100+ Engaging Instagram Post Ideas For Summer

Summer’s just around the corner, and as the temperature heats up, so do our Instagram feeds. It’s the most active season and the best time to create engaging posts for social media.

So what does the weather have to do with Instagram? It’s crazy, but there is a significant increase in social media engagement on rainy summer weekends, with post-interactions rising by 90%.

To help you get the most out of your Instagram this summer, we’ll explore some inspiring summer post ideas that will help you spice up your account. Whether you’re looking for fun ideas for vacation posts, creative summer hashtags, or need to write Instagram captions for summer posts.

The summer season offers unforgettable memories, whether it's a backyard staycation or a trip to Italy. Here we rounded up some of the most engaging summer social media post ideas for your vacation.

1.Share your packing list

2.Post the best outfits to wear

3.Share quotes about traveling

4.Share a post about your favorite destinations

5.Talk about hidden gems you found

6.Share travel guides that cover the best places to eat and must-see sights

7.Offer tips about booking the best or cheapest flights

8.Share your own travel photos

9.Share content about the best time to visit specific places

10.Talk about local customs & traditions

11.Share travel-inspired recipes or the food you’ve discovered while traveling

12.Offer tips about skincare while traveling in the summer

13.Share bizarre street signs or funny posters you found while traveling

14.Share the best places to stay, pricing & how to book them

Now let’s get more specific and share some summer social media post ideas for each travel destination. Starting from a beach vacation, which offers so many ideas for engaging posts on Instagram. Here are our top picks:

15.Share a photo of your feet in the sand with creative summer hashtags

16.A Reel of your travel photo collection with trendy music in the background

17.A Carousel of your favorite beach moments from sunrise to sunset

18A story highlighting your favorite drinks & food

19.A photo of your pet smiling on the beach

20.A photo of beautiful scenery

21.A photo of yourself building a sand castle

22.A reel of you playing volleyball with your friends

23.A selfie of your sunkissed face

24.A photo of you in a bikini

25.A photo of you laying on the water with cool Instagram captions for summer

26.A Reel of you sitting on your surfboard gazing into the sunset/sunrise

27.A photo of you diving under the water

28.A video of shimmering ocean water

The mountain sun can be dazzling, but you can still get amazing ideas for summer posts when you’re hiking. These are seven summer social media post ideas you should definitely try out if you want to boost your engagement on Instagram:

29.A photo of a beautiful mountain landscape

30.A Story sharing tips for staying warm and cozy in the mountains

31.A photo or a video of you putting up a tent

32.A photo of you lying down in a field

33.A video of you swimming in the lake

34.Share the best outfit for hiking in Instagram captions for summer

35.A photo of a bonfire with creative summer hashtags

If you’re running out of summer social media post ideas, you should definitely plan your next trip to the desert. Imagine a Dune-inspired photoshoot and hot desert sand pleasantly tickling your skin. If you need even more inspiration for summer posts, here are some ideas:

36.A Reel of you sandboarding or dune bashing in the desert

37.A Carousel of your favorite desert sunsets and night skies

38.A Story sharing tips for staying hydrated and protected from the sun in the desert

39.A Story sharing outfit you should wear and where to find them

Summer posts for city vacations can be filled with majestic city views, whether day or night. Check out these content ideas for your next Instagram post:

40.A famous landmark or skyscraper

41.City's hidden gems and local hotspots

42.A Story sharing tips for navigating public transportation

43.A reel about finding the best views of the city

If you're planning a road trip vacation, why not talk about your experiences with your followers on Instagram? There is always plenty to capture and share. For your weekend social media posts, try these useful tips:

44.A photo of you and your friends or family in front of your car

45.A Story of your favorite road trip singalongs

46.A Carousel or a Reel of your favorite roadside attractions and scenic stops

47.A Carousel sharing tips for planning the perfect road trip itinerary

48.Sharing tips to stay safe on the road

Do you get excited about homemade lemonades and bottomless mimosas on lazy summer afternoons? It’s time to share that excitement with your followers on Instagram. Reels that showcase summer drinks make the perfect weekend social media posts, especially when it's raining outside, and there is not much to do.

49.Share recipes for homemade lemonades

50.A photo of your favorite summer drink with a colorful umbrella or straw

51.A Reel of you making a refreshing cocktail recipe

52.Share the list of the best bars to enjoy in your area

53.Share your favorite picnic spots

54.Share a photo of a bowl full of fruits

55.A photo of your favorite summer dessert

56.A Reel of you exploring different summer foodie hotspots in your city

Summer is the perfect time for showcasing your new fashion items and skincare routines. Tell people about your favorite styling tips and quick summer hair hacks for humid weather. These are one of the most trending topics and could get your post a lot of engagement.

57.Your favorite summer outfits and how you style them

58.Summer wedding outfit inspo

59.Summer Fashion trends

60.Summer fashion mistakes

61.Tips to stay hydrated during summer

62.Tips to smell nice in summer

63.Share advice on how to stay protected from the sun

64.Favorite summer makeup looks with creative summer hashtags

65.Share the list of the best makeup for humid and hot weather

66.Favorite summer accessories such as hats and sunglasses and how-to style them

67.Share photo poses for awkward people with creative summer hashtags

68.Tips on how to get the best tan

69.How to style scarves

70.How to style long skirts and white shirts in summer

71.Your summer hair

72.Your Beach Day essentials all laying out on the beach

Summer is the season for getting outdoors and enjoying all the activities that this time has to offer. If you're looking for summer blogging ideas, consider sharing your favorite outdoor activities with your Instagram followers.  

