Podcast Summary: Build Your Tribe | Grow Your Business with Social Media
Episode: How To Grow On Instagram In 2025 | Complete Guide - 822
Release Date: February 20, 2025
Hosts: Chalene Johnson and Brock Johnson
Introduction and Credibility
Brock Johnson kicks off the episode by setting the stage for listeners eager to master Instagram growth in 2025. Aimed primarily at beginner to intermediate Instagrammers, Brock emphasizes that seasoned users with over 50,000 followers might find most strategies familiar but will benefit from advanced tips shared later in the episode.
"There are really only three steps to growing on Instagram. Sure, there are a million different strategies and little techniques and hacks and things that might work for a month or two and then be gone for a month or two. But the reality is it's actually really simple to grow on Instagram."
[00:00]
Brock establishes his authority by sharing his experience as an Instagram coach for over seven years, boasting a personal following of over 700,000 and having coached more than 40,000 individuals through the Insta Club Hub.
Step 1: Pick Your Niche
The foundation of Instagram growth, according to Brock, is selecting a well-defined niche. This involves two critical components:
- Who: Identifying a specific target audience.
- What: Determining the content theme within that audience.
Brock Johnson explains the importance of specificity to stand out and build a loyal following.
"If you're posting for everyone, or you're posting for all women, or you're posting for anyone in the United States, it's such a broad audience that no one's going to find your account and be like, oh my gosh, I love this person. This person was meant for me."
[04:30]
He advises that niching down not only helps in attracting the right followers but also simplifies the process of selling products or services tailored to that audience.
Key Takeaways:
- Define Your Target Audience: Age, location, interests, challenges, etc.
- Specify Your Content: Go beyond broad categories like "fitness" or "real estate" to more specific niches such as "30-minute home workouts for moms in the Midwest."
- Flexibility: Niches can be adjusted after 100 days if they no longer align with your passion or business goals.
Brock Johnson also dispels the myth that you need formal expertise or degrees to establish credibility, emphasizing that personal experience and the unique problems you've solved are more valuable.
"You just need your own experience... when you're first getting started, I want you to think about what experiences do you have? What unique problems have you solved?"
[15:45]
Step 2: Optimize Your Instagram Profile
Once the niche is established, the next step is to fine-tune your Instagram profile to attract and retain your target audience.
Brock Johnson likens your Instagram profile to a physical storefront, highlighting the importance of visual appeal and clarity.
"Just pick a username that is easy to read and or understand... you want your name line to have searchable keywords."
[27:10]
Key Components:
-
Username:
- Personal Brand: Use your name (e.g., Brock11Johnson).
- Business Brand: Use your business name or a variation with keywords (e.g., InstaClubHub).
- Keep it short, readable, and relevant to your niche.
-
Profile Picture:
- Personal Brand: Use a clear, close-up image of your face.
- Business Brand: Use a simplified, recognizable logo without extra text.
"Your profile picture should be a super close up selfie... I know that stands out and I know that grabs attention."
[29:50] -
Name Line:
- Incorporate searchable keywords instead of just your name.
- Example: Instead of "Brock Johnson," use "Brock Johnson – Instagram Growth Coach."
"Anything that you put on that name line is a searchable keyword."
[34:25] -
Bio:
- Limit to four lines to ensure visibility without truncation.
- Be concise and avoid jargon.
- Clearly communicate what you offer and how it benefits your audience.
"Your bio should be four lines or less. It should be as concise as possible."
[36:00]
Additional Tips:
- Turn off non-essential badges like Threads unless they align with your growth strategy.
- Ensure consistency between your profile picture and bio to create a cohesive brand image.
Step 3: Post Consistently
The final step focuses on the critical activity of posting content. Brock delineates the types of posts that contribute to growth and offers strategies to maintain consistency.
What to Post:
-
Feed Posts: Carousels, single photos, and reels.
- Instagram Stories and Live do not significantly contribute to growth beyond existing followers.
- Reels are the most effective for reaching new audiences.
"The best kind of post for growing on Instagram is a reel."
[52:00] -
Content Alignment: Ensure all posts are related to your niche to maintain audience interest and algorithm favorability.
- Avoid off-niche content unless it's a controlled "niche-adjacent post" (NAP).
"Keep it to the niche. You have to relate to either the who or the what in some way."
[57:45]
How Much to Post:
-
Focus on consistency rather than a specific number of posts.
-
Assess what you can sustain based on your resources and lifestyle.
"What matters is consistency, sticking to that number. And how you find that number in the first place is asking yourself the question, what can I sustain."
[1:05:20] -
Increasing Posting Frequency:
- Gradually challenge yourself to post more as you become comfortable.
- Utilize systems, outsourcing, and upcycling content to maintain or increase your output without burnout.
When to Post:
-
There's no universal best time. Experiment with different posting times to identify when your audience is most active.
"There's only your best time to post based off your audience. And the only way to figure that out is by consistently posting at different times."
[1:11:00]
Upcycling Content:
-
Repost or recreate high-performing past content to maintain engagement without significant additional effort.
"About three out of every four posts that you see on my Instagram are either a direct repost or a recreation of something I have previously posted."
[1:12:50]
Additional Strategies and Conclusion
Before wrapping up, Brock offers advanced insights for listeners ready to elevate their Instagram game:
-
Batch Content Creation: Spend a week or two preparing content before launching or relaunching your account to ensure consistency from the start.
"Start by taking one to two weeks to work behind the scenes rather than trying to hit the ground running."
[1:25:30] -
Continuous Learning: Stay updated with the latest Instagram trends, hacks, and algorithm changes to refine your strategy continually.
Bridging all three steps—Pick Your Niche, Optimize Your Profile, and Post Consistently—Brock emphasizes that growth on Instagram is a gradual process akin to nurturing a redwood tree rather than cultivating a fleeting weed.
"You would much rather be a redwood that took years to grow than a weed that popped up overnight."
[02:05:00]
In conclusion, Brock encourages listeners to adopt these foundational strategies and reminds them that persistent, incremental improvement leads to substantial growth.
"If you take nothing else away from today's episode, I hope it's these three words. Just press post."
[02:18:30]
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
-
"The reality is it's actually really simple to grow on Instagram."
[00:00] -
"If you're posting for everyone... no one's going to grow at the same rate as if you were to niche down."
[04:30] -
"You just need your own experience."
[15:45] -
"Your profile picture should be a super close up selfie... I know that stands out and I know that grabs attention."
[29:50] -
"Anything that you put on that name line is a searchable keyword."
[34:25] -
"Keep it to the niche."
[57:45] -
"The best kind of post for growing on Instagram is a reel."
[52:00] -
"What matters is consistency, sticking to that number."
[1:05:20] -
"There's only your best time to post based off your audience."
[1:11:00] -
"About three out of every four posts... are either a direct repost or a recreation."
[1:12:50] -
"You would much rather be a redwood that took years to grow than a weed that popped up overnight."
[02:05:00] -
"Just press post."
[02:18:30]
Final Thoughts
This episode of Build Your Tribe | Grow Your Business with Social Media offers a comprehensive roadmap for Instagram growth in 2025. By focusing on a well-defined niche, optimizing your profile for discoverability, and maintaining consistent, quality posting, listeners are equipped with actionable strategies to expand their Instagram presence effectively. Brock Johnson's insights blend practical advice with motivational encouragement, making this episode a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and content creators aiming to thrive on Instagram.
For more detailed strategies and actionable steps, make sure to subscribe to the podcast and explore additional episodes in the Build Your Tribe series.