Now that you’ve built confidence to go Live on Instagram, consistency is what’s key for audience growth. Personally, I have put in consistent daily effort towards my audience growth and check out this progress since the beginning of the year. There have been dips but I always knew that progress isn’t linear. And it’s really exciting to reflect on this growth and see how my consistency has paid off.
For this reason, I put together my top tips for staying consistent on Instagram Live. I hope for the same kind of progress for you with the help of my top tips below!
1. Ask yourself these questions
Are you really willing to face the challenges that will come along the way? Are you willing to go through the learning curve and develop all the necessary skills that you might need along the way? Are you willing to take time out for this even if it means making some sacrifices on other things? Most importantly, do you really want this? What is your real WHY behind wanting this? Go deep on that last question.
Phew 😅 once you’ve really doubled down on your commitment, now we put the pedal to the medal.
2. Set small, doable and FUN goals
You may have heard of setting SMART goals, but nowhere in specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound is there any mention of fun! It's going to be essential to find the fun in this process. And I know, you may be thinking, “for me there’s literally nothing fun about showing up on Instagram”. Here is where I’m going to ask you to break it down. There are lots of moving parts that go into Instagram Live/ video: the creative side (think: filters, design), the content ideation, effectively communicating, testing different strategies, etc. Consider all of the elements that go into your IG video presence and identify the one that’s fun for you. Keep your focus on that as you proceed.
Aside from finding the fun, make sure your goals are small and doable. Can you really commit to posting daily? Let’s aim for 2-3 times per week to start. Set realistic, achievable goals.
3. Honor a morning routine
It doesn’t have to be any elaborate meditation and exercise regimen and can totally start with “but first, coffee”, but be sure to include some other important elements in there: make the bed, repeat an affirmation, get your body moving in some way that’s easeful and fun (see above). This week on my reels I’m sharing my short and simple morning routine with you.
4. Write yourself a promise letter
Self doubt can crush consistency. Listening to your inner critic voice will decimate any chance you have of remaining consistent. And it’s for moments like those that a promise letter comes in really handy. When you are feeling inspired and At the same time that you are setting your small, doable and fun goals, write yourself a promise letter, committing that you will not let self doubt get in the way of your goals. Date it and sign it. Read and repeat as needed.
5. Don’t expect perfection
Understand that there will be hiccups, mistakes and obstacles in the way of your progress. Don’t let small roadblocks trip you up. Dust yourself off and keep going, keeping your small, doable and fun goals in mind. Refer to your promise letter as prescribed above.
6. Plan ahead for the dip
Seth Godin wrote a book about it, so we know it’s real! The Dip. Temporary setbacks that happen to all of us. Since we can expect this dip to happen, we can plan ahead for it. Reflect and ask yourself: How will I behave in the face of setbacks? How will I adjust when things aren’t going to plan? Plan ahead for the kind of determined mindset you will need to tap into in that expected setback period.
7. Build pipeline of topics
Accept that your inspiration is going to come in waves and ride those waves. When you are in a brainstorming and content ideation mode, elaborate as much as you can on each of those ideas and prepare them in advance for the dip days. If you are looking to host more interviews/ collaborations via Instagram Live, Day 2 of the From Crickets to Crushing it on Instagram Live Challenge provides you with template text to reach out to potential guests. Make your outreach consistent so that you always have a Live lined up. You can vary your outreach to students, teachers, mentors, mentees, friends, people you’ve followed and always wanted to know more about. Get creative here! You’d be surprised how many people would love to go Live with you!
8. Schedule yourself
While you can’t use a scheduling app (like Planoly or Preview) to schedule your IG Lives, you can set a schedule for yourself and remain consistent. For instance, set a small, doable and fun goal around how often you will go live and then post about it to hold yourself accountable: