Instagram Puzzle
By Siân Morgan-Owen, The Admin Genie UK
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links for which I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase. I only recommend products I love.
Instagram Puzzle (also known as an Instagram Grid or Puzzle Feed)
What’s an Instagram Puzzle?
An Instagram puzzle/grid is the series of photos that you post separately on Instagram. Once posted it becomes a collage showcasing your brand and who you are.
It’s common place now for businesses, bloggers etc to form grids that are cohesive and in line with their brand. It’s all about maximising your Instagram real estate to make sure your brand gets noticed.
Grids usually consist of anything from 6 to 24 squares, but it doesn’t really matter as long as its in multiples of 3.
Who Needs an Instagram Grid?
The platform Instagram, is a visual platform so if you are posting on Instagram then you really should be thinking about the whole visual experience.
Instagram grids are ideal for those people who like to plan out their content and use a scheduling tool like Buffer. I’ve suggested Buffer because it’s really simple to use and on the FREE (we love a bit of free) version you can post across three separate platforms, which means you don’t have to use the terribly clunky Facebook Business Suite.
Update 21/6/21 – I’ve just discovered Publer.io which could be a game changer!
Puzzle grids are also ideal for those businesses who provide a service and may not have an endless supply of images to post individually.
Types of Grids
There are all sorts of different grids, these two methods pictured make it much easier to plan your content, because you create each graphic as a stand alone piece. You will need to remember if it should be a picture or text post. if you have some pre-prepared graphics, you can just dip in and use them. It’s quite a simple and affective way to create an Instagram Puzzle.
Genie Tip: It’s always worth bearing the ratio 2:1 in mind. Two pictures to one quote.
If you are not into quotes but have something you want to express with words or just a word then use that.
Genie Tip: You should think of grids as part of your customer journey.
- First your graphic catches their eye so they stop scrolling.
- Then they read your HOOK (see Instagram for your Business for more information).
- Then they click on your profile (this is where they will marvel at your grid).
- Then they’ll click through to the link in your bio.
Split Image Grid is an image which has been divided into 6, 9, 12 etc, using an image splitting tool. There are plenty about but my favourite is Pinetools.
The posts are then uploaded individually in a zig-zag order to create the larger image.
The issue with this type of grid, it looks great in your feed (Instagram Profile) but not as visually striking or scroll-stopping on the home feed. You’ll need an amazing hook.
1080 x No of Rows = Height
Intricate grids are those where the images and graphic overlap onto the next “square/post.” They intertwine creating a full picture experience.
These take a little more time and planning but are really worth it in the end.
These Instagram Puzzles can be designed in Canva, downloaded as a large image and then split using an image splitting tool like Pinetools (it’s FREE…we love FREE).
Your starting width should always be 3240px. This is because Instagram images are 1080 x 1080 px and you will need a width of 3.
You height depends on how many rows you are looking to create.
Genie Tip
You don’t have to spend hours trying to figure out how to set it out in Canva…well unless you want to. There is a MUCH simpler solution. Head over to the Genie Template Shop and grab my latest addition.
A ‘done-for-you’ Canva Instagram Puzzle. It’s all laid out, all you have to do is add images, change the colours and fonts to your branding and adapt it to your industry.
It comes with full instructions on how to split the image using Pinetools and in what order you need to schedule/upload them to Instagram. Once this image is split it will create 18 individual posts.
