Make your BIG grid beautiful
Have you scrolled through Instagram before and seen brands and businesses using a big photo grid on their feeds and ever wondered how you can recreate it? Well, don’t worry. The team at Sked is showing you a step-by-step guide to transforming your Instagram feed with the big grid layout.
There are so many different ways you can make a grid picture on your Instagram feed from creating it yourself on Canva or downloading apps from the app store, there’s never been an easier way to get creative with your Instagram content.
Plus, if you’re looking to make a statement, launch a new product or announce an exciting rebrand, using a big grid is a must on Instagram.
Ready to learn how to do it? Let’s dive in!
What is a big photo grid on Instagram?
A big grid post on Instagram takes one big picture and turns it into various split images. When you post a giant square image on Instagram you’re taking multiple tiles and turning them into an interconnected image for your Instagram feed.
Using a big photo grid on your Instagram feed is a great way to get creative with your Instagram account and increase engagement by spicing up your feed from the traditional square grid and making your brand or business stand out from the rest.
What are the benefits of creating a big grid on Instagram?
On Instagram, there are endless ways to get creative and showcase your brand personality. While the app might be moving towards video content and embracing Instagram Reels with open arms, Instagram is a social network built on photo sharing.
One of the best ways to make a statement and grab your followers’ attention is by using the big grid approach. Not convinced? Here are three powerful benefits to using the big grid and why you should invest the time and effort in creating one for your own feed.
- It draws attention to a big launch or brand milestone: it can be hard to stand out in the Instagram algorithm, with so many brands fighting your the attention of your audience. So, why share just one image or post to announce a massive milestone? With a big grid approach, you can share numerous Instagram squares and related posts at once to make your content and brand unforgettable to your audience.
- It helps you tease or announce some exciting news: in a similar vein, sharing multiple images as part of a big grid allows you to make a show-stopping announcement that goes off with a bang. If you’ve got some big news to share, using a big grid on the Instagram app ensures you gain maximum visibility for your content.
- It creates a clear divide between your old and new branding: launching a new brand identity is a big moment for your business, and you want to do it justice on your social channels. Rather than spending hours archiving your old posts, using a big grid can help you draw a line in the sand and hard launch your new look with a statement.
How do you create a big grid on Instagram?
There are so many ways to create an Instagram grid layout - depending if you want to do it yourself or use Instagram grid safe zone PNG overlays in your photo editing app or grid maker (although sometimes you might have to pay to use the split image feature).
But, don’t worry, the team at Sked have done some digging and found the easiest, free ways to create a big grid on your Instagram feed. If you’re looking for the most effective strategies and best apps to take your Instagram content to the next level, you’ve come to the right place.
Here are the three top iPhone apps to help you splice up your images and bring your photosplit dreams to life.
1. Canva
Canva is such a great graphic design tool for all social media content - but did you know you can create the big photo grid effect in just a few easy steps?
On this handy design application available in-browser or on your mobile device, you can upload your own images or use stock photography and graphics to create your big grid image. Canva allows you to layer design elements to further enhance your design grids. Experiment with adding text across frames, or use their pre-made text holders with perfectly paired fonts and design touches.
Ready for a step-by-step tutorial to create your big grid through Canva? Follow along:
- Select a blank Instagram post template.
- Head to elements and select a 3 x 3 grid (or any dimension you want).
- Press space shift R to access your rulers and drag them to match the grid.
- Delete the grid and upload your photo.
- Drag your image to fill the entire Instagram post template.
- Download the image and head to image splitter.
- Post the image in order.
2. Grid Post App
You can use many apps to make a grid post app, but the Grid Post App is one of the most popular (and free) tools! Plus, it’s available on iOS and Android devices, tool.
Ready to get creating? Here is a quick guide to using the Grid Post App to bring your big grid design to life:
- Download the app.
- Select Create Grids and choose select photo grids.
- Upload your image and select which dimensions you want (e.g. 3 x 3 or 3 x 4).
- Click next and choose any filters or edits you want to make.
