Ep. 177: FAST TRACK YOUR WAY TO 10K ON INSTAGRAM WITH BEAUTY BUSINESS MARKETING STRATEGIST SHEILA BELLA
DO YOU WANT TO HIT 10K ON INSTAGRAM?
The first 10K is the hardest, I'll be honest with you, sister. It's the hardest - but after you hit 10K, it gets a lot easier. Know why? Because by the time you reach 10K, you've already got the good habits in place to keep your account growing. But, until you hit 10K, you're just practicing and trying different techniques to grow your following.
Here's the thing, beauty boss. I know exactly how you can fast-track your way to 10K. I help women just like you get there every day in Pretty Rich Bosses, my mentorship program. But in this episode, I walk you through the exact steps you need to take that will help you get to 10K fast.
Just remember: I can give you the steps - but you have to put in the work.
So, are you ready for this?
Here are the episode highlights:
‣‣ [11:25] Do you know how many people on Instagram actually get to 10k followers? I share that statistic here.
‣‣ [12:02] This is the first thing that you need to do that will get you to 10K followers.
‣‣ [12:55] How do you give value to your audience?
‣‣ [18:01] Tip #2 for hitting 10K followers: nail your content pillars.
‣‣ [20:41] How to use IG Reels to skyrocket your account up to 10K!
I'M READY TO GET TO 10K TODAY! (Listen Here)
You can follow me, Sheila Bella, on Instagram @realsheilabella!
Here are the links that were mentioned in the podcast!
Pretty Rich Bosses Mentorship Program
50 Reels Ideas That Put Clients In Your Chair FREE!
FOR MY LISTENER BOSS BABES
You can enjoy this podcast by downloading it on iTunes here.
(Life Hack: Subscribe to Pretty Rich Podcast to get the LATEST EPISODE downloaded to your phone AUTOMATICALLY)
FOR MY READER BOSS BABES
You can enjoy a transcript of the podcast here.
Sheila Bella:
Major crash course to hit 10k followers on Instagram. If you want 10,000 followers, you want that swipe up feature, you want the clout that comes with 10k and up, you need to keep listening. Welcome to Pretty Rich Podcast. Here we go.
Welcome to Pretty Rich Podcast, where you're totally the heroine of your own story. I'm your host, Sheila Bella, and I've built a seven-figure PMU beauty biz, and a seven-figure online biz without a degree, without a fancy website, or a sugar daddy. And if you and I hang out on here long enough, you're going to start to believe that you can do it too. How about that for a side-effect of listening to this podcast?
Because you really can. I know you think, I don't know you. I have no idea who you are, but I do. I really, really do. Because I am you. I was you. And I believe we are all on the same journey together. My perfect job didn't exist, so I created it. The job I wanted wasn't hiring me, wanted nothing to do with me. So I skipped the line and hired myself as CEO, just like you can. So consider me your secret beauty biz BFF, in case you need to be reminded on a weekly basis that power is never just handed to you, you have to take it. Are you ready? beauty boss? Let's jump in.
Hey friends, it's Sheila Bella, welcome to another awesome episode of Pretty Rich Podcast. And today we're going to be chatting with you beauty entrepreneurs, and you know what? I have a lot of listeners too, that are not in the beauty industry. I get these messages all the time, and I love getting these messages saying that everything in this podcast is super applicable to any industry. So if you want 10k followers on Instagram, right, anyone in any industry probably would want that if you're using Instagram to monetize and promote your business. Because you want more bookings, you want more clients, you want more sales, right?
You can hit 10k, but you're going to have to work for it. And like I said, in this episode, I am going to tell you how. Hitting 10k is a huge milestone, and how you can get there. But first you should probably check me out on Instagram, because I'm giving you Instagram tips.
Okay? Check me out on Instagram @realsheilabella. And I have this awesome beauty inspo, boss babe quotes page called Pretty Rich Podcast. So follow either of the two and yeah, let me know what you think.
By the way you guys, can we just chat about Instagram Reels. Instagram Reels is the best way to grow on Instagram. I am going to tell you a little bit more about that today. But before we continue, I wanted to share with you that I have a free resource, 50 Reels Ideas That Make You A Client Magnet. So if you are stumped on what reels to do, that actually bring about sales, make the phone ring, check out this free resource, 50 Reels Ideas That Make You A Client Magnet. And all you need to do to get the link is to text (310) 388-4588. Text the words, “Reels Ideas”, and I will text you back a link. I promise. Like I said, it is completely free, completely for you, and it totally works.
So guys, just a little life update. Little life update. I am 28 weeks pregnant. I can't believe that I have, well, I don't know, 12 more weeks to go, officially. Yes, that's it, 12 more weeks to go before I meet my third baby, my third son. And before I get into Instagram and all that stuff, I just wanted to talk to you guys about seeing yourself in your children. For you parents out there, it is such a trip.
