Hello, and welcome back to the Hashtag, It’s Summer podcast series which is my invitation to you to stay in touch with your Instagram book marketing and platform building in this super-busy season.

I’ve recorded a slightly longer episode this week because it turns out I have A LOT to say about growth (and this version is 15 mins shorter than the original ✂️ 🙈).

I actually find it quite tricky to talk about account growth in a generalised sense which I think is why I started to waffle in the og recording.

I really dislike it when Instagram ‘gurus’ up and down the internet pretend that driving account growth is as easy as slapping a fill-in-the-blanks hook over the top of some b-roll video and churning out the same content formats as everyone else. These tactics of course have their place but what will deliver sustained and sustainable growth varies enormously across niche, genre, and/ or target audience.

Once I got going with my planning for this episode though I realised I was falling foul of The Curse of the Expert. I see this all the time with experts who’re writing in their field. You think the basics are too basic to share when in fact there is always someone who doesn’t know what you have learned over many years, or who may have been waiting for someone like you to say it in a way that is perfect for someone like them.

All of that to say that once I started planning this episode I realised there was so much I wanted to say about growth - in different forms - that I actually had to edit 15 minutes off this episode once I’d finished with it 🙈

In this episode I talk about:

* why account growth is often a common area of anxiety for writers and authors

* three content types to have in the mix if growth is a priority for you

* practical advice about driving account growth

* how you might reframe growth so you don’t burnout or end up getting The Ick about Instagram.

If listening to this podcast has made you curious about the TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM membership, you can find out more here. But in brief, members enjoy:

* weekly check in chats where you can share your post plans and get advice

* fortnightly Content Create-alongs - these are co-working/ body doubling sessions to ring fence some time to create content and I’m always there to answer any questions you might have

* monthly Ask Me Anything clinics when there is space for me to give you more in depth advice and guidance

* regular resources such as tutorials, post ideas and guest speakers to learn from

* access to the full archive of resources including the Reel-y Simple Reels series and the Growth Sprint

To become a member, upgrade your subscription today.

If you’re taking a break from Instagram this summer, why not join the WAKE UP INSTAGRAM Challenge at the end of August?

WAKE UP is a free seven-day series of tasks and exercises to get you back in front of your favourite online people. You can join by signing up with your email below:

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicolawashington.substack.com/subscribe