Trying to branch out and promote your DIY blog on more channels? The visual focus and fun vibe of Instagram make it a fantastic platform for DIY bloggers.

If you’d like to try but aren’t sure what kind of content to post to Instagram, here are some ideas:

Before/after carousel posts for upcycling or makeovers

Did you know that Instagram lets you post more than one photo at once? You may not have noticed, because you have to swipe to see the remaining photos in the carousel. That’s why it’s a good idea to call your followers’ attention to the fact that there is more than one photo to see.

Carousel posts are perfect for showing a process or before and after photos. Make the first image a graphic inviting followers to swipe left and describing what they’re about to see, then the before photo, and then the after photo.

Here is some before/after inspiration from Freelance Creative @marrahsgotprojects:

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I’ve had so many messages wanting an update on how this hand painted tile is holding up. I’m happy to report that I have seen no chips dings or wear marks at all! And it’s been put through some serious wear with our family of 4 (mostly me scraping the floor with the door 😬) I still might throw a new layer of high traffic poly on it for good measure since we are coming up on a year since install. Swipe over to check out the before pic of this space! If you have any questions about tile stencils ask below! 👇🏽

A post shared by Marrah Jo (@marrahsgotprojects) on Apr 10, 2019 at 10:39am PDT

Quick Story tutorials

Stories are one of Instagram’s newest and hottest features, and there’s so much you can do with them. The advantage of posting your tutorial on Stories rather than as a Feed post is that it shows up at the top of your followers’ feeds, so it’s more likely to get their attention. You can later add it to your Highlights on your profile, too.

To make a great tutorial with Stories, utilize its unique features: make a different slide for each step, and use stickers and animations to guide your followers to creating a finished product. See our post on How to Create a Tutorial on Instagram Stories to learn more.

IGTV channel with longer tutorials

Set up your own IGTV channel to post longer tutorial videos. Videos on IGTV can be up to 10 minutes long. You can also post a 1-minute preview of the longer video to your feed that will take your followers straight to IGTV video.

You can read more about using IGTV in our post, Should You Use IGTV for Your Business?

@TheCrafty is excelling on IGTV with their original DIY video content:

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Follow us on Instagram @the.crafty

A post shared by The Crafty (@the.crafty) on Jan 15, 2020 at 5:07pm PST

DIY giveaway

Everybody loves a giveaway! You can choose one of your favorite craft items as the prize — even something small and inexpensive. Don’t forget to promote your giveaway in your Stories and feed. One idea for entry rules is to ask people to comment on the giveaway post with how they would like to use the product.

DIY blogger @honeybuilthome ran a successful 2019 giveaway:

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GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO ENTERED! I’m so excited to to have teamed up with @homeright to give away one free Super Finish Max Paint Sprayer ($100 value). You’ve seen it in action over the last week as I painted my sons room in less than 2 hours and of course on our shiplap kitchen island. I’ve tried several different paint sprayers and honestly can’t say enough positive things about the Super Finish Max. -minimal overspray -smooth consistency as it sprays -different size tips to handle all your projects -a breeze to clean -minimal paint wasting HERES HOW TO ENTER TO WIN 1. Like this picture 📷 2. Follow me 💕 3. Tag a friend in the comments below Optional: 1. Share this post on your instastory gives you an additional entry 2. Share a creative post or “before” on a project that you’d love to use the sprayer on with the hashtag #honeybuilthomeright Must be 18 or older to enter. #honeybuilthomeright #homerightsuperfinishmax #giveaway #paintsprayer #diygiveaway #fearlessdiy

A post shared by Christine Gummersall | DIY (@honeybuilthome) on May 19, 2019 at 6:51am PDT

See our post about How to Run a Successful Instagram Giveaway for more details and ideas.

Product reviews

Have you discovered an amazing new product lately? Make a review video and post it in your Stories. DIYers are always looking for new craft and DIY products, and your followers will appreciate knowing what you think. You could even get in touch with the company that sells the product and team up for a sponsored post or giveaway.

#ThrowbackThursday

The #throwbackthursday hashtag is a great opportunity to give old projects a second life! Pick an old project you loved… or maybe even one you hated. In the caption, you can write about what you learned from that project and what you’ve accomplished since, or what you might do differently now.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Once you find your way around Instagram, you’ll discover endless new possibilities for fun and useful DIY content.

Action Items:

1. Create a quick tutorial to post in your Stories.
2. Try a before/after carousel post. Don’t forget to create an opening graphic that encourages your followers to swipe.
3. Set up your IGTV channel and post a longer tutorial video on your channel.
4. Find a product to review or give away and create a review post or a giveaway.
5.  Find an old project for #ThrowbackThursday and schedule a post for this coming Thursday.