Instagram best practices
Instagram rewards consistency, native-feeling content, and engagement signals. Some of this applies regardless of the tool, but a few items matter specifically when you're scheduling rather than posting from the native app.
Post Reels, not just feed images
Reels get distribution to non-followers. Feed posts mostly stay with your existing audience. If growth is the goal, a 2:1 ratio of Reels to feed posts is a safe baseline.
Use 9:16 for Reels, 4:5 for feed
These are the platform-preferred ratios. 4:5 takes the most vertical space in feed (more screen = more attention). 9:16 fills the Reels viewport without bars.
See Instagram accepted aspect ratio ranges.
Captions matter — even when they're hidden
Instagram truncates captions after ~125 characters. Lead with a hook in the first line; the "more" tap is a real friction point.
Hashtags: 5–10, niche
Old "max 30 popular tags" advice no longer works. The current pattern: 5–10 specific, niche hashtags directly relevant to the post. Putting them at the end of the caption (rather than the first comment) is the current default.
Engage in the first hour
Posts that get early engagement (especially comments) get pushed wider. Two things help:
- Schedule when your audience is most active (Schedulin's best-time suggestions help).
- Be ready to reply to early comments. Don't schedule and disappear.
Stories drive feed engagement
Followers who watch your Stories see your feed posts more often. Post Stories on the days you also post a Reel.
Collaborate when you can
Collab posts appear on two profiles at once, doubling reach. Use Schedulin's collaborator field (up to 3 collaborators).
Notification publishing only for Story formats
For regular Reels and feed posts, the Graph API works fine. Save notification publishing for Story formats Meta doesn't expose to the API.