13 Essential Elements of a Shareworthy Instagram Post

Creating an Instagram account for your business is easy. Creating an Instagram post for your business page is easy. But creating a post that actually gets noticed, a post that gets your message across to your audience – now that’s the real deal. 

While there is no single recipe to create a shareworthy, engaging post, there are a few essential elements you need to make your post stand out in a crowded feed. That’s exactly what this blog is about. 

In short, a shareworthy Instagram post will have:

• The fundamental elements – visuals, captions, hashtags, alt text, tags/mentions, location tags.
• The design elements – contrast, hierarchy, simplicity, branding.
• The psychological elements – relatability, timeliness, save-worthy idea. 

Ready to refresh your understanding of an Instagram post? Let’s go! 

The Fundamental Elements – The Anatomy of an Instagram Post 

So what is a shareworthy Instagram post? A shareworthy Instagram post is one that combines striking visuals, relatable and timely concepts and clear messaging. It is a post designed not just to look good and be seen but to deliver value and invite engagement. It all starts with a strong post anatomy and that’s exactly we’re tackling first.

1. Visuals 

Visuals are undoubtedly the pivotal element in any Instagram post. So, what types of visuals do you need for Instagram Feed? 

• A single image in a static post 
• A GIF 
• Or a short-form video 
• Even a set of images for a carousel post

Unlike other platforms that support text-only content, Instagram only has visual-based posts for the Feed. Therefore, the first step to creating a winning Instagram post strategy is to understand the formats supported by the platform and find the one that works best for the concept you have in mind. 

Of course, you can always repurpose your idea and create a bunch of different formats to experiment with the reach and engagement. But at the crux, there is the visual that delivers your message. We’ll dig a little deeper into the design part of this visual a little later in this blog. 

KIMP Tips: 

• Prioritize authenticity – that’s what sets you apart in the visually overwhelming space. 
• Use high-quality visuals – people judge your brand by the visuals you post. 

2. Captions

For posts like this one, captions are everything. 

And in other cases, captions help build on the visual and ensure a clear and impactful delivery of your message. 

Captions are critical elements of an Instagram post because they 

• Demonstrate your brand voice 
• Help add relevant information without cluttering your visuals 
• Guide your audience through the story communicated 
• Tell them how to react, where to go next or what step to take

On the whole, ensure that your caption does not sit there as a filler but rather adds value to your content, and includes the right CTA to drive conversions. 

Now, for the big question – how long should Instagram captions be? In general, Instagram supports captions up to 2200 characters in length, with the first 125 characters displayed on the Feed until the user taps “more”. However, there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to the length of Instagram captions. 

Some data indicates that shorter captions (less than 30 characters) work better in carousels, fetching an engagement rate of about 0.84%. But sometimes, you need longer captions, for instance, when you are announcing giveaways where the contest rules are to be described in the caption. The key is to write a relevant and engaging caption that includes the relevant keywords for better reach and visibility. 

But remember that only the first few words in your caption are visible in a user’s feed before they have to tap “more”. Use this prime real estate to your advantage. 

• Start with an attention-grabbing hook
• Or add a compelling question
• Perhaps even make a strong statement that makes them want to keep reading

3. Hashtags 

Are hashtags important on Instagram? The short answer: yes! However, the real question is about how many of these you use and how. 

According to Instagram Head, Adam Mosseri, hashtags are there to help people find content in topics that interest them, but do not drastically impact the reach or visibility of any Instagram post. 

So, if you ask if hashtags are dead on Instagram, no, they aren’t. It’s just that their function has shifted, and so should your hashtag strategy. Hence, it does not make sense to use 30 hashtags in all your posts just because Instagram supports 30 hashtags. Instead, stick to a few relevant ones. 

What you really should be doing is to mix popular hashtags, niche-specific, and brand-specific ones – just enough to add value to your post caption. 

Creating a unique hashtag that ties back to your brand and consistently using it helps. Like the #ShotOniPhone hashtag that Apple uses. 

Other than this, when you are creating seasonal posts or posts built around social media holidays, or even posts pertaining to a specific campaign, using relevant hashtags helps connect all content. 

4. Alt text 

What is alt text for Instagram? Alt text, or alternative text, is a silent visual narrator on your Instagram post, one that helps boost SEO and accessibility. 

An often overlooked detail, alt text helps the Instagram algorithm and search engines understand your post better. So, yes, including the relevant keywords (without keyword stuffing) helps. 

In fact, the Instagram algorithm uses the combination of the alt text, caption, and hashtags you use to understand and deliver your post to the right audience. 

So, how do you make alt text work for your Instagram page? 

