How to Schedule Instagram Posts: 2022 Guide - Later

Later is trusted by millions of brands, creators, and social media managers – making it the best app to schedule Instagram posts in 2022. InstagramHowtoScheduleInstagramPosts:TheUltimateGuideByMoniqueThomas•PublishedFebruary7,2022•11minutereadIfyouwanttolearnhowtoscheduleInstagramcontentin2022,bookmarkthisguide.LastUpdatedFebruary7,2022ShareSubscribeStayontopofthebiggestsocialmediamarketingtrends!IntroductionWhyYouShouldScheduleInstagramPostsin2022 HowtoScheduleInstagramPostsWithLater(forBusinessandCreatorProfiles)4InstagramSchedulingTipsandBestPracticesSo…WhyChooseLaterasYourInstagramScheduler?SchedulingyourInstagrampostsinadvanceisoneofthemosteffectivewaystosavetimeandpostconsistently.Inthisguide,we’rebreakingdowneverythingyouneedtoknowaboutplanningforthe‘gram–includingthebestapptoscheduleInstagrampostsin2022. Andthebestpart?Youcandoitallforfree.Let’sgetintoit.Schedulingcontenthasgottobeoneofmyfavoritewaystoprepareforthenextmonth.Batchyourwork.Scheduleyourcontent.Getahead.—NitiSarran(@NitiSarran)December9,2020WhyYouShouldScheduleInstagramPostsin2022 BeforeweshowyouhowtoscheduleInstagramposts,wequicklyneedtocoverthewhy. HerearethetopsixreasonswhyusinganInstagramschedulershouldbeaprioritythisyear:SaveTimeBeConsistentWriteStrongerCaptionsCraftaCohesiveVisualStoryKeepYourContentCalendarOrganizedPostFromYourPCorMac Benefit#1:SaveTime Whetheryou’reabusinessowner,creator,orsocialmediamanager,you’relikelyjugglingmanyhats–andwithonlysomanyhoursinaday,timeismoney. SavingtimeisthebiggestreasonforschedulingyourInstagrampostsinadvance. Itleavesmoreroomforstrategicbrainstorms,contentcreation,andotherbusinessneeds.Plus,youwon’tberushingtowhipupapostinreal-time,andcanplanaheadinstead.Didyouknow:youcanscheduleInstagrampostswithLater–forfree?It’sthehandiesttooltrustedbyover4Mcreators,brands,andsmallbusinesses.Signuptoday:Benefit#2:BeConsistent Askanysocialmediamanagerorcreator,andthey’llsayonekeyreasonfortheirsuccessishavingaconsistentpostingcadence. ThereasonyourstrugglingwithbeingconsistentonlineisbecauseyoutrytocreatecontentdaybydayTaketimetobatchcreateyourcontentforaweekortwo&scheduleitThiswillsaveyoutime&stress—AshleyFrance(@theashleyfrance)September15,2021Whileitdoesn’thavetobeeveryday(weknowthat’snotalwaysrealistic!),it’simportanttopostcontentthroughouttheweekthatyouraudiencecanengagewith. Benefit#3:WriteStrongerCaptionsCraftingcaptionson-the-flyisdifficult. Youmayexperiencewriter’sblock,it’seasytomakeaspellingmistake,andyou’llmisstheopportunitytotellyourbrand’sstoryinthebestwaypossible. Byplanningandschedulingyourpostsinadvance,youcansettimeasidetobrainstormandwritestrongercaptions. Don'tforgetaboutInstagramSEO—writedescriptivecaptionswithrelevant,highly-searchedkeywordsthroughouttoboostyoureach.