The Thought Process:
I first created my instagram back in 2017. It was largely book focused (#bookstagram) and very period-typical. Flat-lays, bright, full of props, etc. Reels weren’t a thing quite yet and the feed was linear, not algorithm focused. As a result, growing was really more of a mathematical equation than anything. I.E. post at 5pm on Tuesdays for the best results. Use 30 hashtags. The list goes on. When reels first landed, they didn’t make too much of an impact. However, when the linear feed shifted to the new algorithm, suddenly the road to instagram success wasn’t so easy.
As a result, I lost interest pretty fast in the platform. I was simply having too hard of a time trying to keep up with what I “should” be doing. Fast forward a few years and I essentially rejuvenated that account. I leaned into reels and started throwing caution to the wind. I made reels about books, then reels about nature, then reels about well … anything. There was little by way of direction. When I made a reel that was somber and quote focused, it went viral. After that, the entire account became disjointed: torn between these handful of viral reels (1 million+ views) that were little like the content I wanted to be making. Instagram seemingly didn’t know where to put me.
Was I a lifestyle account? Book account? Introspective account?
Did it show me to other book bloggers? Lifestyle bloggers? Did it show me to moody content creators or mental health creators? It didn’t know!
And what happened as a result was an absolute stalemate. Suddenly views went from 20k, to 5k, to 1k. So I decided to do something different: create a finsta for my brand!
The Hypotheses:
One: That if I start an account with my intentions known, it will perform for the audience I want. I.E. if I start out with where I want my content to be, versus trying to find it as I go like I did before, the algorithm will understand where my account fits and therefore the audience it fits in.
Two: If I start out with a consistent schedule, versus testing different schedules I did before, it will reward my consistency with account engagement and growth.
Three: I will also be testing the internet’s theory that “new accounts are pushed more than old accounts” – will my new account see attention my now almost 8 year old account doesn’t?
Please comment below and tell me any questions or thoughts you may have. I will be keeping you updated as I go. If you’d like to follow along on this new journey more closely, feel free to follow me!
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