Episode Summary: The Weekly Scroll — Instagram's Changing How Followers Are Viewed & Facebook is Leaning into Creators (Ep. 123, January 29, 2026)

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In this action-oriented episode of Call Her Creator, host Katelyn Rhoades breaks down the latest must-know changes in the social media universe—specifically focused on Facebook’s big push toward creators, new Facebook Live features, and a significant update to Instagram's follower system. Katelyn delivers hands-on advice and candid commentary, guiding ambitious women (and creators of all stripes) through what these platform shifts mean for building influence, community, and income in 2026.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Facebook is Leaning Into Creators ([01:54]–[07:24])

• New Facebook Creator Profile UI
  Facebook has rolled out an updated profile experience for public figures and creators, including:

  • A built-in media kit to showcase stats for brands and partners
  • Interests and hobbies sections for personal touch and audience relatability
  • “Places you visited” to add depth and travel credibility
  • Offers section for promotional links—allowing direct marketing without a “link in bio” workaround

• Real-Life Example & Relatability

  • Katelyn recounts how someone she knew in high school (“shout out to Stacy”) began sharing life updates on Facebook and eventually turned it into income, emphasizing that you don’t need to start with a “creator” label to monetize your experience.
  • “All it takes is posting that one post for you to be like, oh my gosh, I can actually make money from this.” — Katelyn [02:34]

• Strategic Takeaways

  • Profile as Portfolio: “Your profile is your biggest business asset, right? So this isn’t just aesthetics. It’s a functional way for you to show off what you do and attract brand partnerships.” — Katelyn [04:00]
  • Humanize & Connect: The new sections encourage creators to share more context and personal touches, making profiles more relatable and helping boost engagement.
  • Promotional Advantage: Directly embedding promotional offers on the profile means less friction for audience conversion.
  • Competitive Edge: Those who thoughtfully optimize these features will stand out; “Creators who have the thoughtful profile will have an advantage.”

2. Facebook Live: Paid Boosting for Increased Reach ([07:25]–[09:44])

• New Feature: Facebook now allows creators to boost their Live videos post-broadcast using paid promotion for greater reach and longevity.

• Implications & Strategies

  • Not Just One-and-Done: Lives can now be amplified after their initial broadcast instead of fading after the live audience.
  • Launches & Announcements: Boosted Lives are powerful for launches, Q&As, and major announcements.
    • “Go live, talk to the people that already like,love you, nurture them...and then boost it to scale that visibility to an even bigger audience.” — Katelyn [08:40]
  • Smart Ad Spend: Leveraging existing engagement (comments/social proof) means better ROI on ad spend, rather than creating new ads from scratch.
  • Tips for Use:
    • Go live with a clear intent (teach, sell, announce, connect)
    • Let the organic views build initial engagement, then boost the replay for broader reach
    • Optimize for calls to action and audience interaction during the live to maximize social proof

• Platform Signal: Facebook increasing Live’s reach shows sustained priority on real-time and authentic content amplified by creator control.

3. Instagram: Followers Become Friends & Visibility Shifts ([10:35]–[13:53])

• Following List Changes

  • Instagram is shifting the “following” category to “friends.”
  • Only mutual connections are visible; you can’t see a user’s full following or follower list unless you’re both connected—the same approach as Facebook.
  • Katelyn notes this will be especially good for “big personalities” since it reduces drama and “nosy Nancy” follower-stalking.
    • “Maybe this will keep those nosy Nancy’s from stalking people’s followers…and starting drama. I don’t know. I think it’s dumb, to be honest.” — Katelyn [11:25]
  • Instagram is pushing for more relationship-based, interactive content, not just passive scrolling.

• Engagement Tactics

  • To stay visible, creators must engage: reply to stories, send DMs, and prioritize conversation over simple likes.
  • Story engagement and direct interactions mean Instagram is more likely to surface your content to those accounts.
    • Referencing guest Shannon Gillette: “Posts more and stories versus post to feed…The more I talk with those people in the DMs, the more that my content is going to get shared to them. And that made a big like aha moment.” — Katelyn [12:19]
  • Katelyn emphasizes her “555 rule” (five minutes for each engagement method) and the importance of intentional daily engagement.

4. Instagram Early Access Reels: FOMO & Follower Growth ([13:54]–[16:06])

• New “Early Access” Reels

  • Reels can now be set to “early access” for followers—non-followers see a blurred preview with a countdown and are prompted to follow to unlock viewing.
    • “I love this, this might help us with getting more followers.” — Katelyn [14:47]
  • Early access can reward loyal community members with exclusive tips, sneak peeks, or announcements, and creates natural FOMO to drive following.
  • Katelyn mentions frustration with users who grab freebies from her MiniChat flows without following—this could help solve that.
    • “If you’re going to ask me for my freebie, you need to follow me. So maybe this will be a way to get those people to follow me. I don’t know, I think it’s quite rude.” — Katelyn [15:22]

• Strategic Uses

  • Podcasters: tease interview clips or viral moments for followers-only
  • Artists: drop music or content early
  • Brands: release exclusive codes or product launches for early access window

• Key Difference: Early access reels are for rewarding current engaged followers, while “trial reels” test content with non-followers.

  • “Instagram is rewarding creators who build that loyal following—not just for the reach, but for those people that are actually going to nurture and engage with them.” — Katelyn [16:06]

5. Brief Mention: TikTok Glitches Post-Acquisition ([01:42]–[02:16])

• Katelyn notes, as a quick aside, that many are deleting TikTok due to recent acquisition-related glitches—she asks listeners to DM her with their experiences.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Your profile is your biggest business asset, right? So this isn’t just aesthetics. It’s a functional way for you to show off what you do and attract brand partnerships.” — Katelyn [04:00]
• “All it takes is posting that one post for you to be like, oh my gosh, I can actually make money from this.” — Katelyn [02:34]
• “Go live, talk to the people that already...nurture them, and then boost it to scale that visibility to an even bigger audience.” — Katelyn [08:40]
• “Maybe this will keep those nosy Nancy’s from stalking people’s followers and…starting drama. I don’t know. I think it’s dumb, to be honest.” — Katelyn [11:25]
• Referencing Shannon Gillette: “The more I talk with those people in the DMs, the more that my content is going to get shared to them. And that made a big like aha moment.” — Katelyn [12:19]
• “If you’re going to ask me for my freebie, you need to follow me. So maybe this will be a way to get those people to follow me.” — Katelyn [15:22]
• “Instagram is rewarding creators who build that loyal following—not just for the reach, but for those people that are actually going to nurture and engage with them.” — Katelyn [16:06]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:54] Facebook’s creator profile overhaul
• [07:25] Facebook Live—now with paid post-event boosting
• [10:35] Instagram switches “following” to “friends” and privacy updates
• [13:54] Instagram Early Access Reels to drive followers & FOMO

Actionable Takeaways

• Facebook:
  Optimize new creator features—update your media kit, add interests and hobbies, and use the new offers section to drive conversions.
• Facebook Live:
  Strategically plan Lives with a clear agenda, maximize engagement during the broadcast, and boost after for wider reach and impact.
• Instagram:
  Invest time in genuine engagement (DMs, replies, stickers in stories) to futureproof your reach as the platform shifts focus to authentic connections and community.
  • Try out “Early Access” reels to incentivize follows and reward loyal fans.
• Overarching Principle:
  Social media success in 2026 is about community, conversation, and connection over shallow metrics or passive growth.

Final Thoughts

Katelyn wraps with a reminder: data-driven marketing decisions are crucial—review your analytics regularly to see what works and adapt accordingly. If you have important social updates for the Weekly Scroll, DM @callhercreator.