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Foreign. I am your host, Shannon McKinstry. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation, guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked. Good Content. Quick warning. I'm gonna get a little intense on today's episode, but we are gonna keep it short and sweet like usual. I know the last couple episodes were a little longer than nor, but I've got really exciting news to share with you and I also will be giving you some quick win ideas as always. But I want to talk about this epic sale that I just had for the Reels Lab and why it means so much to me that it worked. But real quick, I think I'm feeling a little feisty because I just got back from the beach. I feel so relaxed. I feel like I've taken such a big deep breath in recent months. Obviously been with help from my coach and just really making sure because you know, I get imposter syndrome daily. Like, let's keep it real. I'm also someone who really, I like to say, you know, gives a shit. Like, I really, really care about helping people. So when I get DMS from you guys all the time saying like, I'm a little nervous to join the Rails Lab, I've been duped or I joined this thing, I bought this course, I took this thing and it didn't work or. Or it overwhelmed me and now I feel like I'm more behind than ever. It literally breaks my heart. I literally have like, I have to take a deep breath and hopefully transfer it through the DMs because I just feel so bad and honestly sick because this is what I've been hearing forever now. When I had a small following, I was hearing it too, but like, I couldn't really get it out there. So now that I can talk to more of you, I feel like it's something we just need to talk about. So today's episode is one about. It's going to be about a few things, but definitely imposter syndrome. How to have a crazy ridiculous cash day like I did. And again, the secret to marketing in general. Okay, first things first. I. When we started the Reels Lab a couple years ago, I was like, I will. I will never put this thing on sale because I already priced it at a price that is, in my opinion, I feel very comfortable doing it at that price because I know what else is out there and what the prices are. And mine has way more one on one support Way better stuff. I just, I stand on that. That is a hill I will die on. Because I used to charge Rails lab. It was called red carpet reels and was $5,000 for three months. So to help more people, I dropped it to 297. And here we go. Right. Because I knew it worked with a smaller group of people. And of course smaller group of people, more support, $5,000 for three months. But I was like, this is too good. And the results were so good. I was like, I've got to scale this thing. So I created the rail slab and it's been a huge success. You know, it's made over $2 million. And I, it's changed my life, my family's life. And I'm one of those people who money, I don't like to talk about it. I feel gross even saying that I make what I make because I, I. My first job I made 23,000. You know, my last job before this, I made 50 ish thousand a year. I just thought that's what I would make the rest of my life. So it just feels. But I'm saying this to say what I love and why I love talking about this stuff now openly is to make sure that you know what's possible, because it is. And again, I was a B minus student, never on the honor roll, you know, was definitely not the book. Smart girl. I still don't know how I got into Virginia Tech. I think it was my essay. I don't know guys. By the grace of God, right? But yeah, I want you to know, whatever ceiling you've given yourself, blow the roof off this. Now I say this to say, when we finally did, we did a Black Friday sale last year. I was like, okay, let's do a little coupon code. I was like, why not? You know what let's do? Let's do a sale on the Rails lab. Fine. But you know, we didn't have a lot of like a funnel behind it. It was just like a quick little Black Friday and we got a lot of people in. But of course, as you do sales like this, usually people, they leave, they come in, they get what they want and they dip out. Right now we had about half of the people that joined stay, but I was like, we this, we need to do the next sale smarter. So we didn't do a major launch. We had an email sequence that went for four days. I think there was one email day and then three on the last day. My email list has let me go. Look, just so I don't make up numbers. Let's see, my email list has. I have 26,771 subscribers. So not huge. But. And then I did not push this sale on a post or a reel at all. It was emails. And I did a few Instagram stories because guess what, your girl was at the beach. Which is why I'm feeling refreshed. And now I'm all feisty because I'm feeling like my brain is going. Cause I had a break. I posted on stories, I think. Actually, let me tell you how many stories I did. So we started the sale on August 5, which was a Wednesday. I mentioned it on stories twice. So two stories on Wednesday. I didn't mention the sale at all on the 6th. And then I mentioned it one time on