Podcast Summary: Call Her Creator with Katelyn Rhoades
Episode 124: 100K Followers By Being Herself: The Most Profitable Strategy on Instagram (ft. Shannon Gillette)
Date: February 3, 2026
Host: Katelyn Rhoades
Guest: Shannon Gillette
Overview
This episode features powerhouse realtor, mom, and personal brand builder Shannon Gillette. With nearly 100K Instagram followers and a thriving real estate business in Arizona, Shannon shares the exact strategies and mindsets that helped her cultivate both influence and income by showing up authentically online. Host Katelyn Rhoades and Shannon have a candid, actionable conversation about the evolution and systems behind Shannon’s online brand, why Instagram Stories is her secret weapon, and how embracing her faith and real life on camera has attracted her dream clients and opportunities.
“Today is not a fluff conversation. We're going to get very deep into the marketing strategy, the systems, the decisions and the behind-the-scenes effort that helped Shannon build this wonderful brand and business at this level.”
— Katelyn Rhoades [02:00]
Shannon’s Backstory & Brand Building Journey
- Shannon began her real estate business in 2015 after leaving a demanding corporate job, with no followers and “no money, no Instagram followers, and no idea how I was going to make this all work.” [02:36]
- Early inspiration: Noted she enjoyed following creators who shared their real lives, not just their work, and wanted to adapt that approach for real estate despite initial discomfort.
- Authenticity over curation: “What if I could open up my Instagram to the public and not just share nonstop commercials like just sold, just listed, buy a house from me, but instead share who I am besides my job. It felt really cringey.” [03:21]
- Strategy evolved to focus on Instagram Stories for building deeper connections.
The Power & Approach of Instagram Stories
- Daily discipline: Shannon posts at least five stories every single day, revealing both her professional and personal life [06:37].
- Behind-the-scenes wins: Sharing everyday moments (like “the mozzarella stick in the bathroom”—a funny story segment [05:37]) makes her relatable and memorable.
- Audience engagement: Followers regularly check in on her if she misses a day; stories make her feel like “a reality show” to her community, not just a business highlight reel [06:37].
- Viewers want to escape and connect, not just be sold to—“They don’t want to open up social media and be sold to.” [07:10]
Notable Quote
“I like to think of Instagram like a reality show where many business owners think of Instagram as a commercial space, a nonstop commercial to sell my product.”
— Shannon Gillette [06:51]
Authenticity, Boundaries, & Personal Values
- Initially, the idea of blending personal and professional was new in real estate. Shannon felt guided by faith to stay true to herself.
- Content pillars: Shannon selects 3–4 things that make her unique outside work—faith, family, travel, her dog—and shares openly about each [09:14].
- Selective sharing: “If somebody doesn’t want to work with me because I have dogs, we’re probably not going to be a good fit, right?” [09:45]
- Key principle: Be yourself unapologetically; “If you try to be for everybody, you will be for nobody 100%.” [10:24]
Shannon’s Content System & Strategy
- Profile optimization: Shannon never stressed about a “perfect” profile or content calendar; instead, she leans into regular professional video content and fresh daily ideas [10:43].
- Luxury video: Professional listing videos for every home she lists, prioritizing engaging storytelling and viewer-centric hooks [11:26].
- Educational content: Instead of just house footage, provides value by educating buyers; uses stories to connect personally, feed videos to educate and promote expertise. Example: Hooks videos with first-time buyer tips, not just listing walk-throughs [12:10].
- Avoiding misconceptions: Doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as just “Queen Creek realtor” or “luxury only”—actively balances content to broaden scope [14:16].
Instagram Tactics: Content Types, Trends, and Engagement
- Top-performing content: Educational reels, lifestyle segments, and insider tips on the area—not just house tours [12:10].
- Feed vs. stories: Stories are for personal connection and engagement, while feed is for authority-building and content with broader reach.
- Carousels rise: Currently, carousels are outperforming reels for post engagement [20:23].
- Green screens: Uses green screen for market updates—simple, authentic, and “feels more like FaceTime” [16:25].
- Trending audio: Will try trending reels occasionally to seem more relatable, but keeps everything true to her values—no negativity or profanity [17:24].
- Shannon personally replies to every DM and values real, human connection, despite her large following [17:55].
Consistency, Planting Seeds, and Engagement Philosophy
- Consistency: “It took me probably six months of consistently posting before I started to get calls.” Success is lagging and cumulative [18:46].
- Planting long-term seeds: Even when results aren’t immediate, brand recall grows (“...in a year, their husband could get a job relocation, and guess who they’re going to think of?”) [19:26].
