Dishing Up Digital with Ellen Mackenzie

It's time to talk trial reels strategy. How to actually boost your reach and grow your following on Instagram using this new feature. In this video, I'm breaking down the common misbeliefs and misconceptions around trial reels and what's actually been working for me.

xx

Ellen

💕 Thank You to Rella for sponsoring this video

Use code ELLEN for 10% off your subscription:

👉 https://getrella.com/?via=ellen

_______________________________________________________________

📕 THE INSTAGRAM STRATEGY PLAYBOOK (50% OFF)

Ten years of content marketing experience in one book, plus an AI knowledge file you can upload into Claude or ChatGPT to train your own assistant:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/d7pPgBE2/checkout?coupon_code=50OFF

🔗 //LINKS (ad affiliates) //

Camera:

https://geni.us/iPjpAt

Lens:

https://geni.us/kNkJOx

Full list of tools & software I use:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/tools

💻 // WORK WITH ELLEN //

Join the Dishing up Digital School:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/Dishing-up-Digital-School

Join the high level mastermind:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-lfg-mastermind

SMM template bundle:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/DwKaVUZd

Buy Ellen's book:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473664798

📲 // SOCIAL MEDIA //

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenziee

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieee

🌐 Ellen's business:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/

📧 Sponsorship enquiries:

[email protected]

Today we're unpacking the big question: is the influencer industry dying? Social media has been flooded with creators returning to 9-5 jobs as well as chatter that influencer budgets have been cut in 2025 and 2026.

In this video I'm unpacking the truth behind these conversations as someone who has been in the world of content creation for 15 years now. 

We'll also be talking about the pros/cons of the influencer world and how you can best prepare yourself for entering this industry.

xx

Ellen

💕 Thank You to Rella for sponsoring this video

Use code ELLEN for 10% off your subscription:

👉 https://getrella.com/?via=ellen

_______________________________________________________________

🎟 FREE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER SUMMIT

Three days, live on Zoom, completely free. Save your seat:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-SMM-summit-2026

📕 THE INSTAGRAM STRATEGY PLAYBOOK (50% OFF)

Ten years of content marketing experience in one book, plus an AI knowledge file you can upload into Claude or ChatGPT to train your own assistant:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/d7pPgBE2/checkout?coupon_code=50OFF

🔗 //LINKS (ad affiliates) //

Camera:

https://geni.us/iPjpAt

Lens:

https://geni.us/kNkJOx

Full list of tools & software I use:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/tools

💻 // WORK WITH ELLEN //

Join the Dishing up Digital School:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/Dishing-up-Digital-School

Join the high level mastermind:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-lfg-mastermind

SMM template bundle:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/DwKaVUZd

Buy Ellen's book:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473664798

📲 // SOCIAL MEDIA //

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenziee

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieee

🌐 Ellen's business:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/

📧 Sponsorship enquiries:

[email protected]

I'm breaking down the four things that actually turn Instagram content into client inquiries, using real examples from my social media managers who are scaling their business.

This is the exact content strategy I teach my social media manager students who are booking clients with 300 to 8,000 followers, and it starts with a proper content funnel.

What's covered:

✨ The content funnel explained

✨ Why your best-selling content will rarely be your most-liked content

✨ Leveraging social proof

✨ Why faceless content is holding you back

✨ Content psychology: write for YOUR audience

✨ Real examples from accounts with 300 to 9,000 followers, You do not need to go viral to book clients.

You need the right mix of content, social proof in almost all of it, and your face on camera.

xxEllen

💕 Thank You to Rella for sponsoring this video

Use code ELLEN for 10% off your subscription:

👉 https://getrella.com/?via=ellen

👑 THE STUDENTS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO

Mallory:https://www.instagram.com/malloryjardine/

The Social Hauz:https://www.instagram.com/thesocialhauz/

Areeya:https://www.instagram.com/areeyacheong/

Social Vitality:https://www.instagram.com/social.vitality/

Abigail:https://www.instagram.com/feijoasocial/

_______________________________________________________________

🎟 FREE SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER SUMMIT

Three days, live on Zoom, completely free. Save your seat:https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-SMM-summit-2026

📕 THE INSTAGRAM STRATEGY PLAYBOOK (50% OFF)

Ten years of content marketing experience in one book, plus an AI knowledge file you can upload into Claude or ChatGPT to train your own assistant: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/d7pPgBE2/checkout?coupon_code=50OFF

I made six figures in a single quarter for the first time ever — $100K in three months — and I re-recorded the intro to this video about ten times because my brain still can't quite believe it. This is my full Q2 2026 income report: every revenue stream, every expense right down to the studio rent, and the three changes that drove a 35% jump in revenue. And because revenue isn't the whole story, we also get into the shrinking profit margin, the enrolment goal I massively undershot, and the ad experiment that only half worked.