- Next, you’ll be taken to a screen that tells you which order to post in and save your images.
Collaborate effortlessly, save time and spend less
Why settle for a lackluster social media management tool when you could be using Sked Social? With unlimited collaborator access, streamlined approvals and advanced auto-post technology that lets you schedule to all major platforms, Sked Social offers everything you need.
Get Started for FREE3. Grids
Grids is another cool app that easily allows you to split images and make various types of grid posts on Instagram.
The best part is - they have a bunch of templates you can choose from to make your life a little easier. There are some templates and features only available with the paid version, but you can still use the grid feature with the free one.
Want to learn how to use the Grids app? Follow along with our handy guide:
- Download the Grids app.
- Select a template or create a blank grid with your own image or design.
- Once you’ve made your choice you can upload directly to Instagram or save your grid to your camera roll and do it yourself by clicking ‘Save as Grid’.
- Get posting!
Of course, there are other ways you can do this with other apps and even using Photoshop - but if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to achieve the Instagram grid layout these are your best bets.
Tip: Since the Instagram grid layout will use close-up individual posts of a bigger image, you’ll want to make sure you’re using a high-resolution image to get the best effect!
Types of Instagram grid layouts
Now that you know how to achieve the Instagram grid layout let’s run through different engaging ways you can start incorporating the big Instagram grid into your Instagram feed.
Here are two of the most engaging, innovative ways to use the big grid layout on your Insta feed.
Photo grid
If you follow the brand moon you’ll know they have an aesthetic Instagram feed that showcases a lot of influencer marketing. They even incorporated a photo grid when they first launched and announced their partnership with Kendall Jenner.
This photo grid is a tried and tested way to announce a big piece of news on your Instagram feed and ensures your audience are as pumped as you are about this big moment!
Puzzle grid
Using the puzzle grid is a creative way to make your Instagram feed more engaging and stand out. It’s also a great way to show off your design skills and show your audience you’ve put in a lot of effort to make Instagram content.
You can easily achieve this on Canva yourself or select some templates from their suite.
If you’re ready to take your social content to the next level, a puzzle grid is a must-try strategy!
When should you use the Instagram grid layout?
Although you probably won't want a big grid in your Instagram feed all the time (because sometimes it can make it difficult for people to clearly see your posts) there are some great times to utilise the big grid templates.
Let’s run through some great scenarios you can utilise the big grid layout to increase engagement and create some buzz for your Instagram profile.
Launching your brand’s channel
When you’re first launching a brand you want to stand out from the crowd and make people interested in what you have to offer. Well, there’s no better way to do this than using a big grid layout on your Instagram feed.
It’s a great way to start teasing what’s in store or online without giving too much away so people are invested and want to check back on your Instagram profile.
Sharing a product launch
Launching a new product is an exciting part of every brand and small business. It’s a time to show your creativity and start teasing on your Instagram profile so people get excited about what products you’re offering.
You might want to try out the puzzle grid layout with interconnecting shapes and colour schemes that match your brand identity with split images of your new products.
Showcasing your rebrand
Another great way to make use of the big photo grid layout on Instagram is announcing your re-brand. Interconnecting lines, shapes, colours and images to showcase your new brand identity is a creative and easy way to show off your new logo, colour scheme and brand fonts.
Schedule your big Instagram grid layout with Sked Social
If you’re thinking about incorporating the big Instagram grid layout into your Instagram profile there’s no better way to do it than with a handy social media scheduling and planning tool like Sked Social.
Since there are a bunch of images you’re going to need to post you can make life easier and schedule your posts one after the other using Sked’s Instagram scheduling feature.
You can also plan out how the images will look on your Instagram feed with Sked’s Visual Instagram Planner feature so your Instagram grid is looking perfect. This makes Sked Social one of the best Instagram schedulers for social media managers.
Sked Social is your go-to social media management system, with a one-stop shop for scheduling, social media analytics, and monitoring! Try our 7-day free trial and take your social media management game to the next level.
