114: 3 Underrated Instagram Growth Strategies That Still Work in 2026 (Part 1)
This episode kicks off a brand new three-part mini series all about underrated Instagram growth strategies that are working right now for small businesses and marketers who want to get seen and paid.
Over the course of this series, I'm teaching you eight different strategies. My encouragement is to pick one or two that feel aligned, test them, and build from there. Let's grow sustainably, not frantically.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
03:38 Strategy 1: Strategic commenting — why thoughtful comments on other people's posts can grow your following without posting more
07:18 Strategy 2: Inviting your existing warm audience — the most overlooked growth move that costs nothing
09:45 Strategy 3: Repurposing your own content — why your best posts deserve more than one chance
10:40 How to use the Edits app analytics to find your top-performing reels and bring them back
11:08 Why most content is only 1-5% off — and what that means for your strategy
12:04 Your homework: one simple action to take this week
Key Takeaways:
Strategic commenting is a growth strategy. Leaving thoughtful, opinionated comments on posts by creators in your niche puts you in front of their audience — and can earn you followers without posting a single new piece of content.
Your warmest audience is the one you already have. Your email list, podcast listeners, LinkedIn connections, and Facebook audience already know and trust you. Simply invite them to follow you on Instagram, and tell them what they'll get.
Your best content deserves more than one chance. Most people post once, see mediocre results, and move on. But the content often isn't the problem — it might just need a better hook, a tighter edit, or simply a second posting.
You are probably only 1-5% off. Before you scrap a piece of content, try tweaking just one element — the hook, the caption, the length — and repost it. Small shifts create big differences.
Grow from sustainability, not pressure. You don't need all eight strategies. Pick one or two, test them, gather data, and build from there. That's how you actually see results.
The Edits app has a full year of analytics. Use it to find your top-performing reels and repost them — your audience didn't all see it the first time.
Links Mentioned:
Free Monetize Your IG Guide: elizabethmarberry.com/freebies
Hot Reels (my 12-month Instagram content lab): elizabethmarberry.com/hot
Follow Elizabeth on Instagram: @elizabethmarberry — DM me the word LEADS for my free DM Automation Guide + 1 month of ManyChat free
Edits App by Instagram: available on the App Store
A Truth You Need to Hear:
"Success goes to the implementers. Let go of perfection and keep it going." — Elizabeth Marberry
FAQs
What is strategic commenting on Instagram?
Strategic commenting means leaving thoughtful, value-adding comments on posts by other creators in your niche. Not just emojis or "love this!" responses. When your comment is insightful or adds to the conversation, their audience sees it, gets a sense of your expertise, and may click over to follow you.
2. How do I invite my existing audience to follow me on Instagram?
Let your email list, podcast listeners, or LinkedIn connections know what they'll get by following you on Instagram. Don't just say "follow me" — tell them why. For example: "I drop strategies like this every day on Instagram. Come find me at @elizabethmarberry."
3. How often should I repurpose old content on Instagram?
There's no hard rule, but a good practice is to revisit your top-performing posts every few months. Most of your audience didn't see the original post, so reposting or tweaking a strong piece of content is always a smart move.
4. What is the Edits app?
Edits is Instagram's own content creation and analytics app. It has a full-year analytics tab where you can see your top-performing reels, making it easy to identify which content to bring back or build on.
5. Do I need to implement all eight Instagram growth strategies?
No. Pick one or two that feel aligned with your brand and capacity right now. Test them, gather data, then decide what to layer in next. Sustainability beats overwhelm every time.
S3 Ep114 Transcript - 3 Underrated Instagram Growth Strategies That Still Work in 2026 (Part 1)
00:00
You've landed on part one of a three part mini series on underrated Instagram growth strategies for small businesses and marketers who want to get seen and paid on Instagram. Some of what I'm sharing will feel like really good reminders, but with a fresh take on what's actually working right now. And I know a few of these are going to feel totally new and might just get you re excited and reinvigorated about how you're showing up on Instagram.
00:28
So if you're ready to boost your visibility, drive more leads and start seeing real results from your content, you're in the right place. Let's go.
00:39
Welcome to Strut It, a podcast about creating bold visibility on social media with zero apologies. I'm Elizabeth Marberry, your host and Instagram marketing coach. I help small business owners get seen on Instagram and monetize their offers so they can make more money doing their sole lead work. If you're tired of spinning your wheels on Instagram and you're seeking simple, proven Instagram marketing strategies that actually work, you're in the right place.
01:08
Let's dive in.
