Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling after posting on Instagram, realizing you forgot to include important details? Don’t worry; we’ve all been there. The good news is it’s always possible to enhance your Instagram content by making some post-publishing touch-ups.
In this blog, we’re here to rescue you from those post-publishing mishaps. We’ll provide you with a comprehensive overview of how to effortlessly edit your Instagram posts after they’ve gone live, ensuring you can optimize your content. Get ready to transform your Instagram game as we dive into the essential tips and techniques for post-publishing editing.
Why Would You Want To Edit An Instagram Post After Publishing?
As a brand or business, you want to make a good impression on Instagram. And a post with incorrect details can have unwanted impacts. Maybe it was late, or perhaps you were distracted while posting, but whatever the reason, you now regret what you posted. Well, you’re certainly not alone! Here are the top three reasons why you might want to edit your Instagram posts:
1. Improve Instagram Marketing
If you want to improve your Instagram marketing, you may want to consider targeting people in a specific city. You can then use geographical hashtags and locations in your posts to draw attention to your local business. If you’re a restaurant owner, for example, localization is super important. Going back and adding geographical hashtags and locations to your posts will help attract more nearby Instagram users who could become customers.
2. Correcting Typos
One of the best bits of editing advice in any industry is to double-check and proofread every single pixel. Read your content and read it again until you’re 100% sure it’s right! If you do this, you’ll save yourself the stress and hassle of having to repost everything or go back and change things.
Keep in mind that if you’re an influencer or a business, creating content for the web is one of the biggest parts of your job. As a result, everything you put out there online should be as perfect and professional as possible. Having posts without errors gives credibility to your brand and makes you look flawless at what you’re doing. Take your time to reflect on your posts and the text that accompanies them. And if you need to, go back in and edit your captions to improve them!
3. Improving Old Content
Over time, social media audiences and algorithms change. This is one of the reasons why editing is a great way to improve old Instagram posts. For instance, you could try adding or removing certain hashtags or making the caption more punchy. Either way, it’s always good to look back through your Instagram insights every now and then. Think, “What can I do to make this look and sound better?” If you believe that you can improve an old Instagram post by adding a new caption, give it a try!
However, bear in mind that you can’t edit images after they’ve been uploaded (more on this later). You should therefore make your visuals as compelling as possible the first time around. If in doubt, try Simplified’s Instagram design tools to create eye-catching graphics for your Instagram feed.
Check out Simplified Templates now!
How To Edit Posts On Instagram?
Editing posts on Instagram is super simple, so let’s walk you through the steps:
- Find the Instagram post that you want to edit.
- After this, find the three dots in the right corner of your screen and click on them.
- You will see a drop-down menu, and you then need to click on “Edit”.
- Choose one of the items that you are allowed to edit; Learn what these are in the next section.
- Click the tick if you’re an Android user or “Done” if you’re an iOS user to complete.
Bonus: 6 Tips to Get Verified on Instagram in 4 Easy Steps
What Can You Edit On An Instagram Post After It’s Been Published?
As mentioned above, there are a few things that you can edit on Instagram after uploading a post, so let’s explore what these are in more depth. These details remain pretty much the same for all types of content that you upload on the platform, including images, carousels, and reels.
1. Caption
If, for any reason, you want to change or edit your caption, Instagram’s got your back. You don’t have to worry about deleting and reposting your content because you can simply change what’s already there.
If you need a new caption and you’ve hit the infamous writer’s block, we’ve got a solution for you. Simplified caption generator can do the heavy lifting for you and save you some stress by providing you with inspirational quotes to use!
2. Location
If you want to add a location to your post at another point after publishing, Instagram will allow that without any worries. As mentioned earlier, this is a great option for local businesses that want to improve their offline foot traffic.
3. Hashtags
Hashtags are an important aspect of your Instagram marketing campaign, so be mindful to include the right number of them with the correct words. However, we understand that this could be a tedious task if you post content on a daily basis. That’s why we’ve created a tool that can do this for you.
Simplified’s hashtag generator will provide you with the best hashtags you can think of in seconds, saving you time and effort and improving your marketing strategy!
4. Tagged People
In case you happen to miss tagging somebody in a post, you can always come back to that video or image and edit your old content later. Tagging is important because whenever you tag an account, it will receive a separate notification, which allows you to stand out against all other notifications and ensure that the tagged account sees your content. The second reason for tagging separate accounts is that when this happens, the content is stored on a separate tab on their IG account.
5. Instagram Alt Text
If you’re not familiar with “Alt Text,” don’t worry. It’s simply a short line of text that describes your photos for people with visual impairments. If you’d like to make your posts more accessible, go back and add alt text to improve them.
6. Instagram Reel Cover
While you cannot edit a reel after it’s published, you can change the cover and other details as mentioned above. An Instagram cover can make a big difference in your overall grid look and page aesthetic.
To edit an Instagram Reel cover after it has been published, follow these quick steps.
- Open the reel and click on the three-dot menu at the bottom right.
- Select “Edit Cover” and choose a new frame from the video. You can also choose an image from your device.
