Instagram is such a vast world that it’s easy to get lost. Apparently, it is a simple image-sharing app. Still, as soon as you start tweaking it and understanding its potential, you immediately understand that many things are to do. Luckily there are just as many Instagram tools that can assist you!
Whether you are a “beginner” novice with Instagram or a more experienced marketer looking for tools and techniques to excel and always do better, this post on the best Instagram tools will be for you.
None of these tools is essential and nothing prevents you from using only the original app and its integrated functions to carry out every aspect.
At the same time, you can use a series of external tools that could help you make your creations even more unique, save you time, make you collaborate better, make you more organized, etc.
Below I will list some of the apps and online services that, over time, I have used and exploited for my Instagram accounts (@objectsmag and @archiobjects). I will divide them by theme, and for each of them, I will tell you briefly why I recommend it.
Please note that this article originally appeared (in Italian) on our partner site Marketing For Architects. From the same author.
What are the best Instagram tools?
Planning
Nothing prevents you from doing everything manually for post scheduling, perhaps using a good old paper diary. In this case, you can very well use cloud services to organize the outputs in folders or even more simply create dedicated albums in the roll of your smartphone. But if you are looking for more professional Instagram tools and ready to collaborate with one or more people, here are three examples.
Google Sheets
Google Sheets is a valuable tool for many purposes, especially for collaboration (even simultaneous) on shared files in the cloud. For example, for our purposes as Instagram users, this tool could help us share an editorial calendar or request approval on future publications!
Later
Later is probably the most useful, most complete, most beautiful and most efficient tool on this whole list. Personally, I have never been as comfortable as I am with Later. It is reliable, concrete and simple. Ok, but what does it do?
Later can support you in scheduling posts (posting them automatically on the set date), is an excellent # generator, provides numerous analysis data for your accounts, allows you to manage publications on multiple channels, and allows you to preview how your feed with scheduled publications programming stories posting and much more.
Planoly
If, for some reason, you do not love Later or you are not happy with it, Planoly is an equally valid tool that helps you in many very similar actions. Here, too, you will be able to manage the publications of your content on multiple platforms, and you will be able to take advantage of a whole series of related services.
Photo Editing
Since its debut, Instagram has been made famous by its filters. Today the situation is much more evolved, and often, most professional users rely on external tools and high-level production phases. Here are some app names that may come in handy.
VSCO
It is probably the best-known and most downloaded photo editing app for several years. Of course, many apps that came after VSCO have taken over some features and styles, but VSCO has consistently remained among the top, creating a real community of users around itself.
Then there are other very valid apps, I’ll explain them all in the “Instagram for Architects” guide, and I’ll list some of them: Afterlight, PicsArt, Huji Cam or KUNI Cam, Lightroom, Photoshop Express, Tezza, Snapseed, Polarr, Bricks and so on.
Video editing
Whether it’s Instagram Stories or professional videos, video editing and editing apps are certainly fewer than those for photos but perhaps even more helpful for creating original and captivating content.
Boomerang from Instagram
Boomerang is a lightweight app that takes up little space on your smartphone and allows you to shoot short looped videos – real animated gifs – in a few simple steps. Of course, the GIF effect always has its charm, and, if used wisely, this app can allow you to create light, fun and valuable content to be published both as posts and as stories.
Hyperlapse from Instagram
Like Boomerang, Hyperlapse also tries to extend your creative means to help you create more exciting content that you will eventually go to post on Instagram. In this case, you will be able to create timelapse videos quickly and easily on any phone, even if yours does not have that functionality in the camera.
It doesn’t end there at all. To record and edit videos, you can choose from several top-quality apps. In the guide, I will list my favourites, with which it is also possible to combine the merits of each other, giving life to epic content.
Some of these are Prequel, Focos Live, Clips, iMovie, EFEKT, Premiere Rush, Spark Video, 1SE , etc.
Instagram Stoies editing
Instagram Stories are one of the fundamental pillars of the entire platform. These are probably the publications that favour the most engagement among users. This awareness leads us to want to create impactful content that manages to capture the attention of our followers. To do this, we must undoubtedly bother our creativity, but to support it, there are certainly some apps like these:
Unfold – Storybeat – Dazzle – Mojo
These are among the best-known apps for creating or editing content to make stories. Of course, they are not pure photo editing apps, but they can certainly help you create compositions, graphics and layout settings for your publications in 16: 9 format.
There are many other tools and apps to edit and create unique stories, first of all, Adobe Express or Canva Stories, but personally, these four are the ones I appreciate most for their ease and immediacy of use.
Analyses
The analysis is certainly one of the most advanced aspects to refer to. If you want to analyze the results, especially when it comes to paid advertisements, then it means that you want to fully exploit the app’s potential and improve yourself more and more. To do this, Instagram makes the insights available directly in the app. Accessible if you have a business or creator account. Otherwise, the web is full of other tools that provide very detailed data, even over time, on the interactions on the social network.
Iconosquare
Iconosquare is a tool that now has many years of activity behind it. This is why it is safe, reliable and well-run. Once, it was even free. Today it requires a subscription to use its functions. In my opinion, it remains one of the best services from this point of view. And probably one of the best Instagram tools ever.
Iconosquare is undoubtedly the most complete, but in the guide, I recommend other apps, such as the very useful Ninjalitics.
Hashtags
If you are interested in the world of hashtags on Instagram, then I suggest you read this in-depth post.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for a tool to use immediately, then I recommend Tagè. It is the one I use personally. I warn you that it has a fee, but unfortunately, I consider this the best choice to try among the many free ones!
Link in Bio
In the guide, I talk extensively about links in alternative bio and how you can use them. However, the important thing is to know that there are different methods and ways with which you can make the web address of your profile dynamic. There is certainly the example of Bitly, but also Prettylinks.
Milkshake
I discovered Milkshake relatively recently, but I must say that it is one of the most brilliant and innovative tools I have ever encountered. Very useful, especially for secondary accounts or those that do not have an accurate dedicated site. Milkshake is a straightforward app with which you can create and edit landing pages to reach from a beautiful custom URL.
Create graphics
On Instagram, there are not only photos and videos. The possibilities of publications are immense, and among these, there is also the world of graphics. Suppose you are not a graphic designer by profession, but still, you know that visual communication requires some care and some practice. In that case, you are probably interested in this post I wrote about the best tools for creating graphics online!
Other Apps
We are almost at the end, and here I list a couple of apps that do not fit into the previous themes but are undoubtedly helpful for one or more reasons.
Repost for Instagram
Sometimes, another account posts a photo of you or your content with your name and your tag. In these cases, if it is worth it, you could repost on your profile in turn. It’s called “user-generated content” and can sometimes even be a natural source of content for your feed.
Spaces for Instagram
Sometimes, captions are created on a spreadsheet outside of Instagram. Then, copying and pasting at the time of publication can happen that the spaces between one paragraph and the next jump. To overcome this problem, you can use tricks such as inserting symbols or taking advantage of Spaces applications. Among other things, this application also allows you to preview your feed visually.
What are the best tools for automation on Instagram?
Automating actions on Instagram is a delicate matter and may not always be the right thing to do. In the guide, I’ll explain all the pros and cons and list some of the most reliable services.
I confess that I do not use each of these tools. However, at least once, I have used them all for a while, and I can confirm that they are all extremely good.
My advice is to understand what you need most and dedicate yourself to making that aspect yours. Then, once you get comfortable, you can integrate a second. Over time, you will see that you will understand which ones you can do without and which ones will be indispensable.
If you want to understand the Instagram tools (and not just Instagram) that I would never do without, then read this post!
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