Instagram for Beginners: How to Get Started & What to Post First

Congrats! You started your new business! 🥳

But now you need clients… and you’ve heard (probably 9000 times already!) that Instagram is the best way to find them. 

So, you open Instagram… and now you’re staring at a blank profile, completely frozen and thinking…

“But what should my first Instagram post be???” 

Believe me, I get it! This is a question I hear all.the.time.

Because you know your ideal clients are out there AND that Instagram can get you in front of them. 

But knowing that doesn’t make starting any less overwhelming.

So, friend, I’m here to tell you the same thing I tell all these people who reach out to me. Let me walk you through some Instagram tips for beginners AND exactly what your first post should be. 

Without further ado, let’s get this ball rolling!!

Pin this to your Marketing Board 👇🏼

5 Instagram Tips for Beginners That Make Starting WAY Less Scary

Getting started on Instagram as a new business owner can feel a lot like getting dropped out of a helicopter into the Canadian wilderness on Season 10 of Alone. (Anybody?) You need to figure out how to get around, what actions are going to have the biggest impact, meanwhile you’re still trying to forage enough blueberries to eat for lunch.

But I promise beginning your business Instagram is not as complicated (or as overwhelming) as it seems. 

So, before we get into what your first post on Instagram should actually be, here are some beginner tips that are going to make this whole thing feel a lot more doable.

1. Take the Pressure Off Your First Instagram Post

First things first – there’s one thing I want to nip in the bud right away:

Your first Instagram post does NOT have to be anything special. 

(Read that one more time. Let it sink allllll the way in.)

I know it’s really tempting to make your first post this whole ✨MOMENT✨ but think about it for a second… If you have zero followers right now, your first post is literally going to be seen by the least amount of people of any post you ever put out.  

So, why are you cranking the pressure dial up to an eleven?

The ONLY thing you should feel pressure about is getting something – anything – up ASAP. 

Whatever you can pull together right now, rip the Band-Aid off and get it up, because if you wait until you have the perfect post or until you totally understand how Instagram works, you’re going to post less, grow slower, and make future-you very annoyed with present-day-you. 

My biggest Instagram tip for beginners is to aim for perfectly imperfect. Give yourself the grace to figure it out as you go and I promise you, you’ll thrive.

2. Ditch the Content Plan and Just Start Posting on Instagram Already 

Now, you might be thinking, “But, Jenna, I have a PLAN.”

Yes, perfect! That’s great! I love a good plan! BUT here’s my honest advice:

Ditch the plan – for now, at least. 

Your first big goal when creating your first post on Instagram for your business is to just post something already.

Yes, elaborate content plans are great. I love a good 5-part series, you know?  But even if you’ve devised a whole multi-step brand introduction to Instagram post series, set the plan to the side for now and simplify. 

Get whatever you can get posted up today (with no pressure!) and save your full content strategy for two months from now when you have more people watching your content and following you. 

(I’ll even give your future content strategy a head start: there’s only 3 types of Instagram posts you really need in it.)

And (because I know you were thinking it!) don’t worry about doing your elaborate brand introduction a couple of months from now after you’ve already “started” your business Instagram. 

And if you want to post something simple now and save your elaborate brand introduction for a month or two down the road — don’t sweat about it being in the “wrong” order. People don’t consume your content like that anyway. Your followers aren’t sitting there waiting to watch your posts like episodes of a TV series. They aren’t always going to see your ‘Part 1’ before your ‘Part 3.’

Don’t let your great plan be the thing that holds you back from posting in the first place.

3. It’s Okay If Posting on Instagram Feels Vulnerable

Let’s talk for a moment about the REAL reason you’re overthinking your first post and dreaming up elaborate content plans:

Because it feels really vulnerable to put yourself out there. 

It’s vulnerable to show your face, to talk on camera, to tell your family, friends and old co-workers that you started a new business.

It’s a LOT. So you hold out for the perfect first post or for your plan to be *just right* so you can have some semblance of control over this big new thing you’re doing. 

The thing is, we tend to associate vulnerability with fear or sadness. But being openly excited about something you love and sharing that passion can also feel vulnerable. 

