Call Her Creator with Katelyn Rhoades

Episode 97: How to Grow Your Instagram & Reels Audience Fast: The Step-By-Step Growth Formula

Release Date: November 5, 2025
Host: Katelyn Rhoades

Episode Overview

In this actionable episode, Katelyn Rhoades shares her comprehensive, step-by-step growth formula for rapidly growing an Instagram and Reels audience. Drawing from her experience as a seven-figure agency founder and social media strategist, Katelyn dissects the latest tactics and mindset shifts creators and entrepreneurs need to build true community, optimize their profiles, and convert followers into buyers—without the burnout. This episode is packed with practical tips, personal stories, and strategic insights to help listeners transform their Instagram presence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mindset Primer: Consistency & Small Steps

• [01:02] Katelyn shares motivational insights from The 5am Club by Robin Sharma, emphasizing the power of daily incremental improvements in achieving mastery.
  • Quote: “Consistency is the DNA of mastery and small, daily, seemingly insignificant improvements, when done consistently over time, yield staggering results.” — Robin Sharma (Shared by Katelyn at [02:20])
  • Katelyn ties this to both personal life (morning routines as a mom of two) and business: “The tiny little details in our business, in our lives, are really what make up the big things. So don’t sleep on the tiny things.” ([04:16])

2. Social Media Update: Instagram’s Creator AI

• [05:16] Brief scoop on Instagram’s upcoming “Creator AI”—soon, creators may build AI avatars to interact with their audience via chatbots in DMs and comments.
  • Katelyn expresses both curiosity and caution: “Really creepy, but it’s something that could totally happen. So we’ll just have to see.” ([06:41])

3. The Step-by-Step Instagram Growth Formula

Pre-Tactic Warning: Never Buy Followers

• [09:04] Katelyn warns against buying fake followers, explaining how it damages engagement and can freeze account growth.
  • Quote: “They’re not going to buy from you, engage, or give your posts any love. The algorithm’s going to see your post not getting any love, and then your content is just going to die into nothing land.” ([09:33])

Tactic 1: Build a Strong Personal Brand

• [10:51-12:40]
  • Optimize your profile so new visitors instantly know what you offer.
  • Katelyn uses the analogy: “Would you walk into a store if you had absolutely no idea what it sold?”
  • Action: Clarify who you help and how; keep branding (colors, fonts, content pillars) consistent.
  • Resource: Free Instagram Profile Audit linked in episode notes.

Tactic 2: Create a Cohesive Feed

• [13:41]
  • Consistency in colors, themes, and content pillars matters more than perfection.
  • “First impressions matter… Are they going to see your face or logo? The same colors or fonts?”
  • Katelyn recommends using templates, especially for those struggling to develop branding.

Tactic 3: Develop a Hashtag Strategy

• [15:42]
  • Use a “hashtag vault” with niche, location, and industry-specific tags.
  • Use tools like Flick for research and analytics.
  • “It cuts a lot of time because Flick’s already telling me ‘Hey, this one’s working. Keep using it.’” ([16:45])

Tactic 4: Post at the Right Time

• [17:44]
  • Monitor when your audience is most active for optimal reach.
  • Katelyn suggests journaling post times and evaluating what works.
  • “If I had to rate it… I’d probably say like a six [out of ten], but I do still think it’s very important.” ([19:02])

Tactic 5: Partner with Others

• [19:35]
  • Collaborate with creators in your niche—via Reels, carousel posts, or IG Live.
  • Emphasis on peer-to-peer (similar size) collabs.
  • “Micro-influencers actually have a higher engagement rate than these bigger influencers.” ([21:04])

Tactic 6: Create More Reels

• [22:06]
  • Reels outperform other content types for discoverability.
  • Katelyn's Reels Tips:
    • Start with a sharp hook (6 words or less; numbers work well)
    • Use trending audio (even behind original voice)
    • Add on-screen text for viewers without sound (“85% of people watch reels without the sound”)
    • Prioritize high-quality, watermark-free videos
  • Tool mention: instavideosave.net to remove watermarks.

Tactic 7: Share Memes & “Share-Worthy” Content

• [24:50]
  • Adam Mosseri (IG CEO) has confirmed shares are a key algorithm factor.
  • Memes, relatable/inspirational posts, and newsworthy content increase shares organically.

