The Best Tools to Style Your Instagram Layout

Setting up your Instagram profile can be very important for attracting attention and for building relationships on the platform, so creating a profile that's both stylish and cohesive will go a long way toward attracting visitors. There are a number of layout tools available which can help you achieve exactly that, and which will provide you with a great preview of what your profile will look like before you publish it.Since Instagram has always been heavily focused on visuals, users are much more likely to follow you when they see a profile which is cohesive and well-managed, rather than one which is a disconnected collection of random images. A profile which tells a story and provides a voice for your profile will allow users to know what to expect from any content posted to your account, and it will also provide a clear message to potential followers of what you're trying to achieve on Instagram.That may be driving traffic to your blog or your website, drumming up customers for your store, selling products and services, building an authoritative voice for your company, or simply striving to establish a community of fellow users. Regardless of what you're trying to achieve, some of the layout tools described below will help you get where you want to go, and will encourage a number of users to follow you.

Planoly

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Image courtesy of Planoly[/caption]One of the most popular Instagram grid planning tools is Planoly, and its popularity is primarily due to the fact that it has an intuitive layout and is very easy to use. It's also available for both desktop and mobile versions, so if you need to upload or produce copy from either one of those device types, it can be accommodated. Planoly allows you to create and manage all your hashtags, it helps you plan and schedule all your posts and stories, and it will also help you to access key analytics data related to your account.The free version of this tool provides a lot of important basic data, but as you progress up the ladder of packages, the level of data provided becomes much more comprehensive and more detailed. Planoly also includes a terrific feature which allows you to directly split posts, so that you don't have to use any other tools to accomplish that. This allows you to schedule right from the app, so you won't have to be concerned about the sequencing of posts.The desktop version of Planoly includes a useful calendar tool which will help you plan all your new posts. There is a free version of the software tool, but you can also upgrade to a paid package, with these starting at $9 per month. The paid packages allow you to access more analytics data, include multiple users, and upload more than the basic 30 images each month.

Preview App

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Image courtesy of Preview App[/caption]This is another very popular grid planning tool, and it also has an intuitive interface which allows you to switch planned posts and rearrange them very easily. It includes a built-in editing tool which is terrific for basic edits, and which will help you maintain a consistent tone for your followers across all your content. One of the outstanding features of Preview App is that it allows you to upload any number of images without any extra charge, so if you are routinely working with a large number of images, this is a perfect tool.The free version of Preview App does include basic analytics, and when you upgrade to one of the paid packages you'll be able to get more filter packages. The paid plans start at $7.99 a month for full analytics, complete filter packs, and hashtag analytics. You can download this app from the Google Play Store or the App Store to get started, and just by logging in and connecting to your Instagram account, you'll see a grid appear. Once you reach this stage, you'll be able to start adding images by simply tapping the + symbol at the upper right corner of the screen.

UNUM

This layout tool allows users to hide posts, so that you can see what the grid will look like if specific posts are removed. It has some terrific capabilities, such as its drag-and-drop feature, as well as the capability of toggling posts in and out of your layout, to see how they mesh with other content. You'll also be able to perform basic edits and cropping of images to tailor them into the layout.UNUM tends to be a little slow when you're uploading images, but this is offset by the fact that it's so easy to use. It allows you to upload as many as 500 images each month for no extra charge, and it provides 18 tile-planning spaces for your usage. The basic version of UNUM is available for free, and the paid plans begin at $4.99 per month, offering unlimited image uploads, comprehensive analytics, and a higher number of total grids.

This app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or App Store, and can be started up by logging in and connecting to your Instagram account. To begin uploading images, all you have to do is scroll up, and select the square where you intend to add an image, choose the image to be added, and then click on Done.

Plann

This layout grid tool is very similar to Planoly, in that it features a limited number of monthly uploads (which is 30), and includes some basing basic editing capabilities. You will be able to plan your grid and manage it, and you'll also be able to schedule your posts via a push notification. The basic version of Plann is free, but if you upgrade to the lowest level of paid packages at $4 per month, you'll get a lot of extra features such as a strategy plan, which will allow you to map out various posting styles, to add color-coded placeholders, and to work with a much fuller body of analytics.Some of these analytics are extremely useful, because they identify your top-performing posts, they tell you what the best posting times are, they identify follower growth, and they also point out the best-performing hashtags. You'll be able to save sets of hashtags as well as stories, which can also be planned and scheduled. While it's not as intuitive as as some of the other layout tools, Plann is a good functional tool which has excellent preview capabilities.