It takes courage to look your friends and family in the eye and say, “I believe in myself. Look at this thing that I can do and how it can help you. I did this, and I’m putting my all into my new business if you’re looking to hire.” 

THAT is also vulnerability and that’s exactly the energy you’re going to be bringing to Instagram.

So yes, it might feel scary. But that raw, excited energy you show up with is what draws people in and gets them excited FOR you.  

4. Tap Into Your Existing Network to Get Your First Instagram Followers

Once you have at least one post up, it’s time to spread the word. And the easiest place to start is with the people who already know and love you. 🫶

Share that post on your personal Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn. 

Add a “Follow my business account” link to your email signature. 

Tell your mom, your friends – anyone and everyone that you know who’ll listen. 

It’s no big deal if your first few followers are people you already know. That’s how it was for ALL OF US.

It still counts!

Those people might just be your biggest referral sources. Because if your cousin knows that you started a new business, she might have five friends that she can send to you – but you won’t know if you don’t tell anyone.

Plus, those first 200 followers are THE hardest benchmark to hit on Instagram. 

Your pre-existing network can help get you there, but it’s still extra important to keep your posting energy up, post consistently, and help spread the word yourself when you can. 

5. Work Your Way Up to Posting on Instagram at Least 3x a Week

Now, ideally, I’d LOVE to get you posting on Instagram every single day. But we’re not there yet and it’s totally okay to ease into that momentum. 

So, in honour of beginning your Instagram with a perfectly imperfect mindset, right now, your only job is to post however many times a week that you consistently can.  Don’t worry about how often you should post on Instagram. If you can manage twice a week, do twice a week. If you can do three times a week, even better. 

Just keep showing up.   

Once you get a consistent rhythm going, THEN we can talk content strategy, posting frequency, and all that good stuff. 

But none of that matters if you haven’t gotten the ball rolling first. 

What Should My First Post on Instagram Be?

By now, you’ve seen me say, “Post anything!” approximately a hundred times already – and I mean it! But I can also hear you grumbling…

 “Well, Jenna, ‘anything’ is pretty vague, isn’t it?” 😒

Yes, yes, I agree. So here are 3 simple ways you can approach your first post on Instagram for your business:

• Post a photo of yourself – Don’t worry about getting professional headshots done. Just a clear, well-lit photo of your face works perfectly. Pair it with a quick caption introducing yourself and you’re done!
• Introduce yourself in a reel – Same concept as the photo, but this time, pick up your phone and talk to your camera. Tell viewers who you are, what you do, and who you help. It doesn’t have to be too long – just a 30-second clip is fine!
• Share a teaching moment – Give your viewers a taste of what you can do for them. Show them what you’re working on right now and how you can do the same thing for them. 

Remember, your first post doesn’t have to be perfect. The more you post, the more you’ll learn different things that will make your posts perform better and make creating them easier.

You’ll naturally come up with processes for filming, formulas for your b-roll style reels, discover which hooks work best with your audience, and more! 

But right now, you have to just pop something up online with the knowledge that you currently have. 

Create Your First Instagram Post!

If you’re still feeling stuck or overwhelmed and your brain is practically screaming for someone to just tell me what to do already!! – don’t worry. I’ve got you. 🫶🏻 

Here’s a simple fill-in-the-blank script that you can follow for either your reel script or your caption to help you get going. It’s a basic template, but feel free to post whatever your heart desires:

Hey [location/community/niche]! 

I’ve been meaning to pop in and say hi here for a while and I finally decided to just go for it!

So, hi, I’m [name]! I’m a [title] who helps [ideal client] get [specific result]. 

Basically, I [super casual sentence explaining what you do, like you were telling a friend over coffee].

I believe it’s important to know the person behind the business, not just the business itself. So, a little about me outside of work: [1-2 relatable personal details like pets, hobbies, a fun fact]. 

If you’re a [describe your ideal client], stick around! I think you’re going to like it here. 😉

Drop a 👋 in the comments and tell me: [easy, niche-related question for your audience]. 

Can’t wait to get to know you!

Feel free to tweak this as much as you want to make it YOURS. 

Remember, while the goal is just to get something up, DONE is better than perfect.

Need some help creating the perfect hook for your reels and captions? Check out my 50 Hooks Boot Camp! In it, you’ll get access to my hook library, plus a training that will help you tap into the psychology behind why certain hooks work, so you can get more reels views. 

