FAQ 12: my Instagram posts keep flopping - what do I do?

Are your Instagram posts flopping, or are you asking them to do the wrong job?

This is a free-to-read essay that is part of a series to address some of the most common questions I get asked about Instagram and social media more broadly. If you’d like to read more of the series, you will find them here.

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One of the issues with Instagram that writers and authors often bring to me is that you’re posting regularly but are barely getting any engagement.

When this is the case, it usually follows that you’re also seeing little to no account growth as the lack of engagement on your posts means the algorithm is not receiving signals to send your content to more people.

When you’re trying to get more readers but you’re not reaching new people, and the people who are following you are not engaging with your posts, I understand entirely why you end up feeling resentful, frustrated or demoralised.

It’s tempting to blame the algorithms or take it really personally, after all the way Instagram is set up means it can feel like you’re failing at an inescapable popularity contest that’s happening in the palm of your hand. Horrible.

But what if we take this information as data that tell us nothing about how good our writing is, or whether or not people like us, but that is telling us something about the design of our content.

Because when writers tell me they’re not getting engagement on their posts, a review of their account often reveals that their posts are not designed to get engagement.

To get engagement, you have to be engaging.

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Let me give you an example:

A couple of weeks ago I posted a carousel to Instagram that by my standards (with a circa 2k audience) performed extremely well.

At the time of writing it has generated:

• 402 likes

• 92 comments

• 156 shares

• 159 saves

• 34 new followers, and

• reached over 31k accounts

Here it is if you want a closer look:

toomuch_social

A post shared by @toomuch_social

Fast forward to the following week and this subsequent post generated:

• 15 likes

• 0 comments

• 0 shares

• 0 saves

• 2 new followers, and

• reached just over 1200 accounts

  toomuch_social

  

  A post shared by @toomuch_social

Question: does this mean Post 2 is a flop?

If we only look at the raw metrics, the answer has to be yes, especially when compared to Post 1.

But this ignores an important component to the analysis of the performance of these posts: what was the post designed to do?

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Post 1 was designed to

• identify a problem most of my audience will be familiar with to some degree - the vulnerability of asking for help - in order to connect and resonate with my audience

• show I understand the challenges my audience are facing (trust-building)

• offer them something of value (act of service)

• be shareable - I was working on two assumptions 1. that writers might share the post as I was saying something they wanted to say but felt to awkward to say, and 2. the audience they would share it to might include some writers who would then come and follow my account

Post 2 was designed to

• advertise my membership

• give information that served my agenda, NOT to generate conversation, show I understand a problem, or offer a solution

• act as a mini-billboard for my membership that will appear in feeds at first and then sit on my grid as a nudge, rather than a conversation-starter

• generate traffic (people who click on the link in my bio) to the details about the membership

As a result of the different jobs these posts are designed to do, it also follows that the relevant audience for Post 1 is far bigger. The subject of the post is something that affects many writers in my audience.

In contrast, the relevant audience for Post 2 is a much smaller subset of the broad audience for Post 1.

Straight away we can see that comparing the performance of these two posts, and judging them against the same criteria is like comparing carrots and pasta. Sure both of them can be cooked in water, but the end result is not going to be the same.

How does this translate to your Instagram posts?

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This is a free to read essay from Too Much by Nicola Washington. If you’re finding it useful please make sure you’re subscribed to receive more like this.

If you’d like to access more tailored, detailed advice, please consider upgrading your subscription to become a member of TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM. Members enjoy access to a weekly group chat about content; Ask Me Anything live calls with me and guest speakers; exclusive tutorials, how-to guides, post ideas, and more!

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It’s time to accept that any post that looks like an advert for your book or writing is not going to get much traction (and for those of you who use Substack, I’m afraid that includes the tiles Substack generates for you).

That’s not to say you should never post anything that looks or sounds like an advert. You want people to know you have a book (or other work) that is out there for them to read so you have to tell them, repeatedly. But limit this kind of post to around 20-25% (approx 1 in every 4 or 5 posts) of your content.

The other 75-80% of the time, to increase the level of engagement your posts receive, you need to posting content that seeks connection with your audience in some way. Content like Post 1 in my example.

This could look like bringing your audience a story of your own, so they want to share their own in return; by offering advice or insights that are useful to them; or by opening up a conversation about a core question around one of the themes or topics you write about.

I’d recommend experimenting with a variety of styles, formats and focuses for your content to see what your audience respond to, but the crucial thing to remember is that most of your content, most of the time, should factor in what your audience are interested in, rather than what serves you.

When you do post something that looks like an advert, as long as you’re doing it with purpose, then there is no reason to worry: those posts aren’t tumbleweed because they’re ‘bad’, they’re tumbleweed because they’re not designed for anything else.

Release the expectation that these posts will generate lots of engagement: it’s not their job.

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If you’re unsure who the audience for your writing (and therefore your Instagram) is, then please consider joining me for a 60 minute workshop on Wednesday 6th November at 6pm BST (1pm EST; 10am PST) A replay will be available.

In the DEFINE workshop I will guide you through a series of tried-and-tested exercises and tasks to create a profile of your ideal reader. You will walk away with a clear picture of who your ideal reader is so you know how to speak to them and get them interested in your book.

Tickets are £25 or upgrade your subscription to become a member of TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM and attend for free.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash