Getting Visible on Instagram: The Strategies I’m Loving Right Now

Summary

Podcast Summary: Social Media Decoded – “Getting Visible on Instagram: The Strategies I’m Loving Right Now”

Host: Michelle Thames
Release Date: December 16, 2024
Podcast: Social Media Decoded
Episode Title: Getting Visible on Instagram: The Strategies I’m Loving Right Now

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Introduction

In the latest episode of Social Media Decoded, host Michelle Thames dives deep into the ever-evolving landscape of Instagram, addressing common challenges faced by creatives, influencers, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Michelle's mission is to demystify social media strategies, enabling listeners to grow their brands, attract more clients, and monetize their online presence effectively.

“Instagram is always changing, always evolving, and keeping up can feel like a full-time job.”
— Michelle Thames [00:32]

Why Visibility Matters on Instagram

Michelle begins by emphasizing the critical importance of visibility on Instagram. She explains that mere likes and follows are insufficient; true visibility involves reaching the right audience, building trust, and driving meaningful actions such as sales, service bookings, or direct inquiries.

“Visibility is about more than just getting likes and follows. It is about showing up in front of the right audience, building trust, and ultimately driving people to take action.”
— Michelle Thames [01:15]

Strategies for Boosting Visibility

Michelle outlines four primary strategies that are currently effective in enhancing Instagram visibility. These strategies are actionable, tested by Michelle herself, and proven successful for her clients.

1. Prioritizing Reels

Michelle highlights the significance of Instagram Reels in the platform’s algorithm, noting that short-form video content remains a powerful tool for increasing reach.

• Simplicity is Key: Reels don’t need to be overly complicated. Simple, relatable, and entertaining content performs best.
• Content Ideas: Quick tips, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and answering frequently asked questions about your business are effective formats.
• Utilizing Audio Trends: Even evergreen content benefits from trending audio, which can boost reach.

“Your reels don’t have to be over the top or complicated. Simple, easy, K.I.S.S—keep it simple.”
— Michelle Thames [02:45]

2. Mastering Carousels

Carousels allow for the delivery of substantial value within a single post, encouraging deeper engagement.

• Structure: Treat each carousel like a series of mini-blog posts. Start with a compelling hook on the first slide, followed by detailed information in subsequent slides.
• Visual Appeal: Use bold, easy-to-read text combined with engaging visuals to maintain interest.
• Call to Action: Always include a call to action on the final slide, whether it’s to save the post, share it, or reach out via DM.
• Optimizing the Second Slide: Instagram often previews the second slide in users’ feeds, making it crucial for it to be impactful.

“Think of carousels as many blog posts. Start with the hook on the first slide and break it down slide by slide.”
— Michelle Thames [04:30]

3. Leveraging Instagram Stories

While Stories may not achieve the same reach as Reels or Carousels, they are invaluable for building connections and showcasing the human side of your brand.

• Content Ideas: Behind-the-scenes moments, daily routines, and interactive Q&A sessions.
• Consistency: Posting stories daily keeps your audience engaged and maintains top-of-mind awareness.

“Stories are your chance to show the human side of your brand.”
— Michelle Thames [06:00]

4. Optimizing Your Profile

Your Instagram profile serves as a digital business card and the first impression for potential followers and clients.

• Clear Bio: Clearly articulate who you are and how you help your audience. Use keywords that are searchable.
• Link in Bio: Utilize tools like Stan to organize and highlight important links, making it easy for visitors to find your offers and resources.

“Your Instagram profile is like your business card. Make sure it's working hard for you.”
— Michelle Thames [08:00]

Consistency: The Backbone of Success

Michelle underscores the importance of maintaining a consistent posting schedule. She provides practical tips to avoid burnout while adhering to a robust content strategy.

• Batch Content Creation: Create multiple pieces of content in one sitting to stay ahead.
• Automation Tools: Use scheduling tools like Later, Planoly, or Canva to automate posts, ensuring regularity without daily scrambling.
• Embrace Imperfection: It’s better to post consistently with good content than to wait for perfect posts. Quality should never be sacrificed for quantity, but consistency is paramount.
• Allow Breaks: Taking breaks when needed is essential for long-term sustainability, and your audience will understand.

