Instagram is quickly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms. For years, there was really no system that would allow you to schedule your Instagram posts in advance. Well….that has changed and if you are like me, it was hard to figure out. I spent a lot of time researching and studying how I could batch content ahead of time like I do on my other social media platforms.

If you know me at all yet, you know that I am a big fan of batching similar tasks and working on them at one time rather than doing them all the way throughout the week.  I don’t like wasting time. This was one of the biggest reasons I didn’t jump onboard Instagram right in the beginning because I couldn’t figure out my batching system.

But I soon realized that I had to figure it out and fast. Why? Because what I am seeing is that everyone is running from Facebook to Instagram right now. People don’t want to pay for Facebook ads so they are off to the free place (for now).

So I have studied and found the best way to use my time wisely on Instagram and here is what I have found out.

Note: You won’t even touch the Instagram app until step 4. Don’t waste time!

How to Schedule Instagram Posts in Advance

Step 1: Create Your Content and Images

I recommend using Canva to create all of your Instagram posts. Prepare for a month and put 30 days of photos in your Instagram library. I usually aim for 30 days of quotes and then do a mini photoshoot taking pictures of my favorite $1 Target buys.

Also, make templates as much as possible. It’s great to have all of your photos and quotes look similar so try to create templates to use over and over. For instance, I already have a quote template with my website name on it so it is easy for me to re-create over and over again.

Step 2: Create a List of Hashtags

My favorite way to find great hashtags is to go check out people in my niche and see what hashtags they are using. Yes, you are modeling….not copying. It’s OK! Pick out the ones that are the most relevant for your content as well.  Then, open up your phone and in the notes section create a really long list of hashtags you can use. I separate some of mine to break them into categories.

What you will want to do is rotate through these hashtags to post them with your content every single time you post. It’s important that immediately after you post, you write a comment with those hashtags because that is how your post will be seen by hundreds of NEW people. If you wait to hashtag your posts, you miss out on opportunities because your photo will drop to the bottom to make way for new content.

Step 3: Schedule Your Content

Open up Later and upload your photos and text. What I love about this app is that you can use it on your computer and it syncs seamlessly to your phone. This makes it so easy. I love typing on my computer normally (especially if I have something important to say) so I love creating and batching the content on my computer.

Then, I also can copy and paste my blog text into latergram.me as well. This is a really easy way to recycle your content and use it for multiple purposes which I highly recommend!

Step 4: Post Content From Your Phone

Yep, I know….manually. You might be thinking that is a lot of work. Well, here’s the thing. Once you have your system down, you should delegate steps 1-3. There is no reason why you should be creating all of your Instagram posts and pre-scheduling them yourself.

I am now to the point where step 4 is all I am doing so that way I can review and edit before it is finalized. I know you may not be ready for that, yet, but I just wanted you to see the long term vision of my batching system. Delegate to a virtual assistant as soon as you have your brand and system down.

[RELATED: How to Outsource Work You Hate In Under a Week]

For now, Latergram.me will send you a reminder on your phone at the time that it is supposed to be scheduled so you never forget. I get into a routine so I actually don’t even get the reminders anymore. I just know what my most popular posting times are from iconosquare. Usually it’s early mornings and late evenings.  So I just try to post once at those times…right when I wake up and right before I go to bed.

This step is super simple though because everything is all done and waiting for you! Adding the photo and a few hashtags takes under a minute and you hardly have to think about it!

Come follow us on Instagram and see how we do it in action!