Growing My Business on Instagram (Without Losing Myself in the Process)
A Softer Approach to Instagram Growth 🌱
I deeply believe that a social media presence can grow small business owners towards their goals – but I also believe that business owners don’t need to go viral or become influencers to see that impact.
As an Instagram strategist for women in business, I have a lot of conversations around the pressure that comes along with social media. The entrepreneurs I work with already have full plates between back-to-back client meetings, sports practice drop-offs, and trying to care for themselves in the midst of it all.
Traditional social media advice often makes capable women feel like they’re doing it wrong before they even open Instagram… and that’s why we do things differently around here.
What My First Year on Instagram Actually Looked Like 🤳
Since I work in the social media space, you might think that I’ve amassed hundreds of thousands of followers quickly like the gurus always talk about. But I really want you to know that as I’m writing this post, I’ve been on Instagram for about a year and have just over 550 followers total.
For me, vanity numbers have never been the goal. I show up on Instagram consistently because I want social media to work for my business – but I get to decide what the goalpost looks like (and I’m not about to let a rogue piece of code define my worth).
So during my first year on Instagram, here are some of the things I focused on instead of growing a huge following:
Making sure my business could last before getting caught up in building a big platform
Refining my message so that my content resonated with the right people (and not just ALL the people)
Putting gentle social media boundaries in place to avoid burning out while I grew at my own pace
And of course… valuing each and every individual connection I made because those numbers represent real people
This year on Instagram was all about setting the right foundations – so that if and when I do grow more, I’ll be growing in the right direction.
Why I’m Choosing to Grow... For a Season 🌸
With spring in the air and my one-year business anniversary on the horizon, I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting and dreaming about where I want my business to go next.
And as I’ve thought about where my business is heading, the idea of growing a larger following has come up. It’s not because the numbers matter all on their own, but because of the possibilities that a bigger platform might open up for me as I walk into my next season.
So during the month of April, I’m doing a 30-day push to grow my following, and I’m sharing openly about it here and on my Instagram platform to help you learn from my experience. It’s not something I plan on maintaining long term, but a tangible step I can take to go where my business is taking me next.
A Growth Strategy That Fits My Real Life ✨
As I started to map out what this growth push or “visibility sprint” would look like, I knew I needed it to align with my people-centered, authentic, sustainable approach to content strategy.
I still need to be available for school pickup most days, and I can’t let my client work slide in order to show up daily on Instagram… and there are also some growth strategies out there that just don’t sit right with me (like using clickbait, fear mongering, or copying ideas from other creators).
I’m holding the tension that a lot of business owners hold themselves – wanting their business to look professional and legitimate online, but not always wanting to resort to the “tactics” that social media experts share about how to get there (or just not wanting to burn out in the process).
So I’m pulling back the curtain on what I’m doing in an effort to grow my following this month – and in this season of life, it looks like just three things.
1. Posting More Often (Without Starting From Scratch) 📱
First, I’ll be posting every day on Instagram for thirty days straight. The idea behind posting often is to get myself out there more into the algorithm void and hopefully make it easier for the right people to come across my page.
This month, I’m sharing one post daily in my feed, and seven total trial reels per day built from pre-planned content and visuals from my content bank.
If you haven’t heard of trial reels, this is a feature that allows Instagram posts to be shared with non-followers instead of showing up in your normal feed. I have my trial reels for the month prepared with text and captions, and I’m swapping out the b-roll clips each day so that I’m not sharing exact post copies every day (which is not how Instagram intended trial reels to be used).
PS – I would definitely not be able to post this much if not for my content bank, which I add to monthly with simple b-roll clips. Starting a content bank is one of the things I highly recommend to my clients who want to stay more consistent without feeling like they need to make a brand-new post every day!
2. Making New Connections With “Introduction” Content 👋
As for what I’m sharing in my feed through daily posts, I’m still aiming to share the kind of content that my current followers are used to – but this month, I’m also leaning more heavily on what I call “Introduction” content.
