Meet The Man Who Solved The Instagram Algorithm
How to actually crack Instagram!
Hey team,
Callum here.
Hope you’re rocking it!
The Instagram Reel has an allure.
One video can reach millions of people.
In an instant.
With no prior following needed.
It’s an incredible format to spread your message or share ideas.
But it’s a tricky one.
Most people struggle to build traction with them.
They think they’ve been ‘Shadowbanned’.
Try
Fail.
Give up.
I wanted to track down someone who had cracked this format.
And was making lots of money from it.
Meet Ben Kaluza!
Ben’s an educational Creator sharing tips and tricks for Creatives.
He started making Reels 3 years ago.
The first 154 videos flopped!
500 views.
500 views.
500 views.
An endless cycle of disappointment.
What was he doing wrong?
He felt like every other sucker trying to crack the algorithm.
Failing.
Then on Reel 155?
Everything changed.
1 Million Views
Then another million.
Another.
Today he’s quit his 9-to-5 job and is making $10-15k per month on Instagram.
Not bad for 2 thirty second videos a week!
How did he do it?
What changed?
He shared his strategy with me:
1/ Find relevant creators
Ben started to use a more data driven approach to content creation.
He stopped making ‘original ideas’ that popped into his head.
He started to study other creators.
How does he recommend you do this?
Make a list of 20 Creators in your niche
Narrow down a list of them who you resonate with you most
You should feel like you could re-create 75% of the Reels on their pages
You wish you’d made the Reels.
2/ Identify outlier videos
Zero in on their top-performing posts.
Notice most videos have 5,000 views but one has 100,000?
That’s an outlier!
Even if they're from smaller creators.
If a video is crushing it, the concept is worth exploring!
Note these concepts down for you to make.
3/ Reverse engineer the hook
You should now have a list of 10 videos.
It’s time to break them down.
What’s working?
The hook?
Opening Shot?
A unique opinion?
A curiosity-inducing script.
Jot down what stands out.
4/ Read the comments
Pay special attention to what viewers are commenting about.
Their feedback reveals the true "gems" in the content:
They’re shocked that the software is ‘completely Free’?
It only took someone ‘3 weeks’ to make something?
These could be the key hooks you need to highlight:
Note them down.
Make sure you cover them in your Reel.
5/ Recreate and elevate
Take the winning idea and put your unique spin on it.
Keep the core concept.
But make it 5x better with your skills and style.
A list of 7 free websites? Make it 10!
The best website example came 3rd? Move it to the front
Set yourself up for success.
Isn’t this copying?
To a degree… yes!
But that’s the point.
As Ben says…
“If you don’t get traction, you will give up!
You are far better to practice with proven ideas than trying to be original”
It gives you a much higher chance of early success.
That success builds confidence.
That success keeps you going.
Developing your own style
Over time you can start to weave in your own ideas.
But you’ll be implementing them with everything you learnt studying and remixing winners.
Your own style will emerge.
OK, that’s a wrap!
I missed out a few gems here.
You’ll have to catch the full episode with Ben to hear them:
Reply or drop me a comment if you found this useful?
I read every one.
Hope you have a great week!
Callum
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