• Use clear, descriptive yet crisp text. 
• Focus on the crucial details that best describe the image 
• Include relevant keywords naturally 

5. Tags/mentions 

The element of an Instagram post that preserves the “social” component is the tag/mention option. While this is not always essential, the relevance and value of some posts can be amplified, and some posts feel complete with the right tags and mentions. 

Does tagging help on Instagram? Yes, here are a few reasons why:

• Tagging relevant accounts helps build relationships.
• Sometimes it is about giving credit.
• Finally, it helps expand the reach of your posts beyond your immediate circle of followers. 

For instance, in the post here, Walmart mentions the respective creator to give credit. 

But remember to tag relevant accounts only when it makes sense and not merely to grab attention. Spammy tagging affects your brand’s credibility both with users and the algorithm.

6. Location tags 

Though not mandatory, location tags are useful discovery tools, particularly for small businesses trying to reach a local audience. They matter because they help boost local visibility and thus engagement from customers looking for local services/businesses. 

An additional advantage here is that, on adding location tags, your post shows up on the respective location’s feed. So, people exploring places can stumble on your content, and potentially start following your page. 

But how do you make the most of location tags for your Instagram posts?

• Avoid generic tags and get more specific to attract local buyers.
• Consistently use them when you share respective posts in Stories too.
• Pair location tags with any relevant location-specific hashtags to double your discovery. 
• Encourage customers to tag your business location when they share stories about their experience. 

The Design Elements – The Art & Aesthetics 

With the anatomy of an Instagram post sorted, it’s time to dig a little deeper, into the design aspects. After all, as we mentioned earlier in this blog, visuals are the dealbreakers. So, what are some of the design elements that make or break an Instagram post? Here are a few: 

7. Contrast that establishes clarity 

Contrast is one of the vital design elements in any Instagram post – static image or video. It is what ensures that every single element in your design stands out and plays its role perfectly. For instance, a good contrast between text color and background color ensures clear readability. At the same time, a clear size contrast between product photos and background ensures clutter-free focus on the product. 

So, what are a few ways in which you can use contrast to ensure clarity in your designs? 

• When using text over photos, avoid textured and lightweight fonts on busy backgrounds. 
• Add a translucent or opaque filled shape behind text to ensure that the text stands out. 
• Identify a single standout color or accent color that sets the theme and use muted colors to complement it.
• When displaying products, stick to clear and minimal backgrounds to avoid distractions. 

For example, in the post here on the Instagram for Business page, clear contrast is what helps the text and other elements stand out without fading into the background. 

Moreover, the post also demonstrates the use of descriptive captions to add more clarity and provide users with more details to support the visual. 

In short, contrast makes a big impact on the design of your Instagram post. Delve deeper into this topic in our previous blog on contrast.  

8. Hierarchy to guide the eye 

Contrast ensures that every element stands out from the other, but that’s not enough. If each element is screaming for attention, how will the user know what to read first and what to read next? How will the user identify the right direction to navigate through your Instagram post? The answer lies in hierarchy. 

Hierarchy is what grabs attention, communicates the message, ensures that the user does not get distracted or confused, and guides them to the next step. This is because the human brain does not pick up everything in an image all at once. There is definitely one detail that pops out first, and the eye is naturally drawn from one element to the next until it absorbs everything that matters.. Good visual hierarchy ensures that users consume the details in your Instagram post in the right order, which helps them understand the post and what’s in it for them. 

For example, in the design below, the use of color contrast and font size variation grabs attention and presents the intended information to the viewer in the right order, encouraging them to find out more. 

So, leverage visual contrast, colors, font size and font weights, and other elements to establish a clear visual hierarchy in your Instagram post design. 

9. Simplicity that connects with the audience 

No matter how complicated your message is, your design needs to simplify it for your audience. Otherwise, you end up confusing them or communicating the wrong message. This then leads to poor conversion. So, keep it simple.

When your post has a lot of text, many decorative visual elements, multiple fonts and colors, it might feel crowded – it might not succeed in delivering the intended message. Because the human brain reportedly processes images in as little as 13 milliseconds. So when there is too much to process, it simply doesn’t or ends up grasping just a few details that do not give the whole picture. To avoid this, keep your design clutter-free and to the point. 

To demonstrate the power of simplicity, here’s an example. In this text-heavy post, the simple and clutter-free design ensures that the focus remains on the text, which communicates the key message. 

10. Branding consistency 

Even if your Instagram post manages to capture all the essential design details, without this one detail, it can feel disconnected from the rest of your marketing assets – branding. While contrast ensures clarity, hierarchy eliminates confusion, and simplicity helps connect with the audience, branding helps your audience know that it’s you who is speaking! 

In simple words, effective branding helps Instagram users recognize your brand even before they check the handle or read the post. 

The use of standard templates, consistent use of brand colors, specific brand fonts, distinct visual style – branding could look different in different cases. 

