Best Courses

7 Best Instagram Marketing Courses to Take in 2022

Here is an up-to-date list of the best courses built from Class Central’s catalog with 100+ Instagram Marketing courses, and selected according to a well-defined methodology that you can check below.

But if you’re in a hurry, here are my top picks. Click on one to skip to the course details:

Course Workload In Brief

1. Instagram Marketing: Instagram Essentials and Content Creation (Social Media College) 8 hours Free-to-audit course on Instagram essentials

2. Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads: Create and Scale Successful Campaigns (Skillshare) 3-4 hours Realistic approach to ads and campaigns with useful workbook

3. Instagram Marketing Strategy Course (Hubspot) 2-3 hours Free course on implementing a successful marketing strategy

4. Top 10 Instagram Marketing Strategies to get more Followers (Udemy) 2-3 hours Clear instructions for setting up your profile and content

5. Instagram Strategy for Business Growth (Domestika) 1-2 hours Create a month-long calendar of Instagram posts for your business

6. Marketing on Instagram (LinkedIn Learning) 1-2 hours Perfect beginner’s overview and guide for small businesses and marketers

7. Content Creation and Editing for Instagram Stories (Domestika) 3 hours Learn how to create great visuals with professional photographer

What is Instagram Marketing?

Instagram Marketing is a branch of  Social Media Marketing and Digital Marketing applied for creating campaigns, ads, and content to engage your audience and persuade them to take action, which can be sending a direct message, comment, share, like, or follow your account. 

The steps to make a successful Instagram Marketing strategy starts by understanding your niche and what type of content they are looking for. Instagram relies heavily on visuals to create engaging content, and to get your followers attention you need to be prepared to invest in the right tools and professionals. The use of hashtags is the equivalent of SEO optimization inside this platform, so there are plenty of tools available to analyze what is necessary to make your content get in the Explore page or placing ads for your audience. Since Instagram is under Meta (Facebook), some tools are used for setting up ads for both platforms.

The professional applying those frameworks and creating campaigns can be a small business owner, a marketer, a freelancer, or independent professionals looking for a way to build their online presence and find the right positioning for their business.

In 2019, there were almost 815 million Instagram users worldwide, and it’s estimated that it will reach 1.2 billion users by 2023. The distribution by age group shows that the majority of users are between 18-34 y.o. which accounts for over 60% of the total. So, you will definitely find your audience on the platform and/or a creator to advertise your business.

Course Ranking Methodology

I built this ranking following the now tried-and-tested methodology used in previous rankings. It involves a three-step process:

First, I’m part of Class Central, the leading search engine for online courses. We have a database of more than 50K online courses and hundreds of thousands of crowdsourced reviews. So it seemed like the natural starting point.

I started by leveraging the database to make a preliminary selection of Instagram Marketing courses, looking at things like ratings, reviews, and course bookmarks. So this was a purely data-driven step, relying on hard metrics to create an initial ranking that we could then iterate upon and expand.

Using this approach, some of the top picks rapidly became apparent. However, ratings and reviews rarely tell the whole story. So the next step was to bring my personal knowledge of online education into the mix.

Second, I used my experience as an online learner to evaluate each of the preliminary picks.

I took part in a couple of in-person digital marketing bootcamps back in 2018 and 2019. Since then, there’s been a big shift in the market. New player, TikTok, has changed the way most of us used to do business on such platforms; Instagram is now a video sharing platform and YouTube launched YT Shorts to compete with TikTok. I’ve been following the current trends and can confidently say that the courses in the list will help you deliver great results, even though they cost a fraction of a traditional workshop.

Third, during my research, I came across courses that felt well-made but weren’t well-known. If I adopted a purely data-centric approach, I would have to leave those courses out of the ranking, if only because they had fewer enrollments.

Instead, I favored a holistic approach. I’ve included more personal picks that hopefully surprise those of you who have already seen or taken the more popular social media marketing courses and are looking for something a bit different. You can also clearly see courses aimed at specific expertise as in YouTube guides and build your personal branding.

