Need help to make captions for your videos on social media? We have got you covered! In this guide, you will learn how to use various tools to add subtitles to your video content and repurpose videos for better visibility on social media without spending too much time editing. In today’s world of short video content, this info will be more than handy to boost your content performance and to make your social media strategy and planning more effective.

Why Add Captions

Captions can be seen in almost every short video available on social platforms. It has definitely become a must for Reels, Shorts, TikToks, and similar short video formats to include captions or subtitles. No wonder, as duplicating content on the video in text format has distinct benefits:

1. Engagement. Subtitles can keep viewers engaged longer by providing a visual text component. In addition, it is widespread for people to watch short videos with their phone muted, for example, on public transport. The captions allow them to stay with your video without scrolling further and skipping your content due to inconvenience.
2. Accessibility. Captions make your content accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. It also helps non-native speakers and viewers in noisy environments better comprehend what is said.
3. SEO benefits. Search engines can recognize the text in captions. This improves your video's search visibility and helps the right audience find your videos in their feed. In addition, by including targeted keywords and phrases in your captions, you can improve your video's relevance for those search terms, potentially boosting your search rankings.

Some platforms, such as TikTok, have already incorporated automatic captures in their interface. However, these are only sometimes correct, and the font used there is really small. Other platforms may not even have captions at all. This is why adding captions yourself is the best option.  This way, you can control your text's size, font, and accuracy so that viewers have the most comfortable experience while watching your short videos.

How to Add Captions to Videos

Transcribing Tools

The first thing you may need to create your subtitles is a transcription. This can obviously be done manually, but this is a long, exhausting process that automatic tools, including AI-based ones, can easily replace. Here are some of them:

Transkriptor

With a straightforward interface, this AI tool can quickly turn your video or audio into a text document in the desired format. The captions can also be corrected right in the app. It can work with more than 100 languages, so no matter what language you have in your video, Transkriptor can handle it. In addition, Transkriptor gives you a free trial account to test its features and makes you quite a generous offer: 90 minutes of free transcription.

Trint

This tool is trusted by several media such as BBC, Reuters, Der Spiegel, Financial Times, and The Washington Post. It allows you to transcribe your audio and videos quickly. It can work with various formats, including .edl or .xml files that sequence clips in Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, or Final Cut Pro. This way, you can work with your videos while they are still being edited without waiting extra time for your project to be finalized, just to be edited again to add your subtitles. Trint gives you a trial period of 7 days, so you can test their advanced plan version on 3 files for free. The good thing is that the size and length of your files are not limited, and the program will work even with significant recordings.

Waveroom

Waveroom is a multi-functional tool that includes transcription as one of its features. With the help of AI, it can also turn your recordings into written words using its speech-to-text technology. Waveroom gets the job done when it comes to transcribing your files and creating a text transcript that you can use later. You can also save your transcriptions in .SRT format. It also has a denoising function, which can be useful before transcription to make further captions more accurate.

Video Editing Tools

The next thing you do after extracting transcripts from your file is, of course, adding the captions to the actual video. This involves synchronizing the text with your video content's corresponding audio and visual elements. These tools typically include adding time and format captions to ensure they appear at the right time. This can be done via classical video editing tools. Here are some of the tools that you could utilize for that purpose.

Clideo

Clideo is an online platform that provides tools for editing and processing video clips. One of its features is explicitly dedicated to adding subtitles. You can either type in your subtitles manually or upload a subtitle file (like .SRT or .ASS formats). If you're typing them in, enter the text and set the timing for each subtitle. In the Clideo interface, you can preview the video and set each subtitle segment's start and end times. You can make your subtitles look how you want them to, with different fonts, sizes, colors, and positions on the screen. The process is simple, with a drag-and-drop interface that makes adding and syncing subtitles easy. Everything is done in the browser, so there’s no need to download or install software.

Happy Scribe

Happy Scribe is an excellent tool for adding captions to videos. Its main functionality is similar to Clideo, mentioned above. You can either type in your subtitles manually or upload a subtitle file in a format like .SRT or .ASS. If you're typing them in manually, you must enter the text and set the timing for each subtitle. This feature lets you set exact start and end times for each subtitle segment so that the text lines up perfectly with the spoken words and visual cues in the video.

Multi-Purpose Tools

There are tools made for several purposes that can make repurposing and adding captions much easier. These tools are excellent for creators of all levels, helping to make their content more accessible, reach more people, and get more engagement.

AI Video Cut

AI Video Cut is a new tool that makes creating short clips from existing videos easier. This app can quickly create short videos without spending hours planning, cutting, and compiling clips manually. It does all this automatically so that you can create professional-looking video snippets in no time. All you need to do is to insert a link to the video, set cutting parameters, and press Submit. The tool will then create a short clip (or several!) out of your long video. Ideal for making Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikToks!

AI Video Cut continues beyond creating clips. It goes even further by suggesting several versions of the clips, giving you multiple options to choose from. If unsatisfied with the initial results, you can easily restart the process and let the AI generate new versions until you find the perfect one.

Video editing is a time-consuming process, and AI Video Cut helps avoid extra editing by repurposing existing content. This saves time and helps expand your reach and engagement without the extra effort. Plus, this tool provides transcription for every video you can use to create captions for the video the program has made for you.

CapCut

CapCut is a well-known tool that has all the tools you need to transcribe videos and create captions. Even more, it provides the whole video-editing functionality with lots of additional tools and effects available. The process of adding captions is quite easy and intuitive. Once you've uploaded the video, use the transcription feature. CapCut's ASR technology will analyze the audio and generate a text transcription of the spoken words. You can then review the automatically generated transcription. You can edit the text directly within the app to correct errors or adjust the timing to match the audio perfectly. Once you've transcribed the video, CapCut gives you the tools to add and customize captions. This means the captions are accurate, look good,d and are easy to read. Here’s how you can add and customize captions.

Which way? You Choose!

As you can see, there are numerous tools for adding captions to the videos. The choice of tool to use depends on what you need, what you like, and what kind of content you are working with. Some people want to get things done quickly and use automation, while others want to have the option to make changes. Each tool has been designed with the user in mind, so there are many options to suit different workflows and creative processes. Adding captions to your videos is a great way to make them more engaging, accessible, and discoverable.

There are many tools to choose from, so every content creator can find one that suits them. You can use an automated transcription service, a manual editing tool, or an all-in-one solution. These tools are vital to creating inclusive, engaging, and high-quality content. Choose the best way to caption your videos and make the most of them in the world of social media and short formats.

Long time, no see! We're pleased to announce the latest updates for Combin Growth and Combin Scheduler—versions 2.13 and 1.11 respectively. We know these have been long-awaited releases, and here they finally are.

In these updates, we've focused on addressing specific issues to enhance your user experience. Here are the key improvements.

Account Authorization Issues Resolved

In the previous version, some users encountered errors during login attempts. We're happy to share that with this update, account authorization functions seamlessly without any hiccups.

Enhanced Notifications for Required Participation

You'll now receive timely notifications prompting you to take necessary actions, such as entering a captcha, re-logging in, or participating in other identity verification processes. This update ensures you stay informed and engaged when needed.

Improved Search by Post Link

We've fixed an issue related to searching by post link, particularly when the link led to an Instagram Reel. Previously, this type of search returned an error stating "Post information is unavailable." With the latest release, you can successfully search for users using links to Reels or regular Instagram posts.

We appreciate your feedback and encourage you to reach out with any further suggestions or concerns 💜

To update to the latest versions of Combin Growth and Combin Scheduler, visit our official website or check for updates within the apps.

Although Instagram now caters to video content as well as photos, it still remains a platform where visual storytelling takes center stage. As users continually seek to curate captivating content, understanding the nuances of Instagram image sizes becomes a fundamental aspect of successful engagement.

With social media visual assets guidelines changing so fast, keeping up with Instagram's ever-changing image sizes can be a real head-scratcher. One moment your profile looks flawless, and the next, your cover photo is pixelated and out of sync. But no worries—this ultimate guide to Instagram image sizes has got you covered, ensuring your account stays visually stunning.

We've done the research on Instagram photo sizes, covering everything from posts and stories to profile pics. Let's explore the current Instagram formats and sizes to keep your feed on point.

Instagram Post Image Size

Instagram post images can be square, landscape, or vertical, but they all end up cropped to a square in the feed.

• Square post images should be a perfect 1080px by 1080px, maintaining a 1:1 aspect ratio.
• For landscape posts, aim for the ideal size of 1080px by 566px, with an aspect ratio of 1.91:1.
• Vertical images should be sized at 1080px by 1350px, adhering to a 4:5 aspect ratio.

Instagram Profile Image Size

Your Instagram profile pic deserves attention too. Opt for a square image sized at 360 x 360 px for the perfect display.

Instagram Video Image Size

When it comes to videos, you can use the same aspect ratios as images, ranging from 1.91:1 to 4:5. For horizontal videos, stick to a 16:9 aspect ratio – the standard for landscape video recording on smartphones.

Ensure your videos aren’t larger than 4 GB and can be up to 60 seconds long.

Instagram Stories Size

Make your stories stand out by going full screen with content sized at 1080px by 1920px, maintaining a 9:16 aspect ratio. Pictures last for five seconds, and videos appear in 15-second segments, giving you creative control over one-minute stories.

Instagram Reels Video Sizes

Instagram loves videos that take up the whole screen, so opt for a Reel that's 1080px by 1920px, making it a 9:16 aspect ratio. This aspect ratio applies to both vertical and horizontal videos, offering a seamless viewing experience.

Instagram Reels Thumbnail Size

Choose any image from your phone as a thumbnail for Instagram Reels, but be mindful of dimensions and aspect ratios.

• Thumbnail dimensions: 1080 pixels x 1080 pixels for the main feed grid and 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels for the Reels feed.
• Cover aspect ratio: 1:1 for the main feed grid and 9:16 for the Reels feed.

Optimize your Reel thumbnail by keeping in mind the two aspect ratios—you can only edit the 9:16 version for display on the Reels feed.

💡Suggested read: How to download Instagram Reels

Instagram Ads Image Sizes

When it comes to Instagram Ads, understanding the right image sizes is crucial for a campaign that stands out. Whether you're opting for a landscape or square format, here's a breakdown to help you navigate the dimensions and aspect ratios seamlessly.

• Landscape ads should have dimensions of 1080 x 566 pixels
• Square ads should have the following specs: 1080 x 1080 pixels dimensions,

320 pixels is the minimum width and 1080 px — maximum with the supported aspect ratios between 1.91:1 and 4:5.

Ensure your visuals align with the specified parameters, guaranteeing that your Instagram Ads not only look great on the main feed grid but also captivate your audience when showcased on various devices.

