Journalists are notoriously bad at math. But unbeknownst to even them, journalists are great at formulas. When dealing with limited resources, and a mindset that you need to grow audience and revenue fast — a good, tight formula is key.
This is a formula for growing your Instagram page that takes into account small teams, lack of time and return on investment.
So why are we focusing on Instagram and not Facebook or TikTok? IG gives you the most reach without committing countless hours and resources. It’s the sweet spot in the middle, and it puts you in front of businesses and organizations that matter to your community. Instagram is also the tool of creative networking. With just a follow, you’re halfway to a partnership or a collaboration.
The first part of the formula is simple — look at your Instagram differently. You’re not just posting content. You’re running a TV station…a TV station in your pocket. Once you see it that way, the rest of the formula clicks into place.
The TV station/IG key:
- Stories: Commercials
- Reels: Your TV sitcom
- Posts: Daily news broadcast
- Professional dashboard: TV ratings
Instagram is not a one-person job. Distribute the work before you do anything else. One person posts, another likes and comments, another follows community accounts. Not everyone has to create content but everyone should be active on the account. That’s how the algorithm knows you’re alive.
How to use these four elements & pro tips
I. The Professional Dashboard: Know your numbers
On your main IG page, you have a Professional Dashboard. This number shows views in the last 30 days. You can dive deeper into the statistics, but this is your simplest way to know if you’re performing. This number will change daily but write down your performance by the week.
II. Stories: Your community billboard
This is where your commercials live — but here’s the thing. Stories aren’t just for promoting your own content. This is a community billboard.
Repost nonprofits doing good work in your area. Repost local artists, festivals, community events. If the hometown team wins a playoff game, put it up. Then layer in your own content on top of that. Stories should be a kaleidoscope — showing your digital community that you’re paying attention and amplifying their work. When you do that, more eyes land on your page and engagement grows.
Pro tip: Your Stories should never go dark. Something should always be there, in perpetuity. That’s how you know you’re doing it right.
III. Posts: Your daily news broadcast
Posts are your daily programming. Every day, pull out the three most important stories and post them here. Then repost those same stories to your Stories. You’re cross-promoting across your own platform.
Got strong photography? Post it. Single images, photo galleries, archival shots from your publication’s history. A weekly history post goes a long way — people love seeing where their community came from.
Pro Tip: Think about what your TV station would actually air. Stories that matter. Historical moments. Great photojournalism. Events, surveys, calls to action. That’s your content mix. That’s the programming guide.
IV. Reels: Your sitcom
Reels are where you build a real audience. This is your sitcom — and like any good show, consistency is everything. Pick a time and post every week like clockwork, the same way you drop your newsletter.
Test your creative instincts here. Make it entertaining, informative, community-driven, fun and timely. Try the one-question format I broke down in my latest blog post. Reels are where you find your voice and let it run.
Pro Tip: Don’t try to execute in real time. Go out and film five reels in a single day. Edit them, schedule them out. In one day you haven’t just made one episode — you’ve shot five. That’s a month-plus of content. Spread it out, publish weekly at the same time, and let the audience sit with it. Make them want the next one.
The four-week roadmap
Before you start, open your Professional Dashboard and write down your current 30-day views number. That’s your baseline. Check it every week, same day, same time. That’s your TV rating.
Week 1: Build your billboard
Get your Stories habit locked in. Repost community content all day, every day — nonprofits, artists, local events, wins. Layer in your own content on top. Stories should never go dark. Start posting five times a week on your main feed — your top three daily stories, photography, events, calls to action.
Week 2: Add your sitcom
Film five Reels in one day. Edit them. Schedule your first one to drop at a consistent time — and commit to that time slot every week. You now have a month of episodes ready to go. Check your dashboard number.
Week 3: Find your rhythm
You’re running all four formats now. Stories are constant. Posts are consistent. Your first few Reels are out. Pay attention to what’s getting traction and do more of that. Check your dashboard number.
Week 4: See the growth
Check your Professional Dashboard. Compare it to where you started. If you’ve been consistent across all four formats — Stories active daily, five posts a week, one Reel a week — you’re looking at 50% growth in views. That number touches everything else. Followers grow. Engagement grows. Your community sees you showing up.
You’re already in the booth
The TV station has always been there. You just hadn’t turned the cameras on yet. Run your billboard, broadcast your news, drop your sitcom on schedule — and watch your community tune in. Four weeks. Consistent execution. That’s the whole formula.
Audience first. Revenue follows.
If you want social media to deliver real return on investment, you need a real audience. Maybe you’re on five platforms right now but not great at any of them. It might be time to sunset a few and focus. Two to three platforms are enough to keep any small newsroom busy — and sharp.
Many publications try to activate their socials without having a presence there every day. If you’re not engaging with your audience consistently, you can’t just launch a campaign out of nowhere and expect it to land. You have to build the audience and engage with the audience before you try to activate the audience. Not the other way around.
Here’s what the growth looks like when you commit. You go from having a page, to engaging with the people in the community. You go from searching for partnerships to sorting through which collaborations to focus on. When those numbers move, engagement moves. Revenue moves. But you can’t activate an audience you haven’t built yet.
First, be great at building the audience. Then turn that audience into revenue. It’s a formula where everyone wins — your audience and your publication.