Likes say little about whether someone will buy your offer. They do say something about whether a post pleases the moment it appears. That can be improved without changing your topic.

The guide is short because it is less about strategy than craft: image, message, recognisability. For reactions that require more effort, see the guides on comments and shares.

Step 1 of 4

Check what is readable on a smartphone

Most people see your post on a small screen, while scrolling past. Look at every post on your phone before publishing it and hold it at arm's length. If the text is still readable then, it will be readable in the feed too.

An image carries a thought. Anyone who combines a photo, three lines of text and a logo asks the viewer to decide what to look at.

ChecklistStep 01

Every post was viewed on the phone before posting.
The text is also legible from arm's length.
The image has a recognizable main point.

Step 2 of 4

One statement per post

A post that has one sentence you can remember is noticed more than one that tells everything. Write this sentence down before you design: what should someone know after two seconds?

Whatever does not fit into that one sentence belongs in the post text or in a further post.

ChecklistStep 02

The sentence you want people to remember is fixed before the design.
Everything else goes in the post text.

Step 3 of 4

Design for recognizability

People who already know your posts are more likely to engage when they recognize them at first glance: the same colours, the same typeface, a fixed place for the logo. This calls for templates, not creativity for each post.

People in the image give the post a face: employees, customers with permission, hands at work.

ChecklistStep 03

There are templates for the two most common post types.
Colours and typeface are defined.
Consents for the people shown are in place.

We design templates and visual language that make your posts recognisable once and then implement them in posts every month.Instagram offer from Social Rocket

Step 4 of 4

Compare with your own posts

Sort your posts from the last three months by likes. Place the best five next to the worst five: what do the first ones have in common, and what is missing from the others? You will learn more from this comparison than from any general piece of advice.

Pay attention to whether many likes also mean saves or shares. A post that is only liked is different from one that gets passed on.

ChecklistStep 04

The best and worst five posts sit side by side.
Three differences are written down.
The next post uses one of the differences.

What you should have after four weeks

After four weeks, you will have:

Two templatesFor the most common post types, with fixed colours and typography.
A comparisonThree differences between your best and weakest posts.

Frequently asked questions

How many likes are good?

That depends on your account. Compare with your own posts, not with other profiles.

Should I hide likes?

Instagram allows this. For your own analysis, the number remains visible in the Insights.

Should we collect likes through contests?

That brings reactions from people who want the prize, not your offer. For the comparison in step 4, it also distorts the numbers.

Agency · Instagram

Posts for Instagram by Social Rocket

We design your brand presence for Instagram once, with templates and a consistent visual style, and then produce posts and reels every month.

To the Instagram offer

SREditorial team Social Rocket. This guide was written by our editors and is reviewed regularly. It contains no links to providers that sell followers, likes or views.