- Posting schedule: Five stories daily, three to four feed posts a week—all with an eye toward consistency and warm audience nurturing [20:23].
- Engagement loop: Active stories audience feeds feed post engagement—“...I've got this whole, like, fan club on my stories.” [21:06]
- Challenge issued: Both agree to show up more on stories for 30 days (audience invited, too) [22:09].
Integrating Family, Boundaries, and Work-Life “Traditions”
- Shannon prioritizes family by scheduling time in her calendar before work appointments—“like, it's a $3 million listing consult.” [23:09]
- Friday family night: Non-negotiable tradition; practical tip for working moms on maintaining balance and boundaries [23:09].
- Intentionally posts about both work and family routines to model discipline and consistency to clients and followers alike.
Video Hooks, CTAs, and Using Tools for Lead Gen
- ManyChat revelation: Recently started using automated DMs (“comment ‘guide’ to get my free seller guide”), and was surprised at the surge of engagement [25:12].
- Scriptwriting hack: Uses ChatGPT to mimic tone of favorite video creators for script hooks (“Write this like Kelsey...”) [26:26].
- Big lesson: Nail your hook and CTA up front—“Your first few seconds of your video is the most important.” [27:15]
Faith, Vulnerability, and Leading with Purpose
- Candidly discusses sharing her faith and the initial discomfort: “You feel weird sharing that you’re at your daughter’s soccer game...because all of our sellers follow us on social media and homes aren’t selling fast. So they’re like, oh my gosh, they’re gonna see I’m at the soccer game and not hustling. And I'm like, who cares?” [28:13]
- Personal conviction: “I feel like God gave me this platform for a reason, and I've always been very bold to share my faith and behind the scenes at church...” [28:46]
- Launching The Awaken Summit: Overcame nerves to create a faith-based real estate conference, driven by audience demand and a sense of calling. All major speakers (including Super Bowl champion Steve Weatherford) agreed to waive fees to participate [29:30–34:25].
- Accessible event: Tickets are $99, with scholarships available for those in need [35:10].
Event Promotion & Final Advice
- Katelyn’s launch wisdom: “I do something called sales in seven. When I launch a product...I post about something seven days in a row. And I really think you need to lean into the sales in seven—and you need to post about this conference seven freaking days in a row.” [34:47]
- Shannon admits surprise that not everyone sees her posts, despite frequent promotion—a common content creator oversight. Both agree: promote more than feels comfortable [36:12].
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On authenticity:
“You attract more clients being like yourself than trying to be for everyone.” — Shannon Gillette [09:56]
-
On posting real life:
“Posting your morning routine is really powerful. Posting your family traditions...I put my family in my calendar like, it’s a $3 million listing consult.” — Shannon Gillette [22:23]
-
On consistency:
“Plant those seeds and they’re going to think of you. That’s the power of social.” — Shannon Gillette [19:26]
-
On faith and business:
“God gave me this platform and he's blessed me with so many sales...I couldn't imagine being a small business owner without faith.” — Shannon Gillette [28:46]
Key Timestamps
- 02:36 — Shannon’s backstory and beginnings in real estate
- 05:37 — Instagram Stories as “reality TV”; the mozzarella stick moment
- 06:37 — Commitment to 5 stories daily & the distinction between stories and feed content
- 10:24 — Defining and sharing her core personal content pillars
- 12:10 — Types of content that drive the most engagement and growth
- 16:25 — Green screen and market updates
- 20:23 — Posting cadence and rise of carousels
- 25:12 — Using ManyChat and hooks for high-engagement reels
- 28:13 — Discussing faith online and boundaries between personal and business life
- 29:30–34:25 — The Awaken Summit: Vision, audience, and speakers
- 34:47 — Katelyn’s “Sales in Seven” principle for event/page promotion
Connect with Shannon & The Awaken Summit
- Instagram: @shannon_gillette
- Awaken Summit: awakensummit.com — February 17, 2026, Phoenix
Final Takeaways
- Consistency in authentic, everyday sharing fosters real trust and lucrative relationships.
- Don’t be afraid to show who you are and what matters to you—your right-fit clients will be drawn in.
- Use Stories for intimacy and engagement; use feed posts for authority and reach.
- Don’t underestimate the power of simple engagement hacks (hooks, CTAs, daily DMs).
- If it doesn’t feel a little scary or outside your comfort zone, you’re probably not going deep enough!
“Just show up as yourself and do a little bit more connecting with the people that already follow you because they already love you and trust you. So why not just nurture that?”
— Katelyn Rhoades [38:16]