Welcome to 2026! I know I’m officially not back at work but because of the types of posts and queries regarding Instagram. I thought I would do a quick blog post on this (again!). There seems to be a quiet pressure sitting under almost every small business conversation right now.
If you’re not growing on Instagram, something must be wrong. Yes we’ve posted it about all of this before with various slants.
More followers. More reels. More posting. More effort.
However I am here to say it.
Not every business needs Instagram growth. And forcing it can actually make things worse. When my instagram got hacked I had around 880 followers due to Meta incompetence I could not get that account back (but years later can use Meta business suite to post to it eye roll) in the meantime I created a new account which only has 150 followers. Which for my business is FINE.
Instagram growth isn’t the same as usefulness
Growth looks impressive on paper.
Usefulness pays the bills.
If Instagram isn’t bringing you:
- enquiries
- conversations
- or real work
then growing for the sake of it is just noise. Busy, time-consuming noise that feels productive but doesn’t move the business forward.
A bigger audience doesn’t fix:
- an unclear offer
- weak positioning
- or a business that doesn’t know where its next client is coming from
It just gives you more people not converting.
What Instagram is actually good for
For many small and solo businesses, Instagram works best as:
- a credibility check
- a place people go after hearing about you
- a way to show you’re real, consistent, and still operating (in my case this is the only reason I have an instagram account)
It’s often not the main engine.
It’s supporting evidence.
And that’s not a failure. That’s strategy.
When Instagram growth matters (and when it doesn’t)
If your business relies on:
- referrals
- repeat clients
- local visibility
- a small, high-trust audience
then chasing follower growth can pull your attention away from what already works.
On the other hand, if you sell:
- digital products
- education
- scalable services
- or rely on discovery from strangers
then yes, growth matters. But even then, growth without clarity is expensive in time and energy.
The question most people skip
Instead of asking
“How do I grow on Instagram?”
Ask:
“What role should Instagram play in my business?”
When you answer that honestly, content gets simpler.
Posting gets lighter.
And a lot of unnecessary stress disappears.
Instagram isn’t a business model.
It’s a tool.
Use it properly, or don’t use it much at all, you need to work out what works for YOU. If you need help get in touch here.
We have a resource here about reels (this will be updated shortly to reflect instagram’s changes)
