Market
Market
CONTENT BIBLE
The art of creating viral content on Instagram
Marinela Bezer
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ...............................................................................................1
Even before moving to the UK, I had already built a following of 20,000-30,000
followers by sharing my passion for fashion, travel, and photography as a
hobby. I've learned the real power of Instagram in 2015 when my mom and I
launched our clothing brand, Malliny. My Instagram page played a crucial role
in our business’s success. With what seemed like a substantial following at the
time, we didn’t need to invest anything in advertising. Our customers came
directly from my Instagram. This experience made me realize the immense
power of Instagram and the importance of building a personal brand.
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CHAPTER 1.
Finding Your Niche or Becoming a Niche
As a content creator with years of experience and millions of followers on
multiple platforms, I believe that the first and most crucial step to creating viral
and aesthetic content on Instagram is determining your niche. Your niche is
the specific area or subject matter you focus on, and it's what sets you apart
from others. In this chapter, I will give you step-by-step instructions on how to
find your niche:
Fashion
Beauty
Luxury Travel:
Gym/Healthy Lifestyle:
Relationship/Couple Content:
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Worksheet
Now it’s your turn. Take this work sheet and repeat the same
exercise right now!
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2.
3.
4.
Think about the following questions to help you narrow down your niche:
1. What specific aspect of this interest do I enjoy the most?
2. How can I uniquely present this interest to my audience?
3. What kind of content can I create around this interest?
4. How can I engage with my audience around this interest?
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STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE MARKET GAP
You can either choose an existing niche or create a new one by identifying a
market gap. Look at what content is currently available and see where there's a
lack or an opportunity for something unique. For instance, if no one is
addressing sustainable luxury travel, that could be your niche.
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CHAPTER 2.
Developing Your Content Strategy
1. BEING AUTHENTIC AND UNIQUE:
The best strategy is to be authentic and unique. It's easy to fall into the trap of
imitating popular creators, but true success comes from finding your own
style. Inspiration is always welcome, and giving credit to the accounts you draw
inspiration from or the originators of a trend you’re participating in is highly
appreciated and respected.
Strive to find your own style and avoid copying someone else. This will make
you memorable and easily recognizable when you pop up on the feed. Here
are some influencers who’ve nailed it for example:
a. @JessicaDeOliveira is
famous for her couple posts
and her dancing-on-the-street
Reels that are so freeing,
genuine and empowering.
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c. @Aureliestory explores
Middle Eastern countries and
cultures, creating beautifully
colorful and dreamy videos that
have become her signature.
d. @Hannaschonberg has a
signature feed style that has
become a trend among other
content creators, which is
minimalistic, clean, and
aesthetic. You know it’s her post
when it pops on the feed
without even looking at the
handle.
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e. @sheeeeoo is another great example of an effective Instagram growth
strategy. In just two years, she has gained over 700k followers and secured
huge deals with some of the biggest fashion brands in the world. How did she
do it? By focusing solely on one niche and developing her own content style.
Let's break down her strategy and see what we can learn from her success:
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What I want you to take away from this chapter is that authenticity is key. The
profiles I’ve shared are examples of good strategy, not templates to copy. I want
you to find your own style and bring something new to the world. It’s perfectly
fine to start by drawing inspiration from other creators and participating in
trends, but always add your own twist and personality.
Here is a practical example of a highly popular trend from 2023: a girl starts by
pretending to do an outfit check, often posing and showing off her outfit to the
camera. Then, her partner comes into the frame and playfully grabs her, often
in a sweet and funny manner, or as if he steals her away.
The original video: watch here
I wanted to take this trend and not just repeat it, as there are already hundreds
of these types of videos. My goal was to give it my own twist, by creating a little
story behind it.
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2. SHOW YOUR PERSONALITY AND SHARE YOUR JOURNEY
People love following creators who share their personalities and personal lives.
It's like watching a TV series – followers get addicted and can't wait to see
what's next. Here are some tips:
Be Authentic: Share as much of your personal life as you're comfortable with.