This is the first of my four Content Pillars that I designed to meet people where they’re at in their journey of familiarity with my brand. If you’re unfamiliar with these, feel free to check out this blog post once you’re done reading here for more on this framework that I use in my own business and recommend to my clients across all different business industries.
Content in the Introduction pillar is like “virtual small talk” that welcomes new people into the world of your brand and helps them understand the unique way you support them with the problem that your business solves.
By focusing on Introduction content this month, a lot of my posts will be light, simple, and centered around the basic topics that someone might want to know before they decide if they’re ready to hit the follow button.
3. Making Time (and Tradeoffs) Visible ⏱️
The last thing I’m focusing on in order to grow my Instagram following this month has everything to do with honoring my capacity and mindset. In my world as a mom-owned business, making a realistic plan to get something done includes planning the time for it on the calendar.
This month, I’m dividing up my time blocked schedule a little differently to allow more time for content creation – and since I can’t add more hours to my day, this means I’m having to make a sacrifice elsewhere.
I have set aside two extra hours per week for post creation, and both of them are replacing time blocks that are typically dedicated to “life work” like household admin and home organization. I might get a little behind on these tasks this month, and I’ll likely be playing catch-up for a bit after. Through re-organizing my calendar for the month, I’m giving myself tangible proof why this growth push might work for a season but won’t be sustainable long-term.
When it comes to social media, there’s always something more that could be done – another post, a message to send, something to share in Stories. Time blocking my social media tasks helps me put gentle guardrails around it, so my online presence doesn’t spill over into the offline life I love… and so I can give myself permission to clock out when the task is truly done.
Because I know I’d probably have gained more followers this year if I’d spent twelve hours a day on Instagram… but I just don’t want to do that.
What I’m Actually Measuring This Month 🔍
Sharing this growth journey in public is fun, but honestly a little vulnerable. I genuinely don’t know what’s going to happen – and I’m not setting myself up with big expectations like virality or a “big break” type of moment.
Because going viral isn’t what it’s about around here, anyway… and while I might get a little dopamine boost watching the views climb this month, I don’t want to let Instagram define what success truly means to me.
And as much as I hope to grow this month, I’m also approaching it as a bit of an experiment. There’s an underlying question here that I’m hoping to help answer for myself, and for those following along…
Is growing a following on Instagram really worth it for a values-aligned small business?
For me, success on Instagram has always looked like real connections – and for this specific season, I’m also paying attention to what growth actually leads to. I wrote a whole blog post on what “success” practically looks like beyond just the Instagram numbers if you want to explore this topic even more.
Your Invitation Into the Experiment 💛
If you’re curious to see this journey play out in real life – or if you’ve also been wrestling with the tension to grow online without losing yourself in the process – feel free to follow along with me on Instagram.
I’ll be sharing a couple weekly updates as I go through this visibility sprint to bring you along for the ride! The goal is to be open and transparent about the results I’m seeing, and how this growth push is making me feel in the process. Because I know that for small business owners with heart, the way that it feels to show up sometimes matters just as much as the content you’re putting out there.
Leanne Miller of Leanne Miller Media is a social media strategist and small business content creator with over 15 years of experience in digital and print media. She helps women in business in the Portland, Oregon area create meaningful content that they’re proud to share through content strategy, on-brand visuals, and done-with-you social media support. Through working together, her clients are able to show up more consistently and more authentically online – while still having time for the life and business they love. As a fellow entrepreneur and mom, she brings real-life perspective into her work with clients. She balances a people-centered, connection-first approach to social media with smart, DIY-friendly content strategies – making her work a natural fit for values-led women in business who already have plenty on their plate but want their online presence to truly work for their brand. Leanne loves taking weekends off to explore the gorgeous Pacific Northwest with her husband and school-aged son, and loves a deep chat over matcha in a cozy Portland cafe.