Grid Goals: Tricks for Curating the Perfect Instagram

I have found myself musing over the Instagram pages of people I have just met one too many times. Through a mental calculus that includes their medley of posts, highlighted stories, and methodically typed-out captions, I decide what their Instagram says about them. The perfect curation is a good mix of personality shots and organized visuals, topped off with captions that don’t scream for attention. As someone who has spent many hours crafting immaculate posts and aligning my grid for maximum optical satisfaction, I would recommend a few (or maybe many) things to arrange a social media feast for the eyes.

Deconstructing the Dump

The photo dump is a staple in the rotation of posts that cycle through your feed. Whether you’re returning from your spring break trip to the Dominican Republic—a favorite among the Harvard College student body this year—or marking the end of a semester, this collection of pictures is not to be taken lightly. You need a strong assortment of photos in order to create a carousel that leaves your followers satiated.

Start by making a folder in your Photos app, then go through and select the pictures you like most. This is not the time to be overly picky. A large initial pool yields the best results; this includes options that do not look promising at first but may turn out to be the real winners. After you have accomplished this, you can up your standards: make some cuts, and narrow it down to your chosen few.

Please note that the best dumps include a mix of scenes: group pictures with some friendly faces, a few food flicks to add some flavor, landscapes to provide picturesque details, and some solos—it is your Instagram, after all. Mix in photos from all types of cameras. From iPhones to digital cameras, and even a few film captures sprinkled in, a good dump has range. And the ultimate hodgepodge of visuals creates the needed effortless Insta-chic for maximum posting success.

Previewing the Grid

Once the candidates for your dump have been selected, it is time to set a good cover. Here is where you must give yourself a preview. Create a fake Instagram account—where you can post whatever you want and see how it looks before it goes live on your feed. Using your new profile, or, if you want to repurpose your stalking account (@iPhone12345), post your cover options to the mockup of your actual grid. Your mockup allows you to see what all of your posts will look like before they are up on your grid.

Now is the time to analyze how each of your cover options aligns with your overall vibe. Are you going for a moody, going-out look or perhaps a warm summer feed? For a harmonized grid, coordinating colors are a must. Each of your cover pictures should feature either the same colors or complementary shades. Clashing colors, like those seen when going from a beachy midday post to a night-out recap, are absolutely not an option if you want your grid to look its best.

The Art of the Archive

Archive posts balance your dumps, keeping your feed fresh with personality, color, and scenery. A good archive must wait two to three months to resurface—if you want to ensure your series reaches no one’s feed, remaining a secret only for those who dare to stalk your page. The true purpose of an archive post is to maintain the pictures that you love but are not worthy of the attention that a real post might receive. Here is where your personality can shine; adding a fun caption or using a ton of emojis is the perfect complement to the whimsy that a good archive post provides. DO NOT put #archive as the caption, as it’s tacky and overused. Your archives should look effortless but intentional; you don’t need to spell that out for people.

A carousel or a single picture can be archived for maximum grid aesthetic. Feel free to drop your film pictures here, developed too many weeks after the end of your trip to make it into the dump. In these instances, you can venture to craft a nostalgic post with a caption featuring an inside joke that only those in the film will understand.

Choosing Your Colors

Now, it is important to keep in mind that, just like the colors you select for your cover pics, the pictures you pick for your posts must also have a theme. This extends beyond the color scheme but ultimately into the vibes of the post. There must be a set of colors that govern your posts, and if there is a dramatic switch, some of your selected images must serve as a buffer in between. Swiping through your post, your followers should see a subtle shift in the colors without feeling like each slide is an attack on their eyes.

Crafting a Caption

Where you could once say “No caption needed,” you must now brainstorm to find a caption that is the perfect mix of entertaining and cool.

Anything remotely cheugy (“Felt cute, might delete later” is not cute at all) or catchy phrases that are way too overdone (“Director’s cut?” More like cut that one from your captions list) should not be considered. Instead, try a subtle inside joke or playful phrase that you feel captures the essence of your post. At all costs, avoid the most obvious of choices that are used by those simply too unoriginal to craft their own caption. And if you must (and I mean absolute necessity), add emojis, please include no more than three.

Melodies for Your Memories

The ability to add a song to your post, though charming, shouldn’t be overused. Every post should not bombard your followers with another mindless soundtrack, adding nothing of substance. Instead, every so often, pick and choose which posts should be paired with a melody to serenade your viewers as they peruse your selected snapshots. 

When selecting your songs, choose carefully to ensure that your choice fits both your caption and your selected slides. Your post should not be set to the sound of “ATM” by Don Toliver when your caption is “Just getting started.” More importantly, pick a tune that encapsulates the moment for you. A post is at its best when you can attribute the tracks you have chosen to the post that you are pairing it with.

Stories Made to Highlight

The art of the Instagram story is not lost on your followers, and it is definitely viewed more than any formal post. While it is tempting to publish every perfect vertical snapshot you have, stories are where less is more. A more muted approach, where stories are posted a few days apart with no captions, occasionally featuring a song, creates a more timeless addition to your social media footprint.

Here are the secrets all laid out before you. Now that you know, go forth and post! Make sure that the next time your ex stalks you, or your new followers view your grid for the first time, they are wowed by the organizational excellence and cohesive quality of the posts you have arranged. You are officially the most Instagram-savvy person that anyone knows.

Miriam Tsegay ’29 (miriamtsegay@college.harvard.edu) is impatiently waiting to develop her film from this semester.