Authenticity builds trust and connection with your audience.
Inspire and Motivate: Share your journey, from where you started to where
you are now. Your progress can inspire others and show them that they can
achieve their goals too.
Be a good example: Let’s make social media a safe space, where people can
both relax and learn. Followers always have high expectations and put their
favourite influencers on a pedestal, so while it is great to be yourself on social
media, make sure you have a positive influence.
Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, ask for feedback, and
make your followers feel like they're part of your journey.
Just like in any business, you need to know who your target audience is.
Understand their interests, needs, and what type of content they engage with
the most. Start by creating a detailed profile of your ideal follower, considering
factors like age, gender, location, interests, and online behavior. Use tools like
Instagram Insights to analyze your current followers and see who is engaging
with your content. Tailor your content to meet their expectations and keep
them coming back for more.
Analyze what your competitors are doing. Follow accounts in your niche and
see what works for them and what doesn't. Take note of their most popular
posts, the types of content they share, and how they engage with their
followers. Identify gaps in their content that you can fill or areas where you can
do better. Think about how you can elevate the content in your niche and
bring something new to the table.
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Answer these questions:
What is missing?
What can be improved?
What value can I bring?
What new, creative, unique content can I come up with?
Be specific about your topic. Avoid mixing too many topics and focus on one.
Specializing in a particular area will help you build a loyal following.
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5. UTILIZING INSTAGRAM INSIGHTS AND ANALYTICS TOOLS:
Use Instagram Insights and other analytics tools to track your performance.
These tools will help you understand what content works best, when your
audience is most active, and how your engagement rates are trending.
Regularly review your analytics to identify patterns and adjust your strategy
accordingly.
Engagement Rate: Monitor your likes, comments, shares, and saves to
measure how well your content is performing.
Audience Growth: Track your follower count to see if your audience is growing.
Content Performance: Analyze which posts, stories, and reels are getting the
most engagement to understand what type of content resonates with your
audience.
Active Hours: Use the insights to determine the best times to post based on
when your followers are most active.
What you are about to read is probably the most important thing I want you to
take away from this e-book. Reels are currently the best, fastest, and most
organic way to grow on Instagram!
The best tip I can give you to gain thousands of followers is to post the same
type of content that went viral once as many times as possible. Create different
variations of the same video or trend and keep sharing it again and again. As
my father always says: “Strike while the iron is hot.”
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I kept filming this trend over and over again with different cars, outfits, and
experimenting with different music. Huge influencers started to hop on my
trend, further amplifying its reach and engagement. I even got collaborations
with brands requesting that I do the same trend for their campaigns. When
Reels became a thing on Instagram, I applied the same strategy, and it worked
just as well on this platform as it did on TikTok. Here are the insights of my
recent reel for the same trend. It got 16 million views, 1.2 million likes and I
gained 89.700 new followers just from this reel.
For every video that went viral, whether it was a car video, a couple video, or an
outfit transition, I created different variations and posted them while the
audience was still “hot”.
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CHAPTER 3.
Understanding The Algorithm
In this next chapter, I will teach you how to understand the Instagram
algorithm and what it takes for a video to become viral, so we know exactly
what to aim for when we start creating our content. Interestingly, we all have
free access to this information, but only a few people know that Meta provides
detailed explanation on how exactly the Instagram algorithm works and how
their AI system determines which posts reach the explore page and which
don’t. Here’s the article:
https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/shedding-more-light-on-
how-instagram-works
Take a moment to check it out, but I’ll highlight the key points you need to
know.
Explore Page:
Reels:
Watch Time - Videos that keep viewers watching till the end are more
likely to be promoted.
Engagement - Likes, comments, shares, and saves are crucial.
Content Quality - High-quality videos with good lighting and clear audio
are favoured.
Relevance - Trending and relevant content to your followers’ interests is
prioritized.
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Meta uses AI to analyze videos and determine which ones should be promoted
to the Explore page. The AI evaluates several factors, such as the amount lot of
likes, comments, shares, and saves, how much time viewers spend on your
post, the quality and the relevance of it.
