Are you ready to elevate your Instagram game with a whole new level of ease and efficiency?
Picture this: Instagram is used on a regular basis by a whopping 46.35% of the world’s 5.07 billion internet users1. That’s right, nearly half of the global internet population is actively scrolling, double-tapping, and engaging on this platform. With such a vast and engaged audience, it’s no wonder that businesses and influencers alike are looking for ways to make their mark on Instagram.
But here’s the deal – keeping up with the demand for fresh, engaging content on Instagram can be a real challenge. Staying ahead of the game requires more than just great content; it demands efficient management.
In this blog, we’re going to unravel the magic behind scheduling and auto-posting Instagram content using Edgar. Get ready to save time, boost consistency, and engage your audience like never before.
Why Schedule
Before I show you how to schedule on Instagram, let me give you some reasons why you should consider it:
Save time: In the fast-paced world of social media, automating your posting process means more time for strategizing, creativity, and engaging with your audience.
Consistency: Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to growing your Instagram following. Scheduling ensures your audience receives a steady stream of content, boosting engagement and trust.
Keep Your Content Calendar Organized: A well-structured content calendar helps you plan your posts strategically, aligning them with your marketing goals and ensuring a cohesive feed.
PC and Mac Friendliness: Instagram’s mobile-first nature can be limiting, but scheduling tools like Edgar enable you to create and post content from your computer, expanding your possibilities.
Strategic hours and dates: by scheduling your Instagram posts in advance, you can take advantage of peak engagement hours and reach a larger audience. Whether you’re targeting specific time zones or aiming to coincide with major events or holidays, it’s important to plan your content strategy effectively.
How to Schedule using Edgar
Now that you know the importance of scheduling content for your Instagram marketing strategy, it’s time to decide how you want to do it – directly on Instagram or with the help of a social media management tool, managing multiple accounts.
By choosing a dedicated social media publishing tool like Edgar, you unlock a range of additional features. These include organizing content by categories, multiple accounts, team collaboration, social inbox, and integrations.
One of the key benefits of using Edgar is its ability to automate the scheduling of your Instagram posts. Instead of manually posting each piece of content, it allows you to set specific times and dates for your posts to go live. And the best part? Edgar can repurpose all your saved content in your library and set your social media on autopilot! You can select your best evergreen content, create categories, choose the days, and let Edgar do all the rest!
Below, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to schedule Instagram posts using Edgar:
1) Connecting accounts
Instagram provides users with three distinct account types: Personal, Creator, and Business. When you initially join Instagram, you automatically have a Personal Instagram account.
Edgar can connect to Instagram business and personal profiles. Due to Instagram’s API limitations, each profile type has access to different Edgar features. We recommend using a Business account to have access to all features.
Connecting Edgar to a business account:
If you have an Instagram Business account, the profile needs to be attached to a Facebook Page and must be authorized through Facebook. The attached Facebook Page needs to be connected to Edgar first.
Connecting Edgar to a personal account:
2) Adding content
Now that you have connected your account let’s move to the exciting part: adding content to the Edgar’s Library!
The first step is to click on the schedule on the left menu. On the content composer, hit the Add new content button and you will be redirected to our composer.
Now, on the schedule page, you will find your connected accounts listed. Choose the one you want to schedule a post and which type of content. You can choose from Direct to feed (for photos, carousels, or videos), IG Reels (for Reels videos), or Mobile reminders (for IG Stories).
At the right, you can choose your own category, enter your caption text, and upload your content.
One of Edgar’s standout features is the ability to plan and schedule carousel posts, allowing you to showcase multiple images or videos in a single post. We can give you some inspiration if you need it: 7 Instagram Carousel Examples. Simply choose the date and time you want your carousel post to go live, and Edgar will take care of the rest, no more manually posting each image or video separately.
3) Schedule Content
Now that you’ve added your content to the composer, let’s have some scheduling fun! Scroll down and hit that ‘Schedule‘ button, then select ‘Schedule and Save.’ A pop-up will appear, and there, you can pick the perfect day and time for your post. Click ‘Finish,’ and voilà…your content is all set for smooth sailing on the chosen day and time.
4) Check your scheduled content
If you want to double-check if your content was properly scheduled or just want to review all your upcoming content, you can go to the ‘Queue‘ option on the left menu. The queue page is your handy hub for viewing all those fantastic posts in the pipeline. And if you’re looking for something specific, simply use the filters on the left menu to sort by social network and account. Easy peasy!
Best Practises
1) Post at your best time
Timing is everything, right? To figure out the perfect time to drop your posts, Instagram’s got this cool thing called Insights2. The feature is only available on the Mobile app and requires at least 100 followers.
Once you’re in, you can view trends across your followers, including the Times they’re most active on Instagram metric. This data reveals the periods when your audience is most engaged on the platform. Leveraging this information empowers you to strategically schedule your posts for maximum impact and audience reach.
2) Don’t schedule too far in advance
Whenever you schedule posts in advance, it’s crucial to stay in touch with current events. Scheduling too far ahead risks missed opportunities and potential trouble.
Take, for instance, Canada’s Drag Race, which had to swiftly delete an untimely tweet about its season finale amid news of the Queen’s death. When reports of the Queen’s ill health were circulating in the news, Canada’s Drag Race issued a promotional tweet teasing its season finale3.
possibly an all-time deleted tweet pic.twitter.com/EWbUZxc4Lj
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 8, 2022
Such slip-ups can make your brand seem insensitive and you might miss opportunities. Remember, once trust is lost, it’s tough to regain. Keep an eye on your content and resist the temptation to schedule too far in advance. Most importantly, make sure you can quickly remove any content that is no longer appropriate.
3) Create great content
Extra time management means extra time to focus on quality! If you’re looking to level up your Instagram game, it’s not just about scheduling tons of content, but making sure it really resonates with your audience. Quality over quantity, always!
Need ideas? You can find 20 content ideas to grow your followers and increase engagement in our blog post.
4) Analyse and adjust
Last but not least, always keep an eye on your analytics. See which posts perform best, and tweak your strategy accordingly.
One way to analyze your Instagram performance is by tracking metrics such as likes, comments, and shares. These engagement indicators provide valuable insights into the type of content that your audience finds most appealing. For example, if you notice that posts featuring behind-the-scenes footage receive higher engagement, you can incorporate more of such content into your strategy.
Additionally, monitoring your follower growth rate can help you gauge the effectiveness of your content and engagement strategies. If you see a significant increase in followers after implementing a particular approach, it indicates that you are on the right track. On the other hand, a decline in followers might signal the need for a strategy adjustment.
Wrapping It All Up
And there you have it, folks! If you’re looking to enhance your Instagram presence and gain more time back from your busy day, it’s time to get into scheduling.
With the tips provided and Edgar by your side, you can craft a compelling content calendar that accomplishes just that.
Now it’s time to schedule those Instagram posts. You can try Edgar for free today!
References
1 Instagram Statistics 2023 – Demand Sage, 2023.
2 About Instagram Insights – Help Article by Instagram, 2023
3 Drag Race deletes unfortunate social media post – Article by Louis Chilton, The Independent, 2022