After going through this process — combining Class Central data, my experience as a lifelong learner, and a lot of editing — we arrived at our final ranking. So far, I’ve spent more than 12 hours building this ranking, and I intend to continue updating it in the future.

I tried to keep this list as diverse as possible with content for novice marketers, 100% inexperienced beginners, small business owners, and other professionals interested in learning a new skill.

Course Ranking Statistics

Here are some aggregate stats about the ranking:

• Together, they account for 234,199 enrollments.
• The single most popular course in the ranking has over 180k enrollments.
• The most featured provider is Domestika with 2 courses.
• 2 courses are free or free-to-audit and 5 are paid.

Let’s go through the top picks.

1. Instagram Marketing: Instagram Essentials and Content Creation (Social Media College)

This course was recently launched and it is one the most recent courses in this list. This is an introductory course in Instagram marketing which makes good use of visuals and introduces us to networking with other Instagram users. It is a great start for beginners with the platform on how to understand its features and develop your marketing strategy. By the end of the course, you will have a general knowledge of the platform.

This course can be accessed for free including quizzes and forums for 2 weeks. However, if you want to have the certificate, you will have to pay a subscription fee.

What You’ll Learn

Some topics covered in this course: Benefits of Instagram, Understanding the Algorithms, Algorithm Template, Situational Action Plan, Create Great Content, Insta-grids, Instagram Videos, Tools of Trade, Building your Connections, Sparking an Emotional Reaction, and much more.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into two weeks. In week one, there are 3 modules consisting of videos, discussions, articles, and activities. In week two, there is one module and one final quiz. The course is well developed and challenging enough to keep you engaged throughout the process. Participation in the discussion is optional, but it’s recommended that you take part in that to enhance your learning experience. 

Institution Social Media College

Provider FutureLearn

Instructor(s) Jonathan Tanner

Level Beginner

Workload 8 hours

Enrollments 2,698

Rating 4.8 (11 reviews)

Certificate Available

Fun Facts

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

2. Facebook Ads and Instagram Ads: Create and Scale Successful Campaigns (Skillshare)

Realistic approach, one of the most down-to-earth instructors you will ever find, which is rare in the digital marketing world. This instructor is beloved by her students:

“I’ve found Maggie’s classes are all exceptional. She gives so much value in the video classes, but she gives even more information and resources in her well presented workbooks, which I just love. I honestly think Maggie is actually one of the top teachers on Skillshare, she does have that tick but I believe it to be true. If you want to learn about digital marketing, check out her classes as you’ll be sure to learn something new.“ – Megan Brain, learner

What You’ll Learn

In this class, there are the most valuable tips, tricks and tools in the world of Facebook and Instagram Ads and by the end you will know how to:

• Work backwards from your ultimate business and sales goals.
• Analyze and select your best performing content to use in paid ads to connect with potential target markets.
• Make adjustments to strategy through split testing – based on analysis of best performing ad creative and copy, different audiences, and placements.
• Set up custom reporting of the correct key metrics to monitor in order to ensure your campaigns are performing well and when to make adjustments.
• Understand how and when to scale the success of your ads
• Integrate your Facebook Ads strategy into wider company marketing efforts with platforms like Google, LinkedIn etc.
• …and much much more!

How You’ll Learn

The class includes an exclusive downloadable worksheet, 11-pages long, to help you put every lesson into action that can be downloaded before you start the course. This useful PDF will help you identify what sets you apart, how to be strategic about what you share, and how to set goals for your work. They’re designed to use and reuse, giving you tools to rely on again and again.

By the end of this course, you can submit your own project to receive feedback from your peers and instructor.

Provider Skillshare

Instructor(s) Maggie Stara

Level Beginner

Workload 3-4 hours

Enrollments 2,453

Rating 100% positive

Certificate Not available

Additional Information

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

3. Instagram Marketing Strategy Course (Hubspot)

This free course covers how to build and implement a successful Instagram marketing strategy and it is aimed at social media marketers, marketing professionals, and content creators.