From what we've read on Meta’s website, it's clear that we need to create
content that is truly engaging. While likes and comments are important,
they’re not enough. We need people to save and share our posts. Instagram
pushes posts to go viral when there’s high interaction in the first few minutes
of posting.
The audience needs to share the post not only with their friends but also to
their stories. Story views add up to your reel views, so the more shares you get,
the more views you'll see on your reel. That’s why the first step after posting
your reel or picture is to immediately share it on your story with a call to action.
Our mission is to create a reel that drives organic engagement and makes
users want to share your post. Let’s determine what ingredients make a video
that drives engagement:
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3. Triggering Content: These are videos that spark
controversy or strong reactions. While this can
attract some hate, it also drives significant
engagement. An example that just came to my
mind would be a video with the headline “How
much money I spent on my trip to [city name]”.
Another example is my video from the Tube which
got 45 million views. The audience was divided:
some admired the video and found it cute, while
others were triggered by my husband and I
hugging and kissing in public transport. Check it
out here:
DO’S DON’TS
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DO’S DON’TS
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CHAPTER 4.
Finding inspiration
In the previous chapters, we discussed what content is more likely to go viral
and how crucial authenticity is. To come up with unique and authentic ideas,
we need inspiration and creativity, right? So where do we find it? We don’t
need to delve into motivation here, as you’ve already shown your motivation by
starting this journey and buying this book. The only thing I want to emphasize
is that motivation is an illusion. What you truly need is discipline. Motivation
can come and go, but success comes from staying disciplined and consistent,
even when you don’t feel like it.
We can get inspiration from everything around us. The key is to free your mind
and think outside the box. Creativity is like a muscle that needs to be trained,
just like any other muscle in your body. If you think you’re not a creative or
inspired person, trust me, it’s something that can be developed! The start
might be hard, just like your first gym workout, but it gets easier with
persistence. Your muscles might be sore at first, but they become stronger if
you stay persistent.
Once you start creating or recreating some trends, the inspiration and ideas
start flowing, like accessing a magical information channel that keeps pouring
in your brain. If you stop, the channel gets blocked, and it’s difficult to start
again. Think of it like the snowball effect. This is how creativity works: through a
cumulative effect, with each new idea building on the previous ones, growing
and evolving into a continuous flow of inspiration.
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I’m going to give you some practical tips for
training your creativity:
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WHERE TO FIND INSPIRATION?
1. Pinterest: This is the easiest and quickest way to find inspiration. Create a
mood board with ideas for your future content. The ideas you take from
Pinterest don’t have to be static content; they can also be for reels. Just take
some images or a vibe that you really enjoy and incorporate it into a video.
Example 1: Example 2:
3. Nature: The natural world offers endless inspiration. During a walk in the
forest, I was fascinated and inspired by a flower meadow. I immediately
imagined myself reading a book on a duvet, creating a dreamy scene
reminiscent of a fairytale, so I planned the photoshoot. This is how it turned out:
4. Creators: Look at what other creators are doing for inspiration and consider
how you can innovate and add your unique perspective. It's about drawing
insights from trends and techniques while playing with your own creativity.
5. Other social media platforms: TikTok is always ahead with the trends so
you might want to check out what is new there. Follow top creators in your
niche and staying updated so you can capitalize on emerging trends before
they saturate Instagram.
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CREATE MOOD BOARDS
Creating mood boards can help you organize and visualize your ideas. You can
either create an album directly on Instagram or a mood board on Pinterest.
Gather images, themes, and vibes that you enjoy and can use as inspiration for
your future content.
By understanding and applying these principles, you can always tap into your
reserves of inspiration. Stay disciplined, be persistent, and keep pushing
yourself to think creatively. The more you practice, the more natural it will
become. In the next chapter, we’ll dive into the technical aspects of creating
high-quality content that stands out. For now, focus on building your creative
muscles and finding inspiration in everything around you.
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CHAPTER 5.
