When it comes to planning social media content, I can imagine the sounds of implicit groans. “A month worth of content in 1 day! She must be crazy!”  After tweaking and working out this process over and over again, it works! This is the process I use for both social media clients and myself alike. With a bit of discipline and forethought, you can create amazing content your audience will love and that showcases both your products and services!

How to Create 30 Days of Instagram Content in One Day

The beauty of batch working.

When it comes to efficiency and productivity there’s nothing like working in batches. On this day, I choose to work offsite. I find myself at a favorite and inspiring setting. This day is dedicated to one thing- I write, edit, and schedule my content for 30 days. Keep this appointment with yourself. Like all things social media, timing is everything. Schedule this day a week prior to the start of a new month (and quarter). As your accounts grow in strength and following, you’ll be able to predict collaborations and plan lead time for working with other brands. (These take a bit more planning and forethought.)

Know thyself. Keep yourself motivated throughout the day and commit to this appointment.

Before you start this process, it’s vital to know the way you work. Do you thrive in noisy quiet shops and co-working spaces? Do you love being around the energy of others while you work? Are you someone who does best in a quiet and focused space? Do you get your best work done in the morning or late at night when it’s quiet? Find ways to keep yourself motivated throughout the day, taking breaks for meals and stretching. More than anything choose to keep this commitment to yourself and your brand. It will serve you well over and over again.

Create a strong content calendar.

Whether you’re a service or product based business, make sure you have a strategy behind what it is you’re posting. Do you know who you’re talking to? What are their goals in life? How can your Instagram add value to their life? Maybe you want to launch a food blog with delicious gluten-free food. Fill your feed with amazing food recipes and answer the benefits of the gluten-free lifestyle. Maybe you’re a service business. Identify why someone would purchase their product. Let’s say you’re a photographer. What are the reasons someone would make the shift from taking pictures on that iPhone to hiring a professional photographer? Gear your content toward serving and adding value to your audience.

Here are some ideas of what you can post:

• Quotes- post inspirational quotes and relate them to your life, service, and lessons in your industry (Use #mondaymotivation, #quotes, #mondaywords. Post on Mondays)
• Tips and tricks – what are ways you can educate your audience. Whether it’s website, tips, how to dress for a session, or the best ways to automate their business
• Pictures of yourself- more than anything, people relate to people. The way you set yourself apart in business is to show personality. There are thousands of others in your industry. What will set you apart? Begin to show up. With your ideas, with things you love, and the daily aspects of your life. Tell people why you do what you do, random facts about yourself, and your story. Best day to post? Friday and using #fridayintroductions.
• User content- create a unique hashtag and encourage people to post using your product or your service. It’s a natural community builder and ways to build your photo library without much additional effort
• Invite people into a challenge (This can also serve as a way to build your email list.)
• Weekends- people love to see how you spend your time off. Whether it’s an adventure or a perfect novel.
• Things and people you love. Don’t be afraid to celebrate the things and people you love! It shows personality behind what you post and can create organic cross posting and traffic. Whether it’s your favorite piece of clothing, bag, or cup of coffee, your audience loves you and wants to know what you love.
• Service or product offerings.
• Behind the scenes. What does your workspace look like? Who is on your time?
• A day in the life. How do you spend your time?
• Recent work. Mood boards, product as hero, your latest shoot, or designs. Let others know tangibly how you can serve them and show up with your work.
• Share a story or testimonial.

Identify repeat content, seasonal needs, and how it corresponds with your calls to action.

Regardless of your industry, there are going to be repeat elements of your content and ways your readers can anticipate what content you create. Identify ways you want your content to serve others and have clear leads to something else. Maybe you’re into fashion and are hoping to gain the interest of a major fashion recruiter. Maybe you want people to simply book your services. Content should serve an audience, raise brand loyalty, or lead to something else.

Write to inspire with clear calls to action.

It’s no longer enough to solely post a pretty photo. What are you wanting your audience to do? Do you want them to double-tap (like) the photo, comment, or click to another link. Ask people to double tap, comment below, and tell them where to go to grab additional content. For engagement on the app, it’s best to include your ask within the first sentence in the caption. Instagram only displays a minimal caption for most posts unless you select the “read more” button, which makes for easy scrolling. As you write ask how you’re adding value and serving your audience. Open up a Google doc or Evernote and begin drafting your posts. Refine your voice and ask a trusted friend to proofread. Rather than telling them what you do, ask them what they think your Instagram account represents.

Book a few hours with a photographer on the given day. Start with high quality images to boost your account and offerings. Pull from an existing photo library or purchase from our amazing Styled Stock collections.

Nothing can make up for poor images. Just as you wouldn’t put a low quality and grainy image on a billboard, the same applies to your social media accounts. Book seasonal session with a photographer or invest in some great photography gear. Branded and lifestyle photography can be recycled and used over and over again. Build your own library of images or purchase a Styled Stock Collection. Within images, find ways to keep your color palette and your feed cohesive. Your images will be viewed both, 9 images at a time and as single images within the feed.

Schedule your posts and include relevant (daily, seasonal) hashtags.

Using a scheduling app (I use official Instagram partner Later) to store images and scheduling posts. By switching to a business account on Instagram, you’ll have the ability to automatically publish your posts and preview your grid as you build it. (We love this feature as it’s summer vacation season!) Pair your previously written captions with your edited images and place within the monthly view at a daily consistent time. I recommend consistency and quality over quantity every time.

You’ve done it! Congratulations 30 Days of Instagram content, shot, written, and edited in one day!

Looking for more on Instagram? Grab our *FREE* content calendar here.