HubSpot is a software company that develops tools and integrations for marketing, sales, content management, and customer service. Hubspot Academy is their official learning resource which provides a variety of free courses with certificates on marketing and sales. 

Their mission is to provide well produced training and certification to transform the way people and companies grow in the digital age. Learn everything about business topics, from quick and practical courses to comprehensive certifications.

What You’ll Learn

Learn how to build and implement a successful organic Instagram marketing strategy, how to harness the power of this visual social network to grow your business, and how to Invest in yourself and your career by learning one of the most in-demand skills in digital and social media marketing.

Some topics covered are: The Elements of a Successful Instagram Marketing Strategy, Creating Remarkable Instagram Content, Instagram Post Template Tutorial, Setting Up Your Instagram Ads, Creating Remarkable Instagram Ad Content, and Analyzing Your Instagram Ads.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 6 modules and 21 videos. It includes study guides, practical exercises, 6 quizzes to test your knowledge, and a lively community of learners. After completing all lessons, you can then take the final exam to test what you’ve learned. If you pass, you will receive a certification which can be added to your LinkedIn profile.

Institution Hubspot Academy

Provider Hubspot Academy

Instructor(s) Crystal King

Level Intermediate

Workload 2-3 hours

Certificate Available

Fun Facts

• This short course related to this one: How to Advertise on Instagram

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

4. Top 10 Instagram Marketing Strategies to get more Followers (Udemy)

This course is aimed for entrepreneurs and professionals with no experience on Instagram looking for creating an Instagram profile with engaging content. Easy to follow content, with clear visual and step-by-step of the basic functionalities of the platform. The course is presented in a voice over slides style and the instructor is experienced and knowledgeable.

“The instructor is showing everything very well explained by sharing his screen. It is easy to follow and it is fun to listen to. After trying the strategies I have to say that it works much better than expected. It is really the combination of all the things that is important and not just doing hashtag research or just one other strategy.” – Joe Dowd, learner

What You’ll Learn 

Learn how to set up your Instagram profile, create high engaging content, get discovered on Instagram, tricks to gain massive followings, grow faster as a team, know what hashtags you should use, get on the Explore page, and exponential Instagram growth.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 11 videos, 10-20 minutes long each. The lessons are actionable tutorials that you can put in practice right away. Besides the lectures, there is a lively community of learners easily accessible from the built-in forum on Udemy. After completing all lessons, you will receive a certification.

Provider Udemy

Instructor(s) DLI DigitalLearn Interactive UG

Level Beginner

Workload 2-3 hours

Enrollments 6,193

Rating 4.7 (98 ratings)

Certificate Available

Fun Facts

• This instructor has another course on Instagram Growth Hacking 2021 – INSIGHTS from Big Accounts with a rating of 4.8 stars (almost 200 ratings).

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

5. Instagram Strategy for Business Growth (Domestika)

From the best seller instructor Dot Lung, you will learn a proven method to generate brand awareness and build a relationship with your audience. This course is aimed for freelancers, coaches, consultants, and small business owners. If you have fewer than 10k followers, this course is for you. It can also be applied to personal branding.

“Really good course!! Simple explanations, clear powerpoint and clear resume, the course is not too long but with importants details and all the basics, and all in english!! I think that’s the best course about Instagram strategy” – Arya (learner review)

What You’ll Learn

In this course you will learn to use the Dragon Framework which consists of a method developed by the instructor to create engagement. Some points discussed in this course are: Dialogue, Relatability, Authenticity, Giving value, Niche clarity, Scale, Content Strategies to Give Real Value, Creating Post (carousel and image post), Measuring Results, and more.

How You’ll Learn

This is a self paced course with 21 lessons and 17 additional resources. By the end of this course you will deliver a project on “creating a month-long calendar full of engaging social media posts for your business”. Upon completion of the course, you can download your certificate.

You can check on other students’ projects on the course main page. Once you finish your projects, you can receive comments and feedback from other students as well.

