After growing over 55K total followers in the past 3 months, I've seen all the mistakes people make on Instagram.

Let me break them down for you to help pinpoint why your Instagram growth might be stagnating:

1. Your profile is not optimized

Make sure to have a clean and clear profile picture.

My favorite profile picture is simply a picture of your face against a neutral background.

Don't take your profile picture for granted; ensure it looks clean and people can clearly see your face.

Keep your bio short and straight-to-the-point.

Simply follow this formula to craft a great bio:

• Explain what you do (e.g., "I help you organize your life with Notion").

• List your achievements (e.g., "Helped over 100 people achieve their dream bodies").

Ensure you have highlights, and your content looks professional.

If you run a business and have customers, your highlights should include their results and showcase your experience.

When someone lands on your profile, you want to create a good first impression, and these things will help you achieve that.

2. You’re using the wrong content strategy

If you want to explode your growth, forget everything besides reels...

It's the fastest way to reach a broad audience and go extremely viral.

If you're a small creator, stack the deck in your favor:

Create shorter reels, 5-8 seconds long.

This will maximize your watch time, increasing your reach on the platform.

Here's how you can find viral content ideas:

• Open the Instagram app on your phone.

• Navigate to the Reels tab.

• Scroll until you find a video that's gaining significant attention in terms of likes, shares, and views.

• Take note of that video and recreate it yourself, using the same audio.

Find 15-20 of these videos and make a plan to remake them in the upcoming month.

I promise that if you follow these steps, you'll see massive results in your reach on the platform!

3. You’re reinventing the wheel

Look, you don't need to create something completely original.

You can take a proven idea, add your own spin to it, and develop your unique style over time.

By becoming a content creator, you're essentially becoming a DJ.

You take winning elements from different ideas and mix them.

This is what will help you grow rapidly on this platform.

Let's say you find a viral video with this hook:

"7 Habits you might regret when you're old."

Here's how you can turn this viral video into multiple content ideas:

• 7 Habits you wish you stopped doing sooner.

• Avoid these 7 habits at all costs...

• 7 best habits to build in your 20s.

• 7 Habits you want to avoid...

4. You’re content is BORING…

This is the harsh truth we all have to face if we're not getting the results we want...

Before you post that piece of content, be honest with yourself and ask:

"Is this something that would grab my attention right away?"

View your content from the audience's point of view.

Your hook and visuals have to catch their attention immediately.

Put 80% of your time into creating a strong hook, because this is what will determine your video's success.

Here's how you can turn a mediocre idea into an attention grabber:

average hook: my favorite pizza place in New York

strong hook: I wish I knew about this pizza place sooner…

average hook: best leg exercise

strong hook: avoid these leg exercises to build stronger legs...

average hook: best skincare routine

strong hook: this skincare routine made me 10 years younger

Remember: The first 3 seconds of your reel are what will make it or break it... So put a lot of effort into those first 3 seconds.

These are just a few of the strategies I provide to my students in The Digital Creator Course 2.0.