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I am so excited to bring on one of the leading Instagram strategists for business owners — Michelle Gifford. She helps six and seven-figure brands grow their audience, sell out their offers, and generate real revenue through Instagram. She's also a coach, agency owner, podcast host of The Social Strategist, and a mother of five proving every day that it's possible to build a thriving business without sacrificing what matters most. 

When I invited Michelle onto the show, I knew we'd be talking Instagram strategy. What I didn't expect was how deep we'd go into the mindset behind building a successful business on Instagram. Grab your notebook.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE 

• 03:15 How Michelle went from teaching photography as a business to becoming one of the leading Instagram strategists for six and seven-figure brands
• 05:07 The moment Michelle realized she wasn't growing on Instagram even though she was teaching it, and exactly what she changed
• 07:30 Why sitting on the fence wastes more time and energy than just deciding to go all in
• 08:23 How to use Instagram results as information instead of validation
• 09:22 The two types of Instagram users every business owner needs to recognize and the decision point each of them faces
• 10:19 Why Instagram now rewards the best content creators and why that's actually a gift
• 11:17 The identity mindset shift required when you move from Instagram consumer to Instagram business owner
• 16:20 What's working for organic Instagram growth right now: carousels, reels, and the share rate metric you need to watch
• 18:44 The content test Michelle uses before posting anything: save it, share it, or watch all the way through
• 20:59 How to keep people watching reels all the way through: layered hooks, visual movement, and ruthless editing
• 22:21 How long your reels should actually be and why Michelle uses a "mini skirt" rule
• 23:20 Why not all content has to go viral and how to separate attract, nurture, and sell content
• 30:17 How Michelle runs a business and creates content with five kids, a dog, and two cats
• 35:36 How Michelle uses AI including Claude Co-Work for competitor analysis and Instagram content research
• 39:05 How Claude Co-Work opens a Chrome browser and analyzes Instagram accounts in real time
• 41:00 How Michelle uses AI to automate daily social media news briefings and podcast guest thank-you emails
• 41:52 Michelle's Descript workflow for podcast editing

LINKS MENTIONED 

• Hot Reels (my 12-month Instagram content lab): 
• Michelle Gifford's Website:
• Michelle on Instagram: 
• The Social Strategist Podcast: 
• Michelle AI (Michelle's custom GPT): 

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