Instagram Marketing Tips for Beginners in 2026: Updated Guide to Grow Fast

2026 Update: Instagram Marketing Tips 2026 for Beginners (What Actually Works Now)

Instagram in 2026 is a completely different platform from the 2018–2021 version many marketing guides were written for. Today, Instagram is:

• a search engine,

• a short-form video platform,

• a personalised AI recommendation system,

• and one of the most powerful brand discovery tools for small businesses.

Before diving into the original beginner tips below, here’s what every new Instagram marketer must understand in 2026 to grow faster, reach real customers, and make the algorithm work in their favour.

1. Instagram is Now a Search Engine – Not Just a Feed

Modern Instagram users search the way they use Google or TikTok.

They type queries like:

• “best skincare routine for oily skin”

• “small business gifts UK”

• “quick meal ideas”

• “2026 fitness plan”

To show up in these searches, your content must include:

• keywords in captions

• on-screen text in Reels

• spoken keywords in videos (Instagram auto-transcribes)

• search-friendly alt text

• your niche clearly stated in your bio

Keywords > Hashtags in 2026.

2. Reels Are Non-Negotiable for Beginners

If you’re new to Instagram, the fastest path to traction is:

Reels. Reels. Reels.

Reels outperform photos by 5–12x.
They’re pushed to non-followers via:

• Explore

• Suggested Feed

• Topic Recommendations

• Hashtag Hubs

• Search

Best-performing beginner Reels:

• simple how-tos

• product demos

• before/after clips

• day-in-the-life

• customer highlights

• quick tips

• trending audio + niche keywords

You don’t need expensive gear – your phone is enough.

3. AI Tools Make Content Creation Easier Than Ever

In 2026, beginners don’t need editing skills.
AI can:

• generate captions

• suggest Reel ideas

• edit videos automatically

• improve image quality

• recommend hashtags

• help design carousel graphics

• identify the best posting times

Instagram also uses AI to match your content to the right audience – meaning clarity and consistency matter more than aesthetics.

4. Engagement Quality Beats Frequency

In 2026, the algorithm prioritises:

• saves

• shares

• comments

• rewatches

• profile taps

This means:

• One incredible post beats ten average ones.

• A Reel that gets rewatches will go further than a polished photo.

• Asking intentional questions boosts reach more than likes ever did.

5. The Bio Is Now a Mini SEO Page

Beginners should optimise their bios with:

• what they do

• who they help

• niche keywords

• a strong CTA

• a mobile-friendly link hub

Instagram now “reads” your bio to classify your content – which affects recommendations.

6. Cross-Promotion Is Still a Beginner Superpower

But in 2026, the most effective forms are:

• adding Reels to Facebook automatically

• embedding Instagram content on your blog

• sharing Stories to your email list

• using QR codes in physical locations

• linking Instagram from product packaging

Your existing audience is still your fastest path to early traction.

7. Posting Frequency ≠ Success – Consistency Does

The best approach for beginners:

• 3–4 Reels weekly

• 2–3 Stories per day

• 1 carousel per week

• 1–2 Lives or collaborations per month

A consistent content shape, not constant posting, grows accounts in 2026.

Bonus: The Fastest Instagram Marketing Tips 2026

These weren’t possible a few years ago:

1. Remix trending Reels in your niche

Zero editing needed – instant visibility boost.

2. Collaborate with micro-creators

Co-posting puts your content in front of their audience too.

3. Use broadcast channels

Engage followers with updates, teasers, and exclusive offers.

4. Hop on trend sounds early

Even beginners get a reach boost when trending audio is used correctly.

5. Use comment prompts

Instagram shows your posts more when comments start strong.

Continue Reading the Original Article Below

The original “7 Beginner Tips” guide still contains foundational advice, but use the updates above to ensure your strategy aligns with Instagram in 2026.

 

With over 800 million users, 500 million of which use the social media platform on a daily basis, it’s no surprise that an increasing number of businesses are turning towards Instagram to target a whole new audience of potential customers.

As an incredibly fast-growing platform, Facebook saw the perfect opportunity to invest early and decided to purchase Instagram for $1bn back in 2012, and they must now be loving the return they are getting from their investment!

But where do you start when it comes to marketing your business on Instagram? Well thankfully Instagram have launched a business profile option, much like you find on Facebook, which is a great place to start, however here are a few more hints and tips to lead you onto the path of success on Instagram:

Tip One: Create a great profile

The little snippet of information you provide is the first thing many users will see when landing on your profile page, so investing some time in thinking about what to include within your profile is key.

