Sprout Social Estimates Ad Spend Has Annual Growth Rate of 8.7% to Reach $102 Billion

Social media ad spend is at an all time high. Sprout Social estimates that ad spend has an annual growth rate of 8.7 percent to reach $102 billion total this year (2020). And the more that’s spent, the more social media can feel like “pay to play.” Many social media users and content creators are complaining about the stagnancy of formerly beloved platforms like Instagram and Facebook, stating that without investing in ads, their content tends to be hidden. This is what has caused a flock to the popular but hotly contested TikTok -- its power? Granting exposure organically.

But, paying to play isn’t the only way that you can get exposure on Instagram. Angie Lee is the host of the podcast The Angie Lee Show, she’s surmounted just under 100K followers on Instagram, and has been able to use this organic growth to sell without paid ads. Further numbers: her podcast now has over 10 million downloads, she’s brought in $1.6 million in revenue from digital courses, and sold out a 1,500 women event… all without paids ads. She sat down with us to share her best tips for building an audience organically, so that when it’s time to sell, it’s a no-brainer for your loyal followers. No ad spend necessary.

1. Think of your Instagram platform as a way that you are serving others.

Some succumb to Instagram strategies that are more about them than about their audience, which almost never pays off. “I always took the approach of helping one person at a time for ten years straight,” commented Lee. “So, I would prioritize nurturing my audience over growing it: serving those who showed up, even when my number of followers was substantially lower,” she said. “I tell people now -- a like on your post is a heartbeat. There are real people using social media to engage with you. So, how are you helping them?

Think through the service aspect of what you’re posting. What do you help people to do? How do you educate them? The truth is, people only invest in something if they can clearly see what’s in it for you, and in today’s era where follower:following ratio actually matters as a vanity metric, people will only press the “follow” button if it’s abundantly clear how you serve them. And, nothing can stop them from leaving if you forget to nurture.

2. Create sharable, save-able content.

To get in front of more people, Lee says the secret is to product content that’s easily shareable - either reposted onto feeds or shared onto stories. “I like to share quick motivational tweets and messages that I wrote on my iPhone notepad that resonate with the audience in a way that causes them to save or share it,” said Lee. If you look through her Instagram page, you’ll see how true this is: from the actionable advice she offers to the inspirational tidbits that are “save and read again later” worthy.

To understand this further, think about the content you see on your feed that you’re likely to reshare or save. Then, think about the content that you don’t engage with in that way - like a photo of someone on vacation. You’ll know what is shareable as a creator based on your own opinion as a consumer.

3. Use the “cheeseburger” approach to captions.

Lee created what she calls a “cheeseburger” formula for writing captions, because the captions are how you’re going to connect with your follower beyond the photo. It’s likely that many of your followers are simply scrolling past your photos without taking the time to pay attention or engage… but they need to in order to tell others about you, share your content, or become truly loyal.

“The top bun of the cheeseburger is the hook: that first line of the caption that needs to be attention grabbing and entice the reader to stop scrolling and lean into what’s being sad,” shared Lee. “Next up, the cheese is your relatability. Think of KTL: Know, Like, and Trust. Let your followers in by connecting to their pain points.

“The meat of the cheeseburger is either an educational message or a story, and the golden rule is to offer 2-3 nuggets of inspiration or advice. Aim to both offer value while also relating back to your expertise. Show what you know!

“And finally, the bottom bun is that call-to-action, which every single post should have. Do you want the reader to DM you? Sign up for your new course? Tag a friend? Download your podcast?”

In combination, a powerful caption, strong content, and the intention to serve stands on its own. It attracts new followers by virtue of its value. So, even if you have just a handful of followers, Lee encourages you to just get started! Once again, follow in her footsteps to help “one person at a time.”