So I have a six year old named Beau, I have a four-year-old named Grey, and my husband and I see ourselves in our kids. I see my husband in my oldest son, Beau. It's, oh my gosh. It's the most visceral part of you, but wrapped up in a child. The same patterns, the same dysfunctions, the same gifts, all of it. It's really interesting. And it actually helps me become a better person. Because, I mean, I've been told all my life, from my mom or people who know me well, that I have these patterns. But when I see it in my kids, I start to recognize it in myself.
Parents, if this is resonating with you, I want you to tell me about it. Just text me, (310) 388-4588, so I know I'm not crazy. Grey, right? He's my four-year-old. He wants so badly to be admired. He is definitely an eight on the Enneagram. I myself am also an Enneagram eight. And I just see so much of myself in Gray. So much of myself. He doesn't want any help. He wants to be seen as competent.
He also wants to mess with you. On a psychological level. He has no fear, sometimes. He just wants things his way. If he wants something, he'll go get it. And he is self-interested, but he wants so badly also to become friends, or the ... He wants to be the leader of something. When I see him in social circles, or when he's trying to play with new friends, yeah, he wants to be a leader.
But what he needs to understand is that self-interest, won't get them, won't get other kids, to see his greatness. He needs to be interested in others for them to see his greatness. You know what I mean? And this is something that has played out in my life, in my twenties when I was the most selfish. But I just wanted all of these successes without the struggles. And I see it displayed in such a simple and beautiful way in my son, Grey.
Now let's talk about Beau. Beau is six years old. He's my firstborn. And he is the quintessential firstborn. Holds himself to such high standards. Just like my husband. If one little thing goes wrong, he beats himself up about it so much. My husband does the same thing. If something is crooked in one of his drawings, then he'll scrap it and he'll start over again. Or if he makes a bad decision for the day, he thinks that means that he's a terrible person. He's so hard on himself, and he's always beating himself up. It's so heartbreaking to see. He's always beating himself up with a hand that is too heavy.
So when I give him feedback, this is so like my husband, when I give them feedback I have to be extra gentle, extra cautious, extra affectionate. Because he holds himself to such a high standard when other people are disappointed in him, that it collides him completely of judgment. And he loves to win. He's all for the win. He hates, hates losing. When we do rock paper scissors? Okay, rock, paper, scissors, shoot, I shoot. He waits like half a second or so, because he's cheating.
Something that I want high achieving, high achievement son to realize, or what I'm trying to do, is that if he hangs his hat only on his wins, someone will always surpass him. Always.
Are you thinking about creating an online beauty course, but don't know where to start? I created this free starter kit that's going to guide and help you get clarity on the first things you need to do to start your beauty online course journey. It's time to start thinking about creating passive income from home. And a lot of beauty entrepreneurs have already started transferring their in-person trainings to online ones.
And if you know that this next step for you is kind of scary, but it's a must. Having an online course is a true dream, and it brings immense possibilities and freedom to your life, your business, working from home, I've done it myself, and I've coached several other beauty entrepreneurs to do the same thing. So if you want access to this free online course starter kit, all you need to do is text the word Starter Kit to (310) 388-4588. That's (310) 388-4588, and I'll text you the link.
Very classic Carol Dweck's mindset. We are working on having him focus more on his effort, praising him for his effort. Not for being the best, but for being the hardest working. Because when you hang your hat on being the hardest working, you're hard to beat. Ah, I'll just, I'll work harder. I'll out-work that guy. I'll out work the next guy. It's okay if I don't win, I'm going to outwork them. And that's really where success is built, it's through faith and massive action.
Which leads me to our topic of the day, right? I mean, you want 10k subscribers on Instagram. You want 10k followers. And the way you're going to do it is through faith and massive action. But a lot of business owners don't know what to act upon. What's on the to-do list? A lot of you are willing, but you don't know how. Right?
But yeah, it's rare. Did you know the only 10.9% of Instagram users get to 10k followers? Only 10.9% of everyone on the 'gram. Growing your following takes work. But I have to say, the first 10k is the hardest. Because by the time you hit 10k, number one, you'll have created some great habits to help you grow your community. And I think people are going to be more inclined to follow you once they see you have that vanity metric. So yeah, in many ways it is easier. So before we begin, a few housekeeping tips. before you start putting out content, you want to make sure you, number one, optimize your bio with clear messaging.
