3 Insider Tips to Skyrocket Your Instagram Following

Can you really make the Instagram algorithm your friend? Is it possible for your Instagram account to have a big turnaround in a matter of months? It is, friend. It happened to me and it’s happened to several of the women I work with and coach–and it can happen to you too. I recommend you make money doing what you love. Don’t give up, just switch things around until you figure out what works. Here are 3 insider tips to skyrocket your Instagram following.

 

 

Step Up to the Instagram Plate

I’m making this post at the start of springtime and you know what that means? Softball season. My two girls are playing this year and I’ve been able to coach the past few years. The game has so many analogies to it and me being an Instagram strategy coach I immediately saw the connection. Just like when you’re up to bat in a softball game and everyone is either cheering for you or against you and you have to be brave enough to swing–the same goes for Instagram.

We can be on Instagram and see that everyone else is killing it and then it becomes our turn to post and we freeze. We get in our heads and tell ourselves that we won’t post because people might judge us and even worse, we might strike out. 

Another thought I hear often from women is you knew Instagram in the past and it doesn’t work the same way now, so you won’t even step up to the plate. You won’t post, try something different, or change your business to make it work for Instagram (or really to make Instagram work for it). 

Listen, you can be frustrated with Instagram, but it doesn’t have to be the end. There are days that you’re going to be fed up. There will even be days when you strike out. But something that you’ll never do is step up to the Instagram plate and not swing. 

Put that helmet on, grab a bat, and swing. You are here for your business and to make money. You are here to change your life and the lives of other people. You are on the field and ready to play, all you have to do is learn (or relearn) how to play the game. 

 

 

3 Insider Tips to Skyrocket Your Instagram Following

We think that since we’ve been using Instagram for a while we should automatically know how to use it. However, that’s not how it works. You’ve got to learn new strategies, test things out, and adjust. But I promise that as you show up and implement these new practices, you’ll see the magic happen! 

This is what happened to my friend Jenica Parcell with her Instagram account. If you missed her story and how she turned her Instagram around, check out my post HERE. Jenica had been on Instagram for a long time and she had success! She was at 79K followers, but could not grow past that. She felt completely stuck and decided to do something about it.

Jenica joined my Grow the Gram course. After applying what she learned there her account is now pushing 100K followers. Don’t you want to do that? If it can happen to Jenica (& so many others) it can happen to you too. If you’re ready, check out my 8-module course, Grow the Gram HERE. I’ll be with you all year long helping you grow your numbers and even find the joy in showing up on Instagram again!

There are some key takeaways from my conversation with Jenica that I wanted to dig deeper into with you in this post. Jenica made 3 distinct changes to her Instagram strategy and it’s really what turned around her account. Without further ado, here are the 3 insiders to skyrocket your Instagram following.

 

Instagram Tip #1: Niche down.

I talk about niching down quite a bit because it’s super important. Jenica talked about two things on her Instagram: infertility and fashion deals. Two distinctly different niches and she couldn’t decide which one she wanted to focus on so she did both. In Grow the Gram, we helped her pick one and move on. She decided to focus on fashion deals exclusively and it’s been quite the game changer for her!

Once Jenica niched down she quickly discovered her pocket content. If this is a new term to you, pocket content is content that you are known for. Not everyone has this type of content but when you find it it makes your life a lot easier. Pocket content helps you know how to create content for your niche and people start to recognize that content as yours before you even have to say anything. Jenica’s is helping people find clothes that are budget-friendly but look like an expensive alternative. 

Try searching other influencers’ content and identify their pocket content. Once you get a good understanding of what it is and how it works, think about what could be yours. As long as it’s in your niche and you enjoy doing it, you may have found your very own pocket content!

 

 

Instagram Tip #2: Be OK with and open to change.

Jenica has been on Instagram for a very long time and has had great success with it. She’s shown up and put in a lot of work to grow the audience she had. But Instagram changed which means the strategy she was using no longer worked for her. Sound familiar? We can act like a victim as long as we want, but it’s only prolonging the success we could have.

We have to be careful of this victim mentality. While it may feel good to say the algorithm hates you and there’s no way you can make a difference now that Instagram changed everything, this is not a good place to be as a business owner. At some point, you have to decide if you are going to learn how Instagram works, so you can get in front of the people you want to serve.

You ultimately get to choose. Both are hard. You can kick against a brick wall and be mad about it for a long time. That feels hard. Or you can learn how to do it and make the necessary changes which also feels hard, but the outcome is so much better. 

I hope you know you don’t have to figure out Instagram on your own. I am here to help! You can join my email list and follow me on Instagram for free resources or you can sign up for my Insta Social Society for a small price! If you’re really ready to jump in and explode your account, you are ready for Grow the Gram. No matter where you are on your journey, I can help! 

 

 

Instagram Tip #3: Be aware of the mental and emotional side of growing.

Guilt is one of the main obstacles I find in the women I work with. They feel guilty wanting a business when they don’t really need the money. Sister, that is nothing to feel guilty of. For too long, we have only been allowed to be OK with motherhood and any activity that surrounds motherhood. But anything else–especially if it has to do with money–we feel guilty for it. No more, my friend. 

I give you permission, 100 percent Michelle recommended, that you make money at what you’re doing. We don’t have to be weird about it or get people’s approval. Making money does not take away from your motherhood, make your kids lazy, or make them feel like you don’t love them. 

All of the things we have in our heads about if you do this then your kids, your family, your house, your motherhood, will have to be thrown away because you were too selfish is a big fat lie. You are not selfish in wanting something for yourself. But it’s much easier to read this than to believe it, right?

We have to get to the root of it. What story are you telling yourself about being a mom and making money? Get to the bottom of that answer. The stories that we tell ourselves are the things that make us weird about charging people, nervous about showing up on Instagram, and even afraid of success. If you feel this way it’s because you think success is going to mean something about you that is bad. So find that core belief and change it, so you can get that growth! And once that growth comes you’ll see that your business and you are better for it. 

 

 

3 Insider Tips to Skyrocket Your Instagram Following

I cannot wait for you to find your place on Instagram! You deserve all the success in the world. We need more good women making money and serving people while they do it. These 3 insider tips to skyrocket your Instagram following are just the beginning! Give me a follow on Instagram @iammichellegifford and send me a DM. I’d love to help you get started on exploding your Insta following!