01:18
Welcome back to the show. I'm so thrilled you've joined me for today's episode. I'm your host, Elizabeth Marberry. And my goal here is to make Instagram make sense and help you actually turn your content into visibility, leads, and sales. All right, so I'm really excited about this series. You have landed on part one of a three-part mini series on underrated Instagram growth strategies that are working right now.
01:47
I actually recorded a version of this episode last year and it did really well, but as we know, things shift, strategies evolve, and what's working now looks a little different. So I wanted to update this for 2026 and give you a fresh perspective. So here's how I have designed this series. Each episode is gonna be short, easy to listen to, and super actionable. And some of the strategies I'm gonna teach you are happening on Instagram, like within the app and your content.
02:16
And some of them are happening off of Instagram, but still driving growth to your account. So I hope you are super excited to cozy up with me for the next three episodes. Make sure you have subscribed to the show so you do not miss when a new episode drops. Over the course of this three-part series, I'm gonna be teaching you eight different Instagram growth strategies that are working for me and my clients. You do not need to implement.
02:44
all eight strategies. So I just want to start by saying that my encouragement to you is pick one or two of the Instagram growth strategies I'm going to share that feel aligned for you, your brand, your capacity, where you're at right now, test them, get some data and kind of move on from there. If you try to do all eight at once, you're going to feel overwhelmed and I don't want that to happen for you. So.
03:08
Let's commit together to growing our businesses on Instagram from a lens of sustainability for ourselves as creators, because that's how you're gonna actually see the results, right? You have to be able to do something for a long enough period of time to actually get data to determine if it's working for you or not. So make sure you're setting yourself up for success. Okay, so let's jump right into it. The first strategy I wanna share with you is so simple and yet so overlooked.
03:38
And that is strategic commenting, okay? Now, here's the mistake I see a lot of people make. When they think about engagement, they think, I need more people commenting on my posts. No one's commenting on my posts, Elizabeth. But they're not actually going out and engaging with anyone else on social media. So it's really important.
04:04
that you remember that if you want more engagement, more people to interact with you in your business, you need to engage with others as well. That's why it's called social media, right? It's an inherently social platform. And just like in real life, it's a two-way street, right? So if you're always putting it out there, but you're never giving it back to others, that is a problem. The cool part about outbound
04:31
the strategy of commenting on other people's posts. Not only does it support that person that created that business, so that's fantastic, but your comments, you can think of them as like many pieces of content. And when you leave a really thoughtful or valuable or even slightly opinionated comment on someone else's post, their audience has the potential of seeing your comment.
04:59
and they read your words. They get a sense of your perspective. And if it resonates, they can click over to your profile and give you a follow. This has happened to me before where I commented on someone in my niche and I just supported them, like kind of saying, yes, I absolutely find that this works. And I also, you know, I added to the conversation and added an additional tip to support the conversation. And I gained a bunch of followers from that one comment.
05:28
Right? Because when you do this within your niche, those people already have the audience that you're wanting to build. And so this is part of how you can grow on Instagram without posting more is being really thoughtful about the comments that you're leaving on people's posts. Now, what doesn't work in this strategic commenting strategy is just simply dropping emojis, right? Like that's not going to do it or commenting and just saying, I love this.
05:57
you know, or just surface level comments, that's not gonna really do much for your business. I still do that just because I want to, but when you're using this strategy for actual Instagram growth, you wanna be more mindful and strategic about how you do it. So again, if someone in your niche, in your industry is sharing a tip or busting a myth or calling something out, you can come in and say, yes.
06:23
I love this, here's why I love what you shared, right? Because we're not here to tear any creators down in any way, but you're adding to the conversation by saying, and here's what I've seen too. Or you could say like, this is so true and I'll add that this is working for me, or this is something I've discovered and I'm curious to your thoughts on it, right? So you're positioning yourself as someone who also is a category expert in that niche.
06:50
And over time, when you do this consistently with a few aligned creators, you're not only building relationships like when I do this with other people in my niche, it's truly because I have so much respect for them as leaders in my space, right? And I let them know that. So I'm building a relationship with them. So that is fantastic for just networking and relationships. But I'm also getting in front of their audience again and again. Strategy number two.
07:18
This one is almost too obvious and that is why most people skip it. You are most likely ignoring the warmest audience you already have, the people who already know that you exist. I cannot tell you how many business owners say they wanna grow on Instagram, but they never actually invite people to follow them. Okay, so I want you to think about where your existing audience is, your email list.
07:48
your podcast listeners, your Facebook audience, your LinkedIn connections. Think about where you've already built an audience. These are people who already know you. They already trust you and would likely give you a follow on Instagram if you simply told them to, right? And not just, hey, follow me on Instagram. Give them a reason. Tell them what they're going to get, right? Like, why should I follow you? Come follow me.
