A new trend floating around the Instagram-sphere is planned-out feeds that create an overall theme. When I say theme, I’m referring to colors and tones of images that all work together to create an overall aura to the page that is the same. If you’re doing it correctly, all of your posts should look like they were taken through the same lens and edited by the same person. You are able to tell a difference between who has a theme and who doesn’t by looking at the grouping of the photos and seeing if there are mismatched colors or images with varying brightness. Don’t worry, I have a few simple steps that will aid you in creating the perfect theme for your page!
1. Plan your posts
You want me to plan what I post on Instagram? It’s crazy, I know. Organizing the images you want to post through a scheduling app such as “UN UM” allows you see how well your posts work together. It could be that your color scheming is off, and with planning apps, you are able to quickly identify which photos will work great for your theme and the ones that will set everything off. Planning your posts also helps in creating visual works of art, in that they give your audience a unique feed that varies in picture styles. Most often, your audience doesn’t want to see the same selfie from the same angle every day – plan it out!
2. Use The Same Filter
This tip is huge in helping you begin an Instagram theme! In my personal experience, I always made the mistake of making every filter or preset different for all my images and this created for a dissimilar grid. Now that I’m aware of this step, I always use the same filter, A6 on VSCO. In taking this simple action, my photos all carry the same vibe and mesh well together, even without the knit-picky edits. I would recommend downloading an editing app and choosing one particular filter that you always reach for, and this preset will be the foundation of your theme.
3. The 3 P’s
This rule is my absolute favorite and it wasn’t until a few months ago that a peer of mine shared it. The 3 P’s stand for person, place and product. You should follow this rule when posting on Instagram to create a balanced feed that is visually appealing to the eye. A person could be as easy as a selfie or profile shot. A place could be your favorite coffee shop or reading corner. Finally, a product could be a book or makeup products you’re loving. Essentially, you don’t want to keep sharing the same photos, so this rule helps you balance out what you’re sharing and keep people interested!
Those are my first steps in creating an Instagram theme, but remember to have fun with it and don’t stress too much. I firmly believe that if you have a photo you want to post, regardless of how it relates to your theme, just post it! Your Instagram should have creative freedom, but themes can make the photo-taking task that much more adventurous.