“Quality over quantity, always.”
— Michelle Thames [10:30]

Recap of Key Strategies

Michelle summarizes the episode by reiterating the four main strategies to enhance Instagram visibility:

1. Prioritizing Reels
2. Mastering Carousels
3. Leveraging Stories
4. Optimizing Your Profile

These tactics are designed to be simple, actionable, and effective without causing overwhelm, allowing entrepreneurs to implement them immediately.

“These tactics are simple, actionable, and designed to help you get visible without feeling overwhelmed.”
— Michelle Thames [10:45]

Conclusion and Call to Action

In the concluding segment, Michelle encourages listeners to implement the discussed strategies and offers additional support through her one-on-one power hour sessions. She provides a special discount code for listeners to access personalized Instagram strategies tailored to their unique goals.

“If you're ready to create a customized Instagram strategy and you want to get results, my one-on-one power hour sessions are for you.”
— Michelle Thames [11:15]

Michelle wraps up by thanking her audience, urging them to share the episode, leave reviews, and engage by sharing which Instagram strategy they are most excited to try.

“Happy posting. You got this.”
— Michelle Thames [11:45]

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

1. On Keeping It Simple with Reels:
   “Your reels don’t have to be over the top or complicated. Simple, easy, K.I.S.S—keep it simple.”
   — Michelle Thames [02:45]

2. On Carousels as Mini-Blogs:
   “Think of carousels as many blog posts. Start with the hook on the first slide and break it down slide by slide.”
   — Michelle Thames [04:30]

3. On the Power of Stories:
   “Stories are your chance to show the human side of your brand.”
   — Michelle Thames [06:00]

4. On Profile Optimization:
   “Your Instagram profile is like your business card. Make sure it's working hard for you.”
   — Michelle Thames [08:00]

5. On Consistency:
   “Quality over quantity, always.”
   — Michelle Thames [10:30]

6. On Actionable Tactics:
   “These tactics are simple, actionable, and designed to help you get visible without feeling overwhelmed.”
   — Michelle Thames [10:45]

7. On Personalized Strategies:
   “If you're ready to create a customized Instagram strategy and you want to get results, my one-on-one power hour sessions are for you.”
   — Michelle Thames [11:15]

8. On Encouragement:
   “Happy posting. You got this.”
   — Michelle Thames [11:45]

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Social Media Decoded serves as a comprehensive guide for anyone looking to enhance their Instagram presence. Michelle Thames provides practical, tested strategies that are easy to implement, ensuring that listeners can achieve greater visibility and engagement without feeling overwhelmed. Whether you’re a seasoned influencer or just starting your social media journey, Michelle’s insights offer valuable guidance to navigate Instagram’s dynamic environment successfully.

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Stay Connected:
For more personalized advice, consider booking a one-on-one power hour session with Michelle Thames using the special discount code "decoded" available in the show notes.

Share and Subscribe:
If you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend, leave a review, and follow Social Media Decoded for more actionable social media strategies every week.

Transcript

[Stripe Representative]

Stripe helps many of the world's most influential companies grow their revenue and build a more profitable business. Whether it's Hertz making checkout a smooth ride for their customers, OpenAI answering unprecedented demand, or PGA chipping away at back office inefficiency, Stripe's financial infrastructure platform helps companies achieve ambitious goals. No matter what success looks like for your business, Stripe helps ensure the complexity of financial systems doesn't get in your way. Learn [e-mail] it's okay if you aren't.