You only have 150 characters to play with so you need to think creatively. There’s no way you’ll be able to squeeze in all of your services or products, so why not highlight your very best USP and draw the visitor in to find out more?

This is also the only place where you are able to provide a clickable link to users as they don’t allow any links within posts unless you run a paid advertising campaign.

Most businesses simply link to their homepage and that’s it, never touching it again or driving traffic to any other area of their website. However, there’s no limit on the amount of times you can change this link, so don’t be afraid to update it regularly, and you don’t need to send them just to your homepage either. Why not mix it up a bit by sending them to your main services page, an event registration form, contact page or even a testimonials page to highlight what others have to say about you?

Tip Two: Be creative with imagery

The last thing an Instagram user will want to see is a boring old picture of a product that you sell (ie. exactly the same image they would find on the product page of your website!).

Focus on the solution that your business can provide, rather than the product itself. Create imagery that users will be able to relate to and say ‘hey I could do with something that could help with that’. This way, they are far more likely to pay attention to your posts and head over to your website to find out more about the product or service behind the solution they’ve just seen.

You can share photos, short videos like GIFs and videos up to a minute in length on the platform, so don’t be afraid to experiment to see which get the most interaction and subsequent impact on sales over on your website.

Tip Three: Take advantage of cross-promotion

When starting out on Instagram, it can be difficult to build up a following and get people engaging with your posts. However, there is a way that you can make the most of people who already know and love your brand over on other platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn by highlighting the fact that you are over on Instagram too.

There is a good chance that a large percentage of your followers on other social platforms have an Instagram account too, but perhaps didn’t know that your business did. Let them know where they can find you on Instagram and watch your follower count steadily begin to rise.

Tip Four: Don’t go post mad!

It can be very tempting when starting a new social profile to go mad with the numbers of posts, however this can overwhelm an audience and lead to a few of those dreaded unfollows!

Experiment to begin with to see how well your audience engage with the posts you publish. There’s no magic formula for the amount of times you should post, as this can vary considerably based on industry sector and target audience, so consider starting with a couple of posts a day that you vary the time you publish on. This way, you’ll be able to get a good idea when most of your followers are using Instagram and when to start introducing a couple more posts on particularly active days.

Tip Five: Make sure you interact

Users want to see that you are taking an active interest in them too, so if someone takes the time to leave a comment on one of your posts, take just a few seconds to thank them for it. This will make them feel good, and show to everyone else that you take an interest in what they have to say and therefore may lead to more comments on future posts.

Remember to ask questions of your audience too in order to get them involved and encourage sharing. One great way is to ask your followers to ‘tag three friends who would love this’. This creates natural sharing and as the ‘friend’ has been introduced to your profile by someone they know and trust, the reluctance to follow you will be reduced as they will know that the person they tagged must like and trust what you put out there.

Tip Six: Do your hashtag research

Hashtags are the way to get your posts in front of a large audience on Instagram. Before publishing anything, make sure you’ve spent some time researching hashtags that are trending in line with the theme of your post so you can jump on the back of this existing popularity.

Creating your own hashtag and using it on every post can also stand you in good stead as the more followers you get, the increased likelihood that they will use your hashtag if and when they publish something that relates to it and want you to see.

If you sell products, you could also create a hashtag that customers can use to tag photos of themselves using the product in question. This can be great fun for your customers and business alike, and you could even run a competition where the most creative photo featuring your product wins a prize at the end of the month to encourage even more customers to get involved.

Tip Seven: Keep users on the edge of their seats

No matter where you run a marketing campaign, you ultimately want to keep users interested and coming back for more. Through Instagram, why not reward your followers with exclusive news and information on new products, competitions or events? You could create a series of teaser posts leading up to the big reveal to keep them coming back, before providing that exciting information exclusively to them first.

This will make your Instagram followers feel very special and keep them coming back to your profile to see what the latest sneak-peek is, the most recent product you’ve added to your collection or that cheeky behind the scenes video of what goes on within your business.

With a little patience and creative thinking, you can steadily increase the number of users who follow you on Instagram, boost the levels of engagement and get more people clicking through to your website. The platform is only going continue growing in the months and years to come, so if you haven’t created a profile for your business yet, sign up today and start having some fun with creative and engaging imagery to entice a new audience in.

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Last Updated on December 22, 2025 by Becky Halls