How to Optimize Image Size for Instagram If It’s Too Big (on Desktop & Online)

Encountered the dreaded "file too large" message on Instagram? Don't panic! You can optimize your images with third-party compression tools. One such tool is the 4K Image Compressor, a desktop app compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It quickly optimizes JPEG, PNG, HEIC, and WEBP images without compromising quality.

Follow these steps:

1. Launch 4K Image Compressor.
2. Select the output format and set the desired compression value.
3. Click "Compress" and choose your image for compression.
4. Your image will be uploaded and compressed instantly.

Hover over the compressed image preview, click the folder icon, and there you have it – your perfectly optimized image ready to shine on Instagram!

If you'd rather opt for an online image compression tool, use TinyPNG. It's an online image compression tool that can reduce the files' size of PNG, WEBP, and JPG images. The service employs lossy compression techniques to achieve smaller file sizes while attempting to maintain good image quality. To compress images with TinyPNG, simply visit the TinyPNG website and upload images through the web interface.

💡Suggested read: The curated list of best 8 image compressors, desktop and online.

Instagram always tries to cater to users' preferences for a more personalized and exclusive sharing experience. One such example is the Close Friends feature, a tool that allows users to curate a select audience for their Stories. While this feature has been a staple for sharing Stories, recent developments allow Instagram to explore ways to extend this exclusivity to other content types, such as posts and Reels.

How? Explaining below.

What Are Instagram Close Friends?

Instagram's "Close Friends" feature, rolled out back in 2018, initially allowed users to share their Stories with a selected group of people rather than with all of their followers. When you add someone to your close friends list, they will see a green badge when viewing your Stories, indicating that they are part of your close friends' audience.

Instagram's latest feature, however, allows users to limit their posts, including Reels, to just their close friends as well. This provides a more private and exclusive sharing experience, transforming your Instagram feed into a space filled with content from a more intimate community.

How to Share Reels & Posts Only with Close Friends on Instagram

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to post Reels and posts exclusively for your close friends.

1. Update your Instagram app or ensure that you have the latest version of the Instagram app installed on your device.

2. Identify your close friends.

Before you start posting, make sure you've curated a list of close friends on Instagram. You can do this by going to your profile, tapping on the three horizontal lines in the top right corner, selecting "Close Friends," and adding or removing accounts as needed.

3. Create your post or reel.

Craft your post or reel as you normally would. This could be a photo, video, or a creative reel that you want to share exclusively with your close friends.

4. Access the audience settings.

When you're ready to share your content, you'll encounter the audience settings just before posting. Look for the "Audience" option; it's typically located in the same area where you add captions and tags.

5. Choose Close Friends.

Select the "Audience" option, and then choose "Close Friends" from the available options. This will ensure that only the users on your close friends list will be able to see your post or reel.

6. Complete the posting process.

After selecting "Close Friends," click on "Done" or any similar confirmation button. This step confirms that you want to limit the visibility of your post to your close friends.

7. Share your post.

Once you've completed the audience selection, proceed with sharing your post or reel as you normally would. Your content will now be visible exclusively to the users on your close friends list.

Users who are part of your close friends list will see a green star icon next to your post or reel in their feed. This indicates that the content is shared only with close friends, creating a sense of exclusivity.

Close Friends on Instagram: FAQ

How to Create a Close Friends List on Instagram

To make a Close Friends list, start creating a new story, and locate the small star icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap on it, then select "Add to List." As the list is not yet created, Instagram will prompt you to do so. Click "Get Started," and either choose users from the suggested list or enter their usernames manually.

Alternatively, you can create a Close Friends list by navigating to your Instagram profile page, clicking on the three lines in the upper right, selecting "Close Friends," and once again opting to "Get Started." Enter the usernames of the desired users or simply press "Add" on Instagram's suggested user list.

How to Check If You Are on Someone’s Close Friends List on Instagram

The only way to figure this out is to wait until those who have added you to it will share stories, reels, or posts. If you are on the list, their content will show up with a green ring indicator. There is no other way to find out if you are added to the list or not.

Written by David Pagotto

Instagram ads are highly targeted advertisements that are easily customizable. They offer an effective way to reach an audience of two billion active users, mostly 45 years old or younger. Instagram ads are also highly accessible and easy to incorporate into your social media strategy.

However, you must keep testing, evaluating, and adjusting your Instagram ads to ensure you get the most out of your content. But you can’t track and measure everything. You need to identify the crucial Instagram ad metrics that can give an accurate picture of your campaign’s performance.

In this article, you’ll learn six Instagram ad metrics you should track. Whether your ads are on Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, or individual posts, here are some key performance metrics to look at:

1. Reach

Reach tells you the number of people who view your ads. More specifically, it is the number of unique people who got to see your Instagram ad. That means that even if the same person views your ad more than once, it will only count as one person reached. The viewer does not have to interact with the ad for it to count as reach.

Reach is one of the key Instagram ad metrics essential for building brand awareness and recognition. The higher your reach, the better, of course. When your ads reach more people, the chances of you generating more Instagram followers, comments, and shares are high as well. That means more chances for conversions.

Social channels automatically count your ad reach for you, making it simple to track how your ads are performing. As long as you have an Instagram Business profile or Creator account, you’re good to go.

A pro tip is to incorporate hashtags into your ads to increase their reach. Use trending and popular hashtags for the best results.

2. Impressions

Instagram impression measures how many times the ad is displayed on a screen, regardless of whether or not the user viewed the ad. Impression is different from reach, even though they seem similar. Again, reach measures how many people actually viewed your branded content or other types of content. So, the act of seeing should have been consummated.

One user can count as multiple impressions as long as the ad was displayed on their screen more than once.

If you notice that your impressions are way more than your reach, it means that each of your audience members is viewing your ads more than once. This is a call for you to restrategize and help newer audiences see the ads to learn about your brand. So, you might want to target different audience demographics using Instagram Insights, for example.

3. Engagement Rate

This metric measures what percentage of your audience who actively interacts with your ad or any other piece of content. In essence, the engagement rate shows the likes, comments, and shares your content gets. While some social media marketers consider them vanity metrics, they may also provide some valuable insights. They show how well your content is resonating with your audience. When these are high, it may also mean you’re effectively using social media to build brand loyalty.

The engagement rate is calculated as follows:

But don’t just keep track of ad engagement to know which campaigns resonate more with your Instagram target audience and enhance your content strategy.

You also want to keep an eye on it to ensure good customer service. By looking at comments on Instagram ads, for instance, you can know possible issues your customers are facing that are related to your product. You can, therefore, provide quick answers and solutions to these issues. We’ll talk about the comment rate later.

4. Click Through Rate (CTR)

The click-through rate is a good way of knowing whether your ad made enough positive impact on the audience for them to click and learn more. It is calculated by dividing the total clicks on your content by the number of impressions.

Let’s say you’re running a campaign for your new business app on Instagram. The ad gets 10,000 impressions and 500 clicks. Your click-through rate will be 5%. You can measure this metric manually or use a social media analytics tool to do the math for you.

Many factors impact the click-through rate. These include the keywords used, hashtags, imagery, and call to action. To determine the success of your Instagram campaign, compare your results with the current industry benchmark. Any Instagram ad that has a CTR of higher than 2% is performing well.

A pro tip is to try different kinds of ads with varying images, ad copy, keywords, hashtags, and CTAs during your A/B testing. Then compare the CTRs of all those ad variations. You’ll want to retain the ones with the highest CTRs.

5. Comment Rate

The comment rate measures how often users, well, comment on your Instagram ads. Comments as engagement metrics can be positive and negative. They’re a good indication that your ad had an impact on your audience. Why else would they bother to leave a comment in the first place? It takes time to compose one, after all.

But, of course, you want to strive to get positive comments instead of negative ones. These positive comments can serve as social proof. When other people read these comments, they are more likely to patronize your brand as well. Based on a Brightlocal survey, a whopping 46% feel that online business reviews are just as trustworthy as recommendations from family and friends.

That’s not to say you’ll discard negative comments, of course. You can also use these to improve, not just your Instagram ad, but also your products and services. See negative comments as your opportunity to win over a frustrated or disgruntled customer.

You should make it a habit to respond to Instagram ad comments, whether positive or negative. Over 80% of the same Brightlocal survey respondents said they are “fairly likely” and “highly likely” to support a business that responds to both positive and negative reviews:

To do this effectively, manage Instagram ad comments. Consumers may just want to give their feedback on your Instagram ad or brand, or are already close to making a purchase and are just asking some final questions. Either way, they’re expecting a quick answer from you. You can’t give them that prompt response if you have to switch between different campaigns and dashboards to respond to each comment.

6. Custom Conversions

Custom conversions measure the number of people who were sent to your website from Instagram ads and were converted. Conversion can take multiple forms. It depends on the specific campaign you’re running.

For example, if you’re running a campaign to encourage people to sign up for your email list by downloading a lead magnet, successful email signups will be your conversions. To get the most out of this ad campaign, make sure you verify email addresses before sending your marketing emails.

On the other hand, if you’re marketing a SaaS product and want people to sign up for a free trial, you’ll look at successful free trial signups.

Therefore, custom conversion rate is calculated by dividing the number of people who completed your desired action by the total ad audience:

Custom conversions show whether you’re getting a good return on investment from your Instagram advertisements. If people are taking the action you intended, then the ad is giving you your desired conversion goals.

You can keep an eye on these conversions on your website using tools like Google Analytics or its latest update, Google Analytics 4. Use UTMs to track the source of custom conversions and determine which ones came from Instagram ads.

Conclusion

To wrap up, you’ve learned six key metrics to measure the effectiveness of your Instagram ads.

Reach is the number of people that saw your ad. Impressions, meanwhile, refer to the number of times an ad was displayed for viewers to see. The engagement rate tells you which percentage of your audience is interacting with your Instagram ad. The comment rate, in particular, is the frequency with which users leave comments on this content type and others. The click-through rate, on the other hand, is the number of clicks on an ad divided by impressions.

Then there are custom conversions, which refer to that portion of your ad audience who clicked on your ads and took your desired action.

You can choose one or more of these Instagram ad metrics to measure the effectiveness of your content. Then use these insights to make data-driven decisions about your Instagram advertising strategy. You’ll surely reap advertising success. Best of luck!

About Author

David Pagotto is the Founder and Managing Director of SIXGUN, a digital marketing agency based in Melbourne. He has been involved in digital marketing for over 10 years, helping organizations get more customers, more reach, and more impact.

On social media, where our audiences' attention spans are as short as trending hashtags, the challenge for content creators, influencers, and social media managers is to keep a balance between capturing attention and keeping it brief. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram have become the canvas for storytellers, but audiences now crave brevity, and the platforms now cater to short video content as well. Short videos gain more views, might easily go viral, and bring more engagement to your page.

💡 But what if your video is too long for a Reel, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts? That's where our new tool, Ai Video Cut, comes into play. No need for bulky video editing software!

