How to Determine Your Instagram Content Topics and Content Themes
This is part of a series on creating content for Instagram. Determining your Instagram content topics and content themes are a part of a simple method is one that I share with clients who are struggling with figuring out what to post on Instagram.
Go here to read about the first step in creating Instagram content, How to Create Content Buckets for Instagram Content.
Now let's review that first part of the process.
The first step to creating content buckets is to answer these questions for yourself:
1. What do you want to be known for?
2. Who do you help?
3. How do you help them?
4. What are the core values, goals, and beliefs?
In the first blog post, we talked about ways to determine what to post, how to organize those ideas into content buckets, and where that info could be displayed on your Instagram Feed.
What are content topics and content themes?
Now the next thing is Step 2 how you fill-up the content buckets and what you fill those buckets up with. The content topics and content themes will help you fill up your Instagram Feed with content your ideal audience wants to actually see. This will help you build authority and brand presence. You further cement who you are as a person or company to your ideal audience and ideal clients. Your content buckets, content topics, and content themes are apart of your Instagram Content Strategy.
If you are posting on Instagram for your business then you should post intentionally. Having an Instagram Strategy will aid you in that.
Take Action: Come up with 6 to 9 ways that you can share your content buckets created in Step 1. These will be your themes or topics.
For example, you can:
1. Teach
2. Scripture
3. Funny mom meme
4. Definition
5. Recipe
6. Motivation
Some of the content themes and content topics could be OOTD (Outfit of the Day) post, mom tip, style tip, beauty term definition, greeting, question, comparison, ask for help choosing something, ask for advice. Having clarity on what you share and why you share will always help you determine your content themes and content topics. This also depends on what you want to be known for and who your ideal audience is. What you choose and what another brand chooses can be different.
See below.
Examples
Here is the Instagram Bio for Living Over Existing. Who they serve: Women that want to run a successful business without sacrificing the life she desires. How they serve: via podcast, newsletter, and a community outside of Instagram.
Here is the Instagram bio for Earthen Escapes. She creates natural products for skin care products. She also says that you can text her for skincare tips. Who she serves: people with skin care problems. How she serves: with skin care tips and products.
Now let's see if they are who they say they are in their feed.
Living Over Existing
Living Over Existing is sharing tips for your business. Her images are mostly women. There is a feminine color scheme. I definitely feel like her feed represents her bio.
Earthen Escapes
Here Earthen Escapes shows results of the work that she has done. She also provides skincare tips. There is even a funny video there as well The funny video may not be described in her bio but when you review her feed you will see that she regularly posts funny videos. I definitely think that her feed represents what she mentions in her Instagram Bio.
How to create content cohesiveness on your Instagram Feed
Once you choose your six or nine content themes and content topics they will represent a topic for each of your first nine squares on Instagram. This is theoretically. When someone clicks on your Instagram bio they can immediately see your first nine squares. I always say as a good rule of thumb that even if you post content on Instagram that is not in your bio your first nine squares should be over 50% filled with the content buckets from your bio. Your Instagram Feed should closely match your Instagram Bio. The cohesiveness helps with establishing the Know, Like, and Trust factor with your audience.
Imagine how confusing it would be for new people to land on your page see in your bio that you represent one thing and you share content on the Gram related to Xyz, but when they view your actual feed it doesn't match what you said. Again brands also want to choose influencers to work with that represent their brand.
Examples of Instagram topics:
1. Questions
2. Tutorials
3. Behind the scenes
4. Ask me anything
5. Interviews
6. Daily Hashtags: ie: #thankfulthursdays #motivationmonday, #wellnesswednesday
7. Trends: ie: Slow Rush Tik Tock Challenge
8. Holidays Ie: Mother's Day
9. Before and afters
10. Crossposts from other platforms, ie: Twitter
11. Quote
12. Where you work from
13. Current book you're reading
14. What you like to do for fun
15. Your family
The key to creating content for Instagram
The key here is to share Instagram content that represents you. If you are not a teacher then don't teach. If you do not desire to become known for sharing recipes then don't share them. I have come across wellness professionals and fitness coaches that will not share recipes because they do not desire to be known for recipes or preparing food. From time to time they may post meals that they have had or even showing them prepare, but you will not find recipes or cooking in their Instagram Bio.
You do need to provide content on Instagram that your ideal audience would like to see and you do need to share it in a way that they would like to see it. However, you do not have to share content on Instagram that you don't identify with. There are tons of different ways to share content on Instagram. There are also tons of different types of content to be shared on Instagram. You have to become creative and clear on what content to share and how you want to share the content.
Your content themes and content topics can vary, but 80%-90% of the time your feed should be focused on what you want to be known for, what you do, and how you serve. A thousand cat photos will not serve you well if you are a business coach. Use your content buckets to help you determine what your topics and themes are. This article is a part of a series on how to create content for Instagram. If you're overwhelmed with making your Instagram work for your business then join us in the How to Beat Instagram Algorithm Masterclass. Click here to meet us there!