Hey folks! Today we’re talking about fake engagement bots and services and if I think they’re worth the time and money. Short answer, no. Long answer? Take a listen.

We also talked about the new Quiz Sticker, leaked screenshots of the Instagram Creator Studio, and Facebook’s upcoming developer conference.

I post lots of informational stories on my personal account, which you can follow at https://instagram.com/zshakd

Let me know your thoughts about the episode! Send me a DM

I wanted to walk you through my Instagram Routine so you can see what steps I take before posting on Instagram. Also, I walk you through what metrics I pay attention to after posting.

I gained 1000 followers the other day from a genuine story endorsement. I want to explain the backstory of why this happened. For the past couple months, I’ve been posting Instagram Tips on my stories and in my post captions. For example, one of my tips was about something I call the “2 Second Rule.” People are probably only viewing your Instagram stories for 1 to 2 seconds at a time. Attention span on Instagram is very short. So this means that on your stories, you shouldn’t be posting long blocks of text, you should be captioning your videos, and your videos themselves need to be entertaining from the very beginning.

This is an example of a tip that I posted on my story and that is now a Highlight on my profile. I have about 10 more of these. These tips are my unfiltered brain dumps and thoughts on how to grow and improve your Instagram. I’m giving away this knowledge without the expectation of anything in return. Because of this, people have found the story tips valuable, especiall

The rise of Vero has been led by content creators who have been short-changed by the Instagram/Facebook algorithms. In this podcast, I express my unpopular opinion that these algorithms were healthy additions to the platforms that made them better.

I predict Vero will die out within a couple weeks.

I’ve been studying story use for a bit now and let me break down to you some of the biggest mistakes you might be making with stories. People skip through stories, probably with the sound off, and don’t view one for more than 1 or 2 seconds. Go to your analytics and see what percent of people click “Taps Forward”. It’s probably over 80%. Your content needs to be SUPER quick. Assume your audience has a 1 or 2 second attention span. If you’re recording a video, add text on the bottom that conveys the same message. DON’T add long paragraphs of text. DON’T make videos that only get interesting at the end. Seriously, I believe it’s better to take that paragraph of text, take that long video, and CHOP them down into small, BITE SIZE chunks.

INSTAGRAM LIVE. Right now, this feature is totally under-used in the community. Start going live multiple times per week for 10-15 minutes. There is literally zero downside--only upside.

Here is why it's dope:

1) GET TO KNOW LOYAL FOLLOWERS - You, the influencer, get to better understand your most loyal followers, what they want to know about you, and who they are. Ask them questions you want to know--what kind of content they like to see!

2) PERSONALITY - Your fans, the followers, feel a deeper connection with you. They see your unscripted, unpolished personality. They see how you react to questions.

3) TOP LIVE - You have a chance of appearing in the Top Live section of Instagram which could bring in new followers.

4) INCREASED ENGAGEMENT - Some followers, who may have stopped engaging with your content and therefore don't see your posts anymore, may get notified and start engaging with your content again.

And remember, Instagram Live is all about INTERACTING with your follower

Instagram will not alert users when someone has taken a screenshot of their stories. I talk about the implications of this, the good and the bad. Also, I discuss an interesting conversation I had with my friend who uses Snapchat exclusively for the Discover feature.

instagram.com/zacharyshakked

twitter.com/zacharyshakked

The war between Snapchat stories and Instagram stories continues.

Why does everybody hate change? The Snapchat update backlash was so predictable.

Twitter: twitter.com/zacharyshakked

Instagram: instagram.com/zacharyshakked