- A few recurring series, such as a weekly get ready with me or a monthly lookbook, keep an account clear and give followers a reason to come back.
- The thirteen ideas fall into four groups: routines, style and home, out and about, and value and connection. Most accounts need something from each.
- Instagram has changed since this list was first written: Guides were retired in December 2023, Reels can run to three minutes, carousels hold 20 slides, and posts are limited to five hashtags.
- Original content made for Instagram now gets more reach than reposts, and Trial Reels let you test a new idea on people who do not follow you yet.
- Any post you are paid for, including one in return for free products, must be clearly labelled as an advert in the UK.
Why a series works better than random posts
Feeling stuck on what to post is one of the most common problems we hear from creators, and from the brands who work with them. Velena knows it well. As a lifestyle creator she films and photographs a great deal every day, and with that much material it is easy to lose direction: everything looks like it could be a post, so nothing feels like a plan. The answer she found, and the one this guide is built on, is to sit down regularly, look at how your life and interests have changed, and organise what you post into a handful of recurring series.
When Velena wrote the first version of this guide in May 2024, she lived in London, so London content made sense. She was about to move to Oxford, which opened up a whole new set of ideas: packing, finding a new home, and the reasons for the move. At the same time she still loved making fashion and make up videos. Balancing those interests with lifestyle content was tricky, and what made it work was a set of recurring video series that followers learned to expect.
A series helps in three ways. It gives your followers a reason to come back, because they know another episode is coming. It makes your account easier to understand at a glance, which matters when someone lands on your profile for the first time. And it makes planning far easier for you, because a series is half planned before you start: you know the format, the length and the look, and only the details change.
The thirteen ideas below come from the original list, each shown with the example from Velena's own Instagram that the first version linked to. We have grouped them into four kinds, rewritten each for how Instagram works today, and added how to turn each one into a series. You will not need all thirteen. Pick three or four that suit you and the life you actually lead, and build from there.
A note for brands reading this: every idea here works for a brand account too, as long as a real person is in it. Lifestyle content is about a life, and people want to see who is living it. At the end of this guide we explain how brands can have these formats made for them.
What has changed on Instagram since 2024
Instagram has moved a long way since this guide was first published, and some of the original advice no longer applies. Before the ideas, here is what is different, so that what you make suits the platform as it is now.
- Guides are goneThe original list suggested Instagram Guides. Instagram retired Guides on 15 December 2023 and pointed people to Collections instead. Idea 10 below shows how to make the same kind of in depth content as a carousel.
- Reels can run to three minutesIn January 2025 Instagram raised the limit from 90 seconds to three minutes, and changed the profile grid from squares to taller rectangles. Frame your covers for the taller shape.
- Carousels hold 20 slidesSince August 2024 a carousel can hold up to 20 photos and videos, double the old limit, which suits lookbooks, guides and recipes.
- Original content gets the reachInstagram said in April 2024 that when it finds identical posts it recommends only the original, and that new content from smaller accounts gets more initial reach. Film your own; do not repost.
- Trial Reels let you test ideasSince December 2024, Trial Reels are shown first to people who do not follow you, so you can try a new series without crowding your feed and decide after a day whether to share it with your followers.
- Five hashtags at mostIn December 2025 Instagram capped hashtags at five a post and said a few targeted ones work better than many generic ones. Our free hashtag generator helps you pick them.
The first version also mentioned travel restrictions and people spending more time at home. Those lines belonged to a different moment and we have taken them out. What has not changed is the heart of it: people follow lifestyle creators for a real life, shown honestly and consistently.
Routines: the ideas people come back for daily
Routines are the backbone of lifestyle content because they are endlessly repeatable and deeply relatable. Everyone has a morning, a workout and a way of winding down. Showing yours, honestly, is what makes people feel they know you.
1. Get ready with me. Share your morning or evening routine: skincare, choosing an outfit, make up, breakfast. Get ready with me Reels are authentic and relatable, and followers enjoy seeing the everyday behind the finished look. Make up tutorials in particular are always welcome on Instagram, because people save them to follow along later.
How to film it today: set the phone at eye level, film in natural light, and keep each step short. Talk to the camera as you would to a friend. Show the products clearly but naturally; this is a routine, not an advert. Open with the finished look or a question, so people know in the first second why they should stay.
