How to Post On Instagram 2022 for Beginners

Posted: October 9, 2022 | Last updated: February 9, 2024

It’s 2022 but you still don’t know how to post on Instagram effectively? Anxious about the steep learning curve you may have to go through before you master it? There’s no need to worry because it’s never too late to get on the social media bandwagon and up your IG skills from zero to pro!

How do you post on Instagram for beginners? You’re in for a treat because we will discuss everything from creating your first post, doing it on your pc, and even divulging some juicy tips and tricks to come up with the best reels that will help you monetize your Instagram page in the future. Also, you can do this by utilizing the best social media management tools to suit your needs and your budget. Know more about this in our Social Champ review.

If you’re new to Instagram it’s perfectly normal to feel like you’re not getting the most out of this app. So in this post, we’re going to show you how to get started and share everything you need to know to achieve great ease and navigation. 

Instagram is constantly changing, updating, and evolving. Thus, it is important that you are reading the latest articles, or watching the most updated video tutorials. That being said, let’s jump right in!

How Do I Create a Post On Instagram?

Download the App

So first things first. You need to make sure that you have the Instagram app downloaded. Do this by going to your App Store, type in search, then type Instagram. This is available for iOS, Android, and all OSS (Operating Support systems). But you can also access it via the website. 

Create a Profile

Once you see a pop-up either create an account or sign in by putting in some of your personal information. It’s super easy and not complicated at all so long as you have an email or phone number then you’d be able to sign up. 

When you’re signed in you are going to come into this panel. The way to navigate through the entire User Interface is by using the buttons down below. 

Your Home tab. Everything that people you follow post gets in here and soon you will begin to see things populate. Within your Home tab, you have the Story tab, your Direct Messages, as well as see everyone that you could follow. 

Use the Search tab when searching for people, usernames, business accounts, trending sounds, and many others. The Middle page is where you go and post photos or stories. 

How to Post on Instagram Story

On the bottom right corner, you can either click on post, story or live. The Heart section shows the people who follow you or those liking your photos or stories. Sometimes you can also see people that you may follow, as well as some suggestions. 

The Profile icon is your profile. So you will see your profile, your profile photo, stories, highlights, posts, videos, or reels. All that information will be posted there. 

Follow Someone

Let’s say you like Chef Gordon Ramsay and wish to follow him. All you need to do is click the follow button. Other suggestions for people to follow can also be seen below. 

Searching for Usernames

Click the search button and in the search bar type Taylor Swift or any name for that matter, for instance then choose to follow them if you like. You will see not only the Profile icon but the description as well. Also, you will know how many followers they have or are following. You may also scroll down to check out all the photos that they’ve posted.

Once you’re done following and you want to go back out, you don’t have to completely swipe out and click the back button. All you have to do is click on the Search button and it would take you back to the original page. 

The Home Page

If you click the Home button you wouldn’t have anything on your Homepage just yet despite following some people. So go ahead and swipe up and it will refresh the page automatically. 

The good thing about Instagram is it can go ahead and fetch everything for you so you can see the posts of everyone you followed. 

Stories Panel 

Once you’re back on your Homepage you can swipe to the left and be on your Stories Panel. Stories go away after 24 hours unless they are added to your highlights. You can take a photo and edit it just like you do on Snapchat or any other app. Tap to add text, a filter, or a caption, or draw on it if you wish, then save it afterward. You can also switch colors and has other capabilities like allowing you to send this to other people instead of posting it to your story. 

You can also make a video just like what you do on Snapchat then proceed with the same editing you did earlier with your photo. But if you think your photo or video is no good, you can easily delete it by going back and clicking the X button. 

Click Create

Here’s another cool option to get your creative juices flowing. You can play with tons of filters with awesome backgrounds, swipe to your side on the bottom to switch things up. Ask a question, add in a boomerang, a layout, or another image, even. 

It’s good to check out other people’s story ideas first before posting to better get the hang of it. So go ahead and click the post option then choose whatever photo or video you like to post. Just bear in mind that everybody can see this if you’re thinking about posting something crazy. Then again you can modify and make changes if you like. Change the photo or post multiple photos at the same time. It’s totally up to you. There’s also Instagram live, which allows people to watch you in real-time, just like any live stream feature out there. 

If you want to see a story just click on it. You can also pause it by swiping it down. If you wish to comment on a story, you can do so by clicking on it. Typically you can also see a whole bunch of stories you can enjoy.

Instagram Reels

Instagram can be super addictive, especially if you have mastered all its cool features, so here’s a reels tutorial to get you started. Here you will discover how to create Instagram reels using the Instagram app in the editor, film, edit, and other features we’re going to go over. 

Getting Started

Go to your Bio on the upper right corner of your screen with the little plus sign and tap on that. Then tap on reel to bring you to the reel creation part of the app. But you could also choose to go straight to your home feed and swipe over the bottom to see a little carousel of different words. Tap over to reels and it will bring you exactly to the same place. 

Tap on the audio icon at the very top. Here you can search for music and save it. You can have access to popular music if you have a creator account. For those who have business accounts who are having trouble getting access to them, try switching to a creator account instead. 