How Ai Video Cut Helps You with Video Making

The tool cuts long videos into short clips, but that's not all it can do. Here's what else you can achieve with Ai Video Cut.

Create Short Viral Content for Social Media

With Ai Video Cuts, which is powered by AI, you can create catching trailers, topics-based viral clips, or ads with calls to action—all customised to meet your needs.

Choose Tone-of-Voice from the Palette

It's you who decides how your video should sound—persuasive, emotional, attention-grabbing, or functional. It's not just about what you say but how you say it. Your narrative, your voice.

Control the Length of Your Reel, TikTok, or YouTube Shorts

With Ai Video Cut's flexible video length, you can control the duration of your video story. Choose between 5, 10, or 20 phrases, ensuring your content aligns with the ever-decreasing attention span of your audience. It's about telling your story without losing them along the way.

Make Accurate Transcriptions

Lots of people watch videos without sounds on social media, so precise closed captions and subtitles are a must. With this tool, you'll benefit from top-notch transcription accuracy and advanced AI prompts. It's not just about telling a story; it's about ensuring the quality of your repurposed video content remains true to your original idea.

Shape Perspectives with Aspect Ratios

Like a master painter choosing the canvas, export your content in 9:16, 4:3, or its original size, as the right size is vital for social media content optimisation. Your story deserves to be seen, and this tool ensures it's adaptable to various platforms and screens seamlessly.

🍿 Bonus: Handy Telegram Bot for Your Convenience

To make the video cutting process even quicker, easily access clipping through the handy Telegram bot. A couple of commands in the chat—and the short video cuts are at your service.

Who's It For?

🟠 Content Creators & Influencers

If you regularly create video content for social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, or looking to enhance your video content, Ai Video Cut is right for you.

🟠 Digital Marketers

Responsible for running online advertising campaigns, including video ads? Optimise your content for different platforms with our tool.

🟠 Social Media Managers

If you manage social media accounts of multiple brands and seek tools to create engaging content efficiently, definitely give Ai Video Cut a shot!

🟠 Podcasters

If you run a show, easily create highlight Reels or visual summaries of your episodes, offering a quick preview to potential listeners.

And more areas where video content is a must.

How to Use Ai Video Cut

The tool is so far available only for early access, which you can request on the official website. Just enter your email address, and we'll put you on the waiting list to be the first to try Ai Video Cut.

Digital marketing never stops evolving, making brands continually seeking innovative ways to connect with their audiences. One such avenue that gained momentum in recent years is podcasting. This dynamic yet intimate medium offers brands a unique opportunity to engage with their target demographic, build brand awareness, establish thought leadership, and even boost revenues.

In this piece, we'll talk about how your business might profit from podcasting and build another bridge towards your audience.

Why Your Brand Needs a Podcast (Or At Least Consider It)

Podcasting has transcended its initial reputation as a niche form of content consumption, becoming a mainstream platform for information and entertainment. The power of podcasting for brands lies in its ability to forge a personal connection with audiences. Unlike written content, podcasts enable brands to communicate directly with listeners, leveraging the emotive quality of voice and the art of storytelling.

What's more, podcasts can be consumed in the background, that's why people often opt for this content instead of the written word or videos. Podcasts offer unparalleled accessibility. With the rise of smartphones and the ubiquity of streaming platforms, listeners can engage with podcasts while commuting, exercising, or performing household chores. This flexibility makes podcasts a constant companion in people's daily lives, presenting brands with an opportunity to seamlessly integrate into their audience's routine.

How a Brand Starts Podcasting in 2023

It's not that difficult if you set it right. Here's a check list to make podcasting a profitable marketing asset.

🟣 Set Clear Objectives

Before embarking on a podcasting journey, determine what you want to achieve with it. What does the brand hope to seek through podcasting? Is the focus on increasing brand awareness, positioning the brand as a thought leader in the industry, or fostering a sense of community among its audience?

Understanding these goals not only shapes the content and tone of the podcast but also provides a framework for measuring success. Whether the aim is to attract new customers, deepen relationships with existing ones, or establish authority in a particular niche, setting clear objectives ensures that the podcast aligns with the broader marketing strategy.

💡We in Combin have been using podcasts for several years now, and our main goal is to create buzz around our products and build thought leadership by interviewing industry experts.

🟣 Understand Your Audience

Oh this old but gold rule to know who your target personas are. A successful podcast hinges on its resonance with the intended audience, so invest time in understanding the demographics, preferences, and habits of your target listeners. Researching audience behaviour and preferences is key to tailoring content that not only captures attention but also fosters loyalty.

By delving into consumer insights, you can uncover the topics that resonate most with your audience (who will more likely to become your buyers). Are they seeking industry insights, practical tips, or entertaining narratives? Armed with this knowledge, you will create content that adds genuine value to the listener's experience, forging a deeper connection between the brand and its audience.

🟣 Plan Your Podcast

Planning is the cornerstone of a successful podcasting strategy. It involves defining the overarching theme of the podcast, determining the format of each episode, and establishing a consistent publishing schedule. Consider whether your show will be interview-based, narrative-driven, or a mix of both.

A content plan is equally essential. This roadmap should outline the topics to be covered in each episode, ensuring a diverse yet cohesive range of content. The key is to strike a balance between evergreen content and timely, relevant discussions, creating a podcast that remains both timeless and current.

🟣 Brand Your Podcast

Branding goes beyond your logo and extends to the entire podcast experience. Start with eye-catching podcast artwork that communicates your brand identity at a glance. Consistency is key, so ensure that your podcast intro, outro, and overall presentation align with your brand's tone and messaging.

Think of your podcast as an extension of your brand—a unique opportunity to showcase its personality. Whether your brand is known for its humour, expertise, or authenticity, let these traits shine through in your podcast. This consistency reinforces your brand image and aids in creating a memorable, recognisable presence in the podcasting landscape.

🟣 Host & Distribute Your Podcast

Choosing the right podcast hosting platform is a critical decision. The hosting platform not only stores your podcast files but also facilitates distribution to major podcast directories. Platforms like Castos, Podbean, and Spotify for Podcasters (formerly Anchor) offer varying features, so select one that aligns with your brand's needs and budget.

Once your hosting is in place, configure your podcast's RSS feed. This feed is the mechanism that allows podcast directories like Apple Podcasts or Spotify to showcase your episodes.

💡Tip: Follow the submission guidelines for each directory to ensure seamless integration and maximum visibility.

🟣 Create Compelling Content

Content is the heart of your podcast, and creating captivating, valuable episodes is important. You can achieve that by incorporating storytelling, interviews with industry experts, and discussions on current trends but tailor your content to meet the needs and interests of your target audience.

The key is to strike a balance between providing educational content and infusing entertainment value. Your podcast should be an enjoyable experience for listeners, prompting them to return for more. Regularly revisit your content plan to ensure that it remains relevant and engaging

💡Tip: Look at trends within your industry. If many of your competitors or peers have successful podcasts, it might indicate that your audience is receptive to this form of content.

🟣 Promote Your Podcast

Even the most exceptional podcasts need promotion to reach their full potential. Leverage your existing marketing channels, including social media, email newsletters, and your brand's website, to promote each episode. Create teaser content to generate excitement before an episode's release and follow up with behind-the-scenes insights afterward.

💡Tip: Evaluate other channels and mediums that might be more effective for your brand. If your audience prefers video content, for example, a YouTube channel might be a better fit.

Encourage your listeners to share episodes with their networks and leave reviews. Word-of-mouth remains a powerful marketing tool, and positive reviews can significantly boost your podcast's visibility. Collaborate with influencers or other brands in your industry to expand your reach and tap into new audiences.

🟣 Measure Success

Measuring the success of your podcast involves tracking key performance indicators (KPIs). Analyse download numbers, listener demographics, and engagement metrics to gauge the impact of your podcast.

💡Tip: Pay attention to listener feedback, as it often provides valuable insights into what is resonating with your audience.

Flexibility is crucial in podcasting. Be prepared to adapt your content based on listener preferences and evolving industry trends and regularly revisit your podcasting goals and KPIs to ensure that your strategy remains aligned with your brand's broader objectives.

🟣 Monetisation Opportunities

This is a next-level goal. As your podcast gains traction and builds a loyal audience,  start exploring monetisation opportunities. While this may not be the primary goal for every brand, it's essential to understand the potential avenues for generating revenue through your podcast.

Sponsorships and advertisements are common monetisation strategies. Brands relevant to your industry may be interested in reaching your audience through sponsored segments. Additionally, affiliate marketing, premium content subscriptions, or even exclusive merchandise can contribute to the financial success of your podcast

Essential Equipment to Start Podcasting in 2024

With objectives in place and a clear understanding of the target audience, the next step is to equip your brand for podcasting success. A key consideration is investing in the right podcasting equipment. While entry-level setups can include a quality USB microphone and free podcast recording software, more advanced configurations might involve an XLR microphone, audio interface, acoustic treatment, pop filters, and professional editing software.

The goal is to ensure that your podcast delivers a clear, professional sound. Podcast listeners are discerning, and investing in quality equipment reflects your commitment to delivering an exceptional listening experience.

How Can a Podcast Help Your Brand

Podcasting can benefit a brand in several ways, providing a unique platform for communication and engagement. Here's how.

• Brand awareness: Podcasting allows you to reach a broader audience and increase brand visibility. Regularly producing valuable and interesting content can make your brand more memorable.
• Thought leadership: A podcast provides a platform for your brand to showcase expertise and thought leadership within your industry. Sharing insights, analysis, and discussing industry trends can position your brand as an authority.
• Audience engagement: Podcasting creates a more personal connection with your audience. Hearing the voices of the hosts can make the brand feel more human, fostering a sense of connection and engagement.
• Community building: Your brand show can help build a community around your brand. Encouraging listener interaction, featuring guests, and responding to feedback can create a sense of belonging among your audience.
• Multichannel presence: Podcasts provide an additional channel through which your brand can reach its audience. Integrating podcast content with other marketing channels can reinforce your brand message.
• SEO benefits: Podcast episodes can contribute to your brand's online presence and search engine optimization (SEO). Transcribing episodes, using relevant keywords, and including show notes can enhance discoverability.
• Product/service promotion: Podcasts offer a subtle way to promote your products or services. Integrating promotions naturally within the content or through sponsorships can be more engaging than traditional advertising.
• Ad revenue and monetisation: Once established, podcasts can generate revenue through sponsorships, advertisements, or partnerships. This can contribute to the overall financial health of the brand.

Podcasting isn't a one-size-fits-all endeavour. Tailor your approach to align with your brand's unique voice, values, and goals. As you navigate the podcasting landscape, remember that success may not be instantaneous. Patience, coupled with a continuous commitment to improvement, will contribute to the longevity and impact of your brand's podcast.

