The Easy Guide to a Curated Instagram Feed

A curated Instagram feed is more than just a collection of photos: It’s a meticulously arranged showcase that tells a compelling story by consistently combining narrative and aesthetics.

The result is an Instagram account where every post helps create the “bigger picture”. In the case of brands, one that conveys the brand’s values, offerings, and ethos at every step of the way.

Since curating Instagram is something we do on an extremely recurring basis at Sculpt, we’re here to share some of the things we’ve learned along the way.

Our first piece of advice is also the shortest: Curating Instagram goes beyond aesthetics, and aims to craft a consistent brand experience that resonates with the audience and sets the brand apart.

Now, let’s take a deep dive into Instagram curation, and how to master it.

How to do content curation on Instagram: 3 key tips

Our tips to curate Instagram part from the assumption that you already have a solid understanding of your brand identity, including:

• Values.
• Voice.
• Visual assets.

This is the foundation upon which your curated Instagram feed will be built.

In addition, it’s important not to lose sight of the overarching marketing goals, and to know your audience.

Armed with this, you can start taking things a step further by implementing the following tips.

1. Define the primary aesthetic and shortlist the dominant topics of your feed

Your brand has an identity, a voice, and a bunch of visual assets.

Take these as the starting point to define the visual elements that will set the aesthetic tone of your feed, including:

• Color palette.
• Typographies.
• Textures.
• Shapes.
• Use of spaces and contrasts.

Along with these, think about what you’ll be talking about.

Sure, things can get too broad too fast here, so shortlist the most important elements of your narrative, such as:

• Values, principles.
• Mission, vision(s), goals, accomplishments.
• Products, services, features, promos.

Finally, define the executions, both in terms of structure and format, such as:

• Formats: Videos, photos, illustrations, infographics, reels, stories, and live streams.
• Structures: How-tos, compilations, announcements, teasers, Q&As, carousels, grid pics.

Finally, feel free to give yourself some creative leeway at this step, as you won’t be executing yet.

2. Get the right team and tools on deck

Once you have an idea of the goals, topics, aesthetics, and executions you wish to display on your Instagram feed, it’s time to start planning for the best possible execution.

At this point, your company’s needs, budget, and current capabilities will come into play.

Depending on the resulting combination of factors, it’ll be time to see what’s missing.

For example, if you want to go all-in with video creation, chances are you’ll need a tight film crew that includes the likes of an art director, a cameraman, and a post-production specialist.

On the other hand, if you want to do video but your budget can’t contemplate a fully dedicated crew, you might want to go for a smaller team of a videographer and a social media specialist capable of scriptwriting.

Tools-wise, it’s the same logic. The kind of content you want to create and the budget will determine whether you have to invest in some tools over others.

In case you want to explore a basic kit of tools, here’s a good list to refer to. It’s not the most comprehensive one but provides a good overview of some of the tools you’ll need.

3. Consistently produce diverse types of content

Once you have everything in place, it’s time to produce.

Develop a content calendar and stick to a regular posting schedule.

Aim for a balance between quality and quantity, ensuring that each curated post adds value to your feed while maintaining a steady flow of content to keep your audience engaged.

Finally, don’t limit yourself to just one type of content.

Curate a diverse range of content formats, including photos, videos, Stories, Reels, and IGTV.

Experiment with different styles and approaches to keep your feed dynamic and engaging.

Over time, you’ll know what works well and what doesn’t, allowing you to further optimize production, budget, and capabilities as you keep curating.

Curated Instagram feed examples

Okay, enough theory for the moment – it’s time to see real-life examples of nicely curated Instagram feeds.

Below you’ll find four great examples of curated feeds that combine master storytelling, aesthetics, and brand identity at once (and yes, we’re also including a bonus B2B example since it’s our specialty).

1. Boohoo

Boohoo is one of the most rapidly growing fast-fashion brands in the UK, selling clothing essentials and staples for all women.

All of this is perfectly reflected on their Instagram account, as it’s almost exclusively focused on showcasing all kinds of women (rather than “traditional” models) and clothing that is both fashionable and accessible.

Everything in their Instagram feed is (and feels) properly curated, including:

• The use of color, with a recognizable pattern of red, black, white, and pink.
• The settings combine intimate and public places.
• The topics are all relatable in their “everyday” feel – going to work, having a date night, shopping, chilling at home (and being dressed for every occasion).

By curating their feed this way, Boohoo certainly strikes as a relatable fashion brand, reducing the sensation of “distance” that plagues some of their most well-known competitors.

2. Tesla Motors

No need for a brand introduction here.

Tesla is a glaring example of how far Instagram curation can go when executed well.

Their feed has three salient characteristics:

• There are tons of short, smartly written clips showcasing their models’ quirks and features.
• The topics are consistent: Technology, independence, control, and intelligence.
• The color palette and settings are also recognizable: faraway places with a predominance of natural, soothing colors.

The result is easy to identify: Tesla makes the customer feel smart, independent, and far-reaching.

To put this into perspective, let’s draw a comparison with the Instagram feed of the biggest car maker in the world: Toyota.

Since Toyota is known for its reliability, affordability, and neutral designs, you’d think that their Instagram feed would transmit the feeling of the brand being the smartest car choice you can make.

Sadly, that’s not the case, and Tesla takes the prize when it comes to conveying that powerful message.

3. National Park Service

The NPS’ Instagram account is a masterfully curated one, focusing on (mostly) three topics: Nature, history, and reminding people that wild animals are wild for a reason.

Beautiful photography, lots of history, and a huge surplus of homegrown memes have turned the National Park Service Instagram feed into an example of tasteful curation.

There’s not much else to analyze here, as this hits all the right keys, and the audience loves it.

4. Canva

The Instagram feed of the last company to truly revolutionize graphic design is curation 101.

Nailing everything from aesthetics and topics to formats and content structures, Canva’s Instagram offers value with every post.

What’s more, it’s the kind of content that resonates with their core audience – stuff you can instantly create, use, and apply at any moment.

B2B bonus example: Pantone

Color systems and solutions company Pantone – or how they self-define “the global authority for color communication and inspiration since 1963”, is the definitive example when it comes to a curated Instagram feed.

Now, it’d be really embarrassing for a brand like Pantone to not hit the mark when it comes to Instagram curation – it’s obviously not the case.

Their content is not only visually pleasing but incredibly inspiring and actionable for the 3.7M people following the account.

How to diversify your Instagram feed

To conclude this article, we’d like to share a few advanced tips to diversify your feed and offer a truly curated experience.

• Experiment with multimedia collages: The traditional mold of single-image posts is a thing of the past. Start combining photos, videos, graphics, and text overlays to create visually stunning compositions that tell a rich and multifaceted story.
• Curate themed content for weeks or months: Choose overarching topics relevant to your brand and explore them through your content. You’ll be adding variety, but also creating a curated narrative journey.
• Leverage interactive content features: Polls, quizzes, countdowns, and question stickers are game when it comes to sparking extra interest and user engagement.
• Curate user-centric experiences: Not everything has to be brand-centric. Instead of solely showcasing your products or services, curate content that revolves around users, their interests, and aspirations.

Finally, always remember that social curation does not necessarily begin (or end) with aesthetics.

Each curated post is a building block of your brand identity, so go forth, curate boldly, and turn your Instagram into an example of brand storytelling.

And of course, if you need a little help, you can always reach out to us 😉 and tell us about your goals and ideas – when it comes to social media, we’re the ones to call!