Here’s How To Curate Your Instagram Feed Like a Social Media Manager

As we all know, having the perfect Instagram feed has been the latest rage. Whether composed of professional-grade photos, raw selfies, or inspiring text graphics, a well-groomed feed has become a modern day art.

Itching to step up your Insta-game? (Who isn’t?) Here’s a step-by-step guide to making your feed standout in the cyber-world.

Here's How To Curate Your Instagram Feed Like a Social Media Manager 2 — **PHOTO:** @maddyhaller

the two C’s

With all great things, it is important to start small. Instagram feeds are no different. The key to a cohesive page starts with the photos as they are essentially the building blocks. Within each photo, focus on composition and colors. Once you establish a theme to follow, use the photos to tie everything together. For example, this can be done by repeating certain colors within photos or applying the same filter to every photo so that the images are cohesive.

Here's How To Curate Your Instagram Feed Like a Social Media Manager 3 — **PHOTO:** @theelspethblog

think big picture

Once you have the photos down, the next step is placement. With Instagram, you cannot edit the placement of your images without deleting photos and starting again. Similar to how magazine layouts are constructed, if you are interested in having a feed that is eye-catching, you will need to make sure the images are in the best possible order. For this step, I rely heavily on an app called UNUM. This allows you to see your existing feed while giving space for you to add potential photos and move them around. Another perk that comes along with this app is being able to look at account analytics to improve follower engagement.

Here's How To Curate Your Instagram Feed Like a Social Media Manager 4 — **PHOTO:** @michelledufflocq

beyond the photo

Okay, so now that you know what photos you want to post and the placement is figured out, how do you get your photos to stand out enough to garner likes, followers, and even be featured on accounts like college fashionista? The answer to that is through engagement. By making sure to like as many photos as you can, you will be seen and by leaving appropriate comments, you will be heard. For example, if you know a brand you love uses a hashtag, make sure to include that in your posts as well. (Insider tip: For those of you who are itching to get your photos featured on the college fashionista Instagram, try posting photos that directly correlate to the monthly theme of the CF feed, whether that be based on the colors or inspired by the monthly mood board images.)