Whether you're a web developer striving for faster page load times, a content creator aiming to optimise your media assets, or simply someone looking to save storage space on your devices, the right image compressor can be a game-changer.

So if you're trying to find one, look no further, as we've hand-picked 8 best image compressors just for you, from handy web-based solutions to solid desktop applications.

Why You Need an Image Compressor

As the name implies, these tools compress images. In fact, that's not the only thing they're capable of. Or rather, that's not the only thing they can help you with. Here are few reasons why an image compressor is a valuable asset in your setup, whether you're a social media creator or a web developer.

#1. Faster web page loading

Compressed images result in smaller file sizes, leading to faster loading times for web pages. Why it matters? This is essential for improving user experience and optimising website performance—images reduced with an image compressing tool use less bandwidth when loading on a website or app.

#2. Storage optimisation

If you need to save some storage space on your device, compressing files (including images) is a must, as it helps save disk space, whether it's for websites, content management systems, or other digital platforms.

When sharing images online or through messaging apps, compressed images transfer more quickly, providing a faster and more efficient sharing experience.

#3. Optimized mobile experience

Mobile devices often have slower internet connections compared to desktops. Compressed images improve the overall mobile experience by reducing data transfer and enhancing page loading on mobile devices.

#4. Improved SEO performance

Search engines take website loading speed into account when ranking pages. Faster-loading pages, facilitated by compressed images, can contribute to better search engine optimisation (SEO) rankings.

💡Suggested read: Instagram SEO & best practices to increase your account’s discoverability in 2024 (unlocked by Instagram)

#5. Better email marketing

Compressed images are useful when sending files via email or messaging platforms, reducing the time it takes to send and download images.

#6. Mobile app performance

Mobile applications often have size limitations, especially when distributed through app stores. Compressing images helps keep the overall app size within acceptable limits.

Now that you know how helpful image compressors can be, let's get straight to the list of the best we could find.

4K Image Compressor

4K Image Compressor is a free desktop application available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The tool lets you optimise PNG, JPEG, HEIC, and WEBP images quickly and without quality loss. You can upload images in lossless and lossy formats.

The app works super easily: just install it on your desktop and upload one or several images. Then select the desired optimisation settings, and the compressed images will be automatically saved on your computer.

Key features:

• Reduce the size of an image by a desired number of percent or to a particular size in megabytes, kilobytes, or even bytes.
• PNG, JPEG, HEIC, and WEBP are supported for optimisation and conversion, and more are coming soon.
• Batch compression is available to save your time.

Pros:

• Batch uploading is available which saves tons of daunting minutes of uploading images one by one.
• Free plan is available.
• Image compression to a certain amount of megabytes, kilobytes, or even bytes is supported.

Cons:

• PDF isn't available but the developers claim it will be added in the upcoming releases.

PNGGauntlet

PNGGauntlet is a Windows-based image optimisation tool designed to compress PNG images. It's a free and open-source software that focuses specifically on optimising PNG images, which is a popular lossless image format. To use the tool, just drag and drop PNG files into the app's interface or select files through the file browser. The tool then applies the selected optimization algorithms to reduce the file size of the PNG images.

Key features:

• PNGGauntlet is a front-end for multiple image optimisation tools, including PNGOUT, OptiPNG, and DeflOpt, allowing users to achieve a higher level of compression.
• Converts JPG, GIF, TIFF, and BMP files to PNG.
• Users can process multiple PNG files in a batch, streamlining the optimisation process for multiple images.
• It provides a simple and easy-to-use graphical user interface.

Pros:

• PNGGauntlet is free to use.
• By integrating various optimisation tools, PNGGauntlet aims to achieve better compression results.

Cons:

• PNGGauntlet is designed for Windows, so users of other operating systems may need to look for alternative tools.
• As the name suggests, PNGGauntlet is specific to PNG images and does not support other image formats.

TinyPNG

TinyPNG is an online image compression tool that can reduce the files' size of PNG, WEBP, and JPG images. The service employs lossy compression techniques to achieve smaller file sizes while attempting to maintain good image quality. To compress images with TinyPNG, simply visit the TinyPNG website and upload images through the web interface.

Key features:

• Three formats are available for compression—PNG, WEBP, and JPG.
• The compression employed by TinyPNG is lossy, meaning that there is a trade-off between file size reduction and some loss of image detail.
• You can upload and compress multiple images simultaneously, making it convenient for handling image collections.
• TinyPNG offers an API for developers, allowing for integration into websites or applications.

Pros:

• The TinyPNG website provides a simple and user-friendly interface, making it easy for both beginners and experienced users to compress images.
• TinyPNG often achieves significant file size reduction without a noticeable loss in image quality, particularly for PNG images.

Cons:

• There are file size limits for free users, and larger images may require a paid subscription for processing.

JPEGoptim

JPEGoptim is a command-line utility, which means it is used through the command prompt or terminal on various operating systems. JPEGoptim is a free and open-source software primarily designed for optimising JPEG images.

Key features:

• JPEGoptim provides options for both lossless and lossy optimisation of JPEG images. Users can choose the level of compression based on their preferences.
• Users can configure various parameters, such as the quality level and the amount of compression applied to the images.
• JPEGoptim supports batch processing, allowing users to optimise multiple JPEG files in one go.
• The tool can preserve or remove Exif data (metadata) from JPEG images during optimisation.

Pros:

• Users have control over optimisation settings, allowing them to balance between file size reduction and image quality.

Cons:

• The command-line interface may be less user-friendly for those who prefer graphical user interfaces.
• JPEGoptim is designed specifically for JPEG images and does not support other image formats.

ImageOptim

ImageOptim is a free open-source desktop application designed for macOS reduces the file size of various image formats. Just drag and drop images into the ImageOptim interface or use the file menu to open images, and the app will process the images using its integrated optimisation tools. You can then save the optimised files.

Key features:

• ImageOptim integrates multiple optimisation tools, including PNGOUT, Zopfli, Pngcrush, AdvPNG, and others, to achieve efficient compression.
• ImageOptim can optimise images in various formats, including PNG, JPEG, GIF, and SVG.
• Users can simply drag and drop images into the ImageOptim interface for quick and easy optimisation.
• The application supports batch processing, allowing users to optimise multiple images simultaneously.

Pros:

• ImageOptim provides a simple and user-friendly interface.
• Ability to process multiple images in a batch.

Cons:

• ImageOptim is specifically designed for macOS, and there is no official version for Windows or other operating systems.
• While it supports various formats, it may not have as extensive format support as some online tools.

Compressor.io

Compressor.io is an online image compression tool that can help you reduce the file size of both JPEG and PNG images. You can upload and compress images directly from your web browser. The compression process can be either lossy or lossless, depending on user preferences.

Key features:

• Users can choose between lossy and lossless compression options based on their requirements for image quality.
• The service provides a real-time preview of the compressed image, allowing users to compare the original and compressed versions before downloading.

Pros:

• The ability to compress both JPEG and PNG images in one tool can be convenient for users dealing with different image formats.

Cons:

• As a web-based tool, users need an internet connection to access and use Compressor.io.
• There may be limitations on the file size of images that can be processed for free users.

Kraken.io

Kraken.io is an online image optimisation platform that provides services for compressing and optimising images. It's available as both a web interface for manual image processing and an API for developers to integrate into their applications or workflows. All you have to do to compress an image with Kraken.io is visit its website, upload your images through the web interface, and customise compression settings.

Key features:

• Kraken.io offers a user-friendly web interface where users can upload images for compression and download the optimised versions.
• Developers can use the Kraken.io API to automate the image optimisation process in their applications or websites.
• Kraken.io supports various image formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, and SVG.
• Users can choose between lossy and lossless compression options, depending on their priorities for image quality and file size reduction.

Pros:

• The availability of an API allows developers to seamlessly integrate image optimization into their workflows.
• Kraken.io supports a range of image formats, making it versatile for different types of images.

Cons:

• While Kraken.io offers free plans, some advanced features may require a subscription.

Squoosh

Squoosh is a web application developed that allows you to compress and compare images in various formats. It has a simple interface for users to upload, compress, and compare images using different compression settings.

Key features:

• Squoosh supports a variety of image formats, including JPEG, PNG, WebP, and others.
• Users can adjust compression settings, such as quality and format, to see the impact on image quality and file size.
• Squoosh provides a side-by-side comparison of the original and compressed images, allowing users to visually assess the impact of compression.

Pros:

• As a web application, Squoosh doesn't require users to download or install any software.

Cons:

• While it can be used offline after the initial loading, Squoosh primarily relies on an internet connection.

Best Image Compressor Tools: Bottom Line

As you can see, there's plenty of tools that can help you optimise an image if you need to add a photo to your website, social media, or simply send it via email as an attachment.

When choosing an image compressor, pay attention to the formats it offers, if it has lossless compression, if it allows you to compress images in a batch, and if it has at least free trial for you to check the compression quality. Surely, you can find a tool that suits all your needs in our list!

In the dynamic realm of social media marketing, collaborations between brands on Instagram have become powerful tools for amplifying reach, enlarging post engagement, and forging meaningful connections with various audiences and target groups.

Teaming up with brands, especially with like-minded ones, can unlock opportunities to showcase your products, services, or personal branding in a new light.

In this article, you can gain insights into navigating the brand partnerships on Instagram and exploring the potential of collaboration. Come along as we explore the strategies, advantages, and creative paths that lead to successful collaborations on social media.

How Can Collaboration Benefit Brands and Influencers on Instagram?

Collaboration between brands and influencers on Instagram can yield numerous benefits for both parties involved.

It helps to expand reach on Instagram as partnering with influencers allows brands to tap into the influencer's follower base, exposing their products or services to a broader audience while collaborating with brands can introduce influencers to a new set of followers and grow their audience. Collaborations also provide increased credibility and trust.

When a reputable influencer endorses a brand, the trust followers have in the influencer often transfers to the brand itself. Positive endorsements from influencers serve as social proof, boosting brand awareness and attracting new customers. Followers are more likely to trust recommendations from influencers they perceive as reliable. Establishing partnerships with credible brands can lead to long-term relationships, enhancing the influencer's standing in the industry and among followers.

Another significant benefit of collaborating is targeted audience engagement. Influencers often have a niche audience with specific interests. Collaborating with influencers allows brands to target their ideal demographic more precisely, leading to higher engagement rates.

Influencers are also able to provide the brand's content strategy with fresh creativity as they often have a unique and authentic approach to content creation that resonates well with their audience. As for influencers themselves, such collaborations allow access to new products, locations, or themes, expanding content creation possibilities. This access enhances content quality and variety.

All in all, the creative exchange between influencers and brands fosters mutual growth. Brands learn to adapt to evolving trends, and influencers refine their content creation skills.

