As a coach or online service provider, it can be tempting to obsess over your Instagram story views. After all, these vanity metrics can give you an idea of how well your content is resonating with your audience…But do they actually? As a marketer for coaches and online service providers, I’m never short of a frantic friend up in my DMs p*ssed off at yet again how the algorithm is doing them over.

But here’s the thing, it happens. You might find that your story views go through a bit of a cycle. For example, Monday mornings are my most active for Instagram stories. If I start the week sharing something hilarious or personal that happened to me, I get close to 200 views (on an account with 1700 followers at the time of writing). Towards the end of the week, Friday afternoons, I’ll be lucky if I get 60-70 views.

Yet I could give two flying f*cks… because guess what. I still manage to make sales or, at a minimum, enquiries near daily.

It’s important to keep things in perspective and not get too caught up in the numbers game.

What I said above should be enough to convince you to stop wasting precious hours of your life trying to control something you can’t.

If you exit this blog post now I’d be proud – it’ll do sh*t all for my SEO bounce rate, but hopefully will have given you the kick up the backside you needed to not concentrate on metrics that don’t MASSIVELY matter.

But if you’re still sat here thinking FFS Sal, you talk about visibility and how more eyes = more sales all the time, then keep reading….

Focus on Strategy Over Story Views

While story views can give you an idea of how well your content is performing, there are other important metrics that you should be paying attention to.

Engagement rates, conversion rates!!, and client experience/feedback. These metrics will give you a more comprehensive understanding of how well your Instagram strategy is *actually* working and where you need to make some adjustments.

For example. You’re selling on stories for your mastermind. 150 view it. No-one enquires. Will 1000 views fix that? Hmm maybe, it depends on your conversion rate. But if you’re getting zero bites from the people who are currently viewing your stories, it’s likely that your message isn’t landing and your views will do sweet FA to change that.

Focus on the Bigger Picture: Your Wider Marketing Strategy

Secondly, Instagram is just one piece of the puzzle.

While Instagram can be a powerful tool for building your brand and connecting with your audience, it’s not 2020 anymore and I’m sorry but “I made six figures in six days just by posting on Instagram” screams pyramid scheme vibes and sweet FA when it comes to sustainability.

This is where people think I hate Instagram. I don’t. I hate putting all your marketing eggs in one basket.

It’s important to remember that Instagram is not the only platform out there.

By focusing too much on your Instagram story views, you may be neglecting other important channels, such as your website, email list, or other social media accounts. By diversifying your marketing efforts and focusing on the big picture, you’ll be better positioned for long-term success…let’s stop this narrative of “Oh, I just want to master this one platform first, and then I’ll expand”… this, my friend, is self sabotage at its finest.

This week alone I made sales from Instagram and my email list. Had an enquiry through TikTok and had people clicking through from Pinterest to podcast episodes I’d recorded; where they’re going to consumeee all that value and get to know me a little bit more.

Instead of constantly refreshing my story views, I sent out a promo to the VIPs who were kind enough to give me access to their inbox, did a live collaboration to boost reach and then got to work on some behind the scenes passive income stuff that’ll be paying off 10-fold by December.

Think of all the things you could’ve done in the last six months if you weren’t so obsessed with story views and wondering why Felicia seems to be f*cking smashing it – P.S. she’s likely on the same amount of story views as you, she just knows how to convert her audience.

Stop Comparing Your F*cking Insanely Talented Self

Which brings me to my third point.

Stop comparing yourself to others!

I’ve been there and don’t get me wrong, I sometimes still slip down that slope, but all it does is hinder my journey and my progress.

It’s easy to get caught up in the comparison game. It’s natural to want to compare your story views to those of other coaches and service providers in your industry, but you can’t see their analytics any more than I can, and take it from someone who’s been inside successful coaches Instagram accounts, their views aren’t too dissimilar from yours.

Everyone’s situation is unique, and what works for one person may not work for you.

By constantly comparing yourself to others, you risk losing sight of your own goals and what makes you and your brand special.

What to Focus on Instead of Instagram Story Views

So, what should you focus on instead of your Instagram story views? Here are a few ideas:

• Building genuine relationships with your audience through engagement (beyond a love this!!! comment) and creating valuable content that activates your audience to buy
• Putting time and energy in your website (yes, you need one) and other marketing channels to diversify your reach…there are clients beyond the confines of instagram
• Your marketing strategy as a whole to see what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments accordingly.
• Staying true to your brand values and the message you want to portray. Who gives a sh*t what others are doing if you feel fulfilled?

Remember guys, Instagram can be an important tool for coaches and online service providers, but it’s not the be all and end all and neither is something so trivial as your story views. By focusing on other important metrics, diversifying your marketing efforts, and staying true to your brand, you’ll be better positioned for long-term success and growth.

So, take a deep breath, enjoy the view, and keep climbing that mountain! You’re f*cking SMASHING IT!