How to Make Professional Instagram Posts with Canva Templates
By DigiCools Team ·
A good-looking Instagram feed helps people trust a business before they ever message you. The good news: you do not need design training. Starting from a well-made template and changing it in a consistent way gets you most of the way there.
Here is a workflow you can repeat every week.
1. Decide your brand basics once
Before you open a template, write down three things and keep them handy:
- Two or three brand colours (for example a dark colour for text, one accent colour, one light background). Save the hex codes.
- Two fonts at most — one for headings, one for body text.
- Your logo in a transparent PNG.
If you use Canva Pro, add these to a Brand Kit so they appear in every design. On the free plan, simply keep the hex codes in a note.
2. Start from a template made for your format
Instagram uses a few standard sizes:
- Square post: 1080 × 1080 px
- Portrait post: 1080 × 1350 px, or the taller 1080 × 1440 px (both take more space in the feed than a square)
- Story or Reel cover: 1080 × 1920 px
Starting with the right size saves you from cropping problems later.
3. Change colours and fonts first
Apply your brand colours and fonts to the whole template before you touch the text. Doing this first keeps every post in a series visually connected — which is what makes a feed look "professional".
4. Replace photos carefully
- Use your own photos where possible: your products, your team, your work.
- Keep the same style across posts (similar lighting and filters).
- Only use images you have the right to use. Canva's own library has licence terms, and photos found on Google usually cannot be reused.
5. Keep text short
People scroll fast. A post should make one point:
- A clear headline of five to eight words
- One or two supporting lines
- A simple call to action ("Save this", "DM us for details", "Link in bio")
Put longer explanations in the caption, not on the image.
6. Use carousels for "how-to" content
Carousels (up to 20 slides) work well for tips, step-by-step guides and before/after examples. Keep slide 1 as a strong hook, use one idea per slide, and end with a summary or call to action.
7. Check before you post
- Text readable on a phone screen?
- Spelling and prices correct?
- Logo and colours consistent with your other posts?
Templates to start with
If you want ready-made layouts, our Canva templates include Instagram post sets and carousels as editable files you can import into Canva (or open in PowerPoint or Google Slides) and change with your own colours, fonts, photos and text.