5 Apps for Innovative Instagram Content

The ‘Gram is a vast universe filled with endless possibilities.

Really though, if you are using Instagram it is imperative to show that you are with the times and on top of the latest apps and software out there that can help you design unique content.

Not everyone who is posting on a daily basis to an Instagram account is a graphic designer, photographer or videographer, and at times you might be faced with limited content available depending on the client or brand you are working on.

These apps can help you transform your bland, novice level Instagram presence into something creative and professional!

1. Studio

“What Instagram did for photography, this app will do for design” -Mashable

Pretty high praise from such an influential source. Studio truly has all the bells and whistles.

Studio lets you upload images and alter them with a variety of options including filters, text, shapes, crops, lines, and frames. It features a remix section where you can see other people’s trending designs that you can use for inspiration. It even has some custom stickers/graphics that you can overlay on your images ranging from sports icons to cats, and there are many more available for download.

Take a look at some studio graphics that I created for Inspired Athletes, an NFL Agency. When it came to designing these, I was tasked with promoting the agency’s draft prospects through Instagram. Going off the “Inspired” name, I decided to brand each post with an inspirational quote that applied to football success, all using Studio.

2. Flipagram

Flipagram is a great app where you can create a slide show that displays a number of pictures. You can now even attach music to them!

This app comes in handy when you have an entire album of photos you want to post, but there are too many for a picstitch, and too many to make original posts for each.

You have the ability to adjust the speed to the millisecond so you can include as many pictures as you’d like in your slideshow.

This is just another unique way to catch and maintain your followers attention. Check out an example of a Flipagram I put together for JAG Physical Therapy. As a partner with the New York City FC, each JAG clinic wore NYCFC t-shirts and took pictures.

3. Squaready

Squaready allows you to create a unique blur on the sides of your image for ones that don’t fit into the standard IG format.

Sometimes I like to have a black or white border on the sides of my images in posts, sometimes I like to have the entire image fill up the screen (with the new IG layout app this is also possible), but it’s good to have an alternate option to either of these.

Check out an example of what I was able to do with Squaready for Comfort Project 360:

4. Repost

Coming up with your own original content is ideal. But, sometimes you are limited with what you have available, which is why taking advantage of the repost app is crucial. This app is less about creativity and more about showing you’re on top of your account by responding to things that you are tagged in, mentioned in, are checked in at your location, or simply are relevant to your brand. This also ties in to our 24/7 monitoring services, so we never miss things like these at TB.

These are easy posts that can be used as filler content in between you actually coming up with or receiving some original content. It is also a great way to engage with and show love to loyal fans.

5. Stop Motion

Last but not least, we have the Stop Motion app. Not many people have experience with stop motion, my only experience was in a video production class my sophomore year of highschool.

But I had such a positive experience doing it, that I when I saw this app I thought it could be a great idea for accounts that are featuring actual products that you can play around with.

Basically this app lets you take a series of pictures and upload them sort of similar to Flipagram. It’s good to have someone else move your product for you while you manage the phone so you can shoot from a consistent angle.

But it can be very eye catching, and if done right, effective.

Here is a stop action video I put together for a client, Clear Gear Sports Spray:

A lot of these are alternatives to having a graphic designer make something, or having any professional video editing experience, because those people have other things on their plates and can get pricey!

Take your IG game next level with these apps my friends. You’re welcome.