How To Batch Instagram Posts & Maximise Your Time

Have you ever felt overwhelmed when it’s time for you to post on Instagram? I know I have! Creating social media content is probably one of the hardest things to do, and is even harder when you’re running your business solo! When I first started Sena Studio, I would spend hours editing images, trying to think of new ideas and writing captions. After several hours I would get frustrated and would give up. I wasted so much time in my first year of business creating new content every day. Then I discovered batching. Batching literally changed my life. It’s helped me free up time and stay on track with my projects. Not only that, I’ve been able to avoid the burnout and stress that can come along with creating content on demand.

If you’re tired of being stressed out and want a more organised approach to Instagram planning, batching is what you need. And the best thing about it? You’ll see the difference it makes almost immediately. So what exactly is batching? If you’re not already familiar, batching is when you create A LOT of content at the same time. It really is as simple as that. I usually plan 30 days’ worth of content at a time, but if you’re short on time, you can plan for 2 weeks or even a week, it’s completely up to you! Today I’m going to show you how I plan for Instagram posts, but feel free to use this technique for other social media platforms and blog posts!

Block Out Time

I find that blocking out large chunks of time to schedule my batched content works well for me. I’ll normally work for 4 hours at a time for one or two days in a week. It might seem to be time consuming at first, but it will save you SO much time and energy in the long run!

Brainstorm

I like to have a quick brainstorming session to generate some topics and ideas that I would like to cover. If you’re feeling stuck, think about what your followers would find helpful, what questions you get asked often or what you would really like to share. Once you’ve chosen a general topic, think about some sub-topics that you can discuss in further depth. (It might be tempting to miss out this step, but it’s really helpful later on in the process, trust me!)

Get Organised

I love to start by gathering all my content. Having all your content organised will make your batching session 100 times more efficient! To get started, create a new folder on your desktop. This is what will contain all your content for your social media posts. In that folder you can create more folders that will contain each type of content you post. I usually create 3 folders, for images, captions and hashtags.

Batch Edit Images

If you have your own images, a useful tip is to batch edit your images. This will save you the hassle of having to edit each individual image before posting. If you’re sourcing stock images, make sure you look for images with a similar feel, to help keep your aesthetic cohesive. If you’re creating graphics for your posts, I recommend using Canva to create templates that can be reused.

Pre-Write Captions

Writing out all your captions may seem like a boring and tedious task, but believe me, nothing feels better than having all your captions pre-written and ready to go! This is where the brainstorming session comes in handy. You should already have your topic and some ideas ready. You can gather quotes, repurpose old content, answer common questions or share your thoughts on your chosen topic. The possibilities really are endless. Try to create about 20-30 captions, and don’t forget to consider the amount of times you want to post! (If you find it hard to concentrate, using a productivity app like Flipd can help!)

Research Hashtags

A great tool I use before I add hashtags is For Display Purposes Only. I love this tool and use it to check the most effective hashtags for my post. The key to being successful with hashtags is not to overdo it. Although Instagram allows for up to 30 hashtags per post, I like to keep within the range of 15 – 20.

Use Scheduling Tools

Once you have all your content, you can schedule your posts. My favourite tool to use is Later, which you can use for up to 30 Instagram posts on their free plan. If you need more posts, they have additional plans which have great features like detailed analytics and Instagram Story planning! Some other great tools for Instagram planning are Tailwind and Planoly.

What is your experience with batching? Let me know in the comments below!