Here is a HUGE myth about engaging on Instagram:

‘Spend at least 30 minutes before and after you post engaging with your audience to increase the reach of your content.’

I’m about as impressed with that advice as this adorable little meme pug.

I can’t stand it!

The problem is so many of the creators giving this ‘advice’ can’t relate to small businesses, start-ups and solopreneurs.

As a small biz owner myself, I run my business without a team, so I KNOW the challenges of never having enough time to do all the important behind the scenes tasks, keep up with lead generation, execute on new ideas, meet with clients, keep up with billing, AND consistently post and engage on Instagram.

It’s tough to balance everything. Usually entrepreneurs are in one of two camps when it comes to posting and engaging on Instagram: (1) feels like a HUGE chore or; (2) gets put on the back burner until you ‘have time’ which never really happen.

I KNOW the feelings of guilt and stress when you fall off the posting wagon (check out my blog post ‘What I learned from a two month Instagram break’).

Here’s the thing, no one grows a strong audience on IG without effort. The struggle is there are so many confusing messages about what you NEED to do to grow. Hello overwhelm.

The good news: as a fellow solopreneur AND an IG expert and coach I know the right place for you to start to make all your time spent on IG worth it!

Let me make it really easy for you! Here’s a break down of what I would do to post consistently AND up your engagement to reap the benefits of building a strong audience on Instagram.

Instagram Content & Engagement Strategy to get you growing

monday

Publish content about your business; include a call to action directed to your website or shop.

Repost your post in your Stories with an engagement sticker.

Tuesday

Publish a Reel using a humorous or trending audio.

Spend 15 minutes engaging with your followers’ Stories, respond to stickers, like, and send genuine DMs to followers you are interested in getting to know better.

Wednesday

Show your face on your Stories and teach your audience something new related to your niche and brand.

Post a Note directing people to your stories to get a key question answered.

thursday

Publish a post adding more value to the topic you taught about in your Stories yesterday.

Get back onto your stories and show some behind the scenes or teasers of your business.

Friday

Repost light-hearted and/or inspiring content in your Stories from other brands you’d like to connect with on IG. Be sure to include engagement stickers.

Saturday

Publish a light hearted post. Example: small biz features, quotes, or jokes. Include a VERY simple call to action such as ‘Leave an emoji if you laughed at this.’

Sunday

Don’t post anything in your feed and let your Stories expire!

Spend 15 minutes engaging with the content from the accounts you follow. Like, leave genuine comments and ask questions in DMs.

If available, respond to Notes left by your community.

This schedule may not be absolutely perfect for your biz, but it’s important to start with a plan and make changes that work for you and your audience. Let me jump start your success! Stick with this schedule for at least a month, and then make small changes based on what you feel is working.

If you start today, you will be one day closer to your goals!