Halloween is near, and it's the perfect season to captivate your audience with creatively eerie and entertaining Instagram content. Coming up with a content strategy for Instagram during the spooky season, which typically encompasses the Halloween period, involves engaging your audience with a mix of themed content that is both fun and visually appealing.

Whether you're a content creator, a brand looking to engage, or simply someone who loves to get into the Halloween spirit, this article is your go-to guide for crafting Instagram content strategy that will enchant, thrill, and leave your followers wanting more.

Set Clear Objectives

If your primary goal is to boost brand recognition, focus on creating captivating Halloween-themed content that aligns with your brand's identity. For intstance, you can share posts that showcase your products or services in the context of the spooky season, collaborate with influencers or other brands to reach a broader audience.

In case you need to increase user engagement, you can run contests, polls, and interactive quizzes related to Halloween. You can encourage user-generated content by asking your followers to share their Halloween experiences using a branded hashtag. And don't forget to respond to comments promptly to foster community engagement!

If you have Halloween-themed products or services to sell, use Instagram as a platform to promote them. Create visually appealing product spotlights, tutorials, and demonstrations. The best option would also be leveraging Instagram Shopping features, because it makes it easy for users to discover and purchase your products.

Generating leads or sales during the spooky season can also be a primary aim. In this case, use Instagram as a direct sales channel by utilising Instagram ads to target specific audiences interested in Halloween-related products or services. Implement a shoppable feed to streamline the purchase process.

Create a Content Calendar

Creating a content calendar for the spooky season, which includes both feed posts and Reels, is essential to ensure a consistent and engaging presence on Instagram throughout the Halloween and before the holiday itself.

Here's a sample content calendar for October, incorporating a mix of content types:

Week 1: October 1st - 7th

  • Feed Post: Share a teaser post, announcing the beginning of the spooky season.
  • Reel: Create a short video showcasing the transformation of your space into a Halloween wonderland.

Week 2: October 8th - 14th

  • Feed Post: Feature a behind-the-scenes look at the making of your Halloween decorations or costumes.
  • Reel: Share a fun "Countdown to Halloween" reel featuring a daily spooky fact or tip.

Week 3: October 15th - 21st

  • Feed Post: Post a carousel of images showcasing your Halloween-themed products or services.
  • Reel: Create a time-lapse video of you carving a pumpkin or creating a Halloween recipe.

Week 4: October 22nd - 28th

  • Feed Post: Share a user-generated content post, featuring the best Halloween-themed photos from your followers using your branded hashtag.
  • Reel: Share a fun and lighthearted Halloween makeup tutorial or costume transformation reel.

Week 5: October 29th - 31st

  • Feed Post (October 29th): Promote a last-minute Halloween sale or event.
  • Reel (October 30th): Share a quick "Spooky Stories" reel, narrating a ghost story or legend.
  • Feed Post (October 31st): Share a Halloween-themed gratitude post, thanking your followers for their support during the season.

Throughout the Month:

  • Daily story updates: Post daily stories featuring snippets of your day, sneak peeks, polls, and engaging questions related to Halloween.
  • Reels (regularly): In addition to the scheduled Reels, post short, engaging Reels that showcase Halloween-themed humour, challenges, or trends. Stay updated with the latest trends on Instagram to maximise reach.

It's important to maintain a consistent aesthetic and use Halloween-themed colors, filters, and effects in both feed posts and reels. Additionally, make sure your hashtags and captions align with the Halloween theme to increase discoverability.

Always be flexible with your content calendar to respond to trending topics and capitalise on emerging Instagram trends during the spooky season.

💡Tip: To never run out of captivating ideas, use content matrix.

Mix Up Content Types

Diversify your content to keep your feed interesting. These are the content types you can mix in your strategy.

  • Themed posts: Share Halloween-inspired visuals, decorations, and costumes.
  • Behind-the-scenes: Offer a sneak peek into your spooky preparations.
  • User-generated content: Encourage followers to share their Halloween experiences using a branded hashtag.
  • Polls and quizzes: Engage your audience with Halloween-themed questions.
  • Stories and Reels: Utilise Instagram's features for quick, interactive, and shareable content.
  • Product spotlights: Showcase Halloween-related products, if applicable.
  • Tutorials and DIYs: Share how-to guides for Halloween makeup, costumes, or decorations.

Best Instagram Reels Ideas for Halloween

If with feed posts it's pretty much clear what to share, video content creating might be a bit more challenging. To help you out a bit, we're sharing engaging Insragram Reels ideas that will be on point this Hallowen.

DIY Halloween Costumes

Share a Reel showing how to create an easy but impressive Halloween costume using items already at home.

Spooky Makeup & Hair Tutorials

Make a fast-forwarded tutorial showing how to create a creepy or fun Halloween-themed makeup look.

Halloween Decorations Tour

Give your followers a mini tour of your home and Halloween decorations.

Pumpkin Carving Contest

Host a pumpkin carving contest with friends or family and share the process and final results.

Haunted House Reaction

Visit a haunted house and film reactions before, during, and after.

Halloween Pranks

Record reactions to Halloween pranks, but make sure to only prank those who enjoy a good scare!

Scary Story Time

Share a spooky story. Use different clips to make it into a mini series!

Halloween Baking

Create a cooking Reel featuring a favourite Halloween-themed recipe.

DIY Halloween Decor

Share a Reel on how to make homemade Halloween decorations for an office or house.

Pet Costumes

If you have pets, create a funny Reel featuring their adorable costumes.

