Well, I DID IT!
I posted daily Reels for 90 days straight.
Actually, 92, but whose counting 🙂
I went from posting NO reels to posting daily….
And I did it because Instagram is one of the FASTEST places to grow your audience and connect with people in your target market…
Especially for fitness & health pros.
And even though we have a Reels expert on the team, I wanted to be able to coach from experience. Because I never want to ask a client to do something I wouldn’t do.
There were things I learned, things I loved, things I hated.
My before & after:
Growth in 90 days: 25.7% (not too shabby, but tbh I expected more)
Things I learned:
- That I could actually do it. To be honest, when I started, I wasn’t sure if I could follow through. Those are also some of the reasons why I publicly committed.
- Video got a LOT easier. If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you probably know that I hate doing video. We’re exposed on video, and it has always been hard for me to put myself out there. I’ve focused on areas I loved and was strong in (like email marketing). But it was time for a change. And the more I did it — like anything else — the easier it got.
- The best time to start was years ago, but the next best time to start is RIGHT NOW. Remember: you’re exactly where you should be. If you’ve been putting off reels (or anything else in your business), you’re NOT too late to the party. You are right where you should be.
- Batching is EVERYTHING. If I didn’t batch, I never would have been able to complete my challenge.
- It took a LOT more time than I anticipated. Coming up with the content ideas and scripts took the longest by FAR. (I’ve got a newfound appreciation for The Club… because it takes all of the research, writing, and editing off your plate, so all you have to do is film, edit, and post!)
- There is a magic formula for a viral reel: popular topic, researched hook, dream result/pain point, strong CTA (can have multiple), big value in the Reel or caption — ideally with a quick win. This gives your reel the best chance of taking off.
- Disconnect from the outcome. Years ago, I learned to disconnect from the outcome and focus on the inputs. But creating reels was new and exciting… and you better believe I pressed that refresh button a million times (especially during my first few posts!). But at the end of the day- it’s consistency that matters. Some of the most random content will “pop off” and some of your best will fall flat. But that’s the name of the game. Consistent QUALITY content will always win in the long run.
- How to edit on the fly. My first month, I hired a video editing team because I wanted to have beautiful, polished videos. But after clients started asking me how I was editing my videos, I realized I needed to learn how to edit the way THEY were going to edit. So I taught myself how to do it, and I edited every single video myself after the first few weeks!
Things I loved:
- I had a ton of fun engaging with my audience on IG. One day I posted a meme of a car crossing 7 lanes of traffic during that somehow managed NOT to hit any other cars. A few hours later, someone in my audience reached out to tell me that happened right in her home town. How AWESOME. (fun and unexpected!)
- Sharing cool resources. I shared my retention calculator, my Notion batching template, a Q3 calendar, reels scripts, hook templates, automation tools, CTA cheatsheets, Canva templates, and a ton more. Makes my heart happy to be able to share these kinds of resources with you.
- The challenge of doing something new.
- Feeling like a beginner.
- Learning how to use a gimbal. Pretty darn cool.
Things I hated:
- Getting on camera. Still not my favorite thing, but it’s a LOT easier now than it was 3 months ago.
It’s a work in progress. I still have highlights I want to create and tweaks I want to make to my content strategy.
But all in all, it was a GREAT personal challenge and I learned a lot from it.
I hope I was able to share some valuable insights along the way.
But if you take anything away from my challenge:
- You’re not too late. You’re right where you should be.
- The thing you’re putting off the most is the thing you need to do.
- You absolutely CAN do it. Trust yourself.
Make it an amazing day,
Alicia
