12 Tips for Creating Authentic "Instagrammable" Event Moments
"What’s your top tip for creating “Instagrammable” event moments that don’t feel forced?"
Here is what 12 thought leaders had to say.
Authentic Experiences Drive Instagram-Worthy Event Moments
One thing I've learned when it comes to creating "Instagrammable" event moments is that authenticity always outperforms anything that feels staged. At Zapiy.com, when we've been part of events or hosted our own, the moments that actually get shared are never the ones where we try too hard to manufacture a photo op — they're the ones where we focus on crafting an experience people genuinely want to be part of.
My top tip? Design moments with the attendee experience first, not the camera lens. If people are surprised, delighted, or emotionally connected to what's happening, the photos and posts happen naturally.
One example that worked well for us was incorporating interactive elements people could personalize. At a recent industry event, we set up a simple, creative wall where attendees could write one piece of advice they wish they knew when they started in tech. It wasn't flashy or overly branded, but it tapped into real emotion, sparked conversations — and sure enough, people took photos with their advice on the wall and shared it because it meant something to them.
The key is subtlety. You can guide people toward those photo-worthy moments — through great design, thoughtful details, or interactive elements — but the second it feels like a forced marketing stunt, the magic's gone.
At the end of the day, people share experiences, not ads. If you focus on making your event memorable for the right reasons, the Instagrammable moments take care of themselves.
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Natural Vibes Create Instagram Magic Without Staging
In case you need the event photos to be on fire on Insta without everyone posing like models, it is just enough to keep the atmosphere light and the vibe tells the story. Create an environment that is cool and comfortable, such that people can just roll in and have a good time. Adjust it with a little natural light, some nature or a few personal details, nothing nuts! and the place will be a place of their own. No fancy backgrounds or neon all over, merely a place which is authentic and friendly. With the environment being comfy, the pics will come out as easily as the drinks during happy hours and they will not yell staged. The point is to make the moment feel natural, without literally showing it.
Johannes Hock, President, Artificial Grass Pros
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Interactive Spaces Spark Genuine Social Media Moments
Provide a single experience that encourages communication without the necessity of any explanation. Rather than shooting people below neon signs or in front of trademarks, establish something they can interact with in their own way. A cluttered work space or a table with real tools or the big white board with handwritten notes or half finished projects already there can arouse much more curiosity than a fully prepared set.
Seemingly moving things are the most shareable things. It is more probable that the idea that people are recording something that is occurring, and not something that they have been staged to do, will increase the more of a chance of them pulling out their phones. Avoid the elaborate prompts and leave the scene talk. The photos turn out more honest when the setting appears dynamic and rather unpredictable. Make them step into something that is animated. This will make whatever they post appear as a memory rather than a marketing campaign.
Doug Crawford, President and Founder, Best Trade Schools
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Personal Connections Transform Events Into Shareable Memories
In order to create Instagrammable moments that feel authentic, you need to genuinely understand the experience you are giving. At Engrave Ink, we strive to create authentic moments that lead the guest to share by actually having the experience. For example, at a recent event we created a quiet corner with a beautiful personal engraving station. Guests can observe the creation of their precious memories into keepsakes with meaning. This moment was clearly not forced or staged, as we focused on making the connection between our product and guest.
The secret is to make these moments feel personal. Having the experience and connection to the moment makes it shareable with zero forced staging. We have seen this play out in many of our pop-ups, where guests excitedly share their personalized items and share the connection of the experience of HOW it was made as part of the engagement. The magic comes from creating an experience where guests feel comfortably connected to the experience with feelings and emotions. When we lean into the authentic side, the visuals come as part of the experience. This is what customers want to capture and share.
Hailey Rodaer, Marketing Director, Engrave Ink
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Focus on Experience, Not Photos, for Social Success
My best suggestion would be to focus on the experience rather than the photo. While preparing for your Instagrammable moments, make sure you plan to establish an atmosphere that is inviting and all-encompassing. Those are the unplanned moments that spontaneously emerge and are bound to pop up on social media.
An excellent method to do so is to include something that makes a story, such as a special scene or an unforgettable experience that the visitors will be able to participate in. In another example, we created a custom turf putting green in one of our events. It was not a mere prop, people had fun with it. The excitement and interaction around that space made it the perfect backdrop for photos without feeling like it was put there just for an Instagram post. It is simply a matter of a flowing environment and allowing moments to unveil. They will post the pictures when they think they feel like they're part of something genuine.
Bennett Barrier, Chief Executive Officer, DFW Turf Solutions
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Engaging Props Beat Backdrops for Organic Sharing
Every time I want an event to spark natural engagement online, I spend more time curating the props than I do designing the backdrop. I do not mean renting a photo booth with standard signs or throwing in a ring light and hoping for the best. I am talking about building something that guests would want to hold, wear or play with because it makes them part of the moment rather than just someone standing in front of it.
This is something I have done last quarter during a retail pop up activation for a beauty brand. Our big lips props was dressed with big devices that curled like the actual product, coupled with shiny reflective mirrors which opened to unveil special messages. Without being instructed to do so, guests were flipping open the mirrors, using the product and making their short videos. We did not need to encourage anyone to post anything, but at the end of the day, the activation was shared in more than 100 personal accounts and reposted by influencers we never even asked to do so.
