10 Comments
User's avatar
Adelina's avatar

The 4:1 ratio is practical — most advice just says "post consistently" without saying what. Managing expectations early saves a lot of frustration.

Rose's avatar

Thank you so much for this valuable information Karen! I used to use Instagram, but I've slacked off from it. Maybe time to brush up on how to use it!

Magenta Deluxe Astrologer's avatar

I upload the shareable assets to Instagram as a matter of course. Instagram, in turn, shares them to my Facebook page. It reminds my connections to look at my Substack. A lot of people get so much email on a daily basis that sending a newsletter to their inbox is no guarantee that they'll read it - or even see it. They need a reminder. More than 20% of the opens in my most recent Substack post came from Facebook.

John Toma ⚡️ That 80s Dude's avatar

Great post Karen. I'm closing in on 800K followers on instagram. One of the biggest challenges I've had is bringing folks over from my IG becuase of that zero commitment IG has. This year I made a couple of pivots on the content I produced on the Stack vs IG, I've seen some decent growth. Still dialing things in. Appreciate ya!

Karen Cherry's avatar

Oh that’s great you’ve been able to tweak and increase conversions, well done, John.

Kristi Keller 🇨🇦's avatar

I haven't heard many success stories about Instagram related to Substack, but in my coffee chat groups, I've heard several writers mention that Facebook has significantly helped. I haven't tried either (I don't use social media) so I can't add any personal experience.

Karen Cherry's avatar

I know, right. Insta is not a place I usually recommend for growing Substack. But the demographic on Insta is so different to Facebook…

Lynn Byrne's avatar

Hi Karen,

I have been managing Instagram for others in 5e interior design industry for more than 10 years. Your advice in this post is spot on and I loved the idea of using the bio link to lead to an about page or here post. Top notch.

Karen Cherry's avatar

Thanks, Lynn, that’s comforting to hear, since I am not an Insta power user myself, and don’t use it for Substack growth. thanks for taking the time to confirm my research didn’t miss the mark…

Julianne Buonocore's avatar

Great points. I get burned out by Instagram, but when I’ve leaned into it, it’s done well for me. I offer a freebie upon sign-up which is what converts.

Otherwise, it’s like you said. The constant repetition for most engaged followers.