If you’re looking to boost your brand on Instagram but at a loss for what to post, we’ve got you covered with 31 days of prompts, inspiration, and hashtags that celebrate life’s beautiful, everyday moments.
Recently we teamed up with social media scheduling app Tailwind for a month-long Instagram challenge aimed at helping you create an unstoppable Instagram habit and gain followers along the way. Those who participated said that it helped them think differently about their feed and one participant even said it helped her gain 1000 followers in a single month.
So we’ve gathered all the prompts in one place plus some awesome examples to inspire you, so you can do the challenge whenever and as many times as you’d like.*
How it Works:
- Start the challenge on a Monday.
- Be inspired by these prompts or come up with your own—the most important thing is to post consistently.
- Consider creating your posts in Adobe Spark and scheduling with Tailwind—the app will post when your followers are most active.
- Tag your posts with #AdobeSpark so we can follow and feature you!
Day 1: Monday
Introduce yourself and say hello to your Instagram community. Tag a few friends to invite them to the challenge.
Hashtags: #hello #newbeginnings #possibilities #freshstart
To kick things off, we took the opportunity to introduce the Spark team members behind the Instagram account.
Day 2: Tuesday
What are your #feedgoals/theme for your Instagram? Why should people follow your account?
Hashtags: #instafollow #instagrammer #community #journey #feedgoals
The @evokery’s word cloud sums up what their feed is all about. You could also post a quote or phrase that keeps you going.
Day 3: Wednesday
Share a quote for #wordsofwisdom Wednesday
#wordsofwisdom #quote #wordstoliveby #wisewords #feedgoals
We love how @zollerfabian uses multiple shapes and Spark Post’s Magic Layout to make his text pop. The black and white background image also looks awesome under the red.
Day 4: Thursday
#TBT time! Share a throwback photo
Hashtags: #tbt #throwbackthursday #throwback #memories #feedgoals
We love how @amdesigned uses Magic Layout to throw it back to her prom days. Post’s collage functionality works great for before-and-after posts or to show progress. Consider pulling the text out of the grid to make it stand out.
Day 5: Friday
#TGIF Express the happiness that is Friday
Hashtags: #tgif #friyay #happyfriday #friday #feedgoals
Fun shapes, like speech bubbles, can add flair to photos like in this post from @anyonedog.
And when a still image simply won’t do, say it with Spark Video, like Brazilian food blogger @lucanacozinha does with a video compilation.
Related: Everything you need to know to create awesome videos for Instagram.
Day 6 Saturday
What makes your weekend awesome? Share your #Weekendvibes
#weekendvibes #weekendfun #weekend #saturday #feedgoals
Day 7 – Sunday
Sunday Selfie!
Hashtags: #selfie #thisisme #simplyme #justbeyourself #feedgoals
Selfies can add a serious dose of realness to your social feed. They create intimacy between you and your followers and shows the personality of your brand. (Plus, faces are proven to draw people in!) Here, @Zollerfabian takes his followers behind the scenes of his dance competition.
Day 8 – Monday
What’s your goal for the week?
Hashtags: #goals #motivationmonday #youcandoit #instamotivation #feedgoals
Writing down your goals and focus for the week can help you stay focused. Sharing those goals with your tribe can help you stay accountable.
Day 9 – Tuesday
Share a #shelfie (photo of your bookshelf)
Hashtags: #shelfie #bookshelf #bookshelves #bookstagrammer #feedgoals
Day 10 – Wednesday
Show your workspace – tag your co-workers/company
Hashtags: #myjob #dayjob #mygrind #company #feedgoals
Day 11 – Thursday
From where I stand – take a photo of where you are with your shoes in the photo (search #fromwhereistand for inspiration)
Hashtags: #fromwhereistand #fwis #pursuepretty #livethelittlethings #feedgoals
If your feed is looking all the same, you might be shooting from the same angle out of habit. This prompt is all about changing your perspective.
Day 12 – Friday
Design and shoot a flat lay photo
Hashtags: #flatlay #onthetable #feedfeed #flatlayfriday
This is a great prompt for all the makers out there. Check out some of our flat-lay styling tips and easily add graphic elements with Spark Post to promote a sale or new items. Boom! Pro-looking DIY advertising!
Day 13 – Saturday
What are you reading? Share a quote or idea from a book.
Hashtags: #book #read #booklover #quoteoftheday #feedgoals
We love how @zollerfabian continued the motif of the book cover in his excerpted quotes.
