Episode 34: How Alice Grew Her Faceless Instagram to 300k Followers in Less Than a Year

Podcast: The Abigail Peugh Podcast
Host: Abigail Peugh
Guest: Alice from @smallstepstoddlers
Release Date: December 3, 2024

Introduction

In Episode 34 of The Abigail Peugh Podcast, host Abigail Peugh welcomes Alice, the creative mind behind @smallstepstoddlers, a thriving Instagram account dedicated to providing minimal-effort activities for toddlers. What sets Alice apart is her remarkable achievement of growing her account to over 300,000 followers in less than a year—all without showing her face. This episode delves into Alice's journey, the strategies she employed, the challenges she faced, and the insights she gained along the way.

Alice’s Journey: From Idea to Instagram Success

Alice began her Instagram journey in January of the current year, inspired by her desire to reduce her toddlers' reliance on screen time. Her account, Small Steps Toddlers, focuses on creating low-cost, simple activities using everyday household items to engage toddlers.

Alice [06:10]: "It's parenting. It's helping toddler parents."

Unlike the common narrative that emphasizes showcasing one's face on social media, Alice opted for a faceless marketing approach. This decision was rooted in her preference for privacy and the practicalities of balancing content creation with motherhood.

She launched her account swiftly, committing to posting a reel every day for 30 days. The initial phase was slow, with only about 100 followers after two weeks, which Alice found encouraging. However, the true breakthrough came in weeks three and four when a single reel propelled her follower count by 5,000 overnight.

Alice [07:31]: "If I was in a room of 100 people, that's a lot of people. So I was like, okay, 100 people is okay."

Strategic Consistency and Content Creation

Alice's strategy centered around consistency and providing valuable content tailored to her niche. She maintained a daily posting schedule, primarily using reels to showcase activities. Her content mix included:

• Daily Activity Reels: Demonstrating activities that parents can easily replicate with minimal materials.
• Relatable Parenting Insights: Sharing the challenges and triumphs of toddler parenting to foster a connection with her audience.

Her approach highlighted the importance of consistent content delivery and knowing your audience. Alice also experimented with different content types, such as carousels, which unexpectedly led to higher engagement and conversions.

Alice [23:48]: "If I'm doing say two sales call to actions a week, definitely one of those is off the back of the carousel."

Overcoming Challenges: Plateau and Follower Loss

Despite rapid growth, Alice encountered periods where her follower count plateaued or even declined. She identified that excessive sales-oriented posts might have contributed to this stagnation. To counteract this, Alice adjusted her posting strategy by reducing sales calls to two per week, focusing more on nurturing her audience with valuable content.

Alice [16:06]: "The growth from my page is not normal. And I knew that, but it was also what I'd experienced."

This pivot not only stabilized her follower growth but also maintained consistent sales, demonstrating the delicate balance between promotion and value provision.

Innovative Engagement: The Junk Drawer Challenge

To foster community engagement and generate fresh content, Alice introduced the Junk Drawer Challenge:

1. Weekly Stories Prompt: Every Tuesday night, Alice invites her followers to share the first item they find in their junk drawer.
2. Content Creation: On Wednesday, she selects the top submissions to create new toddler activities.

This interactive approach not only kept her content dynamic but also built a sense of community among her followers.

Alice [25:38]: "It's really good to be able to use my followers and my audience to help generate that content with me."

Faceless Marketing: Balancing Privacy and Personality

Alice's decision to remain faceless posed unique challenges, particularly in forming a personal connection with her audience. However, she leveraged humor and relatable parenting anecdotes to infuse personality into her content without revealing her identity.

Alice [20:28]: "I share a little bit of my life and probably more so just relatable things about toddler parenting."

She experimented with voiceovers to add a personal touch, though she found it daunting and opted to keep them minimal.

Alice [22:30]: "It's still not something I enjoy doing, but I'm probably going to continue to do maybe once a month here on in."

Leveraging Community Resources

Alice found immense value in participating in Abigail's Rich Girl Community, a monthly subscription platform offering social media prompts, trending audios, and guest speaker content. Although she identified herself as a "silent lurker," she utilized key resources like social media prompts and trending audios to overcome creative blocks and enhance her content strategy.

Alice [31:07]: "I'm a silent lurker on your community. I feel like I'm always there, but I do only use probably a few parts of it and then the parts that bring the most value for me."

Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

When asked to provide advice to those starting from scratch, Alice emphasized the importance of:

• Choosing a Sustainable Niche: Select a niche aligned with your daily routine to ensure consistency.
• Ease of Content Creation: Opt for content types that are quick and effortless to produce to prevent burnout.
• Consistency Over Perfection: Focus on showing up regularly rather than perfecting each piece of content.

Alice [34:57]: "Have it be something that you are doing every day, something that comes really easily to you... something that you can stay consistent with."

Conclusion

Alice's journey with @smallstepstoddlers serves as an inspiring testament to the power of consistent, value-driven content and the potential of faceless marketing in the digital age. Her experience underscores the importance of adaptability, community engagement, and maintaining a sustainable content strategy. For moms seeking engaging activities for their toddlers or aspiring entrepreneurs looking to build a successful online presence, Alice's insights offer valuable guidance and motivation.

Connect with Alice:

• Instagram: @smallstepstoddlers
• Threads: @smallstepstoddlers
• TikTok: @smallstepstoddlers
• Digital Products: From Junk Drawer to Joy and Fine Play in the Everyday available on Stan Store.
• Upcoming Product: New product releasing in the new year.

Join the Discussion:

If you found Alice's story inspiring, consider joining Abigail's Rich Girl Community for more resources and support in building your online business. Links and details are available in the show notes.

Thank you for tuning into Episode 34 of The Abigail Peugh Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it on your Instagram stories and tag @Igalpugh. Until next time, keep building a business that supports your life!