Tools for Creating & Capturing Visually
Appealing Content
Creating high-quality content is an art that combines the right tools,
techniques, and a bit of creativity which we already explored previously. Let’s
dive into the essential tips that will help you elevate your content game,
ensuring every photo and video you capture is visually stunning and engaging.
1. HIGH-QUALITY CAMERA:
First things first, CLEAN YOUR CAMERA LENS! This might sound basic, but so
many people overlook this step. A dirty lens can make your images blurry and
lower the quality significantly. Make it a habit to clean your lens with a cloth
before every shoot.
iPhone 14/15 Pro Max: This is the camera that I use for 90% of my content. The
iPhone camera is ideal for capturing both photos and videos. From my
experience, iPhone-shot videos often outperform those taken with professional
cameras and gain considerably more reach because they offer a natural and
realistic vibe.
Canon G5X Mark II or Canon G7X Canon EOS R50: My sister has this one
Mark III: Great for flash photos at and it creates very similar images to my
night, giving that trendy cameras I previously mentioned. It’s
vintage/2000s feel. An excellent perfect for those looking to explore a
option for high-quality photos with a little more advanced photography
professional touch, but in a small size features, thanks to it’s bigger lense.
which fits in your purse. I also use However it’s a little bit more
them for filming my vlogs. voluminous and you would need a
separate bag for it.
Shot with Canon G5X Mark II Shot with Canon EOS R50:
or Canon G7X Mark III:
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2. IPHONE CAMERA SETTINGS:
Many people think they can’t achieve high-quality visuals with an iPhone, but
that’s not true! They just got their settings wrong and are most definitely not
cleaning their lens.
Here are my settings for capturing the best possible content with your iPhone:
2. Turn off the HDR setting: It can sometimes make the light appear too harsh
and the image kind of dirty.
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3. Use portrait mode: Provides a more cinematic effect. Or you can just use the
2x, 3x or 5x zoom mode. Videos filmed in 0.5x are lower quality.
4. When saving your edits from an editing app, choose the highest resolution.
I always save my videos in 4K and 60fps when I export from video editing
apps like VideoLeap or Cap Cut.
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5. Avoid using filters on videos: Filters can decrease the quality.
7. I’ll share another little secret that will completely change the way your
pictures turn out. I've already taught this trick everyone who takes pictures of
me. You know how the new iPhone’s camera auto-enhances photos after you
take them? They look normal while you're taking them, but when you check
your camera roll, they appear different and highly exposed. Unfortunately,
this feature can't be turned off. However, I know a hack to avoid this auto-
editing. Here’s how I do it: Whenever I take a picture with my iPhone, I don’t
just click the button; I always swipe it to the left for 0.5 seconds. This activates
"burst mode". When shooting in burst mode, the camera does not apply the
auto-enhancer, leaving your pictures raw, clean, and aesthetic.
Before After
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3. MASTERING COMPOSITION AND FRAMING
Creating visually appealing content isn't just about having the right camera
settings, it's also about mastering the art of composition and framing. I will
guide you through the essentials of lighting, camera placement, and outfit
planning to ensure every shot you take is perfectly composed.
a. Lighting:
Lighting can make or break your content. The right lighting highlights your
subject, enhances colors, and creates the desired mood for your photos and
videos.
b. Camera placement
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c. Outfit planning
Personal experience:
Here’s an example of a video that went viral, gained 8 million views, and got me
37,000 new followers just because it was aesthetically pleasing.
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I create most of my content while traveling. When I'm home, I focus on my
business, so to make the most of my trips and get the best content, I plan
ahead as much as possible. I plan my outfits per day and per specific locations
I’m going to visit. Here’s how I do it:
For example if I’m going to South of France or Paris I will choose outfits that are
elegant and old-money/quite luxury style to match the sophisticated vibe.
For Saudi Arabia I would match the golden sandy color palette with clothes
that complement the local style. For example, I custom-made a long robe with
flared sleeves and a hood to match their traditional clothing specially for this
trip. A video wearing that robe got 41 million views on TikTok and 11 million on
Instagram.