Tactic 8: Remix Top Performing Reels

• [26:08]
  • “If I see a really funny reel… I’m probably going to remix it and put my own spin.”
  • Caution: Remix carefully—stick to meme/cultural content to avoid confusion or backlash.
  • Instagram’s built-in feature gives credit; always remix ethically.

Tactic 9: The Burger King Method

• [27:45]
  • Learn from competitors’ successes instead of reinventing the wheel.
  • Example: “Burger King just builds directly across the road from McDonald’s… It’s brilliance.”
  • Study multiple competitors for content strategies and audience insights.

Tactic 10: Use Threads for Cross-Platform Reach

• [30:02]
  • Text-based “threads” now appear in Facebook feeds too.
  • Increases awareness; drives cross-following between apps.
  • “The cool thing is, it doesn’t have to be prim and polished… it’s just text.”

Tactic 11: Boost Top-Performing Content

• [31:56]
  • Throw paid boost behind posts already performing well to expand reach to targeted groups.
  • “You don’t have to do a lot of research… find what content performed, then throw a little money at it.”

Tactic 12: Increase Posting Frequency

• [33:22]
  • More posts = more potential engagement, reach, and growth.
  • Katelyn doubled her own posts and saw corresponding lift in metrics.
  • Test for 30 days, evaluate, and adjust accordingly.

Tactic 13: Use Early Trending Audio

• [34:11]
  • Jump on trending audio tracks before they become saturated—ideally under 5,000 uses.
  • “If you’re seeing over 10,000 people… stay away from it.”
  • Early trends offer best chance for discoverability.

Tactic 14: Ask for Engagement

• [36:07]
  • Instruct your audience clearly: ask them to comment, tag, or share.
  • “You’re giving them action to take, they’re more likely to take it.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On incremental progress:
  “Just doing one tiny improvement a week can truly improve you into mastery. It just takes those little tiny things.” ([03:05])
• On profile optimization:
  “If someone lands on your profile and they have no idea what you are there to offer, they’re probably not going to follow you.” ([11:22])
• On buying followers:
  “The vanity metrics are cool. Wow, they gave me 10,000 followers. But then what guys? …Those people aren’t going to engage with you on your profile.” ([09:41])
• On boosting content:
  “I’m a very big organic girl, but I do love me some boosting in the back of Instagram and Facebook.” ([32:07])
• On action and engagement:
  “If you are straightforward with them, tell them to comment a word or emoji… they’re more likely to take it.” ([36:14])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:20 — Episode intent and listener promise
• 01:02 — Book/Mindset segment—Robin Sharma, “The 5am Club”
• 05:16 — Instagram’s Creator AI update
• 09:04 — Why buying followers is a mistake
• 10:51 — Start of actionable growth tactics
• 13:41 — How to create a cohesive IG feed
• 15:42 — Building a hashtag strategy
• 17:44 — Posting at the right time
• 19:35 — Partnering with others
• 22:06 — Reels strategy breakdown
• 24:50 — Share-worthy content, memes, and algorithm
• 26:08 — Remixing reels ethically
• 27:45 — The Burger King competitor method
• 30:02 — Leveraging Threads for expanded reach
• 31:56 — Boosting your top performing posts
• 33:22 — Increasing posting frequency
• 34:11 — Early trending audio for Reels
• 36:07 — Always ask for engagement

Additional Resources Mentioned

• Free Instagram Profile Audit (linked in episode notes)
• Flick for hashtag research
• Canva Template Membership and “Club Influence” (episode offer: use code CHC for 20% off; [26:32])
• instavideosave.net (to remove watermarks from repurposed videos)

Tone & Takeaways

Katelyn’s delivery is warm, friendly, and practical. She combines tangible tactics (“Here’s what’s working now, step by step”) with honest, real talk about the work required and the mindset shifts needed (“Content doesn’t have to be overwhelming, it just needs to be intentional”). The episode is geared toward action, closing with encouragement to experiment, track results, and focus on genuine community and brand.

For anyone looking to systematically grow their Instagram in 2025—especially creators, coaches, and small business owners—this episode delivers a clear, immediately actionable playbook.