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The Truth About Instagram Growth in 2026 (Part 1)
Description
If you posted content consistently for five straight months and your follower count barely moved, would you keep going? Would you keep showing up every week if it felt like nobody was watching? Today I'm sharing the story of one of my Hot Reels clients who did exactly that. She joined my program with about 2,500 followers and a totally dormant account she hadn't posted on for years. She spent the first few months of Hot Reels wondering if any of it was working. By the end of our year together, she grew to more than 70,000 followers. If you've ever felt like you're posting, trying, learning, showing up, and still wondering if Instagram is even worth it anymore for your business, this episode is for you.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- 01:36 What this new 5-part series is all about (real client stories, real strategies, real data)
- 06:34 The yellow pages analogy: why Instagram is the greatest marketing opportunity small business owners have ever had
- 13:41 The mindset that allowed me to post every day for over a year with little to no growth and keep going anyway
- 17:21 Meet Asli Wade: seven-figure Etsy seller, handmade gift creator, and Hot Reels graduate
- 22:27 The truth about what Asli's growth actually looked like — five months of almost nothing
- 28:34 Why the viral reel revealed the foundation she spent months building, not the other way around
- 30:02 Why I cap Hot Reels at 20 business owners and what close-proximity coaching actually changes
LINKS MENTIONED
- SHOP for Heartfelt Personalized Gifts handcrafted by Asli Wade HERE
- Asli Wade's previous Strut It interview — Ep61
- Hot Reels VIP Wait List — enrollment opens Monday, August 17th. Join the wait list for first access and an exclusive private coaching bonus
- Free Monetize Your IG Guide
- Apply for your FREE Instagram Breakthrough Session with Elizabeth
- Free guide to Monetize Your IG: Seven Simple and Proven Ways to Finally Make Money on Instagram
Follow Elizabeth Marberry on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook
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