the 7th, one story. I usually post about 5 to 10 stories a day. And then on August 8th, I shared. I didn't share about it at all. And then on August 9, I said, hey, last. This is it. So 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 stories total that I mentioned the sale and my story views. Can I see the story views on these? I can't see the numbers, but my story views range. Sometimes it's 5,000, sometimes it's. But they're not, they're not very high. We all know story views are. I forget the average, but it's pretty low. So if your story views are low. Actually, let me look it up. So you know, I just googled it. It says 6.5% for small accounts down to 1.2% for large accounts. So if you have under 10,000 followers, it's saying your view rate is about 6.5%. So I'm at over 200,000 followers. So my view rate is like 1.2. So yeah, about 3,600 views. So I'm very happy when I get over 3,000, but sometimes they're 2,000. So again, that means on average 2 to 3,000 people saw these stories. And so six stories, seven ish emails over four days. And we ran ads and I just confirmed just now with our team, total number of ads. Because I'm not a big ads person. I just. Oh, I don't know again. And highly suggest running ads in your business. But again, you don't want to. You want to run it off content that's already working, that's already converting. That's one big. But definitely hire someone in ads. It is such a complicated thing, guys. So Anyway, we spent 593.37 on ads. That was our ad spend. You ready for how much. It made $141,756. That is insane. And the membership makes about 80,000amonth already. So that's on top of. And members that are already members that upgrade it because we. And this is what we did. So we took a hundred dollars off for the first month, meaning you can come in for 197 for the first month, grab everything you want and dip out if you want. Don't advise that because I don't advise that, obviously. But if money's tight and you're like, I just need to learn as much as I can for a month from Shannon, I'm not mad at you. And then if you walk in for the year, it's 197amonth, but they pay in full for the whole year. So current members were like, oh wait, we want to upgrade. So member upgrade of current members was 25 people. So. And that was really, really exciting because I love my people and I'm like, oh yeah, they're ready to go a full year. So those are the numbers, right? And it's a digital product that was already existing, so didn't have to spend time. It was just emails and some stories. But I say this to say the reason I love helping you guys understand how much money there is to be made is because I know. And I hope, I at least hope, but I just know I meet. I've met so many of my people in real life and every time I do, I'm like, y' all are truly my people. You are good, kind hearted people who want to use their money for good things, right? I always joke that, like, one of my favorite things about what we've been able to do is one, buy our beach house. Which right now, my friend Autumn and her boyfriend and family are there right now. I like the fact that I'm able to be like, oh, my friend wants to have a summer vacation. Hey, go, go for a week. Here's the lockbox, right? That's one of my favorite things in the world. And you know, obviously giving back to charities and being able to invest in other entrepreneurs. Right? We have Julia who comes over every week and meal preps for us. We have a house manager who helps me just make sure things are in order around the house. Right? Because my husband, I both work from home. It's just chaos. We got the kids, we got three pets. You know what I mean? I'm able to invest in other people. I'm able to help other people pay their bills. And in the Rails Lab, I'M able to help people change their lives with the content they create, and it's ethical content. So this is where I'm gonna get a little feisty. So I, after some conversations with people, the reason I reduced the Reels lab, because again, like I said, I don't like doing sales, because I do. I really do feel like it's already priced very fairly. And actually, when you get in the Rails lab, you get all the previous month's content. So it's like you technically get a month free. But the reason I did it, and I hope that's not coming off nasty, I just know even if someone were to come in at full price for a month, they're still getting 2 to $3,000 worth of value. But this is what I was hearing for the past few months, and it was breaking my heart. For the past two months, actually, lots of dms. I was duped. I invested in so and so, and it was completely overwhelming. And I don't. And I'm kicking myself. Everyone I talked to felt ashamed. On top of just feeling already behind on Instagram and feeling like they can't get any traction. They can't. They're struggling. They can't do it. They're already panicking because they need this to work. They've now been duped by a coach, expert, et cetera. And for that, I was almost close to being like, you know what? Let's give everyone a month free. But I just feel like, I don't know, this is not fair to the people inside and