When we started building our Instagram accounts, we found lots of high-level articles with general to-do lists, but nothing that taught you the principles behind Instagram strategy and guided you through creating your own unique Instagram brand.
It seemed that the only people who were catapulting to become INSTAFAMOUS were bikini models, smoldering hot shirtless men, cute puppies & pictures of trendy pineapples – images that were primed for “LIKES” and “FOLLOWERS”. The other success stories were people who were leveraging an already existing audience outside of Instagram (actors and established brands) who were cross-promoting their accounts.
As we sat there drinking our coffee every morning, we wondered how were we going to grow our SKI, SUCCULENT and MOM/BABY niche accounts amongst 800 million other Instagram accounts?
We knew we had to educate ourselves to get aligned with Instagram’s algorithms to gain visibility.
So, we diligently worked on each step needed to build a solid Instagram account with real & engaged followers through months of A/B testing and documenting it all in our Guides and revealing the secrets to Instagram Success.
Our Instagram Decoded Course details all the strategies we developed to grow our personal Instagram accounts with REAL FOLLOWERS and REAL ENGAGEMENT.
With over 3,500 customers and being the founders of the ORIGINAL Comment Pods™ Communities (which were built around our guides and went viral), we know the guides and strategies work for a variety of niches and both Digital Influencers and Brands. These guides work if you are just starting out on Instagram or a long time user and looking to grow your account.
Our Instagram accounts (@LizDean) and (@skirotica) are SOCIAL PROOF that these methods work! We started growing our accounts in August 2015 and July 2016 respectively in the Ski/Fitness and mom/baby influencer niches.
We also consistently test methods/strategies on our main account(s) and other smaller accounts to make sure the strategies work at all level account sizes.
*The stats for this account are below and proof positive that the strategies we teach WORK!
Now, we know you are skeptical. This is the feedback we get in MANY of our testimonials before reading and implementing the guides. They detail that they felt burned after taking other courses from “experts”. The have paid much higher prices for courses that provided nebulous information that is generally provided in free posts you can google online.
Also, to our credit, we are the founders of the infamous Comment Pods™, which we actually quit using back in 2016. They ended up disrupting the influencer industry on Instagram. Comment Pods were created to supplement some of our OWN growth strategies. So many people copied our strategy but implemented it incorrectly, thus making it less effective for the people trying to use it. Don't fret, we've come up with so many more new strategies since that help you gain REAL engagement.
What’s the difference in our course from ALL of the others?
TEACH
Our guides will TEACH you how the Instagram platform & algorithms work.
We detail specific elements for each algorithm to help you gain visibility and GROW your account.
ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES
The Instagram Decoded Course then guides you with step-by-step instructions to create your own unique strategy for YOUR Instagram account that will be successful on the Instagram platform and meet your business goals.
IN LINE WITH ALGORITHM CHANGES
We built our guides by analyzing the Instagram algorithms & business goals.
Our strategies have continued to yield success for our customers with Instagram’s continued algorithm updates starting in March 2016.
What You Will Learn in This Guide
UPDATED APRIL 2021
1: Setting up you Instagram Profile
Starting an Instagram account begins with setting up your profile.
Setting up your profile correctly will help you reach your goal on Instagram whether that be to build your brand, sell products or become a digital influencer.
Learn tips and tricks to attract users to follow your account
Optimize your profile to show up in Search.
Review security options to keep your account secure
2: 10 Steps to the Perfect Instagram Post
Instagram may be the least cluttered interface of all the Social Media platforms, but there are many factors that go into posting a little square image to get a big response.
Find out our 10 step process:
When to post?
How many times a day do I post?
What to post?
What to put in the caption?
Hashtag 101 and 5 more things to do before you hit the SHARE button
3: Defining your Instagram Account
You create a digital footprint and define your personal brand every time you post on social media.
Defining your Instagram account is one of the most important things you can do to get a foothold and gain an audience on Instagram.
Define your brand and value on Instagram
Define your niche using Instagram / Facebook categorization
Strategy to build your account followers using niche vs target audience
Elements of a consistent feed.
4: Hashtag Strategy – Research & Implementation
Hashtag research can be overwhelming and labor intensive to continually lookup options.
Let us guide you through the process with a clear action plan to find the most effective hashtags for your account.
How Hashtags impact your photos in Instagram’s algorithm
How to get your posts into Top Posts?
How do find relevant hashtags to use for your niche and create a Hashtag Cheat Sheet?
How many hashtags to use for maximum exposure and reach?
How often do I change hashtags?
5: Instagram Follow / Unfollow Revealed
Learn the tips and tricks used to engage the Instagram community with this step-by-step guide.
This is the secret that many large Instagram accounts have used to grow their accounts (that they don’t want you to know about).
-The exact steps needed to be successful at this method
-Timing & Tips on how maximize your opportunity.