Caleb Johnstone, SEO Director, Paperstack
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Unexpected Niche Delights Outperform Big Photo Ops
The overriding idea is that the Instagrammable moments must be big, over-the-top and branded structures, because only big things count. That disregards the massive impact of small, unique and actually fun features that appeal to a niche passion that causes real sharing without being fake. The mistake is to pursue what will be popular; the real shareability is a surprise pleasure to a small circle in the specifics.
The most effective tip that I have to accomplish real Instagrammable is to focus on the aspect of surprise, the Unexpected Niche Delight. We will disseminate rather smaller yet clearer pieces rather than one, evident photo opportunity as they will be more significant to one or another attendee or less evident theme of an event. These are either quirky or interactive and therefore people are keen to share them.
To demonstrate this we created a small, interactive booth at a local community fair when Hello Electrical was a sponsor, a miniature model of an electrical grid with lights that would turn on and off and a mini thunderstorm effect. The materials are estimated at 300 dollars and eight hours of the technician. It was located slightly aside the main street.
Jason Rowe, Marketing Specialist, Director and Founder, Hello Electrical
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Solve Problems Beautifully to Create Shareable Moments
Having organized events for clients like Allianz, Coles, and TikTok through Mercha, I've found the best "Instagrammable" moments happen when you solve real problems beautifully. People naturally photograph things that genuinely improve their experience.
At one corporate conference, instead of a generic photo wall, we set up live screen printing stations where attendees could customize their event merch on the spot. Watching their designs come to life became the moment everyone wanted to capture. The key was that it served a real purpose - they got personalized takeaways while creating shareable content organically.
We've seen 40% more social engagement when events focus on interactive utility rather than staged backdrops. DIY craft stations where people build something meaningful, or tech-integrated merchandise that actually improves their day, naturally become photo-worthy because they're genuinely exciting to participants.
The data from our most successful events shows people share experiences that make them feel accomplished or surprised, not just pretty. Give them something unexpectedly useful or let them create something unique, and the cameras come out without any prompting from your team.
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Design Solutions That People Want to Share
As a web designer who's worked with brands across healthcare, SaaS, and fashion e-commerce, I've noticed the most "Instagrammable" moments happen when you design experiences that solve real problems beautifully. People naturally want to share things that make their lives genuinely better.
When I redesigned Hopstack's website, we created custom UI snippets that visually showed how their software transforms chaotic warehouses into organized operations. The before/after visual storytelling was so compelling that their team started using screenshots in their own social content without us even suggesting it.
The key is focusing on change rather than decoration. At Webyansh, we've seen conversion rates jump 20-30% when we design pages that clearly show the user's journey from problem to solution. When people can see themselves succeeding through your product or service, they photograph that success story.
Skip the fancy animations and gimmicks. Instead, create clean, minimal designs that make complex things feel simple and achievable. People share moments when they feel smart and accomplished, not when they're impressed by flashy effects.
Divyansh Agarwal, Founder, Webyansh
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Outsiders Capture Most Authentic Event Moments
My top tip is to have someone outside the core event team—ideally not too involved—take the photos. This helps capture more natural, candid moments instead of staged ones. After the event, ask participants if they have any photos they'd like to share, and screen those for authentic, shareable content. Often, the most "Instagrammable" moments are the ones that weren't planned.
Heinz Klemann, Senior Marketing Consultant, BeastBI GmbH
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Make Attendees Heroes of Their Own Content
After creating social content for hundreds of brands, the most "Instagrammable" moments happen when you design interactive experiences that make attendees the hero of their own content. Instead of asking people to pose with your backdrop, create moments where they naturally become part of the story.
At one B2B tech event I worked on, we set up a "prediction wall" where attendees wrote their industry forecasts on sticky notes throughout the day. By evening, it became this massive collaborative art piece that people were photographing themselves contributing to. The engagement was insane because everyone wanted to show they were part of building something bigger.
The key is designing participation, not performance. Create stations or activities where people accomplish something meaningful - like building, creating, or solving together. When attendees feel proud of what they've contributed or learned, they'll document it authentically without you asking.
I always tell clients to think "experience first, photos second." Design your event moments around genuine value or entertainment, then the visual appeal follows naturally. People can smell forced photo ops from miles away, but they'll eagerly share moments where they felt genuinely engaged or accomplished something cool.
Kiel Tredrea, President & CMO, RED27Creative
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Design Discovered Moments, Not Staged Photo Ops
I always begin with the setting since individuals are not keen on posing in front of a board that announces that this is a sponsored moment. I create spaces with everything that is natural to that environment in mind and then I add a contrast in visuals. As an example, we had a rooftop contractor appreciation event in Chattanooga when we put up matte charcoal shingles on low podiums to replicate a roofline but there was climbing greenery and soft lighting all around. It attracted people to it because of curiosity and offered some structure and warmth to the camera.
The best thing of all is that, the moment should appear as discovered rather than staged. It is only in cases where people are found in the middle of something. I prefer to ground either one side of the space with something to be touched or something surprising. Perhaps a short wall of recycled slate tiles that were hand etched with messages of the crew. After that I maintain the circulation. People are sitting leaning, people talk and interact and those in the middle of the action shots always attract the most attention. It has nothing to do with phone camera before you begin to think about the behavior and the movement of the design. That is what makes the image to exude rather than being staged.
Todd Stephenson, Co-founder, Roof Quotes