If I know I’m going to a specific place, let’s say a beach club, like Cloud 22 Dubai
I would check their social media or location tags to understand the vibe. For
instance, I noticed their décor has white and blue umbrellas, so I chose a
swimsuit in white and blue stripes to match the place perfectly. This attention
to detail makes the content more aesthetic, pleasant, and satisfying for the
viewer.
You don’t have to go over the top and camouflage into that location, but your
outfit has to be well-coordinated to elevate the overall visual appeal of your
content. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll be well on your way to mastering
creating high quality content.
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4. ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT
Good and easy-to-use equipment is crucial for capturing the perfect shot. The
right gear ensures good lighting, stability for your shots, and smooth, seamless
transitions. In this chapter, I’m going to share the equipment I use for all of my
photos and videos. I’ll include images and links so you know exactly what to
look for. Over the years, I’ve tested all sorts of equipment, and I’ve found what
works best for my content creation. Let’s dive into the essential tools that will
take your photography and videography game to the next level.
a. Lighting equipment:
Ring lights are a must-have for consistent lighting. I rely on mine when
filming indoors, especially when natural light isn't sufficient. It's perfect for
close-up shots, like makeup tutorials or speaking directly to the camera.
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Professional lights are ideal for indoor shoots,
offering better, more powerful lighting than a
ring light. I love using them because they
provide perfectly smooth light on the face and I
can adjust them to any color I want. Plus, they
come with an intelligent app control system. I
usually use a set of two lights: one for natural
light and the other to add color to the
background, making my videos more dramatic.
https://rstyle.me/+sUSxuoIpQ3cT5G3dKBQsng
b. Tripods:
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Phone Silicone Suction Accessory: If you
don’t want to carry a tripod or if you are on a
budget, this phone suction pad is a great
option. You can stick it on any surface, like a
window or mirror, which is perfect for tight
spaces like the bathroom. This will obviously
allow you to only use the front camera.
https://rstyle.me/+PwKZK0H2p7k-
B9tLbnYpxA
5. EDITING APPS
Instagram trends are changing every year, however the strong shift towards
minimalist and clean edits is becoming a lasting preference. Heavy Lightroom
presets are no longer in trend, instead people prefer subtle filters, natural
realistic content which makes them feel closer to the creator. Genuine and
unforced content is more relatable, which is key to gaining loyal followers.
If you implement all the tips I gave you in the previous chapter such as
mastering composition, and lighting, there will be no need for extra editing.
The goal is to start with an already good-quality raw image or video.
I’m going to share my most frequently used apps for both photos and videos,
along with some instructions.
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a. Photo editing apps:
FaceTune FaceApp
TouchRetouch Lightroom
Tezza
My favorite app for aesthetic filters and effects. Recently, I've been using filters
like Cocoa, Lover, Vinyl, Truffle, and Silk, adjusting their intensity between 20
and 60. To enhance my tan, I go to HSL, select the orange color, and adjust the
luminance to between -3 and -10, depending on the picture.
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b. Video editing apps
Videoleap CapCut
The app I use most often for editing my CapCut has pretty much the same
Reels and TikToks is Videoleap. This app features, with additional video
is easy to use and excellent for adding effects. I prefer using it for video
music and creating smooth transitions. color correction, specifically the HSL
feature.
Here is a quick tutorial on how I edit clips in Videoleap and add music to my
videos it:
1. Start by selecting the video from my camera roll and import it into Videoleap.
2. Go to Instagram/Tiktok, find a sound, start a screen recording while playing
the sound, and save it. Alternatively, just download a video that contains your
chosen sound.
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7. Adjust the video precisely 8. Save your project in 4k
according to the rythm of your 60spf to keep the same
sound using the “beats” mode. high quality of your
For example you can change original video.
clips with each beat to create
more dynamic visuals.
