With new features releasing what feels like every other day on Instagram it can be confusing to figure out how to best utilize them. Let's chat about pinned posts on Instagram and how you can use them strategically to support your marketing.
If you haven’t already heard… Instagram released a new feature a couple of weeks ago that lets you pin up to 3 posts at the top of your profile. It’s a pretty cool feature, that according to members of the eCommerce Badassery FB group was ripped from TikTok.
Ahh… competition. Ain’t it grand. Yes, actually. For users and consumers competition is a good thing because it forces innovation and progress…
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And this is pretty powerful on a platform like Instagram that leaves you so little real estate when someone lands on your profile. It gives you the opportunity to create a really great first-impression for people when they land on your profile and let’s you control the narrative a bit more.
But what should you put there?
Before we hop into some ideas I do want to make sure you know that whatever you pin to the top of your feed will be removed from it’s original position… so if you have a highly curated grid (which according to the experts isn’t at all necessary anymore) it is going to jack that up. Don’t let that be a reason why you don’t post a really kick-ass post to the top but I didn’t want ya to be surprised.
So if you were to head to my Instagram right now (at least if you’re listening to this in real time) you’ll see 3 posts pinned to the top of my grid. The first is an intro to me, the second my main lead magnet, the free resource library and the third explains how people can work with me. My handle there is eCommerceBadassery if you want to check them out and give me a follow while you’re there.
So what should you use those 3 spots for?
Well, first I would say, you certainly don’t have to keep 3 static posts like I have. In fact, I would say don’t do that. Because they stay at the top of your feed all the time, a returning visitor to your profile might not even realize that you have new and fresh content available, so I do recommend that you switch them up. If I ever get my ass in gear with Instagram you’ll see me switching these up too.
Ultimately, I recommend that you use this as a tool to support whatever initiatives or goals you’re focused on in your business at any given time and rotate them out.
So for instance, because we’re currently in Q3 and I recommend that you focus on list growth in preparation for Q4, one of your pinned posts could be focused on your lead magnet. Whether it’s a lead generation quiz, PDF download, or even just a discount off their first purchase – it’s a great place to show that off.
If you have new product releases, or are currently in pre-launch mode – feature that in your pinned posts section. If you don’t have a specific product you’re focused on right now, feature your tried and true best-sellers instead.
And don’t forget about you and your brand story. We know people love to get to know the person behind the curtain so don’t be afraid to pin an intro post to you and what you do here. Just remember to frame it a “what’s in it for them” kinda way.
If you don’t have any big marketing pushes in your biz that you want to focus on right now, go through your archives and find a post that performed well in the past and try to align it to your current goals.
For instance, maybe you’re looking on gaining more followers on Instagram right now – find a post that brought you a lot of followers.
Or maybe you’re trying to get more traffic to your site – find a post that can a lot of link clicks
Just want to get more engagement… you see where I’m going right?
And if you don’t feel like you have anything pin worthy… create it! Do a reel featuring your best-seller and post that to the top. Do a quick face to camera intro of you and your team, and post it to the top! When you’re sitting down to plan out your future content, think in terms of what you would want to feature there + create specifically for it.
I’d love to know how you’re using your pinned posts. Shoot me a DM on Instagram and let me know!