In conclusion, collaborations between brands and influencers on Instagram can be a win-win scenario, leveraging each other's strengths to achieve common goals. The synergy between authentic content creation and targeted audience engagement forms the foundation for successful partnerships in the dynamic world of social media marketing.

How to Reach Out Brands and Influencers on Instagram

For Brands

Before initiating collaboration outreach, carefully identify influencers or brands whose values and content align with yours. Look for accounts with a similar target demographic to ensure a mutually beneficial partnership. Prior to reaching out, engage with potential partners by liking, commenting, and sharing their content. Building a genuine relationship beforehand increases the chances of a positive response to your collaboration proposal. After that, you can reach out to creators via Instagram Direct Messages (DM).

Craft a concise and personalized message introducing your brand and expressing admiration for their work. Highlight what makes your brand unique and the specific value it brings to their audience. Clearly articulate the benefits of collaboration, whether it's exclusive content, giveaways, or mutual promotion. In your outreach, be transparent about expectations, timelines, and any terms associated with the collaboration. Clarity builds trust and helps prevent misunderstandings.

For Influencers

It is absolutely important to clearly define your niche and audience to attract brands that align with your content. This information helps brands understand the value you bring to the collaboration. Develop a media kit showcasing your statistics, demographics, previous collaborations, and the type of content you create. This serves as a quick reference for interested brands. Establish connections by engaging with the content of brands you're interested in collaborating with. Like and comment on their posts to create familiarity before reaching out.

When you send a personalized message expressing genuine interest in the brand, clearly state why you believe a collaboration would be beneficial, emphasizing how your audience aligns with their target market. It is also important to mansion your selling points. Emphasize what sets you apart – whether it's your engagement rate, storytelling ability, or a specific skill.

Brands are interested in influencers who bring something special to the table. It is also great if you can propose specific collaboration ideas, showing that you've thought about how your content can align with the brand's objectives. This makes it easier for brands to envision the partnership.

Instagram Collaborations Ideas

Collaborations on Instagram come in various forms, each offering unique benefits and opportunities for brands, influencers, and content creators. Here are some common types of collaborations on Instagram.

Collaboration Post

You can read more about collaboration posts in our blog. Collaboration posts on Instagram provide a mutually beneficial relationship for both brands and influencers and directly share the links to the accounts so people can easily follow a brand or an influencer.

Brands benefit from expanded reach, credibility, and targeted engagement, while influencers gain monetization opportunities, audience growth, and diversified content. If the post combines brand and influencer aesthetics, it results in diverse and engaging content, blending the influencer's style with the brand's messaging.

Influencer Marketing

Brands collaborating with influencers benefit from the authenticity of the influencer. That is why it is important to be honest about a product. If influencers are honest about their experiences with a product or service and share their real thoughts, it enhances the trustworthiness of the brand being promoted. When followers believe that an influencer genuinely values and uses a product or service, their recommendations are more likely to resonate and drive positive actions. If an influencer shares the desired thoughts and not the teal ones, the most significant consequence is a loss of trust from the audience.

If followers discover that an influencer is not being honest about their experiences with a product or service, it erodes the trust that the audience has placed in them. Followers who feel deceived may express their disappointment, frustration, or anger publicly. This negative backlash can be detrimental to the influencer's reputation and may lead to a loss of followers.

Giveaways and Contests

Giveaways and contests are powerful tools for Instagram brand and influencer collaborations due to the numerous benefits they offer to both parties involved. It  attracts attention and engagement since the prospect of winning something encourages users to participate, resulting in increased visibility for the brand. A successful giveaway with an influencer serves as social proof.

Seeing others engage with and show interest in the brand's products creates a positive impression and builds trust among potential customers. In addition, contests and giveaways provide an opportunity to collect user data, such as email addresses, which can be valuable for future marketing efforts and building a subscriber list.

Brand Ambassadorships

We've already covered Instagram brand ambassadors in our blog, so make sure you read it, too. Brand ambassadorships on Instagram involve a more prolonged and committed collaboration between a brand and an influencer. This partnership goes beyond a one-time promotion or giveaway and often includes ongoing promotion and representation of the brand. It results in a variety of content showcasing different aspects of the brand. This diversity keeps the content fresh and engaging for the audience.

Ambassadors often provide valuable feedback to the brand based on their experiences with products or services. This information can be instrumental in refining and improving the brand's offerings. Moreover, Ambassadors often have a specific niche or demographic they appeal to. By selecting ambassadors strategically, brands can target specific audiences that align with their marketing goals.

Collaboration on Instagram: Wrapping Up

In conclusion, navigating the collaboration possibilities on Instagram offers lots of opportunities for both brands and influencers in the world of social media marketing. The benefits of collaboration extend far beyond mere marketing strategies. They foster authentic connections, build trust, and contribute to sustained growth.

Understanding how collaboration can be a game-changer for both parties is the first step toward unlocking its full potential. By understanding the benefits, mastering the art of outreach, and exploring a variety of collaboration ideas, brands and influencers can elevate their presence, gain meaningful relationships, and leave a lasting impact.

In the evolving world of social media, creating a captivating and cohesive Instagram feed in terms of topic and color palette has become an art form and a helpful marketing instrument. With the help of grid planning apps, you can transform your Instagram profile into a stunning visual masterpiece.

In this article, you can explore the exciting possibilities of crafting a harmonious grid that leaves an impression, engages your audience, and helps you to express your personality.

Find and Create Your Instagram Aesthetics Using Editing Apps

Choosing an Instagram aesthetic is essential, as it can significantly impact your overall presence and success on the platform. It creates a visually cohesive feed, making your profile more attractive and appealing to viewers. A consistent look and feel can draw attention and encourage people to follow your account. It is also important to select one that aligns with your genuine self or brand identity, as authenticity is crucial on social media, and your chosen aesthetic should reflect who you are or what your brand represents.

Here are the apps to edit your Instagram photos and create a harmonious Instagram grid.

VSCO

VSCO is a popular photo editing app and social media platform known for its artistic filters and tools for enhancing and stylizing photos. Many Instagram users choose VSCO. There are more than 200 million posts using the hashtag #vsco, and there is a good reason why!

This app has convenient preset filters (more than 200!) that you can conveniently apply to your photos and create matching aesthetics. But that is not all. VSCO also offers powerful photo editing tools that allow you to fine-tune the color, exposure, contrast, and other aspects of your photos.

This helps in achieving a polished and professional appearance and allows you to adjust the intensity of filters, tweak settings, and save your own filter presets. By using the same VSCO filters and editing techniques for all your photos, you can maintain a cohesive look throughout your Instagram feed, which is key to achieving a consistent aesthetic!

Available for iOS and Android

Adobe Lightroom Photo Editor

Adobe Lightroom is another powerful photo editing and organization tool that many photographers and Instagram users prefer for creating and maintaining their Instagram image. Lightroom offers a wide range of professional-level editing tools for enhancing and retouching photos. You can fine-tune exposure, color, contrast, and more, giving you precise control over your photo’s appearance.

Lightroom uses non-destructive editing, which means your original photos remain untouched. You can experiment with different edits and presets without fear of losing the original quality. It allows you to create or import presets and profiles. Many photographers and influencers develop custom presets for all their photos and even sell preset packages. Moreover, if you're already using other Adobe products like Photoshop or Adobe Creative Cloud, Lightroom integrates with these tools.

Available for iOS and Android

PhotoSplit Grid Maker

PhotoSplit Grid Maker is a mobile app designed to help you split and arrange photos into a grid format for posting on Instagram. It's primarily focused on creating grid posts, where a single image is divided into multiple smaller sections that appear as separate posts on your Instagram feed.  The app also provides a grid preview feature, allowing you to see how your final grid will look before posting. This helps ensure that the divided sections fit together when viewed on your profile. You can also customize the grid layout, choosing the number of rows and columns for the split image. This flexibility allows you to experiment with different grid styles.

While PhotoSplit helps create grid posts, it's essential to use this format thoughtfully. Grids can disrupt the regular flow of your feed, so consider whether they align with your overall Instagram aesthetic and goals.

Available for iOS and Android

FaceApp

FaceApp gained popularity for its ability to apply various filters and effects to photos of faces, allowing users to transform appearances in different ways: it can make you look younger or older, change your gender, apply different hairstyles, add makeup, and more.

While it is known for its face-changing features, it can also adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, and color tones to achieve a particular look that fits your Instagram. In addition, FaceApp includes filters that enhance portrait photos by smoothing skin, removing blemishes, and adjusting facial features. These filters can help you maintain a polished and consistent look for portrait-oriented posts.

Available for iOS and Android

Preview Your Grid and Make Sure it Looks Great

Preview App

Preview Your Grid and Make Sure it Looks Great Preview App The Preview app is a helpful tool for planning and maintaining a visually attractive Instagram feed. It allows you to see how your upcoming Instagram posts will appear in a grid format. By arranging and rearranging your photos within the app, you can visualize the overall look and cohesiveness of your page. Preview provides an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, making it easy to rearrange the order of your planned posts. You can easily swap photos and try different combinations to find the best sequence for your feed. Available for  iOS and Android

Available for  iOS and Android

UNUM

Unum is a comprehensive platform with features that can help you maintain a cohesive and visually appealing Instagram feed for your brand. Unum allows you to plan the Instagram grid by arranging photos you already have and creating new ones using a big collection of templates. It offers features to help users maintain a consistent color theme across all posts and allows you to edit photos right in the app.

It also uses the power of AI to generate captions, suggest relevant hashtags, and resize posts to maintain a consistent and visually pleasing grid. These AI-driven features can streamline the content creation and planning process, making it more efficient and user-friendly and also effective for your engagement rates! If you value grid aesthetics and are looking for a tool to help you achieve that, Unum might be a solid choice.

Available for  iOS and Android

Plan Your Instagram Posting Schedule in Advance

Combin Scheduler

Planning Instagram posts with a scheduler like Combin Scheduler can offer several benefits to you and your brand if you want to maintain an active and organized presence on the platform. Posting content manually can be time-consuming, especially if you have to post at specific times or on multiple accounts. It can also be helpful if you want to do some digital detox and take some time off Instagram or just happen to be without Internet access.

Combin Scheduler streamlines the process, allowing you to upload and schedule multiple posts at once and see how your upcoming posts will look in your Instagram feed, allowing you to plan and maintain a visually appealing grid. You can also schedule posts for times when your target audience is most active, even if it's outside your working hours.

Available for Windows, macOS, and Ubuntu.

We're sure there's no need to tell you what an Instagram story is. If you use Insgtagram for business, stories serve as a powerful business driving tool for your brand.

Many users, however, typically stick with the default background selected by Instagram, which is determined by the colors in your image, as the methods for changing it might not be immediately apparent.

While the default gradient color often suffices for your Instagram story background, there are instances where a touch of creative freedom might do good.