[Michelle Thames]

Ready for kids right now. It's okay if you don't want to be a mom now, or even ever. It's nobody's decision but yours. But do you know what's not okay? Not knowing how effective your birth control is. Talk to your doctor about effective birth control options so you can make an informed decision. Tap to learn more. Hello everyone and welcome back to the Social Media Decoded Podcast. The number one podcast to help you understand social media better so that you grow your business, get more clients, and monetize. And I'm your host, Michelle Thames. And today we're diving into a platform that I know so many of you love and sometimes hate. Yep, Instagram. So if you've been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like your content just isn't landing, this episode, my friend, is for you. And Instagram is. And I mean always changing, always evolving, and keeping up can feel like a full time job. And that's why today I'm sharing the strategies that I'm loving right now. What's working, what's trending, and how you can get visible on Instagram in 2024, 2025 and beyond without burning out. Okay. Without burning out. From reels to carousels to optimizing your profile, I'm going to cover it all today in this episode and I want you to take it a step further and get a customized game plan. My one on one power hour sessions are here to help, but more on that later. Okay, let's get into it. So I want to start by painting the big picture. What does visibility even matter on Instagram? Why does it even matter? Because if no one sees your content, it doesn't matter how good it is. And in 2024, 2025, Instagram is a crowded space to stand out. You need to be intentional about your strategy. Visibility is about more than just getting likes and follows. Please let us get past that. It is about showing up in front of the right audience, building trust, and ultimately driving people to take action. That's what I care about. Whether that's buying your product, booking your service, or even just DMing you to learn more. It all starts with being visible. So let's get into the fun part. The strategies I'm loving right now and how you can boost visibility on Instagram. These are the exact tactics I'm using and recommending to my clients. And they work. I'm. You know, I'm never going to tell you nothing that I haven't tried that my clients aren't trying, that I'm not seeing other people do that I see that's working. Okay, so here are the strategies that I am loving right now. Prioritizing reels is just honest. Instagram is that place reels. Instagram is still heavy on pushing short form video and if you're not using reels, you're leaving a lot of potential visibility on the table. But here's the thing. Your reels don't have to be over the top or complicated. Simple, easy, K I S S Keep it simple, okay? The key to make them relatable. The key is really to make them relatable or entertaining. I want you to think about quick tips, behind the scenes moments, or even even you can answer some FAQs about your business. For example, if you're a business coach, you could create a reel that's titled three mistakes you're making in your marketing strategy. Short, sweet, to the point, impact with value. Boom. Like these podcast episodes. And don't forget about the trend of audio. It works still okay, even if your content is evergreen. Just put some sound on it, okay? So it can help it boost some reach. I know, I know. Instagram wants us to use the features, friend. They want us to use the features. The second thing that I really know is working is carousels. Okay? Carousels are my favorite way to pack a ton of value into one post. The best part? Instagram loves carousels because they encourage people to spend more time engaging with your content and here's how you can make them work for you. Think of carousels as many blog posts. Start with the hook on the first slide. Five tips to boost your Instagram engagement per se. Right? Then break it down slide by slide. Use bold and easy to read text and a mix of visuals and keep it interesting. I do this for my clients all the time and I use Canva. Yep, Canva. Super easy. And don't sleep on the last slide. Always include a call to action, whether it's to save the post or share it or DM you for more info. And I don't know if you've Noticed Instagram has started to share like the second slide. If you scroll, you'll see like it doesn't some people's posts that you see, the second slide is what you see. So they really want you to make that second slide the most powerful one too because they're going to show that to more people too. And then I'm really loving Instagram story. So stories might not get the same reaches, reels, okay, of course, or carousels, but they're where the magic of the connection happens 100%. Stories are your chance to show the human side of your brand. Think of behind the scenes sneak peeks, a day in the life, or even pose question and answer to spark engagement. But listen, the key here is consistently post to your stories daily. Even if it's something simple like sharing a motivational quote, asking a question. Remember, the goal is to stay top of mind to your audience. Okay, then let's talk about optimizing your profile. Your Instagram profile friend is like your business card. It is often the first thing people see when they discover you. So make sure it's working hard for you. Start with a clear searchable bio. Who are you and