Obviously, what I did really struck a nerve. My followers were shocked and intrigued and started DMing me around the clock. Overnight, it seemed like my experiment picked up a lot of interest across Instagram. I titled my strategy the “9-Grid” and over the next few days began to share details about the decision with my followers in my IG stories, a blog post, and an email newsletter. Each post in my new feed led brand new audience members through a 'journey' or 'funnel' to learn more about me, my biz, my values, and my ethical Sales Page Toolkit.

So late one night in September 2021 as most of my followers were sleeping, I archived every single post on my Instagram profile and replaced them with a strategic 9-post sales funnel as an experiment. and I realized I was so sick of slamming into it over and over again.įeed posts weren’t directly responsible for any of my engagement or sales, so why was I continuing to put my effort there when clearly, my Stories were driving my ROI. I watched my Stories engagement continue to increase even if my feed posts didn’t have hashtags, but I began feeling burnt out from the feed post hustle that wasn’t yielding any results. Stories were my primary source of engagement, networking, word of mouth referrals, and sales. I finally made the decision to eliminate all hashtag use in 2020 and focus on purely organic engagement through networking with other creators who would share my content in their Stories and posting trainings in my own Stories.

Like many online entrepreneurs, I had seen a steady decline in post/hashtag engagement due to changes in the algorithm.

You could say that my 9-Grid functions as a 'mini sales page' or 'mini website' if that helps you to visualize it!įrom 2018-2020, I had been posting photos, carousel posts, videos, and graphics 3-5 times weekly to my feed using hashtags. The 9-Grid is a strategic, 9-post sales funnel designed to replace your existing Instagram profile (or sit on top of old feed posts) to warm up brand new leads so you can step back from posting to the grid and focus your energy on other parts of Instagram that are getting you the most engagement and ROI (like Reels or Stories). Just wanted to give you the heads up so you won't miss anything. At the end of this article you'll find the option to purchase a copy of my affordable 9-Grid Roadmap PDF for just $20!)

Instagram pic grid