Episode 102
The Instagram Strategy Show
August 18, 2017 · Mike Murphy
EP102: THE INSTAGRAM STRATEGY SHOW My workflow and marketing strategy for using Instagram and Instagram Stories to promote my personal brand, podcast and online business. Episode Summary: What is my daily workflow for Instagram? Why do I make daily content for Instagram How long do my daily videos take to create? Why do I use Instagram & Instagram Stories? Why should you consider using Instagram? Tips & Insights about Instagram & Mobile Content
Episode Summary: A full walkthrough of Mike’s Instagram and Instagram Stories workflow and strategy — why daily content, the exact production steps, and the case for why more creators and businesses should be using it.
What You’ll Learn
- Instagram usage and business-adoption stats as of 2017
- Mike’s exact 6-step daily video workflow, from topic to AirDrop upload
- Why daily video-making started as a way to discover strengths and weaknesses
- The full morning routine and Instagram Stories rhythm behind the consistency
Follow along: @mikeunplugged on Instagram.
Instagram Facts & Figures (2017)
Source: Sprout Social. In 2016, Instagram had 300 million active users; by January 2017 (Episode 71: The Instagram Live Show), that had grown to 600 million; by this episode, over 700 million. On the business side, 70% of US businesses were using Instagram (8 million business profiles), up from 48% (1.5 million profiles) in 2016. Mobile ad revenue hit $4 billion in 2017, with 25% of all ads being video. Instagram Stories had 250 million active daily users. On Facebook, 85% of ads were watched without sound — a strong argument for captions and text overlays. Favorite stat: roughly 50% of Instagram text contains emojis.
Tip #1: mobile content matters — audit your website and always be thinking about what people will actually consume on a phone.
Why Instagram Is the Favorite Channel
Design, photography, video, and creative people cluster there, and visual creativity is genuinely inspiring to be surrounded by. As of this episode: at least one piece of hand-made content uploaded to Instagram for 693 days straight, including 290 consecutive days of one video per day since November 1, 2016 — and essentially no missed days on Instagram Stories since its release.
Why Make Daily Videos?
It started as a way to discover strengths and weaknesses and get genuinely good at making videos, tutorials, and teaching. Building a real personal brand and business takes skill and consistent effort — daily practice is simply the fastest way to get there, and the learning never really stops.
Daily Workflow & Routine
Each video typically takes 1–3 hours.
- Topic — something tied to content creation, personal branding, podcasting, or a tool that’s genuinely useful.
- Record & edit — Camtasia and ScreenFlow for screen recording (computer and iOS), plus a Logitech C920 for webcam footage and simple b-roll.
- Adobe Draw — hand-drawn icons or logos when needed, using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.
- Thumbnails — created in Photoshop, both square and horizontal formats.
- Write the description — a step-by-step writeup in Apple Notes (syncs instantly across devices). Tip: always write real descriptions with hashtags, keywords, and emojis for SEO.
- AirDrop to iPhone — for the final upload to Instagram.
Morning Routine
Up at 4am: news, updates, emails, a YouTube video or two, sports scores — personal time before the workday starts. Uploads go out to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and sometimes Medium in the morning, with the Instagram post going up last.
Instagram Stories Rhythm
After morning posting and admin work: a walk, exercise, and a good-morning Story. Updates continue throughout the day, usually wrapping with sunset beach time. Motivation tip: if being on camera feels intimidating, Instagram Stories and Live are great low-pressure warmups — the content disappears, so there’s nothing permanent to worry about.
Instagram Live
Something of a dud so far, but not abandoned — a new collaboration feature was on the way and looked promising enough to justify teaming up with others and giving Live another real push.
Networking
Engage with people in your space or people you want to know better — like, comment, and don’t be afraid to send a direct message.
Final Thoughts
Instagram has real momentum, backed by Facebook’s scale, and it’s a strong recommendation for any content creator, brand, or business willing to give it a genuine try.