I’m just going to rip off the verbal band-aid here, and let you know that if you are struggling to grow your account on Instagram, it’s most likely that you’re posting bad content. You’re not shadowbanned. Instagram doesn’t have your picture hanging in the office taped to a dartboard. It’s your content. But don’t worry, this is fixable. You have to own the mistakes you were making and get a better Reel strategy going forward.
In case this is your first time tuning in, let me introduce myself. Reporting from my laundry office in small-town Illinois, this is Virginia Kerr. And I’m here to help you stand out and make money by leveraging and up-leveling your social media videos. I’ve been in the TV and video industry for more than 20 years. Four TV newsrooms, hundreds of videos, blogs, and podcasts later, I’m here to share what I’ve learned with women ready to get the most out of their hard work.
Does video intimidate you? Make you want to hide? I’m excited to help you push through your limiting beliefs and show you that you can shine on video! I’m closing the gap by teaching you easy systems and sharing templates that help your videos get in front of your ideal clients.
Welcome to This is Virginia Kerr, The Podcast! Let’s get started!
Devil in the Details
You probably don’t even know what you’re doing to hurt your viewership. But I’m here with 8 of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to Instagram content, so you can identify where you’re going wrong and take steps to improve.
- Move it
People are watching your video to see what happens. If you start out with nothing, or you’re just standing there, they’re automatically bored. You’ve got to get right to the action so your audience is engaged right off the bat. This could mean walking and talking or even something as simple as leaning into the camera.
- Add a visual (text) hook
You need an immediate title hook that tells your audience what they’re getting in your video. The only caveat to this is if you’re a baker or painter or something where your industry is primarily a visual one- sometimes those videos can pull views on their own. For most of us, though, we need to pull people in with a catchy title. This especially helps if they’re scrolling without sound.
- We need to see you
You need to be in your video, at least part of it. People are visual, and they need to see your face. People connect with you based on seeing you, it’s a primal thing. They want what you’re offering because of who you are, and so they need to know what you look like. I’m sure you’ll look great, just show your face on camera.
- Stop with the random shots
Just because something makes sense to you doesn’t mean your audience will understand it. Remember, you never know when new eyes are going to find your page- the first video they stumble upon will set the tone for their engagement going further. Attempting to guess what you’re all about? That’s not going to draw new people in or be valuable for current followers.
- Be clear!
You have to be clear upfront about what your audience is getting. This helps new clients determine if your content is for them, and keeps current clients intrigued enough to keep watching. Your audience wants to know where they are, and what to expect.
- Still Graphics? That’s a no!
To quote that one commercial that was on a few years ago, “That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.” Graphics are great…for posts. Reels are videos, so a prolonged zoom on a still picture or graphic is in no way dynamic enough to pull in views.
- Keep it simple
Is your text too fast or not laid out well? Are you trying to explain 8 different things in one 30 second Reel? No one wants to work at deciphering what you’re trying to say, and if you try to pack in too much information it gets overwhelming real quick. Reels are a way to share quick bursts of information easily. This means the most effective thing you can do is to keep your message clear and simple and explain further in the caption.
- Pausing before you start
Ideally, you need to trim your content to start right before your first word. Instagram will trim your intros until you reach a certain amount of viewers, so if you’ve hit that, make it a habit to trim off any lapse in action in the first few seconds; any pause is just an invitation to swipe away.
There is Hope: The Bottomline
When it comes to viewer numbers, you’ll get there as long as you don’t give up and improve your content going forward. If you think about it, the fact that it’s not an algorithm problem but a you problem is a good thing; you have all the control over that. I know if you adjust your Reels, and implement strategies to make sure you don’t commit any of the above Instagram mistakes your account will achieve steady growth before you know it.
For more information about the podcast, or to learn more about This is Video School, visit my website. I would love to connect with you more on social media! You can find me on Instagram or join my free Facebook community, This is Video and Content Strategy, to help you level up your branding, messaging and video so you can grow your audience and convert followers into customers.
I look forward to seeing you there!
