My new content strategy

When I started creating content on Instagram, I published two seasons of a series I called “Reese on IGTV.” This was in 2018, when IGTV just launched. My videos were five-minute walk-and-talk rants about creative business topics. I figured since it was a new feature on the app, and I was creating consistently on it, my content would go viral.

The content did not go viral. 

Each video got like 200 views. However, something peculiar happened. People commented on the videos. People sent me DMs in response to them. People started calling me for advice, and asking if I could “get coffee” with them.  Even though the videos weren’t going viral, or grown my audience, they were cultivating deeper connections with people. They were bringing genuine value. 

In 2022, I started making consistent short-form content for Instagram Reels. In 2023, I started investing money into it, and by the end of 2023, I had a few videos go viral. My audience grew from 2,200 to 69,000 within the span of about nine months. I’ve been able to convert about 20% of those followers onto my email lists, and it’s opened up a new product-based business. 

Here’s what’s funny: even though my videos get thousands up upon thousands of times more views than my old IGTV series, the comments, DMs, and don’t scale proportionately. This is what I’m getting at. Quantity time is quality time. The more time someone spends with you, the more value they’ll get. 

Someone could watch 10 of my short-form videos over the course of a month, and spend about 10 minutes with me online at most. On top of that, they’re doing it on a distracted platform, where a more entertaining video is just a thumb swipe away. Alternatively, they could join one of my live streams, spend 90 minutes with me, get a ton of free value, and end up trusting me way more. 

Let’s run the numbers on this. If 5,000 people watch a 30-second video, that’s 2,500 minutes watched. If 30 people join a 90-minute live stream, that’s 2,700 minutes watched. Except the live stream is a focused environment, people can interact live, and at the end of it, people walk away with a genuine, valuable experience. I’m able to educate and encourage and empower them to live better lives through creativity and freelancing, which is my entire mission. 

I don’t discount the value of short-form video. These viral platforms have helped me grow. However, I have been discounting the value of long-form video. That’s where the meaning is. That’s where I change lives. In the long-form. I’ve seen this with my book, with my podcast appearances, and with my courses. 

It’s time I invested more time into long-form. 

P.S. I’ve got two new YouTube videos live right now. Go check them out.