pop.)
Design row by row
Think outside the box… and inside the, um, row. Uniting the images on each row by theme or color can create a powerful impact.
PR firm @ninepointagency, for example, goes with a different background color for each palette on their grid.
Nine Point Agency varying color palette
The trick for this one, of course, is that you have to post three images at a time, or the alignment will be off.
If you’re bold enough to experiment with panoramic images for one of your rows — a trio of photos that add up to one long, horizontal image, you daredevil, you, — many users post the same caption for each one to make it clear they’re three parts of a whole, like photographer @gregorygiepel did with his architectural shots.
various buildings in a grid layout
Create a vertical column
Breaking up the grid with squares that create a vertical, central image is a great way to mix graphic branding elements and photography together on your profile.
Vancouver’s @communitybreathwork uses both a vertical and a horizontal connected image in this part of their grid — but the images can technically all still stand alone. (Or… lay down alone?)
Community Breath Work vertical and horizontal columns
Turn your grid into the rainbow
You need both patience and a great color sense to pull this look off. The goal is to post regularly in one saturated color… and then slowly transition to the next shade in the rainbow with your next rows of posts.
To truly get the full effect of drag queen @ilonaverley’s rainbow ‘gram grid, you’ll need to scroll for yourself, but here’s a screenshot of her transition from green to yellow.
Ilona Verley yellow to green colour transition
Embrace the border
Creating a consistent look can be as simple as applying a border to all of your images.
Stylist @her.styling uses white square borders on all of her images, but you could create a signature look with any range of colors. The free Whitagram app is one option to quickly apply this edit, with borders and backdrops in all sorts of different shades.
@her.styling white square borders aesthetic
Turn your posts into a puzzle
This layout is a tricky one to pull off on a day-to-day basis, but for a big announcement or campaign, or to launch a new account, a puzzle grid certainly packs a punch.
A puzzle grid creates one big, interconnected image out of all the squares. Individually, these posts probably look like nonsense. But viewed together, it’s a work of art.
Give commercial photographer @nelsonmouellic a round of applause for this visual feat, will ya?
Nelson Mouëllic puzzle grid
5 tips for planning a gorgeous Instagram grid layout
Of course, none of these sleek grids happen by accident. You gotta grind for that grid! Here are some things to keep in mind as you’re planning out the big picture.
- Preview first
Before you post it: map it.
You could mock it up in photo-editing software, or use Hootsuite’s app integration that lets you preview your layout before it goes live. Right now, it’s for personal accounts only, but business account functionality is coming soon.
Bonus: Get 5 free, customizable Instagram carousel templates and start creating beautifully designed content for your feed now.
Get the templates now!
Create an Instagram grid layout of up to nine images, and then schedule them to go up in the exact right order via the Hootsuite dashboard.
Hootsuite Instagram grid integration
- Keep it consistent
Creating a great Instagram grid means sticking to a plan. One off-beat photo in the wrong color, the wrong filter, or in the wrong order can throw your whole look out of whack.
Just imagine if luxury goods company @shopcadine tossed in a picture of a #kitchenfail to their muted, earth-tone, carefully curated collection of photos. Instant chaos!
Cadine luxury goods consistent layout
- Make sure it matches your brand
Ultimately, the goal of a grid isn’t just to impress your friends with your dedication to using a particular Lightroom preset filter. It’s to build a unified look for your brand.
So, if you’re a recruiting firm for high-level executives, like @mrinetwork for instance, having a playful rainbow grid might not quite fit the professional and serious tone you’re going for. A monochromatic, text-based series of posts, on the other hand…
MRINetwork professional look
- Take advantage of image editing tools
In case you haven’t figured it out yet: Instagram is a visual medium… and it’s hard to put together a great grid unless the individual pictures also are great.
Luckily, there are tons of great photo editing tools out there, as well as expert advice around every corner… for example, our guides to taking great Instagram photos and staying on top of the hottest Instagram trends.
- Schedule your posts in advance
Keep your gorgeous grid active and updated with the help of a scheduling tool that allows you to drop just the right filtered pic (or three) at just the right time. Hootsuite’s dashboard, for example, makes it easy to prep your best photos at your convenience. Get that grid going!
Of course, creating a great grid is just one way to capture attention on the ‘gram. For more marketing tips and tricks to take your account to the next level, check out our ultimate guide to Instagram marketing here.
Grow your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can schedule and publish posts and Stories directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try it free today.
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