blah, blah, blah, blah. So I am trying to think of something. I mean, I do offer something for free. I have my hooked up freebie and my, my masterclass and all that stuff too. But basically I ran the sale because I just love my people so much, and I was like, I feel horrible that that happened and let's do it. Because I know as a marketer and as someone who creates content for a living, but creates content for other people as well, if you can make people feel safe and seen and heard, you've got them in a good way, in an ethical way. Right? There's a lot of people who do marketing really, really well, but that doesn't mean they're good at what they do. They're just really good marketers. And I see it a lot in my world, in the fitness world, in the real estate world, it's everywhere. It's everywhere. It's in your world. I know you're going, mm, like, raise your hand right now. I know I can't see you, but, like, raise your hand if you've been duped. And I think it's because I. I really try very hard. Because even when I was a baby social media manager in 2015 and coaches were up in my DMs being like, join my mastermind. It's $6,000. And I'm like, we were paycheck to paycheck. We were maxed out. We were in medical debt because of the traumatic birth I had with Camden. We were renting this tiny apartment. Then they would say things like, you'll never make money as a social media manager. You need to become a coach. And I saw all the social media managers in my field switching to coaching, and guess what? I don't think a lot of them are still doing what they do anymore, because it burned them out. They followed people who pressured them, made them feel guilty, shamed them for doing what they like, even if it didn't make them a lot of money. Did I make any money in the first five years of my business? Heck, no. Lol. Okay. I loved it. And at the time. Now, do I always say now? Invest before you're ready? Yeah, but not if you have to open a credit card and go into debt over it. I would never. And I've never, ever pressured anyone into buying anything that they bought for me. And do you know how many refunds I've given over the years? Someone's just like, ooh, I actually thought it was here. Here's your money. There's so many people out there like me. You guys read their terms and conditions. Go to their value statements. Ask people. I. People will be like, hey, can I talk to someone that's in the Rails lab? Yeah. Here you go. Here's five of them. I don't want you spending money and ever regretting a darn thing because I've been there. And it does. It feels embarrassing. It makes you sick to your stomach. So I'm telling you right now, that's why I did the sale. And I think people could feel it, and I think that's why it was so successful. It wasn't because I did gimmicks I didn't do right. And, like, you're gonna. You're gonna be so behind if you don't do this. I did it because I want y' all to win. So trust me, you will never get any shame from me. And that was the way of selling many, many years ago. But we know right now people are in a panic. There's a lot happening, right? And you're just like, it's content. And like, I love to tell y', all, it's not that deep. You don't need to take a course. You don't need to and in fact don't because the course you take right now it probably obsolete. You need someone who is in marketing, whether it's you. You hire a content creator, a social media manager, you hop into my reels lab. You need someone who is on top of it and giving. Literally just handing you, here's what to say, here's what to do, here's the hook to use to make it unique. And you so just know if you have a feeling in your gut that it's not right. And even if it was me and you're like, I don't really know, my teaching style isn't for everyone and that's okay. But just know if someone is making you feel like you have to do things one way, run sprint. Because I don't teach that way and neither do any of my friends in this world. Like, like if I was in the hospital for like a month, there's so many people I would know that I'd be like, here. I'm gonna have her handle it because I fully know that they will not mess anything up. And then there's ones in our field that aren't like that and I hate that because a lot of em are really good marketers, but doesn't mean they're great teachers, doesn't mean they're great business people. Just be careful. And I know sometimes you just gotta get burned to know what it feels like. I also want you guys to know with this, like, enjoy the climb. That sounds so whack. Like who am I, Miley Cyrus, right? Like it's the climb or whatever. But like if you're in the trenches right now, I want you to document it. Cuz that reel a year or two from now where you're like me two years ago, me now you're gonna be so glad you have that video to look back on. So with that said, a tip for you for quick win. This is what I want you to create this week. I want you to start sharing your values. Because I truly believe this is why I made $141,000 on a weekend that I was at the beach with my kids and barely on my phone. Because if, when people trust you and whether it's 1,000 followers or 