Ep. 53: What to do with pinned posts on Instagram?

Pinned posts on Instagram – have you seen them?  Y’all, I LOVE them.  And there is a reason why you should use them.  On a recent Insider Mentorship group coaching call, the question was asked about Pinned Posts and the most effective way to utilize this new feature.   Now if you’re just hearing about Instagram […]

The post Ep. 53: What to do with pinned posts on Instagram? appeared first on Authentic Online Marketing.

Pinned posts on Instagram – have you seen them?  Y’all, I LOVE them.  And there is a reason why you should use them.  On a recent Insider Mentorship group coaching call, the question was asked about Pinned Posts and the most effective way to utilize this new feature.  

Now if you’re just hearing about Instagram Pinned Posts and don’t know what they are, it just means basically featuring a post at the top of your Instagram feed until you decide to unpin or switch it out with another post.  Simply long press on an image and a menu will appear, and you can select to pin a post or Reel.  If you ever want to unpin it, simply long press again.  At the time of this recording, up to 3 pins are allowed but as we all know, that could change bc we know Instagram loves to change the rules on us.  That’s why I’m here with this podcast, to explain simply and briefly what to do next for your Instagram and email marketing.

In this episode I gave my best advice on how to use Pinned posts effectively, when you should switch them out, and how many to use (should you use all 3? 2? 1?). You’ll also hear about a strategy I’ve Been using to gain more traction on my posts, plus, how to display your grid so it looks like a portfolio of your services.  I’ll also clue you in on a scheduling software I’ve been using that is “fix it and forget it,” to repurpose your content for a whole year.  Get all the scoop and then share it on Instagram!  And now, listen in.

Resources

*This episode contains either affiliate links or links to my products. Should you choose to purchase, the show will go on! Woo hoo!

Access the Missing Lettr scheduling software!

Ep 39: How to come back to Instagram (after taking a break)

Ep. 38: When to take a break from Instagram

Ep. 61: Combining Instagram and email marketing in 5 smart ways

Ep. 58: 7 tips for repurposing Instagram stories

What do you do with pinned posts on Instagram?

Suzanne: I’ve read a couple of differing opinions about whether to have three pinned or just two your current posts always showing on the top. Do you have an opinion about that? 

Ruthie:  I have an opinion after really fooling around with it, you know, trial and error. I noticed that whatever my most recent post is if I really want traction on it, whether it’s a Reel or not, I pin it.

It goes first because that’s what I want people to comment on. I always have three, I like that option. The other one is always what the podcast lineup is for the month. You could do that easily. Always do that podcast lineup.

Then the other one is usually just something else that’s recent that I want traction for last week was launch week so everything was about that. And the podcast lineup kind of went to the wayside. And then it went right back up to the top. If you want your recent post to gain traction, pin it right away.

Choosing your pinned posts

Suzanne: I did one carousel post that tells exactly, explicit instructions on, what the method is, how to do it, the whole basic program.  Are they pushing pinned posts out? I still get feedback on that.

Ruthie: You’re still getting feedback on comments on that post? I think they are, but I also think they’re pushing out recent posts too. It’s interesting and something else I have tried that you guys try is this. I have a scheduling software that I bought a hundred years ago from App Sumo called “Missing Lettr.” And whenever a post of mine goes out, I get an email to approve 12 posts in a year. And they go out at three days, the next month, and then so forth out through the year.

I can schedule those out as I want. I can write the captions, select the images and then it just goes, so I hadn’t used that for a couple years and decided to go ahead and start using it again. So every once in a while I get a random post that I just forgot about, I didn’t know it was going to run.

Quick data

Then I start seeing all these clicks and comments and likes and notifications. And I’m like, what is that? Do I really want people to comment on that today? But what I found is, if I can make that post go live about an hour to 30 minutes before what I really want people to comment on, which is going to be a Reel. Or an important post, a lot of times that real or post will get even more traction because I just posted recently. It’s a trial and error thing, but I do notice that the more you post, the more Instagram pushes your stuff out there, and we can’t just post all the time. But if you have a scheduling app, like Missing Lettr. That is just taking out something that you only entered once for the whole 12 months, it’s worth it.