Reel Length and Speed

The one right below it is the number 30 with a little circle on it. Once you tap on that you can change your reel length from 15, 30, or 60 seconds. Make sure that’s all set up before you start filming since you can’t go back and change it afterward. So make sure it’s already the exact length that you want. 

The safest thing to do is set it to 60 seconds even if it’s less than that because it won’t make any difference while giving you the option to shoot a bit longer. 

Below it where it says one time is where you can decide how fast your reel will go. So if you do two, three, or four times speed you’re essentially filming in a time-lapse. However, if you do 0.3 or 0.5 you will be filming in slow motion. 

Effects

Right below this is the Effects feature in the form of three little stars icon. This is where you’ll be able to add an effect before filming. So you can begin by going over to your saved filters, choosing one that fits your mood, then start filming. 

Timer

Following the effects is the Timer icon. This comes in handy when you’ve got your phone set up where you don’t have a tripod or a ring light in tow. It allows you to get yourself situated and set up at the right angle with some decent lighting before you start filming. And it’s totally up to you how long the countdown will be. So set the timer, hit film, and you’re good to go. You can do it as many times as you want. 

Flash 

The next icon is the Flash, which is negligible, especially if you have good lighting. Most people don’t use it, but it’s good to know you have it in situations when it becomes necessary. 

Align

After filming or uploading a video using Instagram reels, there is your Align feature so you can align yourself with the last frame of the last video you have filmed. This comes in handy, especially when doing transitions. 

Deleting Clips

If you decide to delete your clip, you can tap on the bottom left where you can see a film record button. Tap on it then tap on the clip. Next, tap on the three dots then hit delete. That is how you discard any clips you wish to get rid of. Another thing you can do is tap then hold the record button if you wish to record. In this way, there’s no need to use the Timer feature. 

Shortcut

This is another important feature. You can simply swipe up and you can add any photos or videos from your camera roll. For example, you can tap on a boomerang and decide how much of the video you wish to add. 

Preview

This can be found in the bottom right-hand corner. Here you can adjust or edit various clips that you have, or decide how long or short they will be. This is super convenient, especially if you are lip-syncing reels. You can go through it and even discard it if you think it’s no good. 

Adding Text

To add text, you can tap anywhere on the screen and you will see a little text icon pop up. There are also two A’s found in the upper right-hand corner for adding text. This text function works the same way as Instagram stories, so for those who are familiar with that, this is going to be a piece of cake. 

How to Post on Instagram With Someone

Instagram’s Collabs feature is another fun thing you can try with another creative. Now you can share credit for a post or an Instagram reels video. 

To go through the collab option just go through the same posting process. Press the plus sign. You have the option to do it with Post, as well as Reel. Choose a video then press the next two times. Before pressing share, tag the collaborator. You can’t do the normal tagging because you need to click on Invite a Collaborator instead. 

When you share this post, your collaborator/s will be shown as another author of this post. But first, they need to accept this tag as a collaborator before it goes through and becomes a successful collab. Meaning, it doesn’t do it by default. The same thing goes if you’re the one they invited to be a collaborator, you need to accept it first. 

Miscellaneous 

There are still a lot of other features that are still cool but can already be considered as ‘miscellaneous stuff’. They allow you to add GIFs and closed captions to make your reel more accessible to more people. 

Saving

Now, we go to the most crucial part, which is saving your reel. The last thing you want to happen after putting in all that creativity and hard work are for it to go to waste. So, when you are finished filming your reel, make sure you click on that little downward arrow button. Tapping this will save this reel to your camera roll, but it will not save it with any audio if it is not your original audio. 

Best Posting Time

Yes, you may still be starting on Instagram but it’s helpful when to know the best time to post to be seen and heard. You do this by opening up your Instagram account then and selecting Insights. Then select total followers and scroll all the way down. From there, you will see the most active times. 

Now you’re left with two options. You can choose either hours or days. If you choose days, you will see which days your audience is most active. Then if you select the hours section you will see a demographic showing how active your audience is throughout the day. This is how you know when is the best time to post. 

You can also use social media management software that allows you to schedule posts and manage all your social accounts in one place. Read more about this in our Social Aider review. 

How to Post On Instagram PC

We now move on to posting on Instagram from your computer. 

To post Instagram from your PC, you will need Google Chrome. For those who don’t have it yet, you can easily download it from the Chrome site. Next, go to Instagram.com on your browser. Go to Settings by tapping on the three dots on the upper right-hand side. Click on More Tools, then the Developers Tools. You will see the Developer Window for Chrome. This allows developers to test and debug websites and apps. But now you are going to use it for Instagram. 

Tap the mobile button, then under the drop-down window, select which interface you prefer to use. After choosing, refresh the page so you can see the Instagram interface on your browser. Now you can post on your desktop exactly the way you do on your phone. 

Reaping Success on Instagram

Whether it is knowing what are the two ways to post on Instagram, discovering the Collab Feature, or mastering countless ways to boost your image on social media, one thing is for sure—it is fun. When you no longer enjoy what you’re doing, everything will feel like a chore, like work. Your productivity and creativity will be affected, and your audience will notice that. So, before you venture out into anything new like Instagram, make sure you find real joy and satisfaction in what you do.

For more tips and tricks on how to become successful on Instagram, read our post 12 Instagram Engagement Tips to Get More Likes and Comments.