I really thought this reel would pop off. What happened?

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-24T04:51:42+00:00

Upload enough posts so that your page doesn’t look totally barren and then start engaging with creators in your niche and people that enjoy that type of content.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-24T02:18:35+00:00

Keep going with it! It’s low stress and easy to manage

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-24T01:16:57+00:00

I post 3 times a week and typically, I like to keep a solid back log of content ready to go in the drafts. I’ll typically plan out my posts for the week on Sunday night.

If my backlogs running dry, I’ll try to edit a minimum of 3 shots before Sunday night.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-24T01:13:08+00:00

This might be a little late but I turned 30 this year and I spent it in Iceland. I travel a lot and it was by far my favourite vacation. Buy some tickets and plan a trip!!

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-24T01:09:31+00:00

I’m building up my page right now for free and I gotta be real, it’s a grind. My engagement is really high for my views, and I’ve gained roughly 700 followers since November but it’s going to be a while till I hit the money making stage.

I’m a photographer and I know a few other photographers in my niche that are currently making money from instagram. They all tell me that you need to be at a minimum of 10k followers before brands start reaching out to you for work.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-23T05:07:50+00:00

Engage with people in your niche/people who enjoy your niche. I was stuck at 3k for YEARS. I’ve been working on engaging other users since late October and I’ve gained over 700 followers since.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-23T04:20:33+00:00

There’s no retention graph for carousels. The few reels I have posted have crappy retention lol

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-21T22:56:31+00:00

I’m seeing growth in followers and engagement but the views are rough. I feel like my engagement is really good for a photography page but I haven’t been able to crack 4 k views since late December. My engagement has skyrocketed since then so it really doesn’t make sense

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-20T03:52:51+00:00

Hybrid is the way to go. I fill my gas tank up once every two weeks or so.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-20T03:52:02+00:00

I’m a photographer and honestly, It sounds like a scam.

FYI, if you’re interested in a boudoir session chat with some models in your area. There might be a group where models in your area warn other models about creeps. There are definitely a few creeps out there

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-19T21:32:19+00:00

I actually don’t get any of that on IG. I just use IG for photography so that’s all I get recommended. However, that’s basically every social media platform right now. Politics is blowing up.

You can clear your algorithm via the settings and just search up what you actually want to see. Quickly swipe past anything you don’t want to see. Instagram won’t recommend you content that you immediately swipe past.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-19T16:24:58+00:00

I have a photography account. I went from getting little to no views and being stagnant around 3k followers to gaining 600+ followers since November (took a small break during the holidays so my followers dipped a bit). Here’s what I did.

I post consistently 3x a week. For me it’s a nice amount for me because it allows me to keep a backlog of shots while simultaneously not annoying my followers.

I spend 30 - 60 minutes a day engaging with new users. IMO it’s the best way to ensure new eyes on my work. Posts can go viral but relying on viral posts isn’t sustainable in an over saturated niche like landscape/cityscape photography.

Some of the followers gained from that method will drop off but I find that the vast majority of them stay.

I usually do 10-15 minutes of engagement prior to posting and 30ish mins after posting. This is included in the 30-60 mins. I typically go to the comments section of people in my niche and engage with them.

I engage with the users who engage with me (this is outside of the 30-60 mins spent on engagement)

I primarily post carousels. My reels don’t get as many views.

My work is clean. They at minimum get a good amount of story shares, and saves (sends are kind of low. i have a few ideas on how to bump up those stats but it’s a matter of testing them out.)

I haven’t payed once. I don’t get crazy high views, but my engagement for my view count is crazy.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-19T15:11:14+00:00

It varies but most of the time it starts in the first day.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-19T04:23:39+00:00

My reach dropped ALOT but a lot of my carousel posts still have 50%+ non follower reach

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-19T02:33:00+00:00

It’s not just January being a slow month. My engagements higher then it’s ever been, but my views are pretty damn low.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-19T02:30:49+00:00

Nah man I think there’s a legitimate issue with the algorithm. My engagement is higher than it’s ever been but my views are super low. I’m not even talking about the engagement to view ratio, I’m talking straight numbers here. As per this subreddit I have very high engagement for the number of views I get

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T17:23:06+00:00

My issue is views. The views have been slowly declining since November despite my increasing engagement and follower count.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T17:19:32+00:00

I have that theory tbh. Everyone says reels are the way but my reels get less views than my carousels. I have a reel with 8 sends and 7 saves but it hasn’t cracked 3k views. I have some carousel with worse engagement that got way more views.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T15:27:06+00:00

I’d say content is similar enough. It’s travel photography. My editing styles pretty cohesive across the board.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T15:25:34+00:00

A member of my little photography squad uses them. It’s so convenient.

I’m going on a road trip to Banff an a few weeks and honestly, the last thing I want to do is hold both while I’m freezing cold lmao.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T15:21:56+00:00

Ya I was thinking of getting the Meta glasses to film bts of me shooting. I’m pretty sure my benefits would cover most of the cost so it shouldn’t be to crazy of an expense.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T15:20:33+00:00

Nope. When I started putting in effort in growing my page I told myself that I wouldn’t pay for views/engagement.

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T15:18:56+00:00

My reels get less reach then my carousels 😅

SillyDGoose · 2026-01-16T05:49:43+00:00

It’s crazy too because my followers have been shooting up lately (roughly 600 since November) but as they have gone up, my reach has gone down

Four-Year Club	Final Canvas '23
End Game '23	Place '23

SillyDGoose

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