Make it a series: "Get ready with me for..." works week after week, because the occasion changes every time: a work day, a wedding, a first day in a new city, a rainy Monday. Name the series the same way each time, so followers recognise it in their feed.
2. Workout routines and fitness challenges. Show your favourite workouts, invite followers into a fitness challenge, or share your fitness journey through Reels and carousels. Fitness content works because it is aspirational and useful at the same time: people want to see what you do and copy it.
How to film it today: show each move from the side so it can be followed, add the number of repetitions as text on screen, and keep the music upbeat but the voice clear. A short Reel showing one move done well beats a long video of a whole session. If you show equipment, show it in use rather than on its own.
Make it a series: a 30 day challenge is the classic, with one short Reel each day and a carousel summary at the end. A weekly "one move to try" series is easier to keep up and just as effective. Be honest about rest days; real progress is more motivating than perfection.
3. Self care and slow moments. Share your favourite self care habits, a mindful morning walk, a reading corner or a way of winding down at night, through calm carousels or Reels. This content gives followers a moment of quiet in a busy feed, and it often earns saves and shares rather than quick likes.
How to film it today: slow everything down. Longer shots, soft natural light, gentle sound, and very little text. A voiceover works beautifully here, because it lets you share a thought while the pictures breathe. Keep it honest; self care is about small, ordinary things, not expensive rituals.
Make it a series: "Sunday reset", "slow mornings" or "what helped this week" each give you a reason to post the same kind of calm content regularly. Pair it with a short caption sharing one practical tip, so the post is useful as well as beautiful.
Style, home and making
These are the ideas people save to come back to. They are visual, practical and easy to copy, which makes them some of the best performers on Instagram, and they suit carousels as much as Reels.
4. Seasonal lookbooks. Show your favourite outfits and accessories for the season, as a carousel or a Reel. Curated looks are highly shareable, because followers send them to friends and use them for ideas of their own. With 20 slides now allowed in a carousel, a lookbook can be generous: a whole week of outfits, or one piece styled ten ways.
How to film it today: use the same spot, the same light and the same framing for every look, so the outfits are what changes. Film full length and include one close up of a detail. On a carousel, put your strongest look first, because it is the cover people see in their feed.
Make it a series: "30 days of outfits", "one piece, five ways" or a lookbook at the start of each season all give followers something to look forward to. If you are paid or gifted any of the pieces, label the post as an advert; more on that below.
5. Home tips and styling. Share home styling ideas, small makeovers, cleaning and organising tips, or the gadgets that make your home run more smoothly, through carousels or Reels. Home content is practical and endlessly varied, and it lets followers see a more personal side of you.
How to film it today: before and after works better than almost anything else, so film the "before" even when you are not sure you will use it. Keep the room tidy except for the thing you are changing. When you show a product, show the problem it solves first, then the product doing its job.
Make it a series: "one corner a week", "small home fixes" or "what is new in our flat" give you a regular reason to post. A series like this also shows brands in homes and interiors what you could make for them as UGC (user generated content).
6. Do it yourself projects and tutorials. Share step by step guides for crafts, nails, upcycling or small repairs, through Reels or carousels. Tutorials are among the most saved content on Instagram, because people want to come back to them when they try it themselves.
How to film it today: film from above or from your point of view, with every step shown clearly. Speed up the slow parts and slow down the tricky ones. Put the finished result at the start, so people know what they are making before you show them how. List the steps in the caption too, for people who prefer to read.
Make it a series: "a new nail look every Friday", "five minute makes" or "fix it Sunday" turns a one off tutorial into a habit. Ask followers what they would like you to try next; their answers give you the next episode.
Out and about
These ideas take your content outside the house, and they are where lifestyle creators often do their most distinctive work, because nobody else lives in exactly your place.
7. Local spots and hidden gems. Show your favourite local businesses, restaurants, shops or seasonal displays through Reels or carousels. Sharing local discoveries builds a sense of community, and it gives followers in your area a reason to save and share the post with friends. This is where a move, like Velena's from London to Oxford, becomes a gift: a whole new place to discover with your followers.
How to film it today: tag the location and the businesses you feature, so the post can be found by people interested in the place. Show what makes it special in the first second. Film people enjoying it, not just the building. Keep each spot short, so one Reel can show three or four.
Make it a series: "three places in Oxford this week" or "hidden gems near me" can run for months. Local businesses often notice and share these posts, which can lead to collaborations later, but never imply a partnership that does not exist.