10,000, trust is everything, guys. Trust is something. Once you have their trust, it's hard to break it unless you do something unethical Right? And this is a perfect example. Her reel just says and it's video of her at the library with her kids reading a book. Simple B roll. I think the library is cooler than Target. And under it as a little sub hook, three seconds later, three library perks I can't believe are free right away. You know a lot about this woman. She barely said a thing. But you already know she's more into price sustainability, being present low screen time. Right. What are your values? And if you don't have a value statement yet, I'm begging you. You need like I always love to tell people like I don't care. All are welcome. Everyone's welcome. In my community. Kind people only. Ethical marketing. No gimmicks, no sleaziness. Right? Like that. These are the things I stand on. It's why I've grown a lot slower. But I won't do it any other way. This is to show you because doing what I've known to always trust myself has gotten me where I am today. So we'll end it with this. And for me, if I were doing this reel, I would say I think posting whatever you want is cooler than following a content calendar. Something like that. Right? And then I would say like my favorite hooks for people stuck in 3 interview jail. Incredible. I kind of want to ask her like how many followers did you get from that? Because it looks like she's kind of new ish creator. But yeah, so but it looks like very high compared to her other content. Looks like this is really like one of her really highest ones. And then everyone in the comments. You make me feel seen. Love the library. I can't wait to do this with my kids one day. Cheaper too. The public library is the best. Hands down. You are inviting people into your world. Social media is inviting people into your world again and again and again. And sharing what you stand for. Start standing for something. Share your values. Even if it says something silly and simple. As you like the library more than Target. If that makes sense for what your account is about, say it. So take that, think about it and I'll talk to you next week. And make sure you've looked at the post because you're listening to this on a Tuesday. Make sure you look at my post from yesterday with the hooks. Cause they're fire if you can't afford my stuff yet. Don't worry. Like that's why I've got this podcast. That's why I share this stuff on Mondays. There the you know the full thing on Mondays. That's why I have my free masterclass. Grab everything you can. I love you, and I just hope this inspired you today.
Host: Shannon McKinstrie
In this episode, Shannon McKinstrie shares hard-won insights on how ethical marketing and trust fuel sustainable sales growth. Drawing from her personal journey—including a remarkable $141,000 sales weekend for The Reels Lab—Shannon unpacks why transparent, values-driven content wins over manipulative tactics. She addresses the prevalence of imposter syndrome, the pain of being burned by bad digital products, and the practical ways to nurture an audience’s trust for long-lasting business growth, all with her trademark candor and warmth.
“My first job I made 23,000. You know, my last job before this, I made 50-ish thousand a year. I just thought that's what I'd make the rest of my life.” (08:15)
“There's a lot of people who do marketing really, really well, but that doesn't mean they're good at what they do. They're just really good marketers.” (19:56)
“I've never, ever pressured anyone into buying anything that they bought from me… I don't want you spending money and ever regretting a darn thing because I've been there.” (18:37)
“I ran the sale because I just love my people so much, and I was like, I feel horrible that that happened and let’s do it.” (21:44)
“Start standing for something. Share your values. Even if it's something silly and simple as you like the library more than Target.” (32:10)
“If you're in the trenches right now, I want you to document it. Cuz that reel a year or two from now where you're like me two years ago, me now—you’re gonna be so glad you have that video to look back on.” (29:35)
On the Sales Campaign:
“We spent $593.37 on ads… It made $141,756. That is insane.” (14:05)
On Being Burned by Coaches:
“Everyone I talked to felt ashamed… They’re already panicking because they need this to work. They’ve now been duped by a coach, expert, etc.” (16:32)
On Transparency & Refunds:
“Do you know how many refunds I’ve given over the years? Someone’s just like, ‘Ooh, I actually thought it was—’ Here’s your money.” (19:15)
On Enjoying the Process:
“Enjoy the climb. That sounds so whack—like who am I, Miley Cyrus, right?” (29:21)
On What to Say in Reels:
“If I were doing this reel, I would say: ‘I think posting whatever you want is cooler than following a content calendar.’” (34:10)
Shannon McKinstrie’s episode is both a playbook and a pep talk for entrepreneurs who want to “level up” without losing their integrity or joy. Trust, transparency, and values aren’t just the right way—they’re the long game for growing a sustainable business and living well.