The biggest lever of all? My Claude operating system — the AI setup that's quietly become the jet fuel behind this milestone.

Here's everything under the hood:

✨ The full revenue breakdown — April, May + June (yes, it declined inside a record quarter)

✨ Every expense category — team, Meta ads, coaching, software, studio — and my real 39% profit margin

✨ What I actually paid myself, and why I never hide the profit-vs-revenue gap

✨ YouTube + Instagram stats: why my views dropped but my watch time (and AdSense) climbed

✨ The 4× ad-spend experiment — what scaled beautifully and what I switched off

✨ How my Claude operating system let me post 70% more content while working LESS

Currency note: I'm based in New Zealand, so all figures are in NZD.

💕 Thank you to Rella for sponsoring this video

Use code ELLEN for 10% off your subscription:

👉 https://getrella.com/?via=ellen

x Ellen

_______________________________________________________________

// FREE CLAUDE RESOURCES //

🔎 Copy my competitor research skill! Download the prompt + set up guide here: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/pl/2148807824

📣 Set up your Claude to understand YOU! Download the Brand Voice Interview prompt: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/pl/2148783700

// WATCH NEXT //

🎥 How to set up Claude Cowork (full tutorial): https://youtu.be/R9Q1kDYlNUk?si=u2u9A2BmwJ2LGnLA

📲 Copy my Claude marketing team: https://youtu.be/-R32DSY5jOE?si=D6jdfa4hUIK4kYRz

// READY FOR MORE? //

📲 Buy my Instagram Strategy Playbook + AI knowledge file: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/d7pPgBE2?coupon_code=50OFF

🏕️ Sign up for Camp Claude: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/camp-claude

_______________________________________________________________

⏱ //TIMESTAMPS//

00:37 What's inside this Q2 income report

01:24 Hi, I'm Ellen

02:20 The revenue breakdown: April, May + June

04:50 Expenses: the full breakdown

10:58 What I paid myself + tax

11:53 YouTube + Instagram stats

18:46 The 3 key changes behind the growth

19:03 The 4× Facebook ads experiment

24:43 New digital products + Camp Claude

30:20 The freebie that got 4,000 downloads

Most Claude skills are a complete waste of your time — so in this Claude skills tutorial, I'm breaking down the only 5 you actually need to run the marketing side of your business. Plus, you can grab a copy of my competitor research skill below, for free!xxEllen// FREE CLAUDE RESOURCES //🔎 Copy my competitor research skill! Download the prompt + set up guide here:https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/pl/2148807824📣 Set up your Claude to understand YOU! Download the Brand Voice Interview prompt:https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/pl/2148783700// WATCH NEXT //🎥 How to set up Claude Cowork (full tutorial):https://youtu.be/R9Q1kDYlNUk?si=u2u9A2BmwJ2LGnLA// READY FOR MORE? //📲 Buy my Instagram Strategy Playbook + AI knowledge file:https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/d7pPgBE2?coupon_code=50OFF🏕️ Get on the waitlist for my course, Camp Claude, and secure a 50% discount:https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/camp-claude⏱ TIMESTAMPS 01:29 What a Claude skill actually is02:51 How I use skills (and what I don't use them for)03:50 Meet my Claude team04:02 Skill 1: The platform specialists (Instagram, email + YouTube)06:06 Skill 2: The creative director (brand skill)07:25 Skill 3: The inbox manager (correspondence)08:29 Sourdough intermission + why this matters11:07 Skill 4: The competitor researcher12:21 Skill 5: The ops team (software skills)14:35 The biggest mistake people make with skills18:09 Set up your Claude foundations first// LET'S CONNECT //Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenzieeTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieeeWebsite: https://www.ellenmackenzie.comSponsorship enquiries: [email protected]

The reason your Instagram Reels are sounding flat isn't your hook — it's the storytelling layer right after it. In this video I'm walking through the exact 5-technique storytelling system I've used for a decade on my own account, including the journalism filter for deciding which stories are even worth posting and a real before/after caption rewrite so you can see what changes.