⚡—Later(@latermedia)May18,2021Thisincludesoptimizingyourposttoincludehighly-searchedkeywordsforSEO,andrelevanthashtagstoincreasereach. Goodbye,overwhelm. Benefit#4:CraftaCohesiveVisualStoryIn2022,theInstagramaestheticmaynolongerbe“picture-perfect,”butusersarestilldrawntogridsthattellacohesivevisualstory.Thiscouldbeagridthatmakesuseofcomplementarycolors,oronethatmixesupmemesandlifestyleposts:Youonlyhaveafewsecondstomakeafirstimpression,soplanningavisuallyappealinggridcanhelpsomeonenewtoyourprofileunderstandwhoyouareandwhatyoudorightoffthebat.  TIP:Later’sfreeVisualPlannerletsyoupreviewyourInstagramgridandseehowyourscheduledpostswilllook! Startplanning: #Benefit5:KeepYourContentCalendarOrganized AnotherreasonforschedulingyourInstagramposts? Tokeepyourcontentcalendarorganized. Thisway,you’llhaveaholisticviewofyourcontent,andcanspotanygapsoropportunitiesfortheupcomingweeks. Mylovelanguageisafullyplannedoutcontentcalendar.🥰—Later(@latermedia)December4,2021Arethereanysocialmediaeventsorholidaysthatyoucancapitalizeon?Areyoupostingahealthybalanceofproductandlifestyleshots?Areyourpostsalignedwithyouroverallsocialmediaandbusinessgoals? It’saneasy(andeffective)waytomakesureyouaren’tpostingforthesakeofposting,andthatyourcontentisalwaysonpoint. Benefit#6:PostFromYourPCorMac PostingtoInstagramfromyourdesktopisagreatwaytobeefficient–especiallyifyou’realreadycreatinggraphicsandsocialmediaassetsonyourPCorMac. Schedulingviayourdesktopalsomeansyoucanreviewupcomingpostsonabiggerscreen,writeyourcaptionswithafullkeyboard,andeasilytogglebackandforthbetweenyourtabs.Hello,multitasker! WithLater’sdesktopapp,youcanbatchprepyourcontentinadvanceandscheduleittogoliveatyourbestpostingtime.Checkitouttoday:Okay,nowthatyouknowwhyyoushouldschedulecontent,let’sdiscussthefunpart–thehow. HowtoScheduleInstagramPostsWithLater(forBusinessandCreatorProfiles) Lateristrustedbymillionsofbrands,creators,andsocialmediamanagers–makingitthebestapptoscheduleInstagrampostsin2022. Andit’seasytoo!Here’showtogetstarted:Step#1:ConnectInstagramBusinessorCreatorProfileWhenyousignupforLater,youcanconnectyourInstagramBusiness,Creator,orPersonalprofile. However,duetoInstagram’sAPIlimitations,eachprofiletypehasaccesstodifferentLaterfeatures–whichiswhywerecommendusinganInstagramBusinessorCreatorprofile. Tofindoutthedifferencebetweenallthreeprofiles,checkoutthishelpfulpage,whichincludestheLaterfeaturesyoucanuse!Forthesakeoftheremainingsteps,we’llassumeyouhaveanInstagramBusinessprofile. Step#2:UploadContenttoLater’sMediaLibraryClick“UploadMedia”onLater’sdesktopappandaddcontentfromyourcomputer,Dropbox,orGoogleDrive. YoucanalsodraganddropfilesdirectlyintotheMediaLibrary,foranevenfasterprocess! Step#3(Optional):FindUser-generatedContentLaterhasacollectionofpaidtoolstohelpyoufinduser-generatedcontent(UGC)toaddtoyourlibrary.Usingthe"CollectMedia"button,youcansearchforInstagrampoststhathavetaggedormentionedyou,orsearchviaaspecifichashtagorprofile:Rememberto:AskpermissionbeforeyourepostTagandcreditthecreatorinyourcaptionTIP:NoUGC?Noproblem.Youcanalsofindon-brandstockphotographyusingLater’sUnsplashintegration–forfree!Step#4:SelectContenttoSchedule