Episode Summary

Podcast: Build Your Tribe | Grow Your Business with Social Media

Host: Brock Johnson

Episode: Instagram Isn't Hard, You Just Don't Get It (Yet) - 849

Date: September 4, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Brock Johnson challenges the widespread belief that Instagram is complex and difficult to grow on, especially for entrepreneurs, creators, and business owners. By drawing from personal experience, research, and data, Brock presents a straightforward, "no BS" approach to Instagram growth, focusing on five actionable principles. His message is clear: stop stressing over the latest trends and algorithm changes, and start focusing on what actually works for sustainable success.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Real Reason Instagram Feels Hard (00:58–07:30)

• Brock acknowledges common struggles: algorithm confusion, trend fatigue, and posting anxiety.
• Many creators get overwhelmed by constant app updates, trends, and the pressure to keep up.
• Key Survey Insight: Over 75% of Brock's audience said their biggest Instagram struggle is either figuring out the algorithm, keeping up with trends/updates, or overthinking their posts.
• Brock shares his own tough journey: slow growth, spending too much energy perfecting posts, and eventually moving to a research-driven strategy.

Quote:
"Instagram isn’t hard, it’s actually very simple. There are some parts...that are supposed to be hard, like the time it takes to grow, the creativity and the discipline required to keep showing up."
— Brock Johnson (00:30)

2. The Five Ways to Actually Grow and See Results on Instagram

2.1. Audience Over Algorithm (07:40–19:45)

• Brock’s top tip: Stop obsessing over the algorithm—it changes daily and will always be a moving target.
• The audience, not the algorithm, truly determines what performs. Analyze what your people like and engage with.
• Brock urges listeners to become "conscious consumers" on Instagram: when scrolling your own feed, note what makes you pause, comment, or scroll by—apply those learnings to your content.
• If engagement is low, it’s likely because content isn’t resonating (except in rare cases where accounts are "dead").

Quote:
"Ultimately it is the audience that drives the algorithm... If you post a certain kind of video and it doesn’t get very many views, the answer was not that the algorithm was mad at you that day. The answer was that your audience wasn’t interested in that post."
— Brock Johnson (13:50)

2.2. Quantity Breeds Quality (19:50–33:27)

• Contrary to popular belief, starting out you should focus on quantity, not stressing about every post being perfect.
• Brock shares the "ceramics class" story: the group focused on making more works ended up with better quality pieces than the quality-focused group because frequent practice led to skill improvement.
• Overthinking and tying your worth to engagement/perfection causes burnout—not posting frequency.
• Determine a posting frequency that’s sustainable for your life and business phase, and aim to increase output by working smarter, not harder.

Quote:
"Practice makes progress. The more content you create, the better your content will get over time."
— Brock Johnson (27:08)

Quote:
"It’s not purely quantity or the frequency of posting that leads to burnout. Instead, what leads to burnout... is overthinking, overanalyzing, spending so much time—hours on one single post."
— Brock Johnson (27:55)

2.3. Consistency is King (33:28–52:30)

• Growth comes from consistent posting, not from extreme bursts followed by long absences.
• Consistency isn’t glamorous, but it wins.
• Don’t rely on motivation; discipline and systems matter.
• Tactics for consistency:
  • Schedule posts in advance (myth: scheduling lowers engagement—debunked!).
  • Batch content creation—take a period off from posting to build up a “bank” of posts.
  • Ask “who, not how”: delegate tasks (personal or business) to free your time for content creation.
  • Use AI/automation for descriptions, captions, and more.
  • “Upcycle” older posts—reuse your best content; most followers won’t notice or mind.

Quote:
"Consistency is king. Kind of going along the same lines of what I was just talking about. If you post with a super hyper frequency three times a day for a week, but then you burn out... it’s going to be really hard to grow."
— Brock Johnson (34:00)

Quote:
"Schedule your posts in advance. It’s a myth...that if you schedule posts on Instagram, you’re going to get less engagement. It’s just not true."
— Brock Johnson (38:25)

2.4. Forget the (So-Called) Rules & Hacks (52:31–01:09:53)

• There are almost no fixed rules outside of obvious platform limits.
• Hacks (hashtags, trending audio, best times to post, trial reels, etc.) are usually short-term wins; don’t make or break long-term growth.
• Use hacks if they help—but never stress over missing them.
• "Trial Reels" (shared to non-followers) had a major impact in 2025 but limits have now been imposed. Adapting quickly is key—but don’t let hacks dictate your whole strategy.

Quote:
"There are no rules. Well, I mean, I guess there are some rules, but they’re more like limitations that Instagram put in place. Like, you can’t post pictures of your naked butt on Instagram. You’re going to get in trouble for that."
— Brock Johnson (52:38)

Quote:
"If you find a strategy or a technique that just works for you, knock your socks off and keep doing it. Don’t worry about whatever me or any other Instagram expert is telling you to do."
— Brock Johnson (53:39)

2.5. Niche Down—The Foundation of Growth (01:09:54–End)

• The more specific you get with who your content is for and what problem or topic you focus on, the faster you'll grow.
• Niche is twofold: the WHO (target demographic) and the WHAT (specific problem or theme).
• You don’t need credentials, just genuine experience.
• Even huge influencers started with a niche before broadening their focus (e.g., Kim Kardashian, Chalene Johnson).
• Quality of followers and their engagement matters more than total numbers.

Quote:
"When you first become known, when you first become famous, it is because of one thing. When you first grow a following, it is because of one specific niche... You can make a million dollars a year with only a thousand true followers."
— Brock Johnson (01:13:25)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On burnout:
  "It’s either spending too much time creating your posts or the constant diminishing returns and lower engagement and views…tying your worth...to the results, rather than focusing on the process—that’s ultimately what leads to burnout, not just a high frequency of posting." (28:23)

• On hacks:
  "A hack is a term that I use to describe strategies that work for a short period of time. They’re taking advantage of some Instagram update...and they usually only work for a few weeks." (53:09)

• On resposting (Upcycling):
  "You can literally take your post and post it a second time... Most of your followers didn’t see it the first time... And if there is like 1% of your audience who does remember, they remember because it was that good." (47:45)

Important Timestamps

• Audience vs Algorithm: 07:40 – 19:45
• Quantity Breeds Quality: 19:50 – 33:27
• Consistency is King, Scheduling & Upcycling Tips: 33:28 – 52:30
• Forget Rules & Hacks: 52:31 – 01:09:53
• Niche Down: 01:09:54 – end

Takeaways & Action Steps

• Focus on what your audience finds engaging, not what you think the algorithm wants.
• Prioritize posting frequently (quantity), but always look to improve incrementally.
• Be consistent: batch content, delegate, automate, and reuse high-performers.
• Don't obsess over rules, best times, hashtags, or hacks—they’re not crucial.
• Get hyper-specific about your target audience and what you offer them.
• Remember, you don’t need to be everywhere, do everything, or be perfect. Sustainable systems, experimentation, and discipline are more powerful than any trick or trend.

In Brock's words:
"Start with your foundation being your niche...figure out what those people actually want to see... ultimately lean into quantity first, because quantity breeds quality. Practice leads to progress. That is how you learn, that is how you improve, and that is how you grow. On Instagram." (01:16:38)