7 Tips for Choosing a Cover Photo on Instagram
There are more than 65 million active influencers on Instagram — stand out from the crowd
Choosing the right cover photo is a surprisingly powerful, yet often overlooked, way to grow your Instagram account.
Some creators simply pull a random frame from their video and slap it on as a cover photo. Others, like influencers and vloggers, carefully plan every detail of their thumbnails, from font style to how each image fits into their overall Instagram grid.
We spoke to Genevive Ngo, a content creator from Toronto with over 35,000 followers, who specializes in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle, while also documenting her journey as a realtor.
With steady, natural growth over the last five years, Gen has fine-tuned every aspect of her Instagram strategy to drive consistent results. Without a single "viral video moment" to catapult her account, it’s been the gritty work of experimenting and adapting that has helped her build a brand.
In fact, it’s only in the last six months that Gen began focusing more closely on her thumbnails, but the impact was immediate. Here are the seven tips she recommends for choosing the perfect Instagram cover photo.
1. Think Broadly About Your Grid, Not Just the Post
It’s easy to fall into the trap of optimizing a cover photo just for the individual video, forgetting how it will look within your overall Instagram grid.
One of Gen’s earliest realizations was that top creators were using cover photos strategically to organize their Instagram aesthetics, especially in the lifestyle and beauty industry.
Now, Gen approaches each thumbnail by first considering how it will affect the full feed, explaining that it helps ensure new users instantly get a sense of what your page is about.
"There’s an app I use called Preview — it helps me plan what my grid could look like and work out how posts align. Showing off a consistent editing style helps people understand what your page is about much quicker."
But it’s not just about looking good to attract followers. Cohesiveness can also impact monetization, as Gen found out:
"If you're a brand and you're looking at a creator's page filled with random cover photos, it’s harder to get a sense of their style or if they’re a good fit. If your covers clearly show what you cover and how you do it, it gives you a much better chance of being approached by brands.”
2. Adding Text Is a Great Way to Make Content Stand Out
Gen has experimented with covers both with and without text. While every post is treated individually, she found text to be a powerful tool for adding context to a feed full of hundreds of videos.
"If people come to your page looking for a specific video, having a text title makes it a lot easier to find. It’s especially helpful if the video’s meaning isn’t clear from the thumbnail alone."
Listening to Gen talk about these small but important details reminded me of SEO: you’re optimizing content so it can be found easily, except here you’re using text on cover photos instead of keywords in copy.
The principle is the same, and it works.
3. Maintain a Cohesive Color Palette
Consistent use of color plays a major role in reinforcing brand identity and boosting recognition. In fact, consistent brand colors can increase brand recognition by up to 80%.
Whether you’re an influencer or a business, the principle applies. Taking the time to pick a small color palette (typically 3–5 colors) and using them consistently across your Instagram, including your covers, helps strengthen your brand’s look and voice.
"When it comes to cohesiveness, I try to stick to a set of key colors — not just for fonts but also clothing and props. It might not match across every post, but there’s a similarity, especially in clusters like seasonal posts. Around Halloween, for example, you’ll notice more oranges, browns, and greens."
4. And the Same Goes for Fonts
Fonts deserve the same consistency as your colors. You’re not expected to choose the perfect font on Day 1 — it's natural for your style to evolve as your brand grows
When Gen shifted from beauty content to focusing more on her real estate career, her font style evolved too:
"Instagram’s algorithm is always changing, but I’ve found that adding a consistent font style has improved my engagement, especially saves and shares."
Noticing these patterns is crucial. Keep an eye on your Instagram analytics and replicate winning font styles — while staying ready to adjust as trends shift.
"I played around with fonts for a few months, but now I stick to just a few for headers, secondary text, and smaller copy. It seems to work better. If you want chaotic, random fonts, it should be a stylistic choice, not an accident."
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Edit Screengrabs
"Most of the time, I’ll pull a screengrab and tweak it slightly in the iPhone photo editor. It’s easy and keeps things consistent."
Gen’s low-key editing style taps into Instagram’s growing trend towards more "natural" aesthetics and stepping away from overly polished, heavily filtered looks.
Consistency is what matters most, so long as you have access to the same fonts, colors, and filters.
Pro Tip: Kapwing is a great tool for editing cover photos. It offers over 1,000 fonts, custom font uploads, color correction tools, and more. If you’re ready to start optimizing your cover photos, just jump into the editor and start creating for free.
6. Experiment With Cover Thumbnails That Aren’t Screengrabs
While 80% of her posts use stills from the video itself, Gen occasionally experiments with custom covers.
"You can pick something related to the video, even if it’s not in the video. The tricky part is making sure it’s still relevant and doesn’t feel misleading."
On YouTube, for instance, research shows that custom thumbnails can increase video watch rates by up to 30%, although this trend isn’t as common on Instagram.
It’s important to remember that while custom covers can hook attention faster, especially on a crowded grid, make sure the visual still accurately matches expectations.
7. Test, Experiment, and Then Test Again
Unlike TikTok, where massive viral moments can skyrocket growth, Instagram more commonly rewards slow, strategic content building.
"There are creators with huge followings who still don’t know what their strategy is. They’re just riding a viral wave, which might bring numbers but not necessarily brand partnerships or loyal audiences."
For Gen, constant testing — in thumbnails, colors, fonts, and editing styles — has been the key to organic growth over five years.
"I definitely still do a lot of testing to see what works best and what’s going to help my page grow organically."
Instagram’s algorithm evolves constantly, so continuing to adapt, without rushing major overhauls, is key to sustainable, meaningful growth.
Find what works for your brand, keep refining it slowly, and remember: a thoughtful cover photo isn’t just aesthetic, it’s a smart strategy for real Instagram success.
