I challenged myself to go live on Instagram to get out of my comfort zone, grow my business, and better serve my audience and these are my take-aways.
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I’m socially challenged. There I said it. I never had a ton of friends and I suppose I never wanted a ton. I wanted quality over quantity because those few friends I did have, I knew they liked me for me.
I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. I’m a little weird, to be frank. I’m also more straightforward than I thought.
I’ve been accused of having no filter, I say what I think. I’m a nerd but I also like crystals and hiking. I never really found my niche growing up so I floated around as a good wallflower does. I’m nice, quiet, unassuming, I think so at least.
So when I began to pursue entrepreneurship, I found out that I had a severe learning curve ahead of me. It’s not easy for me to speak my mind, no one really listened before. To make a name for me is tough when I’d rather quietly observe. But being the nerd that I am, I made it my mission to learn how to do those things. Where there is a will, there is a way, right?
Instagram is less scary to go live on because there are filters.
That sounds silly, I’m sure, but filters almost made it feel like I could be someone else? Put on a cute filter and I had a little courage all of the sudden. Also, less people watch Instagram lives (in my experience) so it was fine talking to the one person that was there.
But Instagram does have more reach if you use the right hashtags. So for all the live videos I did and posted onto IGTV (Instagram TV) I was getting approximately 30 views per post. It’s also easier to find your niche on Instagram because of those hashtags, they’re a beacon for your kind of people.
Every day I went live, the more confidence I found in myself.
It became no big deal. I would look up something to talk about or what was currently important in my day and talk about it. It helped me with confidence as well as narrowing down my niche audience.
Why? Because for every video that I did I found out that the theme of what I liked talking about was emotional and mental management, spirituality, and personal growth. I discovered more about myself than I thought I would.
I also gained at least one follower every day, which was awesome! The more people that watch your videos or like your posts on Instagram the more people that Instagram will show it to. So it did accomplish my goal, which was to broaden my audience and my potential new friends.
Oh, and I did gain a few awesome friends from it. There’s a woman from the U.K. that I’ve gotten to know very well now and it strengthened some other friendships too. For a little while it was overwhelming how many people I was talking to!
I did start out on Facebook. And I think I will go back there.
While short little snippets are good for Instagram, longer more educational ones are better for Facebook. With all of the research that I did, that was a common theme. No one says ‘watch my IGTV’ as much as they say ‘join my Facebook Group’.
I never did think that Instagram was the most ideal place for my lives anyway but mostly because Instagram is highly aesthetic. Having hair, makeup, angles on point is significantly more important there and that’s never been a large focus in my life.
Part of why I ceased going live every day was that we went away for a few days. If you’ve ever tried to go on vacation with two children under two, you understand why I no longer had the mental acuity to speak in full sentences. And once I skipped a day or two, it was easier to keep skipping them.
I will continue to make Instagram lives however.
The Instagram lives that I will be focusing on going forward will be more promotional type of things. It can be where I do focus on having my makeup 100% on point. See, I don’t even feel natural saying that.
My area of expertise has always been function over fashion and that’s why Facebook is where my ideal tribe hangs out. They’re all the other ones who are like me and just throw makeup on their face so that they look like a nicer version of themselves. Instagram is for contouring and highlights and who knows what else (because I clearly don’t).
And I’m all for it if it is for you! I have all of those components and I do enjoy using them when I feel that the occasion arises. For my wedding, I did my own makeup (because I don’t like it when other people do it) and I highlighted and contoured and used the fancy brushes that I never use.
I know how to but for my daily look, I like a quicker and more natural approach. Facebook is fine with that approach and that look and the audience there enjoys watching videos that aren’t perfect. And that is perfect for me.
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Thanks for doing this research and reporting back. Lives can be so intimidating! This makes it feel more approachable. Way to go!
Thank you! Don’t worry they get easier!
This is great information. I’ve never done a live video before…I might try one now. But Facebook might be better for me as well.
They are a wonderful resource! I hope you do!
I have yet to do a live anything! Are there times when nobody is watching, or only 1 person? And if so, what do you do? Thanks for sharing!
There are certainly times that no one is watching but you talk like they are! That is the beauty of lives is that they “work” for you much longer than regular posts! So when someone does watch it, it’s like it’s made for them!
What an interesting experiment! Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ve never gone igtv but that’s so great that it brought you out of your comfort zone and you made some friends.
Thank you! It was a wonderful experience!
I truly loved reading this article! Its funny because I also have been thinking about doing some live videos to get myself out there more as it relates to my food/lifestyle/travel blogging! I do not like speaking in public but I’m a professional opera singer and actress that can perform for thousands onstage….go figure lol! Thank you for this because you have given me some inspiration and motivation!
You’re kidding! Girl, you will rock it, I know it! Go for it, and remember it does not have to be perfect! Also, good luck with your blog and what a resume, you’re awesome!
Thanks for this post. It gives me motivation to just go live. Live does seem so intimidating. I guess when you just do it, you get past that fear and only get better with each time you go live.
You’re so welcome! I’m glad that I could inspire you! Don’t worry, you will get better each time, and eventually, you might even enjoy it! Go for it! I know you’ll do wonderful things!
I so admire your courage. It takes a lot for me to just post a picture of myself. Thanks for sharing it has in embolden me.
Aw, thank you! I hope that you do! Don’t worry, I’ve heard that people don’t t think about you as much as you think haha just go for it and I know you’ll be awesome!
Wow! I admire you for spending 30 days live on IG! Thanks for sharing your experience. Now I want to try it!
Thank you! I hope that you do, I’m sure it will be rewarding!
This was so interesting to read, I feel like videos are so out of my comfort zone, I’ve never been one to share my life online comfortably but the more I do it, the more comfortable it becomes, as you mentioned. You’ve kind of given me a bit of the push I needed to start doing insta stories and videos which I’ve been thinking about starting! thanks for that!
Yay! That’s so wonderful to hear, I’m glad that I could encourage you, I know you’ll be amazing!
I love this post. . .as a life coach, I post on instagram, but the video freaked me out. . .my 18 year old daughter showed me the “how to”, and it took me a ridiculously long time to finally get something up. . .it was so awkward and choppy , but I did it!
YESSS!!! It doesn’t have to be perfect, as long as it’s done! Keep it up!
Haha I totally get that! I’m glad you could relate and I certainly hope that you do! Thank you!!!
Thank you so much and good luck to you as well! In my experience, Facebook friends do prefer content but I still am improving my ‘pretty’ factor too! Go for it! You never know ’til you try!
My sister just did a similar challenge with Facebook Live daily for a month. She said she felt like she didn’t have anything to talk about at first, but ended up loving it! Thank you for sharing about your journey.
Yes! That’s wonderful! I’m glad that she enjoyed it!
Thank you for challenging yourself to do this and then sharing your findings! I have been scared of doing anything video related, especially live, but I took the challenge in this class and made a video for YouTube and discovered that I had trouble with the physical aspect of speaking. I googled speech classes and found a YouTube speech coach that gave some exercises to do daily to increase strength in the tongue muscle and lip control. I did a new video and it was much improved and helped my confidence somewhat. It was helpful to know that learning how to articulate words fluently and effortlessly takes practice and exercise that celebrities and others who rely on their voices partake in.
I am glad to know that there are filters that you can use on Live as I definitely want to continue building my confidence with speaking, including improving my looks on camera! I like the idea of doing lives just for promotions; it is definitely not something I would want to do daily. Thanks for the inspiration. ?
You are so welcome! I love your dedication and I’m so proud of you for going out of your comfort zone and finding ways to improve your skills, that’s amazing! I hope that you do give it a chance, I know you’ll be wonderful!