- Adjust and resize the frame as desired, then click “Done.”
7. Instagram’s Editing Time Window
While Instagram allows you to edit certain aspects of your post after publishing, there is no specific time window where edits need to be made. However, making edits too soon after posting might disrupt the algorithm’s initial engagement process. It’s generally a good idea to wait at least a few minutes or an hour before making any changes.
8. Instagram Insights May Be Affected
Keep in mind that editing an Instagram post, especially changing hashtags or captions, could impact the insights for that post. Sometimes, this might reset engagement momentum. So, always weigh the need for edits against the performance data of the post.
9. Editing Comments and Engaging with Users
Although you cannot edit comments made by others on your post, you can still edit your own responses to users’ comments. This allows you to maintain clear communication if you’ve made a mistake or want to clarify something you initially wrote.
10. Changing Your Instagram Grid Aesthetic
When considering changes to your Instagram Reels’ cover images, remember that this can affect the overall look of your grid. Make sure that any changes align with your Instagram aesthetic and branding for consistency.
11. Deleting Posts for Performance Reasons
While not directly related to editing, some brands and influencers delete posts if they feel the content is underperforming or doesn’t align with their strategy. If you notice an important error or want to refresh your content completely, starting from scratch might be the better option.
What You Can’t Edit On An Instagram Post After It’s Been Published
Now for the bad news… Although you can edit a certain number of things on Instagram, there are still limits to what you can do. Here are two of the edits you won’t be able to make after upload:
1. Pictures After They Are Posted
Sadly, Instagram doesn’t support any features that will allow you to edit an old Instagram post. So if you chose the wrong filter or, for some reason, need to adjust your image, that’s just too bad.
If this is the case for you, there’s only one way out: delete your post, make the adjustments you want, and then re-upload it. Just remember to copy your text and hashtags before deleting your IG posts because otherwise, you’ll lose all of your work!
2. Adding Images To An Existing Post
Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t allow you to add new photos to an old post. If you missed an important image in your latest carousel post or IG reel, then the only thing left to do is re-post your content with the correct number of images! And the same goes for video content too. But please double-check everything before you click “Delete” to avoid removing posts you want to keep!
Related: The Secret to Creating a #Winning Instagram Hashtag Strategy
Tips & Tricks to Avoid IG Mishaps
1. Double Check Your Images and Captions
Before sharing content on IG, make sure that you double-check any image, filter, or frame you have. You can explore different filters and crop the image more than once but do not rush. Since you can’t edit images after uploading them, take your time and think through what you’re doing.
Keep in mind that your Instagram uploads reflect back on you and your business, so you don’t want content full of mistakes. Taking your time to proofread and review everything will reduce the risk of having to go back and improve old Instagram posts. Finally, find out the best time to post on Instagram based on your data and publish.
2. The More, The Better
To begin with, if you’re a business owner and you’re running a promotion, using more images will tell a better story. In addition to this, by uploading more than one image, the spam factor is minimized because you’re not posting image after image focusing on the same topic. In fact, you’re putting them together in one targeted post with a suitable caption and hashtags.
You can also explore Simplified’s quote generator to make your story more impactful through images.
3. How Do Spaces Work?
Adding spaces to IG posts can be challenging. If you don’t do it, especially with longer posts, your text may look like a mess. Imagine if you wrote that brilliant post with captivating words, the correct number of emojis, and perfect hashtags. You share it, and it just comes out as a big jumble of words that are hard to read because they lack formatting. So, keep your spacing strong to ensure compelling text. If you’ve forgotten to do this before, you should probably go back and improve your old Instagram post.
4. Should You Change Hashtags After You’ve Already Posted?
Hashtags are super important for businesses and influencers. For example, you can use key hashtags to promote a service or a product. In addition to this, hashtags can help consumers and users find the content they need or target specific audiences. If you’re new to this, using hashtags smartly can help you gain more followers based on their interests. If you do decide to edit posts on Instagram and add some amazing hashtags, simply follow the steps we listed above.
Bonus: 28 Instagram Tools To Boost Your Instagram Marketing Strategy
5. Discover the Perfect IG Templates from Simplified!
Simplified is your go-to assistant for every content need. Looking for the perfect story template with the correct post dimensions? Browse through the list of trending collections and find the perfect pick. You can further edit it to add your brand elements and make your Instagram pop. Check below for some inspirations and start editing them now 👇
IG Story
Take your brand to new heights with Simplified!
In conclusion, when it comes to editing and enhancing your Instagram posts, taking your time and being thorough is essential. However, if you’re looking for a game-changing solution to simplify your Instagram marketing efforts, look no further than Simplified.
With its comprehensive suite of features, Simplified is the ultimate tool for automated publishing on the Instagram platform. From editing posts to creating captivating reels and stories, Simplified empowers you to effortlessly produce visually stunning and engaging content.
With its vast collection of design tools and templates, you can unlock your inner marketing guru and elevate your Instagram presence like never before. Sign up for Simplified now and experience the power of publishing great content on Instagram.