The Instagram Checklist for Busy Business Owners

Hey you! Yes you – the overwhelmed business owner, trying to get an Instagram post up while also juggling client tasks and responding to inquiries (oh, and maybe eating lunch if you have 3 minutes). Let me guess – you’re overwhelmed and wish someone would tell you what are the must-dos when it comes to Instagram (and what you could skip.) The good news? I’m here to save the day. There are plenty of “nice to haves” when it comes to Instagram, but when we strip it down to the bare bones – there are just a few essential tasks that make up a successful Instagram checklist.

Instagram Checklist: What to do on a Daily Basis

Catch up on all comments & DMs

When your community takes the time to share their thoughts on your content or send you a message, you don’t want to ignore them! Spend 5-10 minutes each day (perhaps while in school pickup, or waiting for a doctor’s appointment) responding to any real comments/DMs. And yes, you can delete/ignore the spam.

Share something to your stories to connect with your most engaged followers.

Stories do not have to be something to overcomplicate! Share what you’re working on, something that inspires you, a quick tip or common mistake that could help your ideal client.

P.S. by “daily,” I mean Monday – Friday, folks. Don’t feel like you can’t take weekends off. 😉

Instagram Checklist: What to do on a Weekly Basis

Post content to your feed

There is not a perfect amount of content to post – it depends on your goals and your capacity. But I recommend at least on a weekly basis, posting to your feed. (And if you want more insight into the best posting schedule, I answer the question of how often to post in this blog).

Not sure what to post? Check out my article on content pillars & how to create your own!

Engage with people in your target audience

The algorithm is great (contrary to what some people like to say!) But sometimes, you need to put yourself in front of your ideal client. Spend some time each week (30 minutes/day is the optimal amount of time that we do for our clients but if that’s not possible aim for at least 1 hour/week) finding potential clients and engaging with them – liking, leaving comments, following.

But not cold pitching – more on why I don’t support that strategy in this post.

Instagram Checklist: What to do on a Monthly Basis

Review your analytics to see what’s working and what’s not

While I don’t recommend stressing out over your numbers, pay attention to trends. Did a particular reel pop off? Let that inform your content choices going forward. Did a particular topic spark conversation? Lean into that!

Plan out your content for the month ahead

Speaking of content choices going forward, take the time to plan out your content at the end of each month. Depending on your preferences, this doesn’t have to mean creating all the content – but mapping out your topics and posting cadence gives you a roadmap to follow.

I recommend creating the content on a biweekly or monthly basis, but again, up to you! If you need a content planning system to put into place, I recommend downloading my free Airtable Content Calendar Template.

How to Put Your Checklist Into Practice

Did these two steps per time frame make you breathe a sigh of relief? I know they do for me. Of course, there’s a lot more you can do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis, but if you’re busy and feeling overwhelmed, these essential tasks will keep you moving forward and growing. (Fun fact: it’s actually the basic structure of what we do for our clients – with in-depth strategy and personalization added in!)

P.S. Want a checklist for how to set up your Instagram for success too? Download our freebie with the 9 steps here.