What Happens When You Just Start Posting on Instagram

Have you ever been to a dinner party where someone starts talking about something that they’re really into? 

It can get nerdy soooo fast, but you’re still there glued to every word. 

That’s what happens when you start talking about something you’re passionate about – like your brand-new business!

You don’t have to be an expert Instagrammer to hold someone’s attention. You just need to have passion.

And I have the receipts to prove it. 🙌🏻

My old theater school friend, Dave, reached out to me out of the blue. He had just started a new leadership coaching business and needed help marketing it on social media. 

So, I walked him through all of my Instagram for beginners and gave him access to my Magic Marketing Machine program. 

I checked in with him a few days later and he said, “The first thing I got from your program is, oh, I need to START. I need to stop just thinking about this and actually do the thing.”

I could feel my pride swelling already.

Then, he told me that he just started posting even though he didn’t know every single thing about Instagram and how it works. 

Two weeks later, he texted me to say, “I’ve gotten so many compliments on my social media. A friend texted me, said it was so good, and asked who was doing it for me.”

His reels were pulling 1000 to 1900 views, and he was almost at 600 followers. 

In just two weeks, he went from never having posted once to being completely, shamelessly unstoppable. He said, “I’ve gone from nervous to shameless.” 

The character arc, my GOD! 🤌🏻🤩 All because he showed up and let his passion do the talking.

A few weeks later he messaged me that he was about to book his first client from IG a stranger in Puerto Rico! Straight. from. the. ‘net.

The Biggest Thing Holding You Back on Instagram? Your Own Self-Criticism

Now, one last thing before I send you off to create your first Instagram post…

When I was in theater school with Dave, we were trained to have a very critical eye. We were taught to watch a play and be critical of the direction, of the actors, and note places where there were shortcomings. 

Even now, when I watch a play with my mom, it’s hard to turn that critical eye off. I’ll walk out quietly picking apart everything that didn’t meet my expectations, while she’ll walk out absolutely beaming, clapping, ready to go back and see it again. 

Same show but COMPLETELY different experience.

I’d be willing to bet you have that same critical lens pointed directly at yourself right now. 

For every video you film and every post you put up, you’re already running through everything you did wrong in your head before anyone else has even seen it.

YOU are your own biggest critic.

But here’s the thing: your audience is my mom. She’s smiling every time you pop up in her feed, just happy you showed up. 🥰

One of my Magic Marketing Machine clients put it perfectly when she posted in our community group: she said every time she posts something, she hates it. And then two weeks later she looks back and thinks “Hey, that’s actually not so bad!” 

So, that critical lens you have on right now? You can absolutely smash it on the ground and leave it there. 

It won’t happen overnight, but the more you show up anyway, the better you’ll get, the faster that critical feeling will fade, and, most importantly, the faster your business will grow.

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Now, once you’ve done the thing and published your first post on Instagram for your business, all that’s left is for you to keep showing up. 

Even if it’s still messy and imperfect, keep sharing your passion for your business. Over the next few weeks, you’ll start falling into a steady rhythm and figuring out systems to make posting easier. And eventually, you’ll start seeing your followers and views gradually tick upward. 

Which is exactly what happened with Dave.

A few weeks after he ripped the Band-Aid off and just started posting, his views were climbing. New people started discovering him every day, and he had officially gone from an Instagram newbie to being completely and totally in his groove. 

It was time for phase two. 

Because getting attention on Instagram is one thing. Getting the attention of the RIGHT people and knowing exactly what to say to turn them into paying clients? 

That’s a whole other skill set. And that’s exactly what I teach inside Magic Marketing Machine.  

In Magic Marketing Machine, I teach service-based business owners the ins and outs of creating a proven Instagram content marketing strategy to grow their following AND get more clients organically.

You’ve already got everything you need to take that first leap. 

So, go publish your first Instagram post and when you’re ready for the next step, Magic Marketing Machine will be right here waiting. 

And if you want a headstart on learning how to attract your ideal clients through organic Instagram alone, check out my free content strategy training. In it, I talk about the proven strategy that helped one of my clients DOUBLE her client load without spending all day working off her phone.