In this tutorial, we'll outline several methods for changing the background color of your story, so open the story you want to alter, and let's go.

How to Change the Background Color on Your Instagram Story: 4 Tips

First of all, if you're having trouble locating the icons or functions mentioned here, update the Instagram app on your smartphone.

Now let's delve into each of the four tips that'll help you change how your story looks.

#1. Change Instagram Story Background to a Solid Color

To modify your background to a solid color, follow these steps:

1. Upload a photo from your camera roll to the Instagram app's stories feature, or repost it on your story.
2. Tap the three dots (...) located in the top right corner, and choose "draw."
3. Select the pen option.
4. Pick your desired color using the color dropper tool or opt for one of the default color choices.
5. Press and hold the pen or eraser tool.
6. Long-press the center of your background.
7. If you uploaded a photo, you can utilize the eraser icon to reveal the image underneath the background color.

💡Pro Tip: This method is also ideal for crafting Instagram highlight covers. Simply upload the image you prefer (typically an icon representing your theme, like an airplane for travel), and adjust the background color to match your brand's color scheme.

#2. Add an Image Over Your New Background

You can also overlay a photo onto your freshly set background. Here's how to do this:

1. Open the photo gallery on your smartphone.
2. Choose the image you wish to include.
3. Tap the 'Copy Photo' option from the menu at the bottom of the screen.
4. Return to the Instagram app (your Story-in-progress should still be open).
5. Click on the 'Add Sticker' pop-up of the copied photo, situated in the bottom left corner.

💡Pro Tip: Share your Instagram stories to be automatically published right on time with Combin Scheduler! This is a free Instagram content planner that can publish your posts and stories even when you're offline and unreachable. Choose the day and time, and your content will appear on your Instagram page down to the minute.

#3. Add a Color Tint to Change Background on Instagram Story

To apply a color tint to your Instagram story, follow these steps:

1. Upload or capture a photo within the stories feature.
2. Tap the '...' button located in the top right corner and choose 'draw.'
3. Select the Pen icon.
4. Pick your desired color tint from the available options, either by using the color dropper tool or selecting from the provided choices.
5. Tap the highlighter icon.
6. Long-press on your background (this step may vary depending on your app version).
7. Tap or long-press a second time to intensify the color tint.
8. Tap or long-press a third time to create a solid color effect.

#4. Change Instagram Story Background to a Color Gradient

Here are the steps for changing your Instagram story background to a gradient:

1. Open Instagram stories and capture a photo.
2. Access more editing options by tapping "Aa."
3. Choose the circle icon with filters at the top of the screen and select the desired color gradient.
4. Add text and stickers into your Instagram story, and then publish your story.

How to Change a Background Color on Instagram Story If You Share a Feed Post

Did you know you can share a regular feed post on your Instagram story? It's a great way to boost engagement on your feed posts. By sharing your feed post in stories, you increase the chances of seeing it. You can even add a teaser to pique their interest.

Here's how to share a feed post to your story:

1. Find the post you want to share, whether it's on your feed or someone else's, and tap the paper airplane icon.
2. Select "Add to your story."

Once you've shared the feed post to your story, it's time to change the background color, much like you do for your regular Instagram story:

3. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner and choose "Draw."

4. Pick the color you want (you can tap and hold on any of the colors at the bottom for different shades or use the dropper to select a color from the post).

5. Long-press the Instagram Story's background to change the background color.

After setting the background color as you prefer, you can further customize your story. Add stickers or a call to action like "tap here." Write some text that entices people to read your caption.

How to Add a Faded Background Color on Top of Instagram Story Image

For our final tutorial, we'll show you how to apply a faded or transparent-looking background color over your image, which can introduce intriguing and distinctive effects to your Instagram stories.

1. Add a photo to your story. To do this, click the "Add Story" button in the top left or the plus sign in the top right, and select "story." Then, pick the image you want from your camera roll.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner and choose "Draw."

This time, focus on the top middle of your screen and select the icon resembling a highlighter.

3. Pick the color you want to overlay on your image, just as you've done with backgrounds previously.

4. Tap and hold in the middle of your screen. It will be covered with the chosen color, but you can still see the image beneath it.

5. To add extra effects, opt for the eraser icon found at the far right of the top middle set of options.

6. Adjust the eraser's size on the left side of your screen.

Now, you can create designs in the transparent color over the image! Regardless of the color you choose or the way you design with the eraser, this method can produce a visually appealing story.

Halloween is near, and it's the perfect season to captivate your audience with creatively eerie and entertaining Instagram content. Coming up with a content strategy for Instagram during the spooky season, which typically encompasses the Halloween period, involves engaging your audience with a mix of themed content that is both fun and visually appealing.

Whether you're a content creator, a brand looking to engage, or simply someone who loves to get into the Halloween spirit, this article is your go-to guide for crafting Instagram content strategy that will enchant, thrill, and leave your followers wanting more.

Set Clear Objectives

If your primary goal is to boost brand recognition, focus on creating captivating Halloween-themed content that aligns with your brand's identity. For intstance, you can share posts that showcase your products or services in the context of the spooky season, collaborate with influencers or other brands to reach a broader audience.

In case you need to increase user engagement, you can run contests, polls, and interactive quizzes related to Halloween. You can encourage user-generated content by asking your followers to share their Halloween experiences using a branded hashtag. And don't forget to respond to comments promptly to foster community engagement!

If you have Halloween-themed products or services to sell, use Instagram as a platform to promote them. Create visually appealing product spotlights, tutorials, and demonstrations. The best option would also be leveraging Instagram Shopping features, because it makes it easy for users to discover and purchase your products.

Generating leads or sales during the spooky season can also be a primary aim. In this case, use Instagram as a direct sales channel by utilising Instagram ads to target specific audiences interested in Halloween-related products or services. Implement a shoppable feed to streamline the purchase process.

Create a Content Calendar

Creating a content calendar for the spooky season, which includes both feed posts and Reels, is essential to ensure a consistent and engaging presence on Instagram throughout the Halloween and before the holiday itself.

Here's a sample content calendar for October, incorporating a mix of content types:

Week 1: October 1st - 7th

• Feed Post: Share a teaser post, announcing the beginning of the spooky season.
• Reel: Create a short video showcasing the transformation of your space into a Halloween wonderland.

Week 2: October 8th - 14th

• Feed Post: Feature a behind-the-scenes look at the making of your Halloween decorations or costumes.
• Reel: Share a fun "Countdown to Halloween" reel featuring a daily spooky fact or tip.

Week 3: October 15th - 21st

• Feed Post: Post a carousel of images showcasing your Halloween-themed products or services.
• Reel: Create a time-lapse video of you carving a pumpkin or creating a Halloween recipe.

Week 4: October 22nd - 28th

• Feed Post: Share a user-generated content post, featuring the best Halloween-themed photos from your followers using your branded hashtag.
• Reel: Share a fun and lighthearted Halloween makeup tutorial or costume transformation reel.

Week 5: October 29th - 31st

• Feed Post (October 29th): Promote a last-minute Halloween sale or event.
• Reel (October 30th): Share a quick "Spooky Stories" reel, narrating a ghost story or legend.
• Feed Post (October 31st): Share a Halloween-themed gratitude post, thanking your followers for their support during the season.

Throughout the Month:

• Daily story updates: Post daily stories featuring snippets of your day, sneak peeks, polls, and engaging questions related to Halloween.
• Reels (regularly): In addition to the scheduled Reels, post short, engaging Reels that showcase Halloween-themed humour, challenges, or trends. Stay updated with the latest trends on Instagram to maximise reach.

It's important to maintain a consistent aesthetic and use Halloween-themed colors, filters, and effects in both feed posts and reels. Additionally, make sure your hashtags and captions align with the Halloween theme to increase discoverability.

Always be flexible with your content calendar to respond to trending topics and capitalise on emerging Instagram trends during the spooky season.

💡Tip: To never run out of captivating ideas, use content matrix.

Mix Up Content Types

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Burger King (@burgerking)

Diversify your content to keep your feed interesting. These are the content types you can mix in your strategy.

• Themed posts: Share Halloween-inspired visuals, decorations, and costumes.
• Behind-the-scenes: Offer a sneak peek into your spooky preparations.
• User-generated content: Encourage followers to share their Halloween experiences using a branded hashtag.
• Polls and quizzes: Engage your audience with Halloween-themed questions.
• Stories and Reels: Utilise Instagram's features for quick, interactive, and shareable content.
• Product spotlights: Showcase Halloween-related products, if applicable.
• Tutorials and DIYs: Share how-to guides for Halloween makeup, costumes, or decorations.

Best Instagram Reels Ideas for Halloween

If with feed posts it's pretty much clear what to share, video content creating might be a bit more challenging. To help you out a bit, we're sharing engaging Insragram Reels ideas that will be on point this Hallowen.

DIY Halloween Costumes

Share a Reel showing how to create an easy but impressive Halloween costume using items already at home.

Spooky Makeup & Hair Tutorials

Make a fast-forwarded tutorial showing how to create a creepy or fun Halloween-themed makeup look.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sephora (@sephora)

Halloween Decorations Tour

Give your followers a mini tour of your home and Halloween decorations.

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Host a pumpkin carving contest with friends or family and share the process and final results.

Haunted House Reaction

Visit a haunted house and film reactions before, during, and after.

Halloween Pranks

Record reactions to Halloween pranks, but make sure to only prank those who enjoy a good scare!

Scary Story Time

Share a spooky story. Use different clips to make it into a mini series!

Halloween Baking

Create a cooking Reel featuring a favourite Halloween-themed recipe.

DIY Halloween Decor

Share a Reel on how to make homemade Halloween decorations for an office or house.

Pet Costumes

If you have pets, create a funny Reel featuring their adorable costumes.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Modern Vet (@modernvetdubai)

Halloween-Themed Makeup Transformation

Instead of a tutorial, do a half-face transformation or a full-face reveal with dramatic Halloween makeup.

Halloween Dance Challenge

Start a Halloween-themed dance challenge with specific, spooky moves.

Ghost Tours

If your city or town has ghost tours, film the experience and capture any spooky sightings.

Thrift Store Costume Challenge

Visit a local thrift store and come up with the best costume you can.

Remember to keep it fun and engaging, as you'd want your followers to share it on their own accounts!

Maintain Consistent Aesthetics

If you want to create a visually appealing and memorable brand presence, choosing and sustaining consistent aesthetics on your Instagram feed is vital. Here's how to achieve and elaborate on consistent aesthetics during the spooky season:

1. Color palette

Choose a distinct colour palette that reflects the spooky season. Common colours for Halloween aesthetics include deep blacks, eerie purples, haunting greens, and vibrant oranges. Consistently use these colours in your posts, whether it's in your visuals, backgrounds, text, or graphics.