73.Summer picnic date

74.While swimming in a pool, take a picture of your friends from above

75.Rooftop drinks

76.A Reel about Kayaking adventure with some Instagram captions for summer

77.Outdoor Yoga with your friends

78.Fishing trip carousel

79.A carousel about rock climbing describing how you got there - it’s also a great summer blog idea

80.Share summer interactive posts about festivals and events

81.Share a story of a drive-in movie screening

82.A photo of a pizza picnic

83.Summer basketball match

84.A photo of yourself sitting on your friend’s shoulders at the concert

85.Ferris wheel shots during the sunset

86.Polaroid shots of you and your family sitting in your backyard, living room, or common space.

87.Share BeReals in a carousel format and write descriptive Instagram captions for summer

88.A vintage edit of a firework video

89.Full moon shots on the beach or from the window of your room

90.Videos of your pets running around

If you want to get some inspiration for summer blogging ideas, look up the most creative summer hashtags used on Instagram. It will help you better understand trends and develop your content ideas. Fitness & wellness is one of those trendy topics that people like to discuss. Check out these ideas for more engaging posts for social media.

91.Outdoor workout routines perfect for summer weather

92.Healthy summer snacks

93.Share how you get in shape for summer

94.Outdoor workout routines perfect for summer weather

95.A photo of you practicing yoga

If you want to drive more engagement to your Instagram posts and stories, don’t miss out on these ideas.

96.Ask your followers to share their favorite summer activity or destination

97.Host a summer-themed giveaway

98.Share a "throwback" photo from the past summer and ask followers to share their own

99.Share a Story poll with "this or that" option

100.Share a summer playlist and ask followers for their favorite songs to add

101.Use “Add Yours” sticker with the caption "summer memories"

Unsure about what type of Instagram captions or creative hashtags to use this summer? Try our suggestions below.

How to Write Creative Summer Hashtags?

It’s important to keep your hashtags related to the content of your Instagram post. Research 3-5 hashtags that best resemble your niche, and choose the ones with less than 60k posts. Using a hashtag with millions of posts may reduce the chances of your posts ranking high on the search field – so it’s best to keep them small.

These are some ideas for creative summer hashtags 👇

#ChasingSunsets

#SummerFling

#endlesssummer

#Sunsetsipping

#Loveisland

#summertimeblues

#shimmeringwaters

It’s okay to be playful and creative when creating captions for summer posts. Use keywords that evoke a summer feeling, including sun, beach, breeze, and vacation. Keep it short and sweet but try to stay genuine; no need to use cheesy lines unless you feel like showing off your funny side. Here are some ideas of Instagram captions for summer:

Soaking up the sun 🌻

Sun, fun, and lazy days

One sunny day at a time…

Beach please 🌊

“August sipped away like a bottle of wine”

“Salt air, and the rust on your door, I never needed anything more 💖”

“Hot like summer 🔥”

Sailing into the blue ⛵🌊

Taking one last peek behind the hills (when talking about sunsets)

Shimmering waters ✨

Should I go skinny dipping? 🤔

Summer Dump

Illusion of forever 🎈

“Sunshine in my lap, Rubies in my hair”

“We spent the whole day driving around the town, houses melting down.”

Content ideas for social media are super important, but format matters, too. That’s why it’s always a good idea to consider the format of your post before sharing it.

As you know, Instagram’s most popular content formats are

• Reels

• Stories

• Carousels

• Single images

Reels are short videos — perfect for sharing fun, engaging, and creative content. You can use this format to post anything from beach day fun and summer workout routines to summer travel tips. If you want to grow your followers and reach more people on Instagram, it’s important to post around 2-3 reels per week.

Stories are temporary posts and disappear after 24 hours. According to new research, people watch stories more often than they scroll through their feeds. This means that your stories probably get more exposure – which could help you create some cool summer interactive posts.

Some ideas for summer stories include Summer Q&A, Polls, for example, asking people about their favorite summer destinations, etc. Stories are also more forgiving, so you don’t have to think about sharing the highest quality content.

Carousels are a collection of your photos in one engaging post. This type of format is a great way to share some summer social media posts about bucket lists, throwbacks, summer self-care posts, Fashion inspiration and etc.

Single images can make great engaging posts and can include anything from summer scenery, favorite summer food & drinks, and a cool summer outfit.

A bonus tip to keep in mind before sharing a summer post is that you can always repurpose your Stories and Carousels into Reels and vice versa. It’s a great tip for busy individuals who also want to stay active on Instagram.

We hope our inspiring summer post ideas have helped you spice up your account and make the most out of your Instagram this season.

From fun vacation posts to creative summer hashtags and captivating captions, we hope these tips will help you create engaging posts that your followers will love.

So go ahead and get creative, and let your summer adventures shine on Instagram!