ChoosetheInstagramprofileyou’dliketopublishto–double-checkthehighlightedcircle! Then,draganddropselectedcontent(singlephotoorvideo)fromyourMediaLibrarytothecontentcalendar. Step#5:OptimizeYourInstagramPostWriteyourcaption,includerelevantemojis(ifapplicable),andinsertrelevanthashtagstohelpmaximizeyourreachandengagement. WithLater’sSavedCaptionstool,youcansaveyourfavoritehashtagsasacaptionforeasycopyandpasting–wheneveryouneedthem. Or,youcouldusethetooltosaveagreatcaptionthatyou'lluseinthefuture:TIP:IfyouhaveapaidLaterplan,youcanalsouseLater’sHashtagSuggestionstooltofindrelevanthashtagstoaddtoyourpost. Step#6(Optional):EditYourImageorVideo Tap“EditImage”or“EditVideo”toaddsomeadditionaldesignelementstoyourpost.WithLater’scroptool,youcanmakesureyourcontentmeetsInstagram’sapproveddimensionsizes–whetherit’ssquare,portrait,orlandscape. Withthefiltertool,youcanchoosefromanarrayofcolorfulfilterstoenhanceyourphoto.Andthetrimtoolletsyoutrimthelengthofyourvideos. Click“UpdateImage”or“UpdateVideo.”Step#7:ChoosetheDateandTimetoScheduleYourPostIfyouhaveanInstagramBusinessprofile,select“AutoPublish”fromthedropdownlistandselectthedateandtimeyouwantyourposttogolive. Click“Save”–andvoila! IfyouhaveanInstagramCreatororPersonalprofile,youcannotautopublishpostsduetoInstagram’sAPIlimitations. Instead,whenit’stimetopost,youwillreceiveamobilenotification. Onceyouopenthenotificationandtap“OpeninInstagram”,yourcaption(andhashtags)willbecopiedtoyourclipboardandtheimageuploadedtoyourcameraroll.TIP:Here'safullbreakdownofhownotificationpublishingworks.Step#8:ReviewHowYourGridWillLookWithLater’sVisualPlanner Later’sfreeVisualPlannerisauserfavorite–forgoodreason. Withthefeature,youcanseeexactlywhatyourInstagramgridwilllooklike. Notfeelingitscurrentlineup?RearrangeyourpostsdirectlyintheVisualPlannertofindtheperfectbalanceforyourgrid.Whenyou’rehappy,click“SaveChanges.”Yourposts’datesandtimeswillautomaticallyupdatebasedontheirneworder–asreflectedinthePlannerSchedulingsidebar. Twowords:gamechanger. 4InstagramSchedulingTipsandBestPracticesInstagramschedulingispackedfullofbenefits–hereareourfourbesttipstomakethemostofit:PostatYourBestTimeforMaximumEngagement UseRelevantHashtagsforOptimalReach IncludeSEOKeywordsinYourCaptionsCreateaStrongVisualFirstImpression#1:PostatYourBestTime Lateranalyzedover35MpostsandfoundthatthebesttimetopostonInstagram(inlocaltime)is6AM. However,thisisn’taone-size-fitsallanswer,soit’simportanttoexperimentbyusingeither:AspreadsheettomanuallytrackwhenyoupostonInstagramandanalyzingeachposts’performanceLater’sBestTimetoPostfeature,whichwillautomaticallyfindyouruniquebesttimes(anddays)topostformaximumengagementTIP:RemovetheguessworkandfindyourpersonalizedbestpostingtimeswithLater’sStarter,Growth,orAdvancedplan:#2:UseRelevantHashtags  