You’re scrolling through Instagram, and your scroll goes a little something like this: friend’s new baby, what friend had for lunch, birthday shout out, clothing ad, vacation photo, the same friend’s new baby in a different outfit…sound familiar? We’re human, which means the content we like to share to Instagram is generally pretty similar across the board. If you’re a business trying to compete, however, it can be all too easy to get lost in the land of Instagram clichés. Here, we’ll look at taking seven Instagram trends from cliché to creative.

• Food features. When you’ve got a beautiful plate of food in front of you, you want to document it—and there’s nothing wrong with that! If you want your meal pics to stand out, try zooming out to encompass the entire composition surrounding your plate—table included. On the other hand, you could opt to go in the opposite direction and do an extreme detail shot. Composition is key! Relevant hashtags: #onmyplate #nomnom #foodie
• Coffee shots. Coffee may be part of what’s on your plate, but it’s also an entire Instagram trend all its own. Being served a delicious cup of coffee is one thing, but when there’s an entire foam-constructed artistic masterpiece in your mug, that’s another level—and one you definitely want to capture. But what can you do differently than the standard latte art shot? Give it some context. Pay attention to the background, the surroundings or even how the coffee was prepared. Capture some of this in your coffee shot. Relevant hashtags: #coffee #coffeelover #latteart
• Ice cream clips. Another food phenomenon on Instagram that deserves its own category—ice cream. It’s winter, so ice cream posts may be limited at the moment. But trust, they’re coming. To take ice cream-related Instagram trends from cliché to creative, think about what’s unexpected. A perfectly-poured cone is one thing, but how about one that’s half melted down your hand? That’s a little more realistic and relatable. As with coffee, think about angles, context and cropping. Relevant hashtags: #icecream #icecreamlove #froyo
• Sunset scenes. People just can’t get enough of sunsets—it’s a fact! It’s also a fact that a sunset never looks as good photographed and posted on social media as it does in real life, yet we still post our sunset pics regardless. Instead of blindly pointing and shooting at the sky, make your sunset scenes on Instagram stand out. Try choosing an unexpected focal point, creatively cropping or selecting silhouettes to give your sunset scene some flair. Relevant hashtags: #sunset #sunsets #sunsetbeach
• Plane pics. We’re flying somewhere—hooray! When you get the window seat on an airplane, it’s almost instinct to pull out your smart phone and snap a picture over the wing. The thing is—most of us have been there, seen that. If you truly feel compelled to capture your 10,000-mile above-ground perspective, try waiting a little bit into your descent to show what’s on the ground below rather than just the clouds themselves. A city scape or landscape can prove impressive from a bird’s eye view. Relevant hashtags: #flight #wingshot #instaplane
• Driving depictions. The travel bug on Instagram extends from plane to car. When we’re going somewhere, we often want people to know about it. But a two lane shot from the driver’s or passenger’s seat? Pretty boring. Instead, wait until you stop and take a shot of the road from outside of the car. Or, wait for interesting landmarks along the way. You can also take into account the nature of the road itself. Is it winding? Are there lights? Is there a bridge? Use these elements to your advantage. Relevant hashtags: #driving #ontheroad #roadtrip
• Pet portraits. Our smart phone cameras gravitate toward our fur children. In fact, pets may be some of the most Instagrammed subject matter out there. While you may never get tired of cute pictures of your own four-legged family members, your Instagram followers might be over it after the third post of the day. With pet portraits on social media, the possibilities are endless. Here we have the liberty to inject some humor and fun into our compositions. Pets doing human things (wearing clothes, watching TV) is always a good go-to. You could also opt to go for detail shots (a super close-up of a wet nose or padded paw), and if you have an unusual pet, that’s a given. Relevant hashtags: #petstagram #dogsofinstagram #catsofinstagram

Alright, now that you’re ready to turn these Instagram trends from cliché to creative, it’s time to get ‘gramming. Need help making your Instagram the best it can be? Contact the McNutt & Partners team today. Call 334-521-1010, or visit our contact page.