These Instagram hacks won’t help you grow…

Do you want to know two of the biggest reasons that folks cannot find success on Instagram? It’s because they are not willing to change and they listen to anyone who claims to be an Instagram guru. Instagram is everchanging, we have seen that more than ever this year. We have seen so many new Instagram updates come through since January of 2022, I can barely keep up. But to find success on the platform, you have to understand it - which means you have to be willing to change your strategy as the app itself is changing. Today, I want to break down some of those “hacks” that just work anymore and what you should be focusing on instead. Let’s do this...

Outdated Hack #1: Hashtags

Yep, I said it. Hashtags are so last season. I am not saying that you shouldn’t use hashtags, though I rarely do, I am saying they are NOT as important as they once might have been. I am still hearing this advice circulate - “You’re allotted 30 hashtags, you would be a fool to not use them all.” But this is just not accurate.

The Instagram page itself said NOT to use that many hashtags. They said (and I quote), “Don’t use too many hashtags - adding 10-20 hashtags will not get you additional distribution”. They also said to keep the number of hashtags between 3-5. Again, Instagram themselves said to keep the number of hashtags between 3-5, and yet so many people out there are still encouraging users to drown their posts with 30 hashtags - and people are doing it.

Per Instagram, we need to think of hashtags as a tool that provides context to your post and supports delivering content to people who are interested in a particular topic. It’s the content itself and the way people interact with it that can affect distribution the most, not hashtags.

Not only will exceeding 5 hashtags not benefit your post and growth, but it’s also a waste of your very valuable time. As a business owner, I understand how much time you spend on all of the areas of your business and brand, so if Instagram is telling us this is not an effective strategy, why would you allocate your time to doing it? Just something to think about.

Outdated Hack #2: 10 Slide Carousels

Back in the day (okay, just a year or so ago), people were pushing folks to use all 10 slides for a Carousel graphic. Honestly, some people are still using this strategy. The reason was that one of Instagram’s goals is to keep people on the platform as long as possible, and it still is. But the logic behind using all 10 Carousel slides was that it would force people to say on the post longer, which would make Instagram happy, and then if you’re lucky - they would push out more of your content since you’re helping them reach their goal. But here is why this is not an effective strategy.

When you give yourself a requirement of 10 slides, you are more focused on that requirement than you are on the value of your content. You should focus on value first. If you need 10 slides to cover all of the value you are providing, then do it. But if you can spill all of the tea in just a few slides, that is amazing too.

Outdated Hack #3: Aesthetic Feed

I get it. Having an aesthetic feed might give you a feeling of calm and order in this crazy, all over the place world. But is it doing anything for your Instagram growth? My answer... no. Now, I will say that having some sort of consistency and branding is important, but having specific patterns, designs, and specifications (like the 10 slide rule we just talked about) might actually be hurting your growth.

I don’t know about you, but I can spot a faker or spam account from a mile away - if you don’t believe me - check out some of the videos I have done on my YouTube channel, where I investigate Instagram scams. But anyway, there is something grossly inauthentic about a page that feels overly produced and surface-level. The perfectly branded Canva graphics and pattern almost feel like a mask that hides the scam artist that is running the account. Okay, that might be a little harsh, but it truly does make me feel instantly put off when I don’t feel any realness to an Instagram page.

Again, I want to make sure you understand the difference between “staying on brand” and solely focusing on an aesthetic feed. If you go over to my Instagram page after listening to this episode, you will see that my Carousel and Graphics all use the same background and font color. They also all fall into a minimalist design, that I personally think performs the best for me. For my photos, I use a pack of presets that I actually created myself, and if you didn’t know, you can grab these same presets on my website, just go to www.katiesteckly.com/shop. And finally, all of my Reels use the same fonts and style, so that they are consistently on-brand as well. The point is, you can see that part of my strategy is keeping things on brand, but also, my page feels free, fun, and relaxed. That is because I removed the idea of perfection and focused on a few key branding elements that deliver a TON of value.

What should you focus on instead?

If you truly want to find success on Instagram, your main focus, above all else, needs to be creating high-value, high-quality content. Remove all of the specifications and standards you hear from all of these Instagram “gurus” and instead, just provide true value packaged up in a high-quality post that will serve your audience. If you are having trouble deciding how you want to package your content, go to some of your favorite Instagram accounts and make a list of what it is that draws you to their page. You will most likely see some commonalities between these pages, and most likely - this will be an excellent starting point on the areas you should focus on the most.

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If you need some help coming up with a solid strategy, make sure to check out my YouTube channel - where every month, I take you along while I develop my own strategy. If you need even more in-depth help, head on over to www.creatorlymedia.com and check out our Instagram strategy services, we would love to help you!