how do you help people? For example, mine says I'm a marketing strategist that helps women entrepreneurs and people in general. But I'm empowering multi passionate entrepreneurs. I'm the host of the social media Decoded podcast, I'm a speaker coach and I want to help you build your dream biz together. Okay? And it says I'm a marketing maven. So think of how you want to simplify. Short, sweet, to the point and don't forget your link in bio. You know you already know I use Stan. If you want to use Stan for your links for your courses, let me know. DM me the word Stan and I got a free 14 day trial for you, my friend. Okay. If you want to make it easy for people to find your offers, freebie or anything else you want to highlight, Stan is easy. And I got like a 14 day free course. If you don't even know how to use Stan, I'll send you an email every day that teaches you how to use Stan and all of its features. Okay? All of its features. And if you're ready to create a customized Instagram strategy and you want to get results, my one on one power hour sessions are for you. Whether you need help with content, ideas, real strategies, or optimizing your profile together, we will map out a plan that is tailored to your unique goals. Okay, if that sounds of interest to you click down below in the show notes to book your session today, okay? And oh wait, I'm going to give you a special code so that you can get some some money off because you listen to this podcast and I want to help you. And if you want that help, I am here and ready, okay? So the word is decoded, okay? The code is decoded if you want to book that session. So if you click down below in the show notes, enter the code decoded and you will get that discount. Okay, friend, now, now that. Now that we talked about the strategies, let's address the elephant in the room consistency. Because what's a good strategy if you're too burnt out to stick to it? That's the truth. Here's my advice. Work smarter, not harder. Playing your content in batches. Right now I am recording podcast after podcast after podcast. This is the third podcast I recorded today. I got a week's worth of podcasts and then tomorrow I probably will record three more to get ahead in the month, okay? Playing your content in batches so that you're not scrambling to post every day. You can use tools like later or planoly to automate your post or even Canva. And remember, done is better than perfect. It's better to show up consistently with good content than to wait until everything is perfect. And that is the honest truth. Post the content, friend. And I want to also tell you to give yourself permission to take breaks. Your audience will understand if you're not posting every single day. Sometimes I may not post a podcast. That is okay, isn't it, friend? Quality over quantity, always. Okay? Remember that. Now let's recap The Instagram strategies that I'm really loving right now, friend are prioritizing reels, mastering these carousels, and leveraging stories for connections and a really optimized profile. Now, these tactics are simple, actionable and designed to help you get visible without you feeling overwhelmed. So you take that and implement this today, okay? Please. But if you're still feeling stuck or unsure on how to make these strategies work for your unique goals, you already know I got you covered. If you want to book a one on one power hour, click down below in the show notes. Remember to use that code decoded and let's create a personalized game plan for you, okay? I would love to help you take your Instagram to the next level, friend. This has been a power punched episode. Okay? Thanks so much for tuning into the social media decoded podcast. I appreciate you so much. If this episode gave you some clarity or inspiration, please share with a friend, leave a review, and let me know what Instagram strategy you are most excited to try out. Okay? Until next time my friend. Happy posting. You got this. Okay, I will talk to you in.

[Stripe Representative]

The next one Peace Stripe helps many of the world's most influential companies grow their revenue and build a more profitable business. Whether it's Hertz making checkout a smooth ride for their customers, OpenAI answering unprecedented demand, or PGA chipping away at back office inefficiency, Stripe's financial infrastructure platform helps companies achieve ambitious goals. No matter what success looks like for your business, Stripe helps ensure the complexity of financial systems doesn't get in your way. Learn [e-mail] Imagine what's possible when learning.

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[Trevor Sikoma]

Hey everybody, I'm Trevor Sikoma, host of the PFF NFL show, here to tell you what you can find on all of our shows throughout the week. On Mondays we have the Grade Release show where myself and D. Washman break down every single game that you just saw in the NFL. On Tuesdays we have the Quarterback Breakdown with Seth Gina. On Wednesdays we've got the Rookie Review with John Ledyard and the preview for the upcoming week in the NFL. So make sure you are subscribed to the PFF NFL show wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stripe Representative]

Happy Holidays. Want to give your host a gift? Consider subscribing, rating and reviewing the show this holiday season. It really helps the show grow from all of us at Believe. Have a merry Christmas, everyone, and a happy holiday.