Audio plays an essential role in getting your content viral. That’s why I have
some important factors for you to consider when choosing a sound:
Most importantly, the sound should match the aesthetic and vibe of your
video. Even if your video isn't following a specific trend or is not a lip-sync, it's
important to select the sound before filming or have a few options in
“saved”. This approach will help you envision how the video is going to turn
out and ensures that it aligns perfectly with the chosen sound, especially for
transitions. It was proven over time that a Reel is more engaging when its
actions/clips sync perfectly with the sound's beats, just like I taught you
above, using Videoleap.
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However, there are regions where the tending arrow is not available so in
this case you have to go to the chosen sound and check it’s current
performance. Go to the sound page and see if there are at least 3 videos
with over 1 million views. If so, there's a higher chance your video will
become viral too. Additionally, visit those viral videos and note when they
were posted and the date of the last comment. If comments are within the
last 1-2 weeks, the sound is likely still trending. Older comments may
indicate the trending sound might be already losing popularity.
Test out the same clips with different sounds, don’t be afraid to post it twice
after a certain period of time. If the video went viral once, there’s a good
chance it will go viral again under a different sound and reach a new
audience. Here is an example of my most viral Reel which got 45 million
views. In September 2023 I posted this video of me and my husband in the
London Underground. It went viral and received 4.6 million views. A few
weeks later, I found the trending sound “Next station is Bond Street” which I
thought it would have perfectly matched that video. So I decided to slightly
change the editing, add the new sound and post it again. The second video
blew up overnight reaching 45 million views. This is proof that you can get
more reach just by reusing your old content and applying new sounds.
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b. Text overlay
If you need to add text on your videos I recommend doing that directly on the
app, whether it’s Instagram or TikTok. The platforms can read the text and its
keywords which helps increase visibility and reach a specific audience through
an improved search engine optimization. Make sure the text is visible and well
centered, avoid placing it in corners or where it can be covered by the caption
or profile picture. Here are some examples of good placements.
Use a tripod to avoid shaky image and to maintain the same exact frame
and angle
Mark your spot to ensure you your second clip starts from the exact point.
Precisely trim and stitch the clips using the video editing apps I mentioned.
Pay attention to the timing and to the beats to synchronize the transition
with the music.
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CHAPTER 6.
Growth Strategies on Instagram
We've previously discussed that the best growth strategy on Instagram is good
content. You can try all the methods in the world to gain followers, but if your
content isn't good enough, people won't stay. But what happens when you
have great content that doesn’t reach enough of the right audience? In this
chapter, I'll discuss bad and good, effective and ineffective methods for
maintaining high engagement, growing your page and attracting new
followers.
Buying Fake Followers: If you're new to Instagram, you might make the
common mistake of purchasing fake followers. Numerous “agencies” might
contact you via DM or email, offering "marketing services" that promise to
organically target specific audiences and deliver a set number of followers.
Don't fall for it. Never buy fake followers. Instagram's technology easily detects
and removes fake and inactive accounts. Not only will your follower count
decrease, but you'll also waste your money. Worse, Instagram might shadow
ban you, making it very difficult to recover. Fake followers and likes confuse the
algorithm, preventing your content from reaching the right audience.
Remember, quality over quantity. It's better to grow slowly and steadily than to
recover from the damage of artificial engagement. If your goal is to work with
brands or promote products, building a genuine, engaged audience is crucial.
The Follow/Unfollow Method: This method used to work back in 2012 when I
first started on Instagram. Inexperienced and naive, I tried it and gained
around 2000 followers. However, those followers didn't engage with my
content. Today, Instagram blocks such actions, limiting how many accounts
you can follow per day, making this method completely useless. Moreover,
repetitive follow/unfollow actions can lead to shadow banning or account
suspension. It's simply not worth the risk.
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GOOD METHODS: ORGANIC GROWTH
Captions: Captions that provide value, such as tips, advice, or relatable stories,
drive deeper engagement. Followers are more likely to like, comment, save, or
share posts with captions that resonate emotionally or offer practical value.
Here are some caption ideas that can bring value and help you connect with
your audience:
Ensure your captions are shareable and savable. End with a question to
encourage discussion in the comments or ask viewers to tag someone if the
content resonates.