Here’s a post from National Geographic’s Instagram page. From the consistent use of white and yellow in text to the placement of the minimalistic brand logo in one corner, the brand establishes its identity across its posts effectively. Similarly, identify the branding formula that works for you without interfering with the content and the aesthetic appeal of your post, since these are crucial on the visually immersive platform. 

An easy way to ensure branding consistency across Instagram and cohesiveness across various marketing channels is to create branded templates and a strong brand style guide. Check out our blog here to understand branded templates better. 

The Psychological Elements – Creating the Human Factor 

Fundamentals tackled and design details explored – what’s next? Elements that make your post feel more human. Elements that differentiate posts that make people stop and engage with from posts that people scroll by. So, here are a few such elements to elevate your Instagram post. 

11. Relatability 

What’s the secret sauce behind all those posts that get shared and reshared on Instagram? Relatability! When creating Instagram posts, it’s not about telling what your brand is or what makes it special but rather about showing customers that you get them. When they see your post and think, “that’s so me”, engagement happens. These are the kinds of Instagram posts that users are more likely to engage with by commenting or sharing with their network. 

So, it’s about infusing empathy into your Instagram posts – through design, through text, through captions, through the overall tone of your post. 

What are some secrets to creating relatable posts for Instagram?

• Understand and use the “feel-felt-found” method as required. 
• Show real people doing real things.
• Focus on authenticity.
• Use familiar situations or emotions. 
• Fine-tune your language so that it balances your brand’s tone of voice and your audience’s language. 

For example, the post here from Tide does not promote the brand itself but connects with the audience by discussing laundry problems that most people relate to. Relatability like this helps boost engagement on an Instagram post. 

12. Timeliness/Trendiness 

As you already know, timing is everything on social media platforms like Instagram. Therefore, your Instagram post needs to be relevant to the time and in line with trends. Even a clever post with stunning design dropped too late feels boring and gets ignored, but even the simplest idea shared at the right moment can blow up. So, it all boils down to understanding what’s happening at the moment, the trends that are ruling Instagram. 

These could be pop-culture trends associated with big movie releases or events like the Oscars or 

Still not convinced? This post from Tim Hortons, despite being simple, made an impact due to the emergence of Taylor Swift’s Orange Era. 

So, now is a good time to start investing in trend tracking tools and social listening tools so you are always up-to-date with what your Instagram fam is raving about and engaging with. Content created to be timely and in line with trends might be short-lived, but they can significantly boost your reach, visibility, and engagement too. 

13. Save-worthy idea

On Instagram, likes and comments are the most popular metrics, no doubt. But are they the ones that matter the most? In fact, the key to a strong social media strategy is to know what metrics to track and when. Saves and shares are crucial metrics on Instagram as they signal the algorithm that your content is worth engaging with and going back to. So, a save-worthy idea makes a good Instagram post. 

So, what types of posts get saved? Informative and educational posts are definitely on top of the list, like you guessed. Other than this, posts that answer specific questions or even inspirational and motivational posts encourage people to hit the “save” button. To create more save-worthy Instagram posts, create:

• Video tutorials 
• Engaging infographics 
• How-to guides in the carousel format 
• Static images with inspirational quotes 

When you share a lot of save-worthy posts, you do not just signal the algorithm that your account is credible, but also become a dependable authority in your niche. What this does is keep your existing audience coming back for more, leading to consistent engagement, leading to a consistent boost in your account visibility, and therefore more new leads as well. 

Instagram Posts: FAQs

With the essential elements of an Instagram post sorted, let’s quickly address a few quick questions with respect to nailing it on Instagram. 

1. Should I prioritize quality or quantity when posting on Instagram?

Quality wins. Consistent posting matters, but a few high-quality, well-thought-out posts will always outperform frequent but low-value ones.

2. What’s the best format for a shareworthy Instagram post? 

There isn’t one single “best” format; the choice depends on your goal. Carousels work best for tutorials or tips, Reels are unbeatable for reach and trends, and static images are great for bold, simple messages.

3. How can I measure if a post is truly “shareworthy”?

Look beyond vanity metrics like “likes”. Shares, saves, and reach are more useful metrics to track. They are stronger signals of shareworthiness. Comments can also show if a post resonated deeply.

Design Shareworthy Instagram Posts With KIMP 

So now you know why some Instagram posts hit differently. They integrate a combination of these 13 essential ingredients and more. In short, they educate, entertain, and engage with the audience instead of focusing on promotions and one-way conversations. That’s exactly what you need for your Instagram page to grow. That plus good designs, of course! While you take care of the rest, leave the design part to us. With KIMP’s unlimited design subscriptions, you get a dedicated design team that can take care of all your social media graphics and more. 

Intrigued? Book a demo with us to find out more. Or sign up to start your 7-day free trial!