How does your offer help clients? Okay. Something I teach a lot of times inside Pretty Rick Bosses is start with an I-help statement. Number one, identify your ideal client in your bio. Who are you creating content for? And if you don't know how to identify your ideal client, by the way, I have a freebie for that too. It's another training. You can just text me “Ideal Client” at (310) 388-4588, and I will send you my free worksheet to help you identify your ideal client. Okay? It's completely free.
Something you need to remember is to lead with value. Okay? Now that's taken care of, let's get to work. Now, if you've been on Instagram for some time, and you've heard Instagram marketing, you've heard all of the gurus say things like, "Create valuable content. Lead with value." Now, what is value? I'm sure you've heard that before. You probably heard me say it too. But what does that mean? Can you put value on a chain and wear it as a necklace? Can you put value as a down payment on a house?
Okay, perhaps you can pay off your student loan in value? Yes, okay, but not on Instagram. It's not the same thing. Right? While we value diamonds, credit, and cash, providing value in content marketing is a different type of value. Value in marketing answers the question, WIIFM? Which means, what's in it for me? What's in it for me. Your audience wants to know, what is in it for me? What's in it for me to follow you? What's in it for them to follow your page?
You need to be able to answer that and demonstrate that quickly, within the first five seconds that a prospect or a new client may be perusing your page. What's in it for them to consume your content, engage with your content with their likes, comments, shares, DMs. So let me make this stupid simple, okay? Value is content that teaches or educates. That's pretty much it.
It's content that helps your audience learn something new, a new way of looking some at something, or some something that they can apply in their lives that's going to help them and make their lives better. It's really that simple. Valuable content is more likely to be engaged with, to generate a lead and to convert into a sale. Because while all your content is valuable, okay, to varying degrees, if you want to grow your audience quickly, you can post 50 to 80% of your content as educational.
Educational content attracts clients. Things like how-to's, tutorials, tips, tricks, hacks. You want to have a very valuable page. And that means if you post six times per week, at least three of your posts should be educational. Should have a ton of massive value.
I have come to realize that I have done a very poor job of reminding everybody why the heck I have so much time to create content. Why do I have time to podcast? How do I have time to create so many reels? How do I have all this time to create inspiring posts, online courses, vacation with family, even et cetera, et cetera. I know you guys know that I'm a permanent makeup artist, but what you may not know is that the reason why I have all this time to pursue the things that I'm truly passionate about is because I've scaled my business. I've scaled my business to create two to $300,000 months in revenue. And I did it all through me not even having to be there.
I have a permanent makeup studio that now employs seven full-time artists. I used to have 14, and now I have seven. And the seven that I have, have been with me for five years or more. How? How did I do this? You see, this type of financial freedom is what is available to you through the art and craft a permanent makeup. If you're a solo business owner and you're looking to scale your business just like I did, and perhaps stop the Groundhog day experience of going in and out, doing brow, after brow, after brow, and you're looking to create jobs and opportunities for those who are deserving, or perhaps those that you love, this is exactly the model that we coach people through in our Pretty Rich Bosses Mentorship Program.
Whether you're a veteran or just starting out in the industry, if this is something you crave, why don't you pick up the phone and text me for a complimentary strategy call? On this free 60 minute strategy call, we'll use it to clarify what it is that you still haven't done in your business in order to get you to where you want to be. And all you have to do is text the word “Free Call” to area (310) 388-4588. Text the word “Free Call” to (310) 388-4588, and I'll talk to you soon.
Okay, so now that you've wrapped your mind around what providing value is, tip number two, focus on your content pillars and keep it simple. Let's start with five, okay? You can create more, but start small so you don't overwhelm yourself, and end up posting nothing at all.
Five different topics for posting five days a week, how does that sound? Not too overwhelming, right? So here's an example of five content pillars. Value, as I said, helps your audience learn something new, or a new way of looking at something.
Tips, tricks, tutorials, how-to's. Learning something, busting myths, Instagram Reels. Next, inspirational. Inspirational content inspires action, incites motivation, or starts a trend that others can easily participate in. I'm talking about inspirational quotes, IG Reels.
Next thing on the list is humor. Make fun of your character flaws. That increases likeability. Or make your audience laugh. Bonus points if you make them L-O-L for real. If it's relevant to your niche, even better. Memes, gifs, Reels.
Next type of content is infotainment. Keep your audience up to date with news and trends and delights, something that grabs attention, makes them laugh, or has a fun surprise or twist. So you can do that through infographics that you can create on Canva, IG Reels, or you can repost things from the internet, from Pinterest. Pinterest is rich in valuable content that you can repurpose.
Next is storytelling. Okay, I'm a big advocate for storytelling. This is your story. Your why, your passion, your purpose, your personality, your interests, your history. Tell your story, and tell it often. And I suggest that you tell it at least once per week. Talking head video, meditation style captions with a photo of you. Instagram lives, interviews, IG Reels you can use for storytelling too. And if you've noticed in each and every one of the content pillar examples, I've mentioned, Instagram reels is in every single one.
