I’ve been listening to podcasts, reading books, and taking online classes in the last few months. Every creator that I’ve studied has said the same thing- growing on Instagram today is a lot harder than it used to be.
Instagram has become a full-time job. While I understand that there are millions of people who literally use Instagram as their full-time job, I’m directing this article to those who are just getting started on the platform.
Before I get into it, I need to preface something important. Just because growing on Instagram is a lot harder than it used to be, doesn’t mean that it isn’t possible. All I’m saying is that in order to grow, it must be your main focus.
A lot of people spread themselves too thin. People try to be on every platform hoping to blow up on one, only to realize that in trying to be everywhere, they wind up being nowhere.
If you’re going to be on Instagram with the intention of making it your full-time business, make it your full-time focus. It deserves to be attended to as if it were your newborn baby.
Now that you know this, here are a few starter tips on growing your business on Instagram:
Focus on Reels
Instagram is desperately trying to push Tiktok to the curb (like it successfully did to Snapchat a few years ago). In order to do that, it’s prioritizing users who post Reels. This means that their emphasis is being pushed toward making reels a priority.
If you don’t know what a Reel is, it’s a 15-30s vertical video clip. The great part is that you can style it however you like! But, the idea is to do something exciting within the first 5 seconds so that your viewers watch the whole thing.
Instagram is a very hard platform to understand, and your reach may be extremely low despite having many followers. So, focus on the content formats the app is currently prioritizing.
Spend a Few Hours a Day Engaging with Your Audience
Gary Vaynerchuk attributes his success on social media to his ability to have spent 4-8 hours a day sitting on his phone engaging with prospective audience members for 8 years. If you want to be successful on Instagram, loyalty is the name of the game.
On platforms like YouTube, for example, there is very strong loyalty. Once you subscribe to someone, it takes a lot for someone to unsubscribe.
The same cannot be said for Instagram.
A mere push of the button and its see-you-later, goodbye. If you want to create a large audience and build a long-lasting business on Instagram, you have to engage with your audience. Get to know them, give them advice, do what you can to make them remember you.
The Bottom Line
While Instagram continues to be a complicated platform, it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to thrive off of. I’ve personally connected with another Instagrammer who grew to 10,000 followers very quickly because she treated Instagram as her sole focus. If she can do it, so can you.