Provider Domestika

Instructor(s) Dot Lung

Level Beginner

Workload 1-2 hours

Enrollments 111,843

Rating 96% positive (3.6k reviews)

Certificate Available

Fun Facts

• Dot has worked on Instagram launches and strategies for clients like Facebook, Wix, Motionographer, Digital Design Days, FITC, OFFF, Ladies Wine and Design Barcelona, Sonar+D, OCB and Nipple Magazine. 
• She was born and raised in Los Angeles, and now resides along the Mediterranean coast in between sunny Tel Aviv and Barcelona. Her dream was to travel the world and make a living while doing so, and using social media was what made her dreams come true.
• This course was also featured on the 12 Best Social Media Marketing Courses.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

6. Marketing on Instagram (LinkedIn Learning)

This course is the perfect beginner’s Instagram guide for small businesses and marketers on branding and positions to increase awareness of products and services, and promote direct sales in the app with useful tips and tricks. The instructor gives clear and concise explanations with examples.

“Great overview. I have been using Instagram personally for quite awhile, but this course walked me through features I had never used. It also offered a number of really practical tips for marketing my business thoughtfully on the platform.” – Amy J.V. Atwell, learner

What You’ll Learn

Learn how to market your product or service on Instagram. Explore features and strategies that can help you boost your sales and online presence using the popular social platform.

Some topics covered are: Marketing your business on Instagram, Built-in tools for marketing, Convert to an Instagram professional account, Examples of business success, Research your competition, Develop a posting schedule, Optimize your profile, Marketing with Stories, and much more.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 6 modules, each ending with a quiz. You can take the quizzes as many times as you need to complete the course. LinkedIn Learning also provides a built-in Q&A tab to discuss the content with your peers.

Upon completion, you can get your certificate and upload it to your profile. 

Provider LinkedIn Learning

Instructor(s) Anson Alexander

Level Beginner

Workload 1-2 hours

Enrollments 78,357

Rating 4.7 (1,649)

Certificate Yes

Fun Facts

• This instructor offers this related course on Advertising on Instagram.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

7. Content Creation and Editing for Instagram Stories (Domestika)

This course is focused on content creation for Instagram. As a photography/video sharing platform, it makes sense you need to understand how to work with great visuals for your content. From Mina Barrio, professional photographer, this course is for designers, illustrators, small business owners, or anyone who wants to learn to use Instagram in a strategic way to gain more visibility. 

“Very helpful course. I come from a design background with little to zero knowledge about Instagram. In this comprehensive course, I learned all about the necessary tools, Photo editing apps, etc. All you need to bring a professional-looking page for the professional and personal account.” – zeinaomeish, learner

What You’ll Learn

Learn the difference between Instagram feed posts and Instagram Stories and why it’s important to use this tool to get more and better reach with your followers.

Learn how to configure everything so that you can work with Instagram Stories and use guidelines to create a content strategy focused on your goals and the possibilities offered by the social network.

Learn to analyze the different types of content, which may include still images and videos, and explore the options that Instagram offers and other content creation and editing apps.

Learn how to use text resources, images, gifs, emojis, etc. that you can find on Instagram. You’ll also see how to create highlighted Stories with a duration of more than 24 hours, and learn to organize them.

Finally, Mina will entrust you with her secrets regarding content edition for Instagram Stories: she’ll talk about her favorite apps and how to use them. Plus, you’ll see your content improve exponentially and get more attention from your followers.

How You’ll Learn

This is a self-paced course divided into 22 lessons, 15 additional resources, and bilingual audio (EN, ES). By the end of this course you will deliver a project on “publishing strategy for Instagram Stories and create a campaign with photos, videos and design just using your mobile device.” Upon completion of the course, you can download your certificate.

You can check on other students’ projects on the course main page. Once you finish your projects, you can receive comments and feedback from other students as well.

Provider Domestika

Instructor(s) Mina Barrio

Level Beginner

Workload 3 hours

Enrollments 180,809

Rating 98% (5,159 ratings)

Certificate Available

Fun Facts

• Mina Barrio, who is a best selling instructor on Domestika, is also a photographer for Melon Blanc. 

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.