08:18
for more X, Y, and Z, right? Or let's say you did a LinkedIn thought leadership post that was really compelling. And then at the bottom, you say, I drop strategies like this every day on Instagram. Make sure you're following me over there and then list your handle, right? That's an example of positioning your content to serve, but then you're inviting people to take another action with you. Same thing with your email list.
08:45
Some of the people who are on your email list, I'm sure already follow you on social media, but some of them might not, right? When's the last time did you say, and by the way, we are working to grow on Instagram and we are dropping so much gold over there. Here's what you're gonna expect. know, again, what's in it for them? Why should they follow you? But invite people in and link in your Instagram profile into your email and invite people to give you a follow, right? And when you do this consistently, it adds up.
09:15
And the best part is that these are not just random followers. These are people who are actually aligned with your work, which means they're far more likely to become clients, customers, or collaborators for your business. All right, let's move into the third strategy. And I love this one because it really takes the pressure off of constantly having to create new content over and over again for the platform. And that is repurpose your own content.
09:45
Now, I'm sure if you are a person who is constantly learning about Instagram marketing and how to grow, you've heard this one before. But what I see happen all the time is that you post something once and it doesn't perform the way you hoped and you move on. But what if the content wasn't the problem? What if the video you edited was phenomenal and it was just the hook? Or maybe the hook was killer, but the timing of the edits of your video
10:14
maybe your video was just a little bit too long and you just need to shorten it and it would perform better. Your best content deserves more than one chance. And so when I say repurpose your own content, does that mean go and run a report in your professional dashboard or in the edits app, they have a really phenomenal like analytics tab that you can actually go and see your analytics for a whole year, which I love.
10:40
You can absolutely go and see your top performing reels, for example, and literally post them again, right? Like the exact same video. And I want you to do that. And you can also take a reel that you already created and just tweak some things, tweak the hook, change the caption, and then try to post it again a few weeks later. Oftentimes when it comes to our content, we're only one to five percent off.
11:08
and we act as if it's 100 % off and we're like, oh, nothing's working for me. And we get very dramatic, right? Speaking from experience. Oftentimes it's just these one to 5 % shifts. So you can bring back top performing posts and reintroduce it to your audience because remember most of your audience didn't see your content the first time, but you can also look at videos you already edited or hooks you already did that didn't perform well and just tweak them.
11:37
and continue to play with it instead of constantly having to reinvent the wheel and saying, what do I post next? Start asking yourself, what have I already created that's worth sharing again or that's worth kind of repositioning and changing it just about one to 5 % to see if that makes a difference. All right, so your homework from today's episode is very simple. Go find one piece of content you've already created.
12:04
and give it a second life this week, okay? Post it again. That's it. No overthinking, no creating something brand new. Just repurpose, work smarter, not harder. Reuse what you already have and watch what happens. Stay in motion. Remember success goes to the implementers. Try to let go of perfection and keep it going. All right. I hope you enjoyed part one of this three part mini series on underrated Instagram growth.
12:34
hacks and strategies. In the next episode, we're gonna be talking about why your content isn't reaching the right people, even if you're posting consistently. And I'm gonna break down how to create and position your content so your ideal clients actually share, send and repost it. It's gonna be a game changer. Make sure you have followed the show and subscribe so you don't miss when that episode drops next week.
12:58
And if today's episode was helpful, do me a solid, please share it with a business bestie or colleague who's also trying to grow their visibility and drive more leads in sales with their Instagram content. I cannot tell you what a big difference that makes to me and my team. It helps us get this message in front of more brilliant business owners like yourselves. And one more thing I have to tell you, which is that this week I had a few people screenshot that they were listening to my podcast and tagged me in their Instagram stories.
13:27
You don't even understand how much that makes my day in my life. I will share your story to my Instagram story. I know that's a bold statement, but I do. I love showcasing my podcast listeners. So if you listen and you love it, don't forget to tag me in your Instagram story, share a takeaway, share why you love the podcast or what you're getting out of it. And I will be sure to share it with my audience. I want to support you in growing your visibility. And this is a two way street.
13:56
I love seeing what's landing and resonating for you and I so appreciate you doing that. Thank you so much for listening and I can't wait to strut it with you next week. Thank you for listening to strut it. If you're ready to start leveraging Instagram to grow your business, then you're gonna wanna grab my free monetize your IG guide where you'll learn seven simple and proven ways to finally make money on Instagram.
14:22
You can grab your guide at ElizabethMarberry.com slash freebies. That's ElizabethMarberry.com slash freebies to get my monetize your IG guide. If you got some incredible value from today's episode, be sure to leave a review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms. And I cannot wait to start it with you again next week.