So if anybody has interest in that, I can get you the link to, to sign up for that. I think it was $39 for me. It comes on sale every once in a while.

How often to change out pinned posts

“How often should we change our pinned post?” You need to keep track of your pinned posts and make sure that when you post a new post or Reel you want people to comment on that you go ahead and make that a pinned post. 

Because a lot of times I have core people that I almost always comment on their posts or they comment on mine because we go back like a thousand years and we’re trying to support each other. So if she comments on mine and I go to her account and I see the pinned post, and I’m like, wait, I already commented on those.

Then I have to hunt for her most recent post.  Most people aren’t going to do that if they’re wanting to come and support you and support your most recent post. So that’s why I advise your recent post get pinned. The other two posts need to be just kind of evergreen stuff or it’s a recent sale, a launch, or something that is going on this month or this week, like my podcast line up for August. 

What if you need a break?

I love the pinned posts. Here’s an idea I’ve found, and that is if you decide you want to take a break from Instagram, then you make sure that your last nine posts are targeted towards your own business. Like say you want to take three months off, then you could archive things, move things around and make sure your last nine posts go to your email list, your sales site, your website, and then you wanna make them the three pinned posts, the most important.

It kind of makes it a little easier once you have your pinned posts. Then you take your Instagram URL, your profile URL, and share that in places you post to. 

We recently did an episode on When to take a break from Instagram, actually at the beginning of summer, Episode 38, and arranging your grid as I just described, getting it prepped for that break, would be an ideal way to leave it so if people run across your Instagram account, they can see what you do and it will be helpful to have that kind of as a business portfolio. A One Sheet, if you will, description of your services, products, book, podcast, definitely your newsletter Opt-in, kind of like an expanded business card. 

Benefit of pinned posts: Having your resources ready

Then when people want to know what you do, you can have that account URL ready to give them and they can read a great summary of your offerings. It might be nice to go ahead and experiment with that and even use it as your regular grid layout so if you need to step away or something happens you can’t post, your account is still seamless and sharing the most important parts of your business. And you can use Pinned posts as your top 3 offerings! Cool, huh?

So what do you think of Pinned Posts? I want to know your thoughts or questions – slide into my stories today and vote on your opinion!  You can post 1-3, pin or unpin, but remember, most people are going to see your pinned posts first in their feed and not your recent post, so if it’s not a pinned post, just know that it may not get the traction you want, and you may want to think about always pinning your most recent post.  

Important info

I’ll include the link to my scheduling software in case you want a quick way to repurpose content throughout the year, which helps when you don’t have a post ready, or may even, like I found, boost your next post due to posting frequency.  As things stand right now, Instagram pushes the content of frequent posters, and none of us want to be on the app all day!  You’ve got to make it doable, so this is just one easy way to do that.  The software is called Missing Lettr, check it out and see if it’s something you might like to use.  

Be sure to head on over to my Instagram @authenticonlinemarketingpod or you can search my name, Ruthie Gray, and vote on my stories about your Pinned Posts opinions!  Until next week, Remember to share your message your way in your own authentic voice!

30 Day Story Challenge

If you’re tired of feeling like a content mill and ready to simplify your posting process (without losing followers or your sanity), why not try our 30-Day Simply Stories challenge starting October 3? By doing stories for 30 days you will learn

Why Instagram stories are still key to client conversions.

How to create engaging (yea, even entertaining) stories that represent your voice, intrigue followers to get to know you, and cultivate community.

5 Proven ways non-followers discover you through stories (you’ll get the checklist instantly).

How to be wise on the app (and not lose track of time) in just 10-20 minutes a day.

A smart way to get more eyes on your posts even though you’re only using stories!

Fall back in love with Instagram (or at least get your story groove on)!  I love stories and through the challenge, I think you’ll come to love them too and see the value they deliver!  (Plus – here’s an extra tip: you’ll have Reels content going forward!)

Check out the 30-Day Simply Stories challenge in our bio link and don’t forget to use your Pinned posts going forward!  Until next week, remember to share your message your unique way in your own authentic voice.

The post Ep. 53: What to do with pinned posts on Instagram? appeared first on Authentic Online Marketing.