In episode 028, we talk with Jessica Holmes about how she’s found success connecting with her audience online both at her food blog and through Instagram.

We cover information about finding your brand and your voice, be consistent and how to make the most of IG stories!

Listen on the player in this post or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or your favorite podcast player. Or scroll down to read a full transcript.

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Guest Details

Connect with Sweetest Menu
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Jessica Holmes started Sweetest Menu in 2014. Inspired by her travels, Sweetest Menu is a food blog specializing in American-inspired desserts – with a little Australian flair. Jessica loves to create original sweet recipes (that actually work) and then capture them using bright and colourful photography. Her all-time favourite part of blogging is connecting with fellow bakers and dessert lovers from all over the world.

Join Sophia DeSantis as she talks about having an authentic voice on social media platforms like Instagram in episode 014.

Takeaways

  • To build a following on Instagram you need to show up. Post consistent and daily so your audience will know that you are reliable and interested.
  • Check your business analytics to determine what is a good time for engagement.
  • Instagram rewards accounts for consistency. 
  • It’s ok to repost old content on your account. Its important to post daily but you don’t need to use fresh content everyday. 
  • Instagram is just an extension of your brand. You can extend yourself a little there, you have some flexibility to take it to the next level.
  • Think of Instagram as a whole, not as individual posts.
  • When writing captions and communicating online, think about it like you’re speaking to a friend. You want it to come across very natural.
  • You have to interact with your audience. This builds connection. So respond to all comments. Go back to a posts a few days later to check on it. Respond to comments. Be sure to thank people, etc.  
  • Instagram stories: this is a great way to invite people into your personal space. It helps to get insight too – ask good questions and show them another side to you, apart from the business side. 
  • Hashtags are great. A few describe the post and then she uses a few generic ones and her own blog name. You should do hashtags for each post. IG recommends between 5-30 hashtags. 
  • The number of followers you have isn’t as important as people showing up, saying they’ve made your recipe and are engaging with you.

Transcript

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