Non-obvious advice to kill it on Instagram

I have read tons of advice on how to do well at Instagram - optimize your profile, use hashtags, get influencers on board, make reels. While I followed all this advice, it didn't really help me get ahead with my Instagram game. Sharing some non-obvious but important advice that I have come across and exercising on my own Instagram page, @_studentofstrategy (instagram.com/_studentofstrategy/) where I share my best notes on business strategy, productivity, and positivity

0. MY INSTAGRAM TOOLKIT (ALL FREE!)

• Design posts with Canva
• Search hashtags from www.all-hashtag.com
• Schedule posts through Instagram Creator Studio (https://business.facebook.com/creatorstudio/)
• Study insights through the Instagram app

1. HAVE SET TIMING FOR YOUR POSTS

• Post at the same time everyday to build predictability for your followers, they start expecting your post to show up at that specific time
• This time should be when your followers are most active. Go to "Insights" from your page, then click on "Total Followers" and scroll down to see the "Most Active Time" section to see the days and times your followers frequent Instagram

2. BUILD A WEEKLY POST SCHEDULE AND STICK TO IT

• My Instagram page @_studentofstrategy is a compilation of my notes that I want a broader audience to benefit from. I have built a weekly schedule accounting for the notes I have and what my audience would prefer:

Monday: Greet Tweets (timeless tweets that I have saved)
Tuesday: Reel
Wednesday: Carousel (business strategy)
Thursday: Reel
Friday: Carousel (personal development)
Saturday: Book review
Sunday: Quote

• Build a schedule, a sort of ritual which your audience starts to identify and resonate with

3. HAVE SET POST TEMPLATES BUT DON'T MAKE IT BORING

• I started out using many different templates and now work with the ones that have gotten the maximum engagement from my audience
• Adding some of them here for your reference. Also, share your new posts as an Instagram Story, this increases the viewership rate with your followers
• Have a call-to-action to like, share, save the post at the end and in the comments so that your followers know you are relying on their actions to get encouragement

4. BUILD IN PUBLIC AND INTERACT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

• Have an Instagram Story highlight introducing yourself and your mission, the face behind the page
• Use polls, this or that, AMAs to understand the kind of content your audience wants to see and incorporate that feedback in your schedule
• Share weekly/monthly stats on how your page is performing, welcome new subscribers, and encourage them to interact with you

5. DOING WELL AT REELS

• Instagram promotes reels that are created via the app rather than uploaded from Google Photos/Canva
• Use trending music and #trending to increase the reach of your reels
• After 1 day of posting the reel, remove it from your profile grid (using the 3 dots on the bottom right of the reel). This ensures your reel gets more reach

6. ADHOC ADVICE

• Encourage people to DM you (add "DM for xxx' in your bio) and reply to all DMs
• Highlight other creators' work, any good content you come across. I read and watch a lot of business content and started sharing a link daily via Instagram Stories. That in itself became a ritual and I have people DMing me for sharing good content
  -Use 25-30 #s of varying reach - 10 low, 10 medium, 10 high use

Hope you found this post useful. Please share in the comments some more non-obvious but useful insights you have practiced in your Instagram account!