Call Her Creator with Katelyn Rhoades: Episode 40 Summary

Title: Engagement Down? Use These Instagram Tactics That Work with the Algorithm
Release Date: October 2, 2024
Host: Katelyn Rhoades
Powered by: Stan

Introduction

In Episode 40 of Call Her Creator with Katelyn Rhoades, host Katelyn Rhoades addresses a pressing concern among creators and entrepreneurs: declining Instagram engagement. Drawing from her extensive experience in social media marketing, Katelyn provides actionable strategies to navigate Instagram's fluctuating algorithm and rejuvenate engagement metrics.

Current Instagram Landscape

At the episode's onset, Katelyn discusses recent updates from Meta, highlighting the introduction of teen accounts for users under 16. She emphasizes the importance of age restrictions, stating:

"I didn't look into what the age limit was... I think that our brains are not wired all the way when we're under the age of 16, truly under the age of 21, if we're being honest."
— Katelyn Rhoades [03:09]

She acknowledges successful young creators like Charlotte Tucker, who have leveraged social media effectively, yet underscores the necessity for parental oversight and appropriate age limits.

Understanding Engagement Rates

Katelyn breaks down the concept of engagement rate, a critical metric for assessing content performance. She explains:

"Engagement rate is likes + comments + saves divided by the reach times a hundred."
— Katelyn Rhoades [04:28]

She recommends using tools like Flick Social for automated calculations and emphasizes the importance of monitoring this rate to refine content strategies.

Tactics to Boost Engagement

1. Leveraging Instagram Stories

   • Poll Stickers: Katelyn advises using poll stickers to initiate simple, engaging conversations.

     "Use an easy to answer question for them... they're not going to give up. You're going to try these tactics and you're going to start seeing some life again on your account."
     — Katelyn Rhoades [05:53]

   • Interactive Stickers: Incorporate various stickers like question, quiz, and emoji sliders to increase interaction, which signals to the algorithm that your content is engaging.

2. Creating Shareable Content

   • Types of Shareable Content:
     • Memes: Should relate to your industry to resonate with like-minded audiences.
     • Humor: Incorporate funny or unexpected elements to humanize your brand.
     • Motivational Quotes: Share inspiring messages that followers feel compelled to repost.
   • Implementation Tips:

     "If you don't know how to utilize carousels the right way... you have to think they're going to be like scrolling through, reading it."
     — Katelyn Rhoades [05:37]

3. Maximizing Reels

   • Katelyn emphasizes that reels remain a dominant force in driving engagement on Instagram.

     "Reels are still number one when it comes to driving traffic to your profile, getting engagement on your content, likes, comments, shares, all of that."
     — Katelyn Rhoades [06:40]

   • She shares her personal experience of pivoting from carousels to reels, noting significant improvements in reach and interaction.

4. Effective Call to Actions (CTAs)

   • Specificity: Clearly instruct your audience on how to engage with your content.

     "Be very specific with what you want your audience to do next."
     — Katelyn Rhoades [07:00]

   • Examples of CTAs:
     • Encourage the use of emojis in responses.
     • Ask followers to share content with specific friends or groups.

5. Optimal Posting Times

   • Katelyn underscores the importance of timing, advocating for posts when your target audience is most active.

     "If I post at 7am... but if I post at 7:30pm when my target audience is in their bed scrolling their phone, it's probably gonna get a lot more traction."
     — Katelyn Rhoades [07:45]

   • She advises using analytics tools like Metricool to determine the best times to post, rather than relying solely on Instagram's suggestions.

6. Strategic Use of Hashtags

   • Variety Over Repetition: Avoid using the same set of hashtags repeatedly to prevent being flagged as spam.

     "Make a document with all kinds of hashtags that you can use, but then just pick and choose like five of them every other time for your post."
     — Katelyn Rhoades [08:20]

   • Analytics Tools: Utilize services like Flick Social to identify which hashtags drive the most engagement.

7. The 5:5:5 Engagement Rule

   • Daily Routine:
     • 5 Minutes on Feed: Comment on posts that resonate with you.
     • 5 Minutes on Stories: Engage with stories and respond authentically.
     • 5 Minutes on Explore: Discover and interact with new content.
   • Katelyn shares her personal success with this method, noting increased follower counts and more meaningful interactions.

     "I have seen our followers are slowly going up. I do think that the engagement that we're doing over there is actually helping."
     — Katelyn Rhoades [11:10]

Additional Insights and Recommendations

• Algorithmic Trends: Katelyn observes that overall engagement may remain subdued until after major events like elections or the holiday season, advising creators to maintain patience and adapt strategies accordingly.

• Diversifying Platforms: She encourages expanding presence beyond Instagram to platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Threads, and LinkedIn to mitigate the impact of low engagement on a single platform.

Conclusion

Katelyn Rhoades wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of persistence and strategic adaptation in the face of Instagram's evolving algorithm. She invites listeners to implement at least one or two of the discussed tactics to see tangible improvements in their engagement metrics. Additionally, she encourages feedback through reviews and direct messages to tailor future content to the audience's needs.

"Don't get down on yourself too hard if you are seeing low numbers... Try to implement at least maybe one to two things from this list that I just gave you, you should still see some traction going on there."
— Katelyn Rhoades [14:30]

For those eager to dive deeper, Katelyn promotes her 60-Day Reels Challenge available on her Stan store, designed to provide a structured approach to mastering Instagram reels.

Empower your creator journey with Katelyn Rhoades by tuning into Call Her Creator—where practical strategies meet real-world success stories to help you turn your passion into profit.