Making CPG Foods Instagrammable: 5 Tips for Success

For Picture Perfect Foods and Beverages

We’ve all heard the saying “You eat with your eyes first.” So while great tasting food creates loyal consumers, it’s great looking food that attracts their attention in the first place. This is why visual-based social media like Instagram seems made to order for the food industry, provided food companies put their best images forward. 

1. The Right Lighting

Good lighting is a must for any product shot. It illuminates delicious details like the flaky texture of a pie crust or the fizzy head of a nitro cold brew. If using studio lighting, don’t forget the fill lighting to prevent unwanted shadows. However, some shadows and mood lighting can be just the thing for showcasing a gourmet dinner or decadent dessert.
 

2. Food Action Shots

Invite viewers to experience the product with a food action shot. An image of drizzling syrup on waffles or tossing croutons over a salad captivates the senses and the imagination. Besides product use ideas, action shots can also feature a craveable product attribute, such as “cheese pull” for a slice of pizza. Showing condensation on an ice-cold beverage or steam rising from a hot cup of coffee are also highly dynamic, Instagrammable ways to bring consumers into the moment.

3. Seasonal Themes

Celebrate a holiday or event with a festive photo shoot of your food or beverage. Whether it’s Valentine’s Day or the Super Bowl, you can stoke consumers’ excitement with Instagrammable photos of delicious products they can enjoy on the big day. Include cues that invoke seasonal flavors or dress up products with eye-catching toppings like edible glitter for a touch of sparkle, using colors and shapes that match the occasion—such as red hearts, white ghosts, and green Christmas trees — for quick and effortless seasonal line extensions.

4. Creative Recipes

Social media is a popular way to share recipes, with the most innovative ones (like “unicorn food”) often generating the most buzz. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, Instagram is the perfect choice. A photo can illustrate kid-friendly recipes, novel food and beverage pairings, or how to use the product as an ingredient like using breakfast cereal to make cereal cookies. While customer preferences may be for practical recipes, be sure to add a visual wow factor to make the photos shareworthy.

5. Featured Farms

Consumers’ growing interest in where their food comes from creates a key opportunity for food and beverage companies to connect and build trust with consumers via Instagram. Visual storytelling of food at its source can engage the senses with beautiful green pastures or golden fields against blue skies while delivering the transparency today’s consumers are seeking. Photos that also feature the farmers can add a personal touch.

Make Your Products Sparkle!

To meet customer preferences for healthy, delicious foods and beverages that also look amazing, Glanbia Nutritionals has got you covered. Try our EdiSparklzTM edible glitter to add some color and sparkle to baked goods, bars, breakfast cereals, beverages, and more! To learn more about our wide range of ingredients—from edible glitter to flavors and flavor maskers to nutritional ingredients like proteins, bioactives, and custom premix solutions—contact Glanbia.