8. Food and recipes. Share recipes you love, a beautifully plated dish or a weekend breakfast, as a carousel or a short recipe Reel. Food is universal and very shareable, and a good recipe gets saved again and again.
How to film it today: film from above for the steps and close up for the finished dish. Show the ingredients at the start and the best moment, the pour, the cut or the first bite, as the cover. Put the full recipe in the caption or on the last slides of a carousel, so people can follow it without pausing the video.
Make it a series: "weekend breakfasts", "15 minute dinners" or "what we ate this week" work well. Food content is also one of the easiest ways for a creator to show what they can do for food and drink brands.
9. Travel diaries. Take followers along on your trips through Reels or carousels: the places, the food, the views from the plane window. Travel content lets followers share the adventure, and it is some of the most saved content on Instagram, because people plan their own trips from it.
How to film it today: collect short clips all day rather than one long recording, and include the in between moments: the train, the packing, the coffee before the first visit. Add practical details in the caption, such as where you stayed and how you got there. Three minute Reels now let you tell the story of a whole day.
Make it a series: "a day in...", "48 hours in..." or "what I packed for..." give each trip a familiar shape. If a hotel or a tourist board has hosted you, say so clearly in the post; a hosted stay is a form of payment.
Value and connection
The last four ideas are about what you give your followers and how close they feel to you. They often earn the deepest engagement: saves, shares, replies and messages.
10. In depth guides as carousels. The original idea here was Instagram Guides, which Instagram retired in December 2023. The need behind it has not gone away: people still want thorough, useful content on fitness, wellness, books, productivity or anything you know well. A carousel of up to 20 slides is now the best way to give it to them.
How to make it today: one clear point per slide, a big headline on the cover, and a final slide that sums up or asks a question. Mix photographs with simple text slides. Write the caption as a short version of the guide, so it is useful even to people who only read it.
Make it a series: "books I read this month", "five things that helped my mornings" or a monthly round up of your favourites. Followers who save one guide tend to look for the next.
11. Collaborations with brands and other creators. Join forces for product reviews, giveaways or content you make together. Partnerships can widen your reach and bring you new followers. Instagram's collab posts make this easier than ever: Sked Social notes you can add up to five collaborators to a post, carousel or Reel, so it appears on every partner's profile at once.
How to make it today: choose partners whose audience would genuinely enjoy what you make together, agree in writing who does what, and keep your own voice. A review should be honest, including what you did not like; that is what makes it worth watching.
Make it a series: a regular "trying it so you do not have to" review slot, or a monthly collab with a creator in a different field. The rules on labelling paid and gifted posts apply to all of these, and we cover them below.
12. Encouragement and affirmations. Share words that lift people up, paired with good pictures or as a short Reel. Positive, encouraging posts are easy to share, and followers send them to friends who need them. The best ones feel personal rather than copied from a quote site.
How to make it today: write it yourself, in your own words, from something you actually felt or learned. Instagram now favours original content, and so do your followers. Pair the words with a moment from your own life, a walk, a coffee, a small win, rather than a stock background.
Make it a series: "a note for Monday" or "one thing I am telling myself this week" gives you a gentle, regular post that takes little time to make and keeps your account warm between bigger pieces.
13. Behind the scenes. Show the work behind your posts: the shoots, the editing, the set up, the collaborations, the takes that went wrong. Followers love seeing how things are made, and behind the scenes content builds a closer connection than polished posts alone.
How to make it today: keep a "behind the scenes" habit while you film anything else, a few seconds of the set up, the lights, the outtakes. Explain one thing you learned on each shoot. People are curious about the craft, and sharing it shows that what you make takes real skill.
Make it a series: "how I filmed this", "what went wrong this week" or a monthly look at your workspace. For creators who also work with brands, behind the scenes posts double as proof of how you work.
Turn the ideas into a weekly plan
Ideas are only useful if they turn into posts. The simplest way is to give each day of your week a series, so you always know what comes next. Here is the kind of plan we would suggest for a lifestyle creator posting four or five times a week. Change it to fit your life; the point is that it is written down.
Stories fill the gaps between posts: polls, questions, small moments of the day. Use them to ask followers what they want to see next, and you will rarely run out of ideas again. Batch your filming where you can, for example two routines and a lookbook in one morning, so a busy week does not leave your account silent. Our free best time to post tool shows when a UK audience is most likely to be online.