-Know what to expect utilizing this method with FAQ’s answered.
-How to pick target accounts to leverage the new Instagram algorithm
-Daily/Monthly Action Plan
6: Increasing your Instagram Engagement
Discover methods to increase your engagement on Instagram.
These strategies focus your time and activities to create an engaged community and more likes/comment on your posts.
-Optimizing your Post for Engagement
-Leveraging Existing Audiences
-Comment Pods
-Targeted Focus Strategies for the best ROI on your time
-Post Time/Weekly/Daily Action Plan
7: Understanding the Instagram Algorithm
The Instagram Algorithms are constantly changing & evolving, using a variety of factors to surface quality and relevant material to other users in the Instagram community.
We analyzed each of them and found different elements & strategies to become relevant & ranked in each of these areas.
- Search Page (aka Tags/Hashtags)
Place (Location Pages)
Top/People Search
Suggested Users Recommendations
Explore Page
8: The Goodness Score
The goodness score is the biggest unknown element to account growth to this day. We’ve spent the past few months breaking it down and analyzing every element possible that goes into the goodness score. We’ve discovered that it impacts both the account level and the post level and plays into the newest feed algorithm heavily.
We analyzed the goodness score factors, break down each one, how to determine the goodness score on each level, and explain why it matters to have a good goodness score on your account level and post level.
We go over actionable plans to increase your goodness score, which ultimately helps to improve reach and engagement levels too.
9: BEGINNER GUIDE TO AUTOMATED ACCOUNT SETUP
We never recommend automation unless you have your manual strategies down pat and you are comfortable moving to automation.
Automation can be risky, but it can also save you a ton of time. However, you shouldn’t grant third-party access to websites or apps that don’t follow Instagram’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Use (especially websites that sell or promise free followers or likes). These websites and apps are likely attempts to use your account in an inappropriate way. With that being known, you can make the decision to automate or not.
For those that wish to pursue automation, we have introduced guide 09 which includes our basic setup recommendations for Jarvee, recommended settings and so much more to help get you started on the road to less manual actions.
10: ADVANCED LEVEL INSTAGRAMMERS: SUPER TARGETED MASS DIRECT MESSAGE STRATEGY
This strategy is an advanced level strategy that requires automation (Jarvee), a windows operating system (or VPS which we show you how to setup if you do not know), proxies, SIM cards, money and Excel skills.
This strategy teaches you how to mass create and run 50 Instagram accounts in your niche.
It nets us anywhere from 200-400 new super niche targeted followers daily. Some niches will have better results.
You can also duplicate this step-by-step guide to create 50 more accounts to double your daily following numbers.
Startup cost for this strategy ranges around ~$2384/Year for 50 accounts.
We walk you through step-by-step how to get this set-up and running.
*Costs can vary based on providers changing their prices and is out of our control as we do not provide the tools needed to run this strategy..
00: Schedule and Checklist
It’s a lot to take in, so we also provided an “optimal” schedule to go through the guides (1-8 only) along with a checklist to keep you organized and on track.
*Day by Day schedule to walk you through the guides
*Daily checklist of items you should complete with each guide
AND THERE IS MORE!
If you purchase today, you will get access to our bonus email accountability series AND 30 days FREE to our community forum, The Instagram Posse and VIP forum channels.
INSTAGRAM DECODED BONUSES
The Instagram Decoded Accountability Email Series
BONUS: An Email Series to Your Inbox With the Schedule of the Guides (Modules 1-8)
We’ll pop into your inbox to help motivate you and push you along through reading, absorbing and implementing the guides.
We answer some recent additional FAQs and address any recent changes that may have occurred to the platform referenced in the guides or strategies taught in the guides.
30 Days FREE Access to The Instagram Posse and VIP Forum
Join 100’s of other guide purchasers where you can ask additional questions about the guides and receive answers from the authors and 100’s of our VIPS.
We have great discussions in this forum on Instagram strategy.
TESTIMONIALS
With over 4,300 Instagram Decoded guide purchasers, we know the guides work for a variety of niches and both Digital Influencers and Brands.
"I started with the guides in June of 2016, with just around 2,000 followers. Instagram growth always seemed impossible to me. It was my least favorite, least profitable social media account. Today, my account has grown to 64k. The course's techniques are easy to understand and have helped me to build a community of interested, niche-targeted followers. Instagram is now my "go-to" platform for forming brand relationships for sponsorship, as well as getting to know other food enthusiasts and photographers. Late last year, my first full-color feature in a print magazine came from the editor finding me on Instagram. The guides have been, hands down, one of the best investments I've made in growing my business!"