Pro tip: Write longer captions, especially under Reels, as the video continues to
play while viewers read. This signals the algorithm that your content is
engaging, as users spend more time interacting with it.
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Hashtags are essential for reaching your target audience, especially when
starting out. They serve as keywords that make your content discoverable to
users interested in similar topics. Instagram recommends using 3-5 hashtags
per post strategically. Always look for trending hashtags in your niche, but do
not use the ones that are overly saturated.
Since Instagram has launched this new feature, another effective method has
been collaborative posts. One of my most recent collaborative posts with my
friend, who is also an influencer, received 24 million views, 700k likes, and
brought us both thousands of followers. Besides promoting each other, we
united our communities to reach even more new viewers.
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CHAPTER 7.
Overcoming Fears & Limiting Beliefs in
Social Media
If you've gotten this far, congratulations! Now you have all the knowledge and
tools to start creating viral and inspirational content. All that’s left is to work on
overcoming your fears and limiting beliefs. If you’re a beginner, I understand
that exposing yourself can be scary and that you might find infinite excuses for
why you cannot do it. That’s why I’m here, to tell you that you absolutely can
and that everything is possible!
Some of you might say: "Oh, but I don't have a nice place to create content,"
"My house is not so aesthetic,” or “I don’t travel as often as you do," "I can't
afford to travel," etc. These are just excuses. Trust me, you don't need to travel
or own an aesthetic home to start creating content. You need at least a white
background. If you don't have a white wall at home, just improvise. Go around
your town or city and find beautiful streets, buildings, cafes, or even book a
photo studio! If you're going to say, "Oh, but my city doesn't have beautiful
architecture and nice streets," darling, trust me, I get you. I was born in
Chișinău, Moldova, a small town with post-Soviet architecture that has slowly
just started to develop a more European feel, but it’s still a long way from the
grand architecture of cities like London or Paris. However, I assure you, if you
have the will, you can find beautiful corners to film your content. If you still
cannot find anything in the city, nature is your best friend. No matter where
you are, you'll always find a piece of nature.
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Another example is the recent photoshoot we did for my clothing brand,
Malliny. I had a vision of setting up a white standing wall with the ocean in the
background. My country doesn't have any access to the sea and it also lacks
big, beautiful, clean lakes. However, we still managed to create something
unique by a reservoir near the town which resulted in receiving really positive
feedback from our audience and increased sales.
On the same day, we shot two collections and switched locations for the
second one. I envisioned this photoshoot in a field with two large mirrors in the
background, showcasing the dress from every angle. The photos turned out
looking sophisticated, elegant and dramatic, considering they were taken in
the simplest of surroundings. This proves that you don't need perfect
circumstances,. All you need is a touch of creativity and imagination. Check out
the result!
48
Let me tell you another story. A few years ago, I got a collaboration proposal
from a shoe brand that specifically requested the car trend I used to do in the
Dubai desert. I obviously wasn't in Dubai anymore, let alone near any desert
areas. I was in Moldova, so I had to quickly come up with an idea of how I could
recreate the trend in the same aesthetics and style. I found a sand quarry 30
minutes from my town. In Moldova, it's also challenging to find exotic cars for
rent, which was obviously the most important object in the video. A friend was
supposed to lend me their car but let me down right before the video shoot. I
had to react promptly and find another solution because my content deadline
for the brand was the next day and I couldn’t delay the shoot. So I called my
uncle, who has a vintage car from the 50s. I quickly changed my outfit and the
video concept to make it an "old Hollywood" vibe. The video turned out even
better than I expected. I didn't need an expensive car or the Dubai desert to
create the same high-quality video for my client. My most viral video on
Instagram, with 45 million views, was filmed in the London Underground and it
cost me a few pounds. My most viral video on TikTok has 95 million views and I
didn't even have to leave my house, I filmed it against a white background. All I
want to say is that as long as you have a phone and a little bit of imagination,
nothing can stop you.