Day 14 – Sunday
Brunch it up with a food photo
Hashtags: #brunch #brunchtime #yum #foodstagram #feedgoals
What is Instagram if not a collection of food porn photos? Learn to take better food photos with these tips from a professional photographer and chef.
Day 15 – Monday
What’s next on your travel bucket list?
Hashtags: #bucketlist #travelbug #travelgoals #globetrotter #feedgoals
From stunning photos to DIY postcards, this was one of our favorite days of the challenge for how much creativity it inspired. Some posted quotes about travel alongside a dream destination or picked fonts that evoked the vibe of the place. These DIY postcards gave us a serious dose of wanderlust.
Day 16 – Tuesday
What are you drinking this morning? Share what’s #inmycup.
Hashtags: #inmycup #drink #drinkup #drinking #feedgoals
We love the strong lines and minimal design on this post.
Day 17 – Wednesday
Pattern play – share a photo with a pattern in it
Hashtags: #pattern #lookingup #geometric #perspective #feedgoals
@JimBabbage showcases the patterns in everyday things with this Spark Post collage.
We also love patterns for creating awesome backgrounds. Search from hundreds of artful patterns, available for free for a limited time in Spark Post.
Day 18 – Thursday
Post a reflection
Hashtags: #reflection #ignaturale #reflect #reflections #feedgoals
From thoughtful reflections with text to playing with mirrored effects, this prompt leaves a lot to the imagination. We like how @stefanifineart uses subtle text to brand her imagery.
Day 19 – Friday
What are you grateful for?
Hashtags: #thankful #gratitude #grateful #thankyou #feedgoals
@Tailwindapp took Day 19 as an opportunity to thank their community, while others posted about kids, good weather, a great book etc.
Day 20 – Saturday
Three of your favorite things and why
Hashtags: #favorite #special #favoritethings #itsthelittlethings #feedgoals
If you’re a shop or boutique #threefavorites could be a fun regular feature for your Instagram channel. Use it to showcase new items or style objects together. You might even ask customers or influencers to share their #threefavorites to inspire UGC and brand mentions.
Day 21 – Sunday
Favorite way to relax
Hashtags: #relax #chill #rest #enjoy #feedgoals
Day 22 – Monday
Share your morning routine
Hashtags: #mornings #riseandshine #riseandgrind #morningmotivation #feedgoals
The cohesive color palette in this post makes it shine!
Day 23 – Tuesday
Post your favorite treat today
Hashtags: #snack #snacktime #soyummy #nomnom #feedgoals
Did you know Spark Post suggests colors for the text based on the photo you start with? We’re taking the guesswork out of color theory.
Day 24 – Wednesday
Friendship – post a photo of you and your bestie/bromance
Hashtags: #friendshipgoals #besties #friendsforlife #bestfriendlove #feedgoals
Day 25 – Thursday
Tell a story with color
Hashtags: #colorstory #color #acolorstory #feedgoals
Day 26 – Friday
#butfirst [insert your must have]
Hashtags: #butfirst #morning #weekendvibes #readyfortheweekend
Some photos are better suited for text than others, but many stock photo services have collections of imagery primed for typography. Here are 6 tips for picking photos that work well with text.
Day 27 – Saturday
Show your hometown/state pride
Hashtags: #hometown #local #native #feedgoals #hometownpride
Day 28 – Sunday
Share something you’ve made and you’re proud of.
Hashtags: #handmade #imadethis #humblebrag #crafty #maker #feedgoals
Day 29 – Monday
#MotivationMonday – Share your favorite piece of advice
Hashtag: #motivationmonday #instamotivation #advice #succeed #feedgoals
We love the bold black and yellow color combo, which followed the motif of other photos on this blogger’s feed the day she posted it, created a nice visual cohesion.
Day 30 – Tuesday
Where’s your favorite place to hang out? Ask someone to take a photo of you in your #naturalhabitat
Hashtags: #naturalhabitat #happyplace #myhappyplace #lovinglife
Day 31 – Wednesday
Celebrate! Your 31-day challenge success or anything you’re proud of accomplishing!
Hashtags: #celebrate #milestone #goals #feedgoals
Are you using Spark to boost your Instagram game? Use #AdobeSpark in a comment so we’re sure to see it!
* Participants not eligible for prizes, though keep an eye out for more giveaways coming soon!