2. Filters and editing style

Select a filter or editing style that complements your spooky theme. Whether it's a vintage, sepia-toned look, a dark and moody filter, or a vibrant and high-contrast style, stick to it across your posts. Using the same filter or editing settings consistently creates a cohesive look.

3. Imagery and graphics

Incorporate Halloween and spooky-themed visuals into your posts. This can include cobwebs, pumpkins, bats, ghosts, witches, and other relevant symbols. Use them consistently to maintain the spooky aesthetic.

4. Branding elements

Integrate branding elements into your posts, such as your logo or brand colors but ensure they harmonise with the spooky theme, such as by adapting your logo to have a Halloween twist or by incorporating your brand colors into your Halloween decorations or costumes.

5. Typography

Choose fonts and typography that match your spooky theme. Gothic fonts or those with a vintage and spooky appeal can work well. Keep the same fonts for captions, quotes, and graphics for a cohesive aesthetic.

6. Story Highlights and profile bio

Don't forget to update your story highlights and profile bio to reflect the spooky season. This creates a seamless transition for users visiting your profile and provides a clear, thematic experience.

7. Plan your grid

Use planning tools or apps, such as Combin Scheduler, to visually map out how your posts will look together on your profile grid. This allows you to see how they flow together and make adjustments if needed.

Research Relevant Hashtags

Use relevant and popular Halloween-related hashtags to increase the discoverability of your content.

To find them, start by researching popular and relevant Halloween and spooky season hashtags. Choose both broad and niche tags to reach a wider and more targeted audience.

💡Tools like Instagram's search function and Combin Growth can be valuable for this. Keep an eye on the daily trending Halloween-related hashtags. If there are relevant trends, incorporate them into your posts to increase your content's visibility.

👻Suggested read: Hashtags Strategies on Instagram—When You Can’t Do Without Hashtags.

What you definitely should do during Halloween is to create a unique branded hashtag specifically for your spooky season campaign. It should be easy to remember, relevant to your brand or theme, and encourage user-generated content. Promote this hashtag consistently across your posts and encourage your followers to use it.

Use a mix of different types of hashtags, including:

• General Halloween hashtags: Examples include #Halloween, #SpookySeason, #TrickOrTreat, #HalloweenVibes, etc.
• Niche hashtags: Specific to your content or products. For instance, if you sell Halloween costumes, consider using #HalloweenCostumes or #CostumeIdeas.
• Location-based hashtags: If your business is location-based, include local or regional Halloween-related hashtags.
• Emotion or action hashtags: Use hashtags that capture the mood or action of your content. For example, #Creepy, #ScaryGood, or #Boo.

Place hashtags in the caption or as the first comment on your posts. The choice between the caption and comments depends on your preference, but ensure they are visible and easily accessible for users.

🎃 Tip: Check the list of more than 100 best Halloween Instagram captions in our post!

The popularity of hashtags can change over time, so periodically update your list of hashtags to stay current and effective.

Bonus: Post-Halloween Content

Post-Halloween content is a chance to wrap up the spooky season, express appreciation, and smoothly transition to the next theme or focus of your brand. It helps maintain a consistent and engaging presence on Instagram while keeping your audience excited about what's to come in the future.

It's also a great option if you want to sale a bit more.

Here's an elaboration on the concept of post-Halloween content:

Gratitude & Thank-You Posts

After Halloween, take the time to express your gratitude to your followers. Thank them for their support, engagement, and participation throughout the spooky season. This post can also serve as an opportunity to acknowledge any user-generated content they shared using your branded hashtag. A heartfelt thank-you message can foster a sense of community and goodwill among your followers.

Highlight Reel or Recap

Create a post-Halloween highlight reel or recap video. This can be a compilation of your most engaging and entertaining Halloween-themed content. Share snippets from your stories, reels, and feed posts, showcasing the highlights of the season. Use this as an opportunity to reminisce and keep the Halloween vibes alive.

Showcasing of UGC

Feature a dedicated post that highlights user-generated content from your followers. You can compile the best photos, stories, or captions they shared using your branded hashtag. It's a great way to give back to your community and show appreciation for their active participation.

Transition to the Next Theme

If your brand is focused on a specific theme that follows Halloween, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or winter, use your post-Halloween content to make a smooth transition. Start incorporating elements of the upcoming theme into your posts and stories, gradually shifting your content to reflect the next season.

Teasers for Future Content

Provide a sneak peek of what your followers can expect in the coming weeks. Whether it's upcoming product releases, promotions, or new content series, giving your audience a glimpse of what's ahead can build anticipation and keep them engaged.

As the leaves turn crimson, the air grows crisp, and pumpkin spice everything makes its annual comeback, it can mean only one thing: Halloween is just around the corner. The season of spooks, scares, and endless creativity is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than by sharing your eerie and enchanting moments on Instagram?

While a picture is worth a thousand words, the right caption can add that perfect touch of magic, mystery, or mirth to your Halloween posts. Whether you're donning a wicked witch costume, carving a jack-o'-lantern masterpiece, or embarking on a haunted hayride adventure, the perfect Halloween caption can turn a simple snapshot into a bewitching work of art.

In this article, we're here to help you unleash your inner Halloween muse with a spellbinding collection of the best Halloween captions for Instagram. To go beyond just ‘Boo!’, let’s dive into the world of the best Halloween captions for your Instagram posts and Reels.

👻 Funny & Playful Halloween Captions for Instagram

• Just here for the boos.
• I'm here for the boos and the candy.
• Resting witch face.
• Eat, drink, and be scary!
• Having a fang-tastic time.
• Witch, please!
• Brew-tiful night for a haunt.
• Time to get batty!
• I'm the ghostess with the mostess.
• My broomstick runs on coffee.
• Pumpkin spice and everything nice.
• Carving out some good times.
• Life is gourd.
• Orange you excited for Halloween?
• Pumpkin kisses and harvest wishes.
• Squash goals.
• Gourd-geous vibes.
• Getting lit with my pumpkin.
• Feeling a little 'unboo-lievable' today.
• My pumpkin is the 'pump-king' of the patch.
• Dead inside but still kicking.

Tip: Choose any caption, pick a photo, and insert the caption to Combin Scheduler to let the post be automatically published on your Instagram right to the minute!  

💀Spooky Halloween Captions for Instagram

• Tread lightly in the shadows.
• Fear is your only true companion tonight.
• In the dead of night, we rise.
• Where there is no imagination, there is no horror.
• Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.
• In the haunted night, we find our fright.
• Phantoms in the moonlight.
• Dancing with the spirits.
• The dark is afraid of us.
• When the moon is high, and the spirits are nigh.
• Enter if you dare.
• The spirits are awake tonight.
• This house is full of boos.
• We haunt, therefore we are.
• Whispers in the walls.
• Home is where the haunt is.
• We've got a ghoul thing going on.
• Boo-levard of broken dreams.
• Haunted and loving it.

🎃 Cute Halloween Captions for Instagram

• Cute enough to stop your heart, skilled enough to restart it.
• Pawsitively bewitching.
• Cutest pumpkins in the patch.
• Gourd times with great friends.
• You say witch like it's a bad thing.
• Sweet as candy corn.
• A little wicked, a little sweet.
• Spooktacular times ahead.
• Boo-tiful moments with my favorite ghouls.
• I'm just here for the treats.

🎶Lyrics & Quotes for Halloween Captions

• "I put a spell on you, and now you're mine." - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
• "This is thriller, thriller night." - Michael Jackson
• "It's close to midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark." - Michael Jackson
• "I'm friends with the monster that's under my bed." - Rihanna and Eminem
• "Time for the masquerade." - "This Is Halloween" (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
• "He did the mash, he did the monster mash." - "Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett
• "Love is kinda crazy with a spooky little girl like you." - Classics IV
• "This night will haunt you forever." - "Monster" by Lady Gaga
• "Heads will roll." - "Heads Will Roll" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• "They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky." - The Addams Family theme song
• "When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, may luck be yours on Halloween."
• "Magic is really very simple, all you've got to do is want something and then let yourself have it." - Aggie Cromwell (Halloweentown)
• "Witch and famous."
• "Life is scary, find your boo."
• "On Halloween, we wear pink." (A twist on the Mean Girls quote)
• "I'm a ghost with the most, babe." - Beetlejuice
• "Gather 'round the cauldron, dear friends."
• "Let's get wicked!"
• "Don't make me flip my witch switch."
• "Spells and enchantments, that's what I'm about."

🍿Lines from Movies for Halloween Captions

• "It's showtime!" - Beetlejuice
• "This is Halloween, everybody make a scene." - The Nightmare Before Christmas
• "I see dead people." - The Sixth Sense
• "Be afraid, be very afraid." - The Fly
• "Welcome to my nightmare." - Alice Cooper
• "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." - The Shining
• "I'm your number one fan." - Misery
• "Here's Johnny!" - The Shining
• "We all go a little mad sometimes." - Psycho
• "Who you gonna call?" - Ghostbusters

🧙🏽‍♀️Witchy Captions for Instagram

• Flying into the night on my broomstick.
• Brewing up some magic.
• Squad ghouls.
• Bewitched by the moonlight.
• Casting spells and taking names.
• Witchful thinking.
• Just another day in the coven.
• Brooms over bros.
• Feeling witchy, might hex later.
• Double, double toil and trouble.
• Witch better have my candy.
• Casting spells and stealing hearts.

👯‍♀️Costume-Specific Halloween Captions

• Trying to find my inner skeleton.
• Getting 'boned' this Halloween.
• Fang-tastic and bone-chilling.
• Zombies eat brains, you're safe.
• You've got to have some 'guts' to be a zombie.
• Just a little 'skin and bones' here.
• My costume is 'bare' bones.
• Skeletons have the best 'body' language.
• Vampin' it up in style.
• Dead inside, but my makeup's on point.
• Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the spookiest of them all?
• Who you gonna call? Ghostbuster extraordinaire!
• Proton pack, ready to attack!
• I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good... on Halloween.

Feel free to mix and match these captions with your Halloween posts, and let your creativity shine through as you share the spooky, funny, and enchanting moments of the season on Instagram. And to schedule your posts to be published right on the spooky night, use Combin Scheduler, free Instagram content planner, and forget about them till Halloween.

Happy Halloween!

Muting on Instagram is a convenient way to reduce the visibility of someone's content in your feed without unfollowing them, which can be useful if you want to temporarily or permanently limit your exposure to their posts and stories. It's a discreet feature that allows you to maintain your connection with someone while customising your Instagram experience to your preferences.

