I have discovered that if I do not plan social media ahead of time it’s not going to happen.  Even a plan is not enough, I have to schedule it to be successful in my posting plan.

I have been using the free version of Later to help me schedule my Instagram posts.  I have been mostly posting on my feed, but because I am still manually taking the planned post and putting it on Instagram it also reminds me to post to my stories and engage with others. 

This is still not perfect because I must be more consistent about scheduling my posts, but it’s getting better.  Hopefully, I will be posting once a day as I get more efficient in the post-planning process.

Here are the very basics of how to plan a post with Later.  If you want to visual refer to my YouTube video.  Once you have created an account it’s five easy steps.

How to Schedule a Post with Later

1. Drag and drop your photo or video into Later.

2. Select the image you want to schedule.

3. Change the time and date of the post.  I’ve found this to be a little tricky sometimes.  If it’s being difficult, I just drag my image to the correct day on the calendar.

4. Add copy to your posts. (copy is what you write)  Your copy should include a hook, story, connection to your audience, and a call to action.

5. Add hashtags.  If you don’t know which teacher hashtags to use look on Instagram to see the suggestions. Just type “#teach” and there will be loads of options.

Now that your post is planned you have two options.  One you can set up the auto-posting feature.  I haven’t done that yet but have read it’s available in the free version.  Or wait for the time of your scheduled post. 

When it’s posting time, I get a notification on my phone.  I swipe it and the Later app opens.  It asks me if I would like to post to my feed or stories and copies my copy for me.  Then Instagram opens with the picture ready and I paste the copy in.  The last step is to post it.

I like being able to make last-minute changes and having the reminder to interact on Instagram.  Maybe I will use the auto-scheduler at some point, but for now, I like the process of me finalizing the post.