Create your Instagram 9-Grid with these easy prompts

Instagram is always changing – that’s no secret. Many people have noticed dips in engagement as the algorithm shifts, and it’s nearly impossible to keep up with hashtags, shares, and new features while still maintaining a creative flow.

If you’re tired of creating content for the sake of content, or constantly designing new posts to fit a perfectly curated grid, we’ve got something to share with you: the new Instagram 9-grid trend.

What’s an Instagram 9-grid?

It’s all in the name: A 9-grid is nine static posts on your feed that act as a mini “portfolio” or website for your work. These grids are usually curated to fit together like a puzzle, and share important parts about your offers and your brand so anyone can easily find out what you do and how to work with you.  

This 9-grid is the perfect chance to show off your work, nurture your audience, and show how your brand is right for potential clients. Plus, the goal is to improve engagement. People can easily find the information they are looking for, leave comments, or even connect with you directly. 

A 9-grid nurtures, it informs, and it helps account viewers buy or connect easily with you. Think of it as a mini-website, highlighting the most important things they need to know.

Creating your 9-grid

The Instagram 9-grid has been talked about in many online circles, and I loved it from the moment I saw it. With this style of grid, we can use our energy where it feels aligned, in a more spontaneous way — rather than planning posts every week! Now, we can create as we feel inspired. The 9-grid is also less rigid and creates more space and time to explore different ways to share our content. 

If you’re curious about the idea of a 9-grid and how it can help you free up creative energy while still making an impact on Instagram, let’s talk about what your grid can include. 

Some ideas for the grid

Curious about how to structure your grid and what type of content to highlight? Here are a few ideas to include. If you need more support on a layout and strategy that will work best for you, send us a note here.

•  Testimonials - These are proof of your magic at work, and show how you’ve taken your mission and changed someone's story for the better.

•  Your current/main offer - This is what you are offering those soulmate clients or customers. It’s the bones of your business and the main offer you want to sell – for me this would be my Alchemize Your Magic session.

•  A welcome/about me - Remember, we’re people first. Introduce yourself, your journey, and what makes you you. Lead with your soul and you will attract the type of clients who fit perfectly with how you want to serve them.

• Core values - This is what you’re about; your purpose. You’ll want to make sure that whoever works with you is in alignment with your values because, if the fit isn’t right, the magic won’t flow. The 9-grid gives you a chance to lay this out clearly so people find it quickly! 

You can also include: 

• Opt-ins

• Digital products

• Steps on how to work with you

• Your unique value proposition

• Your portfolio (well, part of it!)

• Your signature process

• FAQs

The 9-grid breakdown: What to include

It’s time to plan your 9-grid! In general, there are 9 topics you’ll want to cover. Of course, we want to see you put your own unique spin on them, organize them in your own way, and infuse a little of your own magic into them.

• The About post

You want to remind your audience of why they’ve come to your profile. This is where you can let your energy shine, and showcase your passion in abundance. Be forward about what you love and what you have to offer. 

• The Connection post

Ask a question, then provide the answer. We are all seeking solutions — and people want to know you have theirs. Let those potential soulmate clients know that you see them, understand them, and can help them.

• The Passion post

Let people see how much you love — and excel at — what you do. Announce your ideas, your experience, your background, your offers… and let your excitement, your passion, do the rest. 

• The Resources post

You want to build trust with potential clients. Offer something up front. This could be sage advice, worldly wisdom, or just a small taste of the unique process that only you can offer if they choose to work with you. 

• The Offer post

Promote your main offer. This is the offer (or offers) you want people to know about, the product or service you want to be known for. It can be a course, a template, video series, or online community, your 1:1 services, etc. If you have multiple offers, you might want to take 1-2 more posts to showcase them well.

• The Testimonials post

Again, your expertise can best be proven by offering true testimonials of the business and lives you’ve changed. These establish expectations for future soulmate clients; it’s a human-to-human experience instead of hard facts, data, and lets people know you’re the one they want to work with.

• The Contact post

How to reach you! This one seems pretty basic, but trust me, it’s not. People do not want to spend more than a minute trying to find how they can get in contact with you. Make it as simple as possible and be as approachable as you can by clearly stating how best to reach you so that the journey can begin! 

• The Values post

Weave a story about why you began your journey and all the reasons why you may be right for someone else to start theirs. Connection is necessary to make magic with our soulmate clients or customers and showing your values and your “Why” can build a bridge.

• The Final Touch post

Leave them off with something important. Your famous last words, the final push. What is the most important thing about your work, your business, or the way you want to help people? Inspire them beyond the 9-grid with this post; it’s the final step in engagement. 

Ready to start creating your 9-grid?

Are you feeling inspired and aligned with the idea of creating your own 9-grid? This is all new for me, too, but I’m already feeling more space in my days, in my mind, in my energy. Switching to the 9-grid is the beginning of a new alignment between me and my social content, and I want that for you, too! 

If you’re feeling totally overwhelmed by your social media presence lately, especially when it comes to designing posts that attract the eye and the right people, I’d love to help.

As part of our VIP day services, we’re now offering 9-grid creation and design — including helping you ideate your posts, executing on the design, and helping you revamp your feed to finally align with how you want to show up. Intrigued? Hire us for a VIP day and let those ideas flow…