Another limiting belief we should not overlook is the fear of failure. This is one
of the biggest challenges people face when starting out. I know because I’ve
been there myself. As a perfectionist and someone who always strives to be on
top of the game, I understand how scary it can be to put yourself out there and
not know if it will work or if the results will meet your high standards from the
start. Remember, take every failure as a lesson and as guidance on how to
improve what you’re doing.There will be times when you invest a lot of
resources into creating content, but the engagement won’t meet your
expectations. Do not let those moments discourage you. It might take weeks
or even months to see visible results. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
49
I’ve experienced phases when, despite creating great content and being
consistent, nothing went as I planned. However, those moments pushed me to
explore new ideas and helped me grow instead of bringing me down. To give
you a perspective, think about how artists write hundreds of songs only to
release a few, and then even fewer become hits. Beyoncé has released over 80
songs throughout her career and only 9 of them reached No. 1 on the Billboard
Hot 100. That is about 11%. This shows us that not every post can become viral,
and it doesn’t have to, but every post contributes to your overall success. Never
give up, take every opportunity as a chance to learn and grow, and be assured
that your efforts will eventually pay off.
Lastly, I want to talk about the fear of judgment, as I understand this might be
the hardest barrier to overcome. I’ve managed to build a sort of immunity,
probably due to my 10 years of professional dance school, which wasn’t a sport
for the mentally weak, or maybe thanks to my 6 years of being a TV host that
helped me overcome my shyness in front of the camera. In all of my years of
being an influencer and exposing so many aspects of my personal life, I’ve
encountered a lot of judgment and hate.
Although I’ve always had a clean reputation, and I’ve been a non-conflictual,
non-controversial figure on social media, only striving to inspire and positively
educate my audience with the purest intentions, there has always been some
sort of hate. There were a lot of people trying to bring me down, making up
fake stories, and spreading rumors that did not reflect at all the person I am in
real life. It hasn’t always been easy, and this is the downside of being popular on
social media. My advice is to never take it personally. Beauty is in the eye of the
beholder, which means that what someone thinks or says about you only
reflects their inner world. If they don’t like something about you, it is likely an
insecurity they cannot accept about themselves. No matter how good and
perfect you are or portray yourself, there’s always going to be someone to judge
you. They want you to be natural and be yourself, then they criticize you when
you make the most insignificant spelling mistake. They want you to be perfect
and make no mistakes, then they accuse you of setting unrealistic standards.
No matter what you do, there will always be someone to judge you, so you
might as well do whatever you want and your heart desires. Be yourself and
don’t be afraid to be cringe sometimes! You can never be liked by everyone. The
haters are just 0.1%, the rest are beautiful souls waiting to discover and build a
connection with you. You just need to find your tribe of like-minded people,
who will love and support you unconditionally. Nothing compares to having
your own community of people to inspire, motivate, and grow together. But
most importantly, nothing beats the satisfaction of being able to change
people’s lives for the better. So grab your phone, launch your dreams into the
universe, follow your passion and use them to spread love, light and make this
world a better place!
50
The 30-Day Challenge
STEP 1
The challenge involves posting daily Reels (a minimum of 5 per week) for the
next 30 days. Experiment with different Reel formats until you find one that
performs better than the others.
STEP 2
Take that Reel format that had significantly more engagement, and for the
following 30 days, focus solely on posting that exact type of content. If you join
this challenge, (NO CHEATING), I guarantee that by day 30, you will see
noticeable results, an increase in activity and new followers.
STEP 3
Tag me or send me your Reels so I can track your performance. If your content
goes viral, you'll have the chance to become my case study for the next
relaunch of my digital product.
CONGRATULATIONS ON
FINISHING THE EBOOK!
I hope you enjoyed reading it. By now, you should have a solid
understanding of how to grow your presence, engage your
audience and create high-quality content that goes viral.
Remember, patience, consistency and creativity are key. Keep
experimenting with new ideas, stay up-to-date with the latest
trends and most importantly, be authentic. Your unique voice and
style are what will bring you to success.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I can't wait to see how
you apply these tips and strategies to your own Instagram profile
and I hope to see you on the Explore Page soon!
With love,
Marinela
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