What I learned in my 30-Day Reels Experiment - and how it affected getting new leads & clients!
I’ve been brutally honest with my clients:
I HATE REELS - or any short-form video content, really.
(Tik Tok & YouTube shorts included).
I resent ‘it!
I already make a TON of quality, helpful content in service to my audience - whether or not they ever become clients.
So when my Instagram engagement dived into the dumpster, I had a tough chat with myself.
“Ok, Jen, you can hate this shit all you want. Rage against Reels, complain, continue to avoid it.
BUT. You’re a Content Creation SPECIALIST - social media’s part of that.
Like it or not, you have to know what’s going on. What are you gonna do about it?”
Blergh.
So, I created a 30-Day experiment to create one Instagram Reel per day & measure the outcomes - and see if it worked, attracted more clients, or was a waste of time!
The Rules of my 30-Day Reels Experiment:
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I abso-freakin’-lutely will NOT create elaborate productions or costume changes.
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NO trends, lip synching, or (lord no one wants to see this) DANCING.
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Measure & analyze all outcomes. (This is not a strength of mine.)
Hey, hey - HOLD UP: Is there anything wrong with dancing?
No! I simply feel like an idiot doing it!
(Evidence below of a rare moment my photographer caught me dancing on my porch…)
If you love lip-synching, dancing, pointing, changing costumes, creating productions & sets, more POWER TO YOUuuuu!
Things that made this experiment EASIER:
My assistants, Jessica & Rochelle, are amazing tech & social media managers. Without them I’d be NOWHERE.
They always have my back & run quite a show in the background of my business. Because of them, I wasn’t starting from zero.
They helped me feel more confident, generously telling me I could do this, and told me it wasn’t as hard as I was making it!
Things that made this experiment HARD:
Do NOT think I went gently into that good night.
My biggest problem was my mindset, which sounded like,
“THIS SUCKS.
Ugggg, IT’S AN EXTRA THING to doooooo -
HOW CAN I HELP PEOPLE IN A 7-SECOND VIDEOoooooo?”
But mostly, “I DON’T WANNA DO THIS!!!”
When I said it out loud, admitted it, & committed to finding tactics that felt good, it became the first step toward clearing my hurdle and moving past it.
How I made Reels work FOR me:
I settled into a sort-of comfort zone:
🟨 I talk directly to the camera because it feels comfortable. Other creators are - well - more creative, but this is where I am & what I can do right now.
🟩 I only create content in my niche.
Sometimes people create a funny or personal video - something unrelated to their offers/business - and wind up with TONS of non-ideal-audience followers.
I did NOT want to waste any of my content capital.
🟦 I reminded myself it’s safe to step outside my COMFORT zone to appease the Social Media Gods (monsters?)...
but I will NOT step outside my ALIGNMENT zone. If something felt gross, I did not do it.
🟥 I use B-roll of nature, the sky, a tree, etc.: Basically, I take videos of funny, pretty, interesting things & use ‘em to make my point, adding text and clear captions.
View this post on Instagram
If you love to perform & use these platforms to find your creativity, I APPLAUD you! YOU ARE AMAZING!! Keep going. I love watching your stuff!
I had to figure out a way to do it for myself, so I committed & showed up every day.
Which, I’m proud to say, I DID IT!
The OUTCOMES of my 30-Day Reels Experiment:
Let’s talk NUMBERS:
🧡 Beginning with 953 followers, in 30 days, I got to 1003…
Was it a lot of work for 50 people? Yes!
I stayed INCREDIBLY focused in my niche - not one Reel was outside of my lane…
This means that any new people have arrived because they like what I have to say about my niche: content creation!
Pssst: I review every new follower & get rid of Bots or dudes without profile pics or sketchy bios.
But my numbers keep increasing, and I believe it will only get easier from here.
💙 Video views went from ~46 - 96 to 1000, 1300,1700, 2600!
This is incredibly gratifying, considering my starting point!
💚 My digital mini-training, The Batch & Repurpose Content Planning System, started selling.
^^(Shameless plug - it shows you every single step & tons of examples to plan, batch, & repurpose your content!) 
Gotta admit: it’s a whoooooo-hoooo moment to take that increased visibility & increase sales of a passive digital product.
💜 My organic opt-ins increased by 25%!
A huge goal for this year is growing my email list because it’s my favorite platform!
Increasing that list by 25% made this challenge highly worth it!
So - those are the quantitative increases. What else?
The FEEL-GOOD Outcomes of my Reels Experiment:
Let's talk qualitative increases - the ones that aren't as measurable but feeeeeeel good!
🔵 A reel per day for 30 days got me WAY less scared of video.
How am I still scared of video? I’m on it all the time, looking at myself, getting branding pictures, blah blah blah.
I knooooowwwww.
Just being honest: I don't love looking at myself & don't feel automatically comfortable in front of the camera.
Even though I’m a Content Creation Specialist, this is something I work through all the time.
HOWEVER! I’m way less intimidated now & have learned how to say something valuable & connective in 5 seconds, 16 seconds, 30 seconds.
🟢 I’m finding my FUN ZONE.
If you’ve been with me for a while, you know how much I struggle with having fun.
I'm a responsible, consistent worker bee, getting tasks done & crossing shit off the list…
But this does NOT make me fun in my natural habitat.
So I decided to just freakin’ have fun with this nonsense:
For example, I saw an escalator in the airport & took a video it.
Then I thought: content creation feels like an endless escalator to nowhere, right?
That became a Reel.
View this post on Instagram
Out in the world, I’ve created a habit to look for & record things that feel fun & not performative.
🟠 The recovering perfectionist version myself is in HELL right now…
Which is exactly what I neeeeed.
You might look at other people doing short form content with their fancy sets & costumes…
Beautiful homes & highly curated bookshelves, rooms, pantries…
With clever editing, immaculate lighting, or riveting time-lapse content…
And think, “I can't do this until I have mine looking like that!”
That means The Perfection Monster has arrived.
Sooooo - another benefit I’ve found is I’m leaning HEAVILY into that ‘Imperfect - Get it out there - People will connect with you if you don't show up perfectly’ VIBE.
🟤 I’m definitely taking more risks.
Like saying things people won't necessarily like or agree with, which is fine because they can simply unfollow.
Strive to be clear enough to repel the people who aren't for us and attract those who are.
Experimenting with Instagram Reels has helped me do that.
Ultimately, it’s vital you do things your way -
but since marketing is non-negotiable & we have to SHOW UP…you’ve gotta figure out how to make it feel right for you.
Consider this an evidence-based love letter for you!
If you’ve been waiting for all conditions to get perfect…or are striving for highly sophisticated production value, or have unrealistic expectations…
You’re nevah gonna do it!
Your job is to connect with your people -
Content marketing is a way to get there quickly-
AND Instagram is blowing the wind at our backs, pushing Reels right now,
so get on that surfboard and ride the waves.
why not do it in a way that feels good for you?
What’s your experience with Reels?
What feedback or ideas do you have about using it?
I designed this article to help you find the courage to create your OWN experiment & dive into something you feel resistance around!
Tell me your thoughts - and share any of your favorite tools, hacks, strategies, and insights!
Here’s the Reel I made talking about this stuff!
View this post on Instagram