HowmanyhashtagsshouldyouuseonInstagram?It’saquestionthat’scausedmuchdebateonsocialmedia–witheveryonechimingin. Afteranalyzingover18Mfeedposts,wediscoveredthatusing20-30hashtagsisbestforoptimalreachandengagement. Butit’simportanttomakesureyourhashtagsarerelevanttoyourcontent,audience,andbusiness. TIP:Later’sHashtagSuggestionstoolcanhelpyoufindnewhashtagstouseinyourposts. Signuptoday:#3:IncludeSEOKeywordsinYourCaptionsInstagram’sExplorepageisconstantlyevolving,withnewadvancedsearchfunctionalitiesbeingintroducedthroughouttheyear.Forexample,youcannowsearchbykeywords(notjusthashtags)todiscoverrelevantcontent: ThissuggeststheExplorepagealgorithmconsidersboththevisualcontentandwordsinyourcaption. So,byusingrelevantkeywordsinyourcaptions,there’sachanceyourcontentcouldbemoreeasilydiscoveredbyanyonesearchingontheapp.TIP:WithLater’sdesktopapp,youcanwriteyourcaptionsandscheduleyourpostsinadvance.#4:CreateaStrongVisualFirstImpression Thisgoeswithoutsaying,butInstagramisfirstandforemostavisualplatform. Andwhileusersnolongergravitatetosuperpolishedcontent,it’sstillworthpostingphotosandvideosthatarehigh-res,on-brand,andeasyontheeye.  Whetherit’sboldcolorsorbrandedillustrations,makesureyou’reschedulingInstagramcontentthat’llmakeagoodfirstimpressiontoanyonewhovisitsyourprofile. Thisway,youcanconvertthemintoafollowerandpotentialcustomer. TIP:Later’sVisualPlannerwillhelpkeepyourprofilelookingonpoint.Andthebestpart?It’sfree.So…WhyChooseLaterasYourInstagramScheduler?WhenpickingtherightInstagramschedulerforyou,it’simportanttothinkaboutwhatfeaturesmeetyourneeds. AndwithLater’sfreescheduleryoucan:UploadunlimitedphotosandvideostoyourMediaLibrary Scheduleupto10postspermonth FindstockphotographyviaUnsplashUsetheSavedCaptionstool Crop,edit,andfilteryourcontent AccesstheVisualPlannerfeaturetohelpdesignyourInstagramgrid  UseLinkin.biotoeasilydrivetraffictoyourwebsiteTrackandmeasureyourweeklyandmonthlygrowthwithLater’sAnalytics Andifyouupgradetoapaidplan,you’llgetevenmorefeaturesincluding:Theabilitytoschedulecarouselposts HashtagSuggestionstofindrelevanthashtags Instagramlocationandusertagging TheabilitytoscheduleInstagramStories(Starter,Growth,andAdvancedplansonly)BestTimetoPost–tofindyourpersonalizedbestpostingtimes(Starter,Growth,andAdvancedplansonly)AShopifystoreintegrationwithyourLinkin.bio(GrowthandAdvancedplansonly)Andmore! Inanutshell,Latercanhelpyouspendlesstimepostingonawhim,andmoretimegrowingyourbusinessandnurturingyourcommunity. Plus,withtheextratimeonyourhands,youcantakesomewell-deserveddowntimetoo–especiallyontheweekends. CreateafreeaccountandstartschedulingyourInstagrampostswithLatertoday–it’lltakelessthanfiveminutes. ABOUTTHEAUTHORMoniqueThomasMoniqueisaContentMarketeratLaterwholoveshelpingbrandsdefinetheirvoiceandcontentstrategy.Youcanusuallyfindhersippingmatchaoraddinganotherbooktoherever-growingTBRlist.SayhionInstagram—@wordsbymoniqueStayontopofthebiggestsocialmediamarketingtrends!RELATEDARTICLESCategoryInstagram•11minreadHowtoSchedule1WeekofInstagramPostsin20MinutesByJillianWarrenCategoryMarketing•5minreadHowtoStreamlineYourWorkflowasaSocialMediaManagerByLindsayAshcraftCategoryInstagram•10minreadTheBestTimetoPostonInstagramin2022,Accordingto35MillionPostsByJillianWarren