Curating your feed, avoiding drama, or making your Instagram feed more pleasant—whatever the reason, here are a few scenarios when muting someone on Instagram can come in handy:

1. If you follow a large number of accounts, your Instagram feed becomes cluttered with posts and stories from various users. Muting allows you to manage the content you see, reducing the overwhelm of too much information.
2. There may be users you want to stay connected with but whose content you don't want to see regularly. Muting allows you to continue following them while keeping their posts and stories out of your primary feed.
3. Muting can be a discreet way to distance yourself from someone's content if you want to avoid potential drama or conflicts without unfollowing them.
4. Instagram's algorithm shows you content from accounts you interact with the most. Muting someone's content allows you to curate your feed to prioritise the posts and stories that matter most to you.

The good news is that the muted user won't be notified as you mute them.

What Happens When Muting Someone On Instagram?

When you mute someone on Instagram, you're still following them, but you limit their visibility in your main or story feed.

Here's what happens when you mute someone on Instagram:

🟣 Their Posts, Stories & Reels Don’t Appear in Your Feed

Photos, videos, carousels, and Reels of a muted account will no longer appear in your main feed. You'll need to visit their profile directly to see their posts.

Story updates won’t appear at the top of your Instagram feed, either. You won't see their profile picture in the story tray, and you won't be notified when they post a new story. However, you can still view their stories by visiting their profile.

🟣 DMs Aren’t Affected

Muting someone on Instagram does not affect your ability to send or receive direct messages from them. You can still communicate with the muted user through Instagram Direct Messages.

🟣 Is the User Notified When I Mute Them on Instagram?

No. What's more, they will still see your activity (e.g., likes and comments) on their posts as usual.

🟣 Can I Unmute the User If I Muted Them Earlier?

You can do that any time by going to their profile, tapping the "Following" button, and selecting "Unmute." This will restore their posts and/or stories to your feed.

How to Mute Someone on Instagram: Posts & Stories

This can be useful if you want to reduce the visibility of someone's content in your feed without completely disconnecting from them.

Here's how you can mute someone on Instagram:

1. Open the Instagram app on your mobile device or log in to your Instagram account on the desktop browser.
2. Go to the profile of the user you want to mute. You can do this by searching for their username in the search bar or by tapping on their profile picture if they appear in your feed.
3. Once you are on their profile, tap the Following button (if you are already following them) or the Follow button (if you are not following them).
4. A menu will appear with several options. Select Mute.

Instagram will give you the option to mute their posts, their stories, or both.

5. Choose the option that suits your preferences. If you only want to mute their posts, you can toggle off the Posts option. If you only want to mute their stories, you can toggle off the Stories option. If you want to mute both, you can leave both options toggled on.

💡Starting 2023, there's also the Notes option. We've covered what Instagram Notes are in our other post.

6. Once you've made your selections, tap Done (iOS) or the checkmark icon (Android) to confirm.

Alternatively, you can find the account from your feed and repeat the steps above.

Mute Someone’s Instagram Stories Through Stories

If you mute only the stories right when browsing the stories, do the following.

1. Open the story of an account.
2. Press the three dots in the upper right corner.
3. Select Mute.
4. Select which content type you want to mute: Story or Story and Posts and click on the option.

How to Mute Someone’s Messages in Instagram Direct

To mute someone’s attempts to reach you via Instagram DM, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Instagram DM page on Instagram.
2. Find the user who you want to mute by searching for their user handle.
3. Tap and hold the username and select Mute from the options that pop up.

Thus, you’ll mute that user’s messages and calls.

How to Mute Someone’s Comments on Your Posts

If you want someone’s comments no longer bother you, here’s how to do that:

1. Head over to Settings -> Privacy.
2. Find Hidden Words under the Interactions tab. Click on it.
3. Scroll down to Manage custom words and phrases.

4. Set words, phrases, or even emojis that you won’t allow on your profile.

5. Toggle Hide comments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Muting vs. blocking on Instagram: What’s the difference?

Blocking and muting are two different actions on Instagram, each serving distinct purposes:

Blocking someone on Instagram implies complete restriction. When you block someone on Instagram, you completely cut off all communication and interaction with that person on the platform. They will no longer be able to see your profile, posts, stories, or follow you.

The person you block will not be notified that you've blocked them, but they may realise it when they can't find your profile or see your content. Blocked users cannot send you direct messages, and any existing conversations with them will disappear from your inbox. They can't tag you in posts or mention you in comments or captions, either.

💡Suggested read: Learn how to know if someone blocked you on Instagram.

Muting someone on Instagram is partial restriction, as it allows you to limit their content visibility in your feed without completely cutting off communication. You continue to follow them, and they won't be aware that you've muted them.

How do you know if someone muted you on Instagram?

Instagram does not provide a direct notification or feature that informs you if someone has muted your account.

If you suspect that someone has muted you on Instagram, there is no surefire way to confirm it directly through the platform.

What is the difference between restrict and mute on Instagram?

Instagram's "Restrict" and "Mute" features serve different purposes and offer distinct functionalities:

When you restrict someone on Instagram, their comments on your posts are only visible to them unless you approve them. Similarly, their direct messages will be sent to your Message Requests folder, and you can choose to review and respond to them or ignore them.

The restricted user won't receive any notifications that they've been restricted. It's a discreet way to control interactions with potentially problematic or unwanted followers.

Your posts and stories remain visible to the restricted user, but they won't see when you're active or when you've read their direct messages.

While Instagram filters won't make a bad photo seem really professional, they can certainly make your best shots shine. The right filter can add style and flair to your Instagram stories and posts. A filter has the power to completely alter the mood of a photo and can significantly boost likes and comments, especially if Instagram plays a role in your income.

Sometimes, all it takes is the right filter to make a subtle photo feel artistic or even hide a bad hair or skin day. What is more, the other users may see your posts on the Effects page! You'll find the ultimate Instagram filters for your stories and reels right here in this article.

💡Suggested read: How to visually plan your Instagram feed if you're not a designer—tips given by the Combin design team!

Where to Find Instagram Filters?

You can find Instagram filters and effects in several places within the Instagram app.

Open Instagram Camera

Head over to the Instagram app and swipe right from your feed to access the Instagram camera. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see various icons representing different effects and features. You can tap on these icons to explore and apply filters and effects in real-time as you take photos or record videos.

Browse Effects Gallery

While in the Instagram camera, you can also tap the "Browse Effects" option at the bottom to access the Effects Gallery. Here, you can explore a wide range of filters and effects, search for specific effects, or browse through popular and trending ones. That is also where you can find all the effects mentioned in this article!

Follow Creators

Many Instagram users are skilled in photography and editing and create their own unique filters and effects. You can follow these creators, and they often provide access to their custom filters and effects for you to use. You may also see effects made by the other Instagram users that your favourite insta bloggers like and use – they are mentioned in the stories that they post at the top of the screen right under their username.

Best Instagram Filters for Selfies

NO FILTER FILTER by alexandra_rmh

This filter is all about embracing the natural and unfiltered beauty of your photos. It does not apply any color corrections, gradients, or visual effects, allowing your original image to shine through without any alterations for your casual stories or posts. Instead of adding color enhancements, overlays, or special effects to your photos, this filter takes a minimalist and refreshing approach.

Moody by marianna_hewitt

It is a highly popular Instagram filter that can bring a distinct mood and atmosphere to photos. It adds graininess to the photo, makes the shades cooler, and smooths the picture slightly. The result is a rich and dramatic aesthetic, which adds depth, contrast, and a sense of mystery to your images. Great for old-money looks!

Banana by basphi

This filter makes your shot black and white and adds an artistic, almost pencil-like, yellow overlay to your face with some variations that change like animation. Very bold and crisp, the yellow overlay adds a striking and vibrant contrast against the black and white background. An excellent choice for those looking to infuse their photos with a unique and artistic flair. It can turn ordinary selfies or portraits into visually engaging and attention-grabbing pieces of digital art!

Cali Glam by jademunster

Instagram filter that beams a glamorous and sunny vibe. This filter can enhance the overall look of photos, giving them a polished and radiant appearance and enriching photos with warm tones. The filter improves skin tones, adds a healthy and glowing complexion, smoothes out imperfections, and provides a flawless and capturing look.

Summer by blondinochkavika

This marvelous filter enhances photos with warm tones, vibrant colors, and a bright, inviting atmosphere. Apart from that, it adds some strawberry-colored blush to your cheeks and a fake eyelash effect to the outer corners of your eyes and also plumps up your lips. What is more, this filter makes your skin look glowing and flawless!

Best Instagram Filters for Landscapes and Object Shooting

WB02 by inaszahari

This filter shifts the color balance towards cooler and bluish tones. It can create a serene and calming atmosphere in your photos, making them appear cooler and more visually appealing. It also adds the grain effect and provides a vintage and film-like quality to the image, giving it a touch of nostalgia and character. Awesome to capture historical places on holidays!

DARK SHADE by felvelial

Do you like dark aesthetics? Maybe you are looking to create a Harry Potter-like atmosphere? This is the right effect for your scenery shots! This Instagram filter is designed to create a visually captivating and dramatic effect in your photos. It adds depth, moodiness, and a sense of mystery to your images, making them stand out with a bold and artistic flair. It masterfully combines elements of mystery and nostalgia to create a truly unique visual experience.

NICE COLOURS by enuriru

Looking for a delightful and refreshing Instagram filter with a light and pleasant aesthetic? This one is just for you! It creates the visual appeal of your images by infusing them with soft and harmonious color tones, creating a soothing and inviting atmosphere. This filter is suitable for a wide range of photo genres. It works beautifully for outdoor scenes, portraits, travel shots, and subject shooting.

Mono by ya.molli

This filter goes beyond traditional monochrome filters by selectively erasing blues, purples, and greens while emphasizing cool oranges, browns, and grays. This selective approach results in a visually captivating and artistic effect. The filter maintains and enhances contrast in your photos, making light areas appear brighter and dark areas appear deeper. You can apply this filter to various types of photos, from portraits and landscapes to architectural details and still life. It's particularly effective when you want to emphasize texture, form, and the interplay of light and shadow.

Minimalis by nadianraulya

As it goes from its name, this filter embraces a clean and minimalist aesthetic, focusing on the essential elements in your photos. It simplifies complex compositions, creating a sense of visual purity. The filter's fogginess gives your photos an ethereal, dreamy, and vintage look, as well as an artistic atmosphere. "Minimalis" is suitable for various photo genres, such as minimalist architecture and interior shots, highlighting their simplicity.

90's style by tedaoll

A marvelous nostalgia-inducing Instagram filter that transports your photos back to the iconic era of the 1990s with a distinctive VHS-inspired aesthetic. It captures the essence of the 90s with its retro color palette, grain, and signature blue hues. Looks like you have found your old family camera!

Best Instagram Filters & Effects: Wrapping Up

Hopefully, this article has inspired you to try these filters and possibly add them to your favorites! As trends continue to evolve and new filters emerge, stay curious and open to exploration.

Thank you for joining us on this journey through the best Instagram filters to try in 2023. We look forward to seeing your beautifully filtered posts and stories lighting up our feeds. Happy posting!