Amanda Biddle
@stripedspatula
"I'm a serial course taker/buyer. I love investing in knowledge unfortunately there is so much fluff and repurposed content put there. This is one course you will take and you won't see this material other places. It works and there is data and reasoning behind the methodologies which you rarely find with IG. I'm currently sitting at 50k+ and making a full-time income from IG alone in a year and half."
Michelle Robinson
@moderndaymoguls
"Testimonial: I had grown my account to 2000 really quickly and hit a wall. I bought the guides and 11x my following in just 6 months! Plus I have a deeper understanding of how Instagram works. Passing that 10k follower mark was incredible! I started getting more sponsored posts and could put links in my Instagram Story ... it was game-changing!! In the past, I had followed other people who gave vague advice ... "be genuine", "post pretty pictures". None of that works in a vacuum. These people built their following before major algo changes or they really didn't have a strategy ... they just hit upon a secret sauce but really don't know why they had success. So what they teach doesn't work. Liz has social proof that her methods in the guides work and they work now. She provides a ton of value in the guides but also works to find new solutions, tools, and strategies backed by data. She's not guessing like these other "Insta-experts". She has hard numbers and tests showing these strategies and methods WORK."
Jennifer Priest
@smartfundiy
SEE ADDITIONAL TESTIMONIALS
Meet the Author, Liz.
Liz grew up on social media and has always had a “problem” with her obsession over it. Instagram was her favorite because of the visual aspect of the platform and her passion for photography. Liz quickly became hooked and wanted to figure out how to become an Instagram Influencer. She is now an established influencer in the mommy niche and she continues to A/B test strategies on not only her account, @lizdean, but 20+ other accounts among multiple niches from cars to plants.
Liz Dean built the community, the Instagram Posse on Facebook, from the ground up to ~37k members. She has been in the weeds with all things Instagram for 3 years, knows of every rumor out there, knows of all of the truths about Instagram and she is your biggest fan.
Liz has helped over 4500 clients achieve massive successes on Instagram with her Instagram Decoded guides, testimonials HERE.
Liz comes from a background of software engineering and client support. She’s a total tech geek at heart with a side of social community lovin’!
Liz also teaches online courses for Instagrammers, Brands, Companies and Marketers on both Instagram and Facebook Groups.
READY TO GROW YOUR INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT?
FAQs
Q: Have other people had success with the TheSocialMediaPosse.com Instagram Decoded guides?
A: YES! Over 4,300+ people have purchased and use the TheSocialMediaPosse.com guides. We believe our success is because we TEACH you the methodology and how the Instagram algorithms works so you can develop a strategy that fits YOUR business.
We built our accounts to over 50K each in the different niches (Travel and Mom/Baby) in under a year using these guides. We are not celebrities, did not use money for advertising/strategy, post our own content, and had full-time jobs outside of Instagram. So these strategies are about streamlining your strategy and TIME to get results.
You can check out the testimonials HERE.
Q: Do these guides work with the algorithm changes.
A: Instagram is always changing and optimizing their algorithms. We started figuring them out in Fall 2015 and part of that was analyzing the direction that Instagram was taking their algorithms. When the major changes occurred in March 2016, June 2016 and the feed algorithm in Spring 2017, our accounts actually picked up speed because our strategies were in line with these algorithm changes.
Over 4,000 people have purchased the Instagram Decoded Guides since March 2016 and are finding success in developing their individual strategy from the information in the guides.
Q. Do we need to buy a tool with the TheSocialMediaPosse.com Instagram Decoded Course?
A. No, our guides 1-8 contain manual methodologies and information to help you build and streamline YOUR strategy to build your Instagram account by using the Instagram app directly.
There are 3rd party apps / tools that will help you schedule posts, review your feed and help automate your strategy.
However, you shouldn’t grant third-party access to websites or apps that don’t follow Instagram’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Use (especially websites that sell or promise free followers or likes). These websites and apps are likely attempts to use your account in an inappropriate way.
We have just added two more modules in September 2018 that are for advanced level Instagramming that do require automation tools to be purchased should you wish to move to move to automating strategies from guides 1-8.
Q. How much time does it take to grow an Instagram Account?
A. Each account will be different according to your niche, competition, picture quality, uniqueness … etc.. but here is what we do:
To set the initial strategy of the account and a posting schedule (Guides 1-4) took a few hours… but this isn’t our first rodeo either. It gets easier setting up secondary accounts.
Weekly, we spend one hour (a) creating posts with images, captions, hashtags for the week and (b) making strategy adjustment as our account grows (Guide 4,5,6,7).
Daily, we spend 30-40 minutes on engagement (Guide 6).. though sometimes this is less.
Our new accounts ie under 10K grow at ~100 followers / day.
Our mature accounts grow ~200-250 dependent on growth vs engagement strategies we are working on and testing.
Q: Do I need to be an experienced Instagrammer to join?
A: No. We currently accept all Instagrammers from beginners to experienced content creators.