✨ Covered in this video:

00:00 The hook won't save your Instagram content

01:34 The state of Instagram in 2026

03:52 Part 1: The 7 Newsworthy Principles

11:04 Rella sponsor break

12:03 Part 2: The 7 Storytelling Shapes

19:38 Part 3: The Zoom-In Technique

23:49 The big lesson

If you want the full storytelling system + 8 other chapters of the strategy framework I've been quietly running on my own account for a decade, I just launched The Instagram Strategy Playbook (on SALE for a limited time only). 

It's two files: a 50+ page PDF and a structured AI knowledge file you can drop into any AI tool you already use. 

🚀 BUY THE PLAYBOOK: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/d7pPgBE2?coupon_code=50OFF

💕 Thank You to Rella for sponsoring the podcast

Use code ELLEN for 10% off your subscription:

👉 https://getrella.com/?via=ellen

xx

Ellen

_______________________________________________________________

🎥 WATCH NEXT:

Why Instagram engagement is dead (and my new strategy): https://youtu.be/dKv498DDbmw

🎯 FREE WEBINAR:

Learn how I sign high-paying clients and build a scalable social media business:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/freewebinar

🔗 //LINKS (ad affiliates) //

Camera:

https://geni.us/iPjpAt

Lens:

https://geni.us/kNkJOx

Full list of tools & software I use:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/tools

💻 // WORK WITH ELLEN //

Join the Dishing up Digital School:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/Dishing-up-Digital-School

Join the high level mastermind:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-lfg-mastermind

SMM template bundle:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/DwKaVUZd

Buy Ellen's book:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473664798

📲 // SOCIAL MEDIA //

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenziee

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieee

🌐 Ellen's business:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/

📧 Sponsorship enquiries:

[email protected]

5 things I wish someone had told me before I became a social media manager — the stuff nobody talks about because it's easier to sell the dream than prepare you for the reality. From dealing with trolls and negative comments on your content, to losing clients you love, to the hiring nightmares nobody warns you about — this is the honest version. 

In this video: 

✨ Why negative comments hit different when you're creating UGC and client content 

✨ The hard truth about clients leaving (and outgrowing the ones who stay) ✨ Why hiring and outsourcing is never as simple as business coaches make it sound 

✨ The 9-to-5 guilt that follows you into self-employment 

✨ How social media drains your nervous system — even when you love the work 

xx Ellen

 _______________________________________________ 

// 🎯 FREE TRAINING // 

Learn how I sign high-paying clients and build a scalable social media business: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/freewebinar 

🔗 //LINKS (ad affiliates) // 

Camera: https://geni.us/iPjpAt 

Lens: https://geni.us/kNkJOx 

Full list of tools & software I use: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/tools 

💻 // WORK WITH ELLEN // 

Join the Dishing up Digital School: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/Dishing-up-Digital-School 

Join the high level mastermind: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-lfg-mastermind 

SMM template bundle: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/DwKaVUZd 

Buy Ellen's book: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473664798 

📲 // SOCIAL MEDIA // 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenziee 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieee 

🌐 Ellen's business: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/ 

📧 Sponsorship enquiries: [email protected]

Instagram engagement just hit record lows... and as a creator and business owner, I'm feeling it. So I'm walking you through the 3 things I'm actively changing about my Instagram strategy in 2026 - in real time - so you can decide whether to copy them, tweak them, or wait for my update in a month.
In this video, I break down what's actually happening with the Instagram algorithm in 2026, why engagement has collapsed across the board, and the strategic pivots I'm making to protect my reach, my business, and (honestly) my nervous system.