Halloween-Themed Makeup Transformation

Instead of a tutorial, do a half-face transformation or a full-face reveal with dramatic Halloween makeup.

Halloween Dance Challenge

Start a Halloween-themed dance challenge with specific, spooky moves.

Ghost Tours

If your city or town has ghost tours, film the experience and capture any spooky sightings.

Thrift Store Costume Challenge

Visit a local thrift store and come up with the best costume you can.

Remember to keep it fun and engaging, as you'd want your followers to share it on their own accounts!

Maintain Consistent Aesthetics

If you want to create a visually appealing and memorable brand presence, choosing and sustaining consistent aesthetics on your Instagram feed is vital. Here's how to achieve and elaborate on consistent aesthetics during the spooky season:

1. Color palette

Choose a distinct colour palette that reflects the spooky season. Common colours for Halloween aesthetics include deep blacks, eerie purples, haunting greens, and vibrant oranges. Consistently use these colours in your posts, whether it's in your visuals, backgrounds, text, or graphics.

2. Filters and editing style

Select a filter or editing style that complements your spooky theme. Whether it's a vintage, sepia-toned look, a dark and moody filter, or a vibrant and high-contrast style, stick to it across your posts. Using the same filter or editing settings consistently creates a cohesive look.

3. Imagery and graphics

Incorporate Halloween and spooky-themed visuals into your posts. This can include cobwebs, pumpkins, bats, ghosts, witches, and other relevant symbols. Use them consistently to maintain the spooky aesthetic.

4. Branding elements

Integrate branding elements into your posts, such as your logo or brand colors but ensure they harmonise with the spooky theme, such as by adapting your logo to have a Halloween twist or by incorporating your brand colors into your Halloween decorations or costumes.

5. Typography

Choose fonts and typography that match your spooky theme. Gothic fonts or those with a vintage and spooky appeal can work well. Keep the same fonts for captions, quotes, and graphics for a cohesive aesthetic.

6. Story Highlights and profile bio

Don't forget to update your story highlights and profile bio to reflect the spooky season. This creates a seamless transition for users visiting your profile and provides a clear, thematic experience.

7. Plan your grid

Use planning tools or apps, such as Combin Scheduler, to visually map out how your posts will look together on your profile grid. This allows you to see how they flow together and make adjustments if needed.

Research Relevant Hashtags

Use relevant and popular Halloween-related hashtags to increase the discoverability of your content.

To find them, start by researching popular and relevant Halloween and spooky season hashtags. Choose both broad and niche tags to reach a wider and more targeted audience.

💡Tools like Instagram's search function and Combin Growth can be valuable for this. Keep an eye on the daily trending Halloween-related hashtags. If there are relevant trends, incorporate them into your posts to increase your content's visibility.

👻Suggested read: Hashtags Strategies on Instagram—When You Can’t Do Without Hashtags.

What you definitely should do during Halloween is to create a unique branded hashtag specifically for your spooky season campaign. It should be easy to remember, relevant to your brand or theme, and encourage user-generated content. Promote this hashtag consistently across your posts and encourage your followers to use it.

Use a mix of different types of hashtags, including:

  • General Halloween hashtags: Examples include #Halloween, #SpookySeason, #TrickOrTreat, #HalloweenVibes, etc.
  • Niche hashtags: Specific to your content or products. For instance, if you sell Halloween costumes, consider using #HalloweenCostumes or #CostumeIdeas.
  • Location-based hashtags: If your business is location-based, include local or regional Halloween-related hashtags.
  • Emotion or action hashtags: Use hashtags that capture the mood or action of your content. For example, #Creepy, #ScaryGood, or #Boo.

Place hashtags in the caption or as the first comment on your posts. The choice between the caption and comments depends on your preference, but ensure they are visible and easily accessible for users.

🎃 Tip: Check the list of more than 100 best Halloween Instagram captions in our post!

The popularity of hashtags can change over time, so periodically update your list of hashtags to stay current and effective.

Bonus: Post-Halloween Content

Post-Halloween content is a chance to wrap up the spooky season, express appreciation, and smoothly transition to the next theme or focus of your brand. It helps maintain a consistent and engaging presence on Instagram while keeping your audience excited about what's to come in the future.

It's also a great option if you want to sale a bit more.

Here's an elaboration on the concept of post-Halloween content:

Gratitude & Thank-You Posts

After Halloween, take the time to express your gratitude to your followers. Thank them for their support, engagement, and participation throughout the spooky season. This post can also serve as an opportunity to acknowledge any user-generated content they shared using your branded hashtag. A heartfelt thank-you message can foster a sense of community and goodwill among your followers.

Highlight Reel or Recap

Create a post-Halloween highlight reel or recap video. This can be a compilation of your most engaging and entertaining Halloween-themed content. Share snippets from your stories, reels, and feed posts, showcasing the highlights of the season. Use this as an opportunity to reminisce and keep the Halloween vibes alive.

Showcasing of UGC

Feature a dedicated post that highlights user-generated content from your followers. You can compile the best photos, stories, or captions they shared using your branded hashtag. It's a great way to give back to your community and show appreciation for their active participation.

Transition to the Next Theme

If your brand is focused on a specific theme that follows Halloween, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or winter, use your post-Halloween content to make a smooth transition. Start incorporating elements of the upcoming theme into your posts and stories, gradually shifting your content to reflect the next season.

Teasers for Future Content

Provide a sneak peek of what your followers can expect in the coming weeks. Whether it's upcoming product releases, promotions, or new content series, giving your audience a glimpse of what's ahead can build anticipation and keep them engaged.