Because that's how game-changing putting out reels are. And that leads us to tip number three. If you want to explode your following and get to your first 10k followers on Instagram fast, here's the thing. Listen, guys, I had a call with Instagram twice now. And both times they've said post at least four reels per week. They said four to seven Instagram reels are the number one way to grow your following in 2021. Try it, don't just take my word for it. Try it and see. Reels are the way, the way, the ultimate way to get your content exposed to new viewers, new prospects, people who don't follow you. Because a single reel can get you tens of thousands of views.
That's one view per-person that sees it, right? So reels have been amazing at spiking engagement and followers by hundreds in a single day. Fill up your inbox with leads. The type of reels you post, too, matters. Because when you participate in a popular trend that's fun and gets a lot of views, you participate in that trend and it will show up as one of the videos that utilize that sound. And if you do it with purpose, you will stand out.
Keep in mind, in order to get sales, you need to find a clever way to make it relevant to your niche. You don't just want more followers, right? I mean, I don't. You want followers that actually support your business. You don't just want people to engage with your content, you want content and followers that you can convert into a sale.
So let's say you're a brow artist, and your goal is to book more clients. If you're posting a minimum of four reels a week, at least two of those need to be educational. And the others can be fun, but still relevant to your audience. Because remember, people buy from people. They only buy from people that they like, know, and trust. It's that simple. So let me give you some reel idea examples right here.
I'm not going to give you 50, you're going to have to text me for that and download that freebie for that. But let me just give you a few ideas that you can utilize right after you get off this podcast, okay?
Reel number one, bust a common myth using a trending audio. Lash artistry, true or false? Business development, true or false? If you're a health coach, health myths, true or false.
Reel number two, walk through a service showing what it's like for your client, from the point of view of that client. The before, the during, the reveal, and after. So that people can experience what it's like to be your customer before they even call you to book.
Number three, make your audience laugh with a relatable pain point that your service solves. Okay? Crying, filling in your eyebrows. The best practices for Instagram Reels directly from Instagram creators have the best shot at being discovered. So post a reel that's entertaining, that's fun, that delights people, that grabs their attention. That makes them laugh, or has a fun surprise or twist.
So try something new. Be yourself, see what works for you. This is all about trial and error. And remember, don't be annoying and post a reel that's blurry due to low resolution, or is visibly recycled from another app, contains logos or watermarks from TikTok, or it's uploaded with a border around it. Don't do any of those annoying things. Okay? Because while your followers will still see these reels, they're not going to be recommended as often to people who don't follow you, like in the explore page, right?
There are even apps you can download that will remove the TikTok logo or watermark from your TikTok videos. Because Instagram doesn't like that. Doesn't like that. But yeah, like I said, don't take my word for it, try it. Try it. Try it for seven days. Post one reel every day for seven days. I know it's a challenge, but just see. You will see that this is not a theory, this is a fact.
Like I said you guys, for 50 Free Teels Ideas That Make You A Client Magnet, text “Reels Ideas”, to (310) 388-4588. And I'm going to give you free access. Because I know that if you follow these tips, show up consistently, you're going to get the results that will get you to 10k a lot faster. And that's a wrap for today's episode of Pretty Rich Podcast. Take care.
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's episode of Pretty Rich Podcast. If you want to continue the conversation longer, check me out on Instagram. It's my favorite place to connect with you guys @realsheilabella. I'm happy to answer any of your questions, or simply to chat and get to know you better. And if you end up doing something super awesome, like screenshotting this episode and reposting it on your stories, that would put the biggest smile on my face. Don't forget to tag me, I appreciate every share and love feedback from my listeners.
Also, do you have my number? Do you have my number? Because if we're going to keep hanging out, you should probably have my number. So you can actually text me. That's right. You can text me at (310) 388-4588. And if you're sick and tired of doing business alone, and you're interested in accelerating your success by hiring a business coach, or joining our mentorship program called Pretty Rich Podcast, go ahead and just apply. Why not? Check it out. Go to sheilabella.com/apply, and we'll schedule a free strategy session with either myself or one of my advisors. And of course, I got to include my kids. So here to send us off are Beau and Gray.
Grey, say, share with your friends.
Grey:
Share with friends.
Sheila Bella:
Please review my mommy on iTunes.
Grey:
Mama iTunes.
Sheila Bella:
Thanks for listening.
Grey:
Thank you for listening.
Sheila Bella:
Hey Beau, can you tell everybody what our family motto is?
Beau:
Yeah. I can do hard things.
Sheila Bella:
I can do hard things. Good job, buddy.
