The big social media story of the week is that Instagram has finally revealed that they are “no longer a photo-sharing app,” well, what the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri meant to tweet is that Instagram is no longer JUST a photo-sharing platform. They are moving towards where their customers are looking for - video. 

According to Mosseri in an Instagram Live video, “The number one reason people say they use Instagram in research is to be entertained. So this past week in our internal all-hands meeting, we shared a lot about what we’re trying to lean into that trend – into entertainment and into video.”

So, do we have to create Instagram Reels content now?

The answer is yeah, no, yeahhhh. Yes, Instagram is heavily favoring Instagram Reels content right now. This means if you create bite-sized videos that relate to your niche, and make sure to use up to 30 relevant hashtags, then the reach for your Instagram Reels can be much, much higher than the traditional images/videos on your feed. 
No, if you are still not even comfortable with creating regular videos and photos for social media -- I really don’t want to see everyone stressing out about these new changes. 

Yes, right now, creating Instagram Reels is one of the only ways to organically grow your Instagram following.

One of the questions I get asked the most -- WHY do I need to focus on Instagram Reels? My reasoning: it is one of the best ways to grow on the platform right now. The leaders at Instagram have literally told us this when talking about where IG will be focusing (“Instagram is no longer just a photo-sharing app.”).

Other ways to grow your Instagram account:

✔️  Instagram Live with 2+ people in your niche (bonus points if it is is an ongoing live show with up to 4 people)

✔️  Being specific about your hashtags when you share your Instagram Reel *use a mix of local, niche, and general hashtags, and yes -- use all 30.

✔️  Hard-core engagement. aka having a strategy of looking at hashtags in your desired nitch every night — and making sure to like and comment on posts.

✔️  Mass following people (I DO NOT recommend this one though, because many people used the follow/unfollow method to grow and IMO it's shady and doesn't get you your desired connections with your target audience).

Last, but not organic… Paying for:

✔️  Ads on Instagram. 

I have talked about it before, in my article on the “right” way to post on Instagram. “Consistency” is better than perfection, so if you want to grow - make it a point to try out Instagram Reels. Here are some of my suggestions for non-music/non-dancing reels for businesses: https://shanabull.com/blog/instagram-reels-no-music and ultize hashtags that make sense for your location and niche. 

As for coming up with ideas of what to post, I understand that it can be overwhelming when you are not even comfortantle with Instagram to begin with. So I am bringing back my Recipe for Instagram class to help walk you though all of my methods for planning ahead, creating content, engaging with your audience AND selling -- all with the goal to build your confidence in creating ongoing content for social media. Sign up to be the first to learn more about this class (that has sold out all 3 times I hosted it!).