When you open the app for the first time, you land on a screen that asks for a profile picture, a bio, a username, and you don’t know where to start. Most guides provide a generic step-by-step.
The problem is that Instagram’s interface has changed several times in recent months, particularly with new protections for teen accounts and the addition of features like reposting. This guide focuses on the concrete choices that matter when you’re starting out.
Setting up an Instagram account without choosing the wrong profile type
Before posting anything, you choose between three types of accounts: personal, creator, or professional. This choice is not definitive (you can switch from one type to another in the settings), but the account type determines the accessible statistics. A personal account provides no data on the reach of posts. A creator or professional account gives access to insights (number of views, follower demographics, connection times).
For someone who simply wants to share travel or family photos, a personal account is sufficient. As soon as you intend to develop an audience, even a modest one, you should switch to a professional or creator account from the start. The switch takes thirty seconds in the profile settings.
For those who want to learn how to use Instagram for beginners with a structured approach, the creator account remains the most flexible choice: it provides the same statistics as a professional account, with more refined categorization options.
The bio and profile picture, two elements that beginners neglect
The bio has a maximum of 150 characters. It should state what you do, not what you are philosophically. “Wedding photographer Brittany” works better than an inspiring quote. The profile picture appears in miniature everywhere: a tightly framed face or a readable logo in small format, nothing else.
Posts, stories, and reels: understanding the formats before posting
Instagram offers several content formats, each serving a different purpose. When starting out, the temptation is to try everything at once. It’s better to understand what each format is for.
- Classic posts (photos or carousels) remain displayed on the profile permanently. It’s the showcase. You put polished content there, which can be discovered weeks after going live.
- Stories disappear after 24 hours, unless you pin them as “highlights” on your profile. They serve to show daily life, behind-the-scenes, or more spontaneous content. You can add polls, questions, or links.
- Reels are short videos (up to 90 seconds). This is the format that Instagram promotes the most in recommendations. A relevant reel can reach users who are not yet followers.
- The repost feature, a more recent addition, allows you to share content from another account. For a beginner, it’s a way to comment on a trend or highlight content that resonates with your theme.
In practice, you start by posting photos or carousels to build a coherent profile, then add stories to create consistency, and test reels when you feel comfortable with the app.
Hashtags: how many and which ones
Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post. You don’t have to use that many. Five to ten well-chosen hashtags related to the photo’s subject are enough to appear in searches. Too broad hashtags drown the post in a massive flow, while very specific hashtags (for example, “pottery-throwing-stoneware” rather than “art”) reach a more qualified audience.
Opinions vary on this point, but a common approach is to mix two or three popular hashtags with several niche hashtags.
Instagram privacy settings for new users
One point that classic guides skim over: privacy settings have been deeply overhauled, especially for minor user accounts. Meta has deployed specific protections for teenagers, including restrictions on private messages from strangers and an option for a non-personalized feed, meaning a more chronological display and less driven by the recommendation algorithm.
For an adult beginner, these changes have an indirect effect: the settings interface has been reorganized, and some screens no longer look like what older tutorials show. Privacy controls are now found in a dedicated menu, grouping account visibility, allowed interactions, and data management.
Public account or private account
A private account means that each new follower must be manually approved. Posts do not appear in search results or in the Explore tab. If the goal is to grow an audience, you stay public. If you use Instagram for a close circle (family, close friends), private mode protects the content.
You can also hide your stories from specific followers or restrict comments to your followers only. These settings can be found in the privacy settings of each post or in the general account settings.
First Instagram content: what to start with concretely
You often publish your first photo with poorly channeled enthusiasm: bad framing, empty caption, no hashtags. It’s better to prepare three to five posts before posting just one. You draft them, choose the visuals, check that the profile is complete, and then publish at a regular pace (two to three times a week to start).
Consistency matters more than frequency. Publishing quality content each week builds a stronger audience than posting five mediocre photos on the same day. Instagram’s algorithm takes into account consistency and engagement (comments, shares, saves) to decide who to show content to.
One last often-forgotten point: look at what accounts in your niche are doing, not to copy, but to understand what type of content generates reactions. You subscribe to about fifteen accounts close to your topic, observe for a week, and adapt your own editorial line based on what resonates with your target audience.