✨ What we cover:
- The 2026 Instagram engagement stats no one's talking about
- My exact Trial Reels A/B testing system (and why I resisted it for a year)
- Why I'm scaling up Meta ads in 2026, and who needs to be doing the same
- How I use Claude AI in my content workflow, and the boundary I refuse to cross
- Why AI-generated content is actually making the engagement crisis worse
- The honest reason I've stepped back from Instagram and where my energy is going instead
Whether you're a social media manager, a creator, or a business owner who relies on Instagram for leads... this is the video to watch before you spend another hour fighting the algorithm.

xx
Ellen
_____________________________________________________________

🎯 FREE WEBINAR
Learn how I sign high-paying clients and build a scalable social media business:
https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/freewebinar

🔗 //LINKS (ad affiliates) //
30% off the planning template I use with the code ELLENM30:
https://productivitymethod.com/ELLENM30
Camera:
https://geni.us/iPjpAt
Lens:
https://geni.us/kNkJOx
Full list of tools & software I use:
https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/tools

🤯 //FREE TRAINING SERIES//
0 to 7 figures: enter your social media manager era!
https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/private-podcast

💻 // WORK WITH ELLEN //
Join the Dishing up Digital School:
https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/Dishing-up-Digital-School
Join the high level mastermind:
https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-lfg-mastermind
SMM template bundle:
https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/DwKaVUZd
Buy Ellen's book:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473664798

📲 // SOCIAL MEDIA //
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenziee
TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieee
🌐 Ellen's business:
https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/
📧 Sponsorship enquiries:
[email protected]

If you're using Claude like a search engine, you're using maybe 5% of what it can actually do. In this video, I'm showing you the exact way I set up Claude Cowork to run my multi-six-figure freelance business — and the three foundation steps that put you ahead of 99% of freelancers and solopreneurs still typing prompts into a chat box.

This is Layer 1 of the AI operating system I use across every part of my business.

By the end, you'll have:

✨ A proper understanding of what Claude Cowork actually is (and why it's different to ChatGPT or browser-based Claude)

✨ Cowork mode set up on your computer

✨ The Global Instructions file that makes Claude sound like YOU

✨ Projects + memory so Claude remembers your business, not a fresh start every time

✨ Why folder structure is the deciding factor between five-star AI output and mediocre copy-paste loops

xx

Ellen

_______________________________________________________________

🎯 FREE BRAND VOICE INTERVIEW

The free tool to extract your voice with this detailed 30 minute interview and finally make Claude understand YOU:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/pl/2148783700

🔗 //LINKS (ad affiliates) //

30% off the planning template I use with the code ELLENM30:

https://productivitymethod.com/ELLENM30

Camera:

https://geni.us/iPjpAt

Lens:

https://geni.us/kNkJOx

Full list of tools & software I use:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/tools

🤯 //FREE TRAINING SERIES//

0 to 7 figures: enter your social media manager era!

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/private-podcast

💻 // WORK WITH ELLEN //

Join the Dishing up Digital School:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/Dishing-up-Digital-School

Join the high level mastermind:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-lfg-mastermind

SMM template bundle:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/DwKaVUZd

Buy Ellen's book:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473664798

📲 // SOCIAL MEDIA //

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenziee

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieee

🌐 Ellen's business:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/

📧 Sponsorship enquiries:

[email protected]

Scaling as a social media manager or freelancer: it's simple math and a simplified business. In this video I'm breaking down exactly how many clients you need (at $1,500, $2,000, and $2,500/month) to hit six figures, why simplicity is your biggest competitive advantage, and the mindset shift that changed how I run my entire business.

In this video:

✨ The exact client math behind a $100K social media management business

✨ Why offering fewer services actually makes you more money

✨ The lean tech stack and business structure that keeps things simple

✨ How to stop overcomplicating your path to six figures

✨ The permission slip you didn't know you needed

🎯 FREE TRAINING

Learn how I sign high-paying clients and build a scalable social media business:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/freewebinar

💕 Thank You to Rella for sponsoring the podcast

Use code ELLEN for 10% off your subscription:

👉 https://getrella.com/?via=ellen

xx

Ellen

____________________________________________________

🔗 //LINKS (ad affiliates) //

Camera: https://geni.us/iPjpAt

Lens: https://geni.us/kNkJOx

Full list of tools & software I use: https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/tools

 // WORK WITH ELLEN //

Join the Dishing up Digital School:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/Dishing-up-Digital-School

Join the high level mastermind:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/the-lfg-mastermind

SMM template bundle:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/offers/DwKaVUZd

Buy Ellen's book:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/0473664798

📲 // SOCIAL MEDIA //

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ellenmackenziee

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ellenmackenzieee

🌐 Ellen's business:

https://www.ellenmackenzie.com/

📧 Sponsorship enquiries:

[email protected]