Instagram has released several new features between 2020 and 2022, many of which circulate around video content. But the pinned feature, which works similarly to the Twitter equivalent, is perhaps the most underrated.
Below, we will discuss seven ways you can use the tool as a photographer and discover how many posts you can pin to the top of your profile.
How Many Posts Can You Pin to the Top of Your Instagram Profile?
Instagram rolled out the pinning feature to users worldwide in mid-2022, meaning that you should have access—regardless of where you live.
If you want to take advantage of this feature, it’s worth noting that you can only pin a maximum of three posts at a time. You do not need to meet specific follower counts before unlocking the tool, and you can unpin posts whenever you want.
Ideas for Using Instagram’s Pinned Post Feature
Now that you know how many posts you can pin to the top of your Instagram profile, you’re ready to gather ideas for making the most of the feature. Below are seven you should consider using.
1. Introduce Yourself to Your Followers
If you’re a photographer, you probably spend a lot of time behind the camera. But if you want to grow an audience or sell yourself to clients, you’ll probably want to show your face and make sure you’re not a stranger.
Let’s say that you previously uploaded a picture of yourself once every nine posts to keep your face visible on your grid. Well, you don’t need to do that anymore. Instead, you can pin one photo of your face—and talk a little about who you are.
Think of this post as a short “about” summary on your photography website. Three or four paragraphs will work fine.
2. Showcase the Services You Offer to Prospective Clients
If you want to book more photoshoots or secure sponsorships for your photography YouTube channel, you’ll want to give potential clients as little resistance as possible for contacting you. While having a website is a good idea, you don’t want to have someone click through three or four different windows before they can finally fill out a form.
If you want to showcase your services to clients that might find you on Instagram, pinning a post where you highlight these is the best option for doing so. Share the main things you do and what they can expect when they scroll through your page.
When showcasing your services to prospective customers, you should consider including a call-to-action (CTA). Something like “DM me for more information!” will work fine.
3. Pin Your Favorite Reels
Perhaps the coolest thing about Instagram’s pinned posts feature is that you’re not limited to stills alone; you can also share video content.
Instagram Reels have become a huge success, and you can try several unique types of content that’ll make you stand out. If you had any Reels that enjoyed particular success, or you feel like you included information that more people should know about, pinning your favorite posts is a good idea.
If you pin an Instagram Reel, you should ensure that it fits your branding. That way, anyone that browses your profile will get an instant insight into who you are—and the decision to follow will become much simpler.
4. Offer Tutorials and Tips to Your Audience
Many users turn to Instagram Reels because they think it’s a quick hack for building more awareness and—as a result—growing their follower counts. But that isn’t necessarily the case; if what you post has zero value, viewers will have no reason to stick around for more posts.
Offering quick tips and tutorials is an excellent way to give your audience something meaningful. You can share your editing process, before-and-after posts, home office setup, and more.
5. Gain More Attention for High-Performing Posts
If you’ve used Twitter for an extended period, you’ll probably have had at least one post that has gone at least semi-viral. And once you noticed that others liked it, you might have pinned it to the top of your profile so the content could garner extra attention.
The same works on Instagram; if you’ve posted something that performed well, pinning it to the top of your profile will ensure that others see it when they click on your page.
If you continue receiving likes and comments, Instagram’s algorithm might push your post to more people—which can keep the process going.
6. Talk About the Equipment You Use
If you have more than a few years of experience as a photographer, you have probably acquired a reasonable amount of equipment. You’ll probably add multiple lenses to your collection over time, and you might also use a couple of different camera bodies.
Since you’ll have a lot of tech experience, why not discuss it with the people interested in your creative endeavors?
For this tip, you can use either Reels or carousel posts. If you use the former, you can add a little information about what you like and don’t like—along with providing example shots. For the latter, you can go more in-depth about the equipment and your experiences via the caption.
7. Show Audiences Through Your Entire Creative Process
Instagram is an excellent platform for connecting with others and learning new skills, but many users fall into the trap of using their profile as a bragging mechanism. If you’ve gained significant experience as a photographer, you can give back to the community by showing users through your creative process.
Instagram Reels are perhaps the best way to do so, as you can publish short and snappy content with all the steps included. However, you can also use carousel posts to slowly discuss the evolution of your work—before showing the result.
Instagram’s Pinned Posts Feature Has Plenty of Potential
Instagram’s pinned post feature is an excellent addition to the platform, and photographers have a lot of creative freedom if they want to make their profile stand out. You can use it to showcase what you can offer to clients, but the tool is also effective for educating others and highlighting your best portfolio pieces.
Using the feature isn’t too tricky, and you can always chop and change as you grow in your field.