Collaborations and the rules in the UK
As soon as a brand is involved, the rules change, and it is worth getting them right from the very first collaboration. In the UK, if you are paid for a post, or given free products, a free stay or any other benefit in return for it, the post is an advert and must be labelled clearly. The ASA's influencers' guide sets out how: a clear label such as "Ad" at the start, visible before anyone has to tap or scroll. Instagram's paid partnership label helps, but the guide is the standard to follow.
Honesty matters in reviews too. Since 6 April 2025, under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, fake reviews and reviews with hidden incentives have been banned in the UK, and the Competition and Markets Authority can now fine businesses directly. Say what you really think, label what you were given, and never post a review of something you have not tried. Our guide to the ASA's CAP Code on social media covers giveaways and competitions as well.
If you are starting to work with brands, our guide graduating into the creator economy covers the first steps, and the cost of easy content explains why your work deserves fair pay. Our free UGC rate calculator gives you a starting point for what to charge.
Measure what works and refine
Using a mix of these ideas will give you varied content that appeals to different interests while staying true to you. The last step, and the one most people skip, is to look at what actually worked and do more of it.
Then go back to the start: every few months, sit down, look at how your life and interests have changed, and refresh your series. That habit, more than any single idea, is what keeps a lifestyle account growing year after year.
For brands: the same ideas, made for you
If you run a brand rather than a personal account, every idea above can work for you, filmed with a real person and your product at the centre of a real routine, home or day out. That is what UGC is: content that looks and feels like a creator's own post, made from your brief. Our team plans, films and edits it in house, and you choose who is on camera: Velena, Dragos, both, or nobody with a voiceover.
A get ready with me or a routine Reel suits beauty, skincare and wellness products; a home tip suits interiors and gadgets; a recipe suits food and drink; a lookbook suits fashion. The Lifestyle UGC: Basic is the simplest way to try one, the Lifestyle UGC: Standard adds the hooks and formats you need for adverts, and the UGC Monthly Plan keeps a steady supply coming every month. If you would rather your product appeared on Velena's own account to 13,000 followers, the Instagram Influencer Package: Brand Feature does that, labelled as a paid partnership. Our guide what is UGC explains the difference between these options.
See lifestyle content we have made
Routines, homes and everyday moments, filmed by our team. Tap a video to play it. There is more on our lifestyle videos page.
Instagram post idea questions
How often should a lifestyle creator post on Instagram?
Often enough to keep it up. Four or five posts a week, each belonging to a series, is a good aim for many creators, with Stories in between. Consistency matters more than volume.
What are the best Instagram post ideas for lifestyle accounts?
Routines such as get ready with me, seasonal lookbooks, home tips, tutorials, local spots, recipes, travel diaries, in depth carousels, collaborations, encouragement and behind the scenes. Pick three or four that suit your life.
Are Instagram Guides still available?
No. Instagram retired Guides on 15 December 2023. A carousel of up to 20 slides is now the best way to share in depth guide content.
How long can a Reel be?
Up to three minutes since January 2025. Short Reels still work best for most ideas, but routines, recipes and travel days can now be told in full.
How many hashtags should I use?
Five at most. Instagram capped hashtags at five a post in December 2025 and said a few targeted hashtags work better than many generic ones.
Do I have to label gifted products as an advert?
In the UK, yes, if you were given the product in return for a post. The ASA's influencers' guide says the post must be clearly labelled, for example with "Ad" at the start.
What are Trial Reels?
Reels shown first to people who do not follow you. They let you test a new idea or series and decide after about a day whether to share it with your followers.
Can a brand use these ideas?
Yes, as long as a real person is in the content. Routines, home tips, recipes and lookbooks all work as UGC for a brand, filmed from the brand's brief.
- Social Media Today, Instagram is retiring Guides, November 2023
- Engadget, three minute Reels and rectangular profile grids, January 2025
- Metricool, Instagram carousel limit increased to 20, August 2024
- Social Media Today, Instagram updates its algorithm to favour original content, April 2024
- Instagram, Trial Reels, December 2024
- Social Samosa, Instagram limits hashtags to five per post, December 2025
- Sked Social, the complete guide to Instagram collaboration posts
- ASA, influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads
- Competition and Markets Authority, new consumer protection regime comes into force, April 2025
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