After years studying how nutrition can help us heal our bodies and our skin, Lina Saber decided to create a platform where she could share everything she was learning. Lina chose Instagram because of its simplicity and the way users connect via photos, rather than words. Today, Lina’s Instagram account, @bysaber, boasts more than 220K followers.
In a nutshell, @bysaber reflects my goal to inspire, be inspired, and connect with the world while sharing everything I love.
- Lina Saber
In June, Lina released her first product, the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox. Lina successfully leveraged her large Instagram audience for the launch, promoting the program to her Instagram followers.
Today, Lina is here to share what she’s learned about using Instagram to effectively build an audience and to authentically promote a product. Keep reading for Lina’s detailed advice and you could be on your way to 220K followers in no time!
You have a big presence on Instagram, with a large number of engaged followers. What strategies have you used to grow your audience over time?
- Quality: When I first started, my images were quite blurry and the lighting was bad. After following a few very successful pages, I was inspired to up my game. I bought a new camera, began taking pictures outside, and started using simple photo editing apps like Pixlr Express and VSCO Cam.
- Focus and Consistency: I knew my passion was mainly health and nutrition. I think people like it when you do one thing very well and successfully, rather than doing many things with no focus. This way, your energy is directed into creating your best work. You can see how many successful Instagram pages choose to narrow their focus into one topic and to send a strong message.
- Originality: I think it is easy to create a page that only features other people’s photos or copies other people’s work. Originality is a must - something that makes your page stand out and reflects your life in a way. It could be unique videos or photos of a special place or special person. At the end of the day, it boils down to putting your best foot forward and slowly creating a gallery with content that reflects your lifestyle, your personality, and what you truly believe in.
- Collaboration: Collaborating with health companies, food companies, and other companies that share my message has helped me tremendously. Many companies have reached out to me to review their products or to collaborate with them and create something healthy using their product. They then share that on their popular pages.
- Hashtags: Some pages dedicate their entire accounts to sharing the work of others. For instance, there is an Instagram page dedicated to sharing other creator’s detox water. They have close to 700K followers. If a page like that recognizes your work, you can get many new followers in a matter of days.
Your 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox bundle has been really popular. What motivated you to create the program and to start selling it?
Something that inspired me to put together the program were the many emails I received every day, asking about skin, acne, and blemishes. I felt the pain of the amazing people that reached out to me to share their stories. I spent hours responding to as many of them as I could and started to realize that I would never have enough time to respond to everyone. I decided to create the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox to share exactly what I’ve done to heal my skin. I knew in my heart that it was something that was going to really help so many of my followers.
How have you used Instagram to market the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox?
- Leading up to the Launch: About a week before the program was released, I announced it in a few of my captions. I did this in the form of a countdown.
- Choosing Promotional Photos: Almost every single post on my Instagram is about using food to heal your body, so the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox is something that blends in very well with my usual content. I think rather than aggressively advertising a product, it is best to take the simple route. Share it about two times a week and bring it up in a few captions to remind the people who have not seen it. It’s important to choose a photo that stands out. Posting photos that are good quality and that pop out is important. Instagram is a place where people connect with images more than words. That’s the beauty of Instagram. I think more people will read words on a photo than a long caption. The promotional photos I usually post clearly include the words “40 Day Detox” in transparent font. I then explain what the program is in the photo caption.
- Linking in Bio: In a way, the fact that Instagram doesn’t allow links in photo captions or comments is a blessing in disguise. It limits spammers and limits the app from crashing. I deal with this challenge by very clearly stating that the link to the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox is in my bio and that followers can email me if they have trouble finding it.
- Collaborating with other Instagramers: I collaborated with a few Instagram creators who post about healthy lifestyles like I do. I sent them the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox for free and they shared it with their followers after reviewing the content and trying the program out for themselves.
- Answering Follower’s Questions: After launching the program, I received many questions about it right away. I made a point of answering them immediately. I think that if someone is genuinely interested and has an additional question or concern before buying the product, they deserve to get an answer. I know I would want an answer. After every promotional post on Instagram, I took time to answer all incoming questions.
- Timing of Promotional Posts: After the launch, I posted about the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox twice a week at different time intervals to make sure it was reaching all of the time zones. I used a site called Totems, which lets you see where your followers are from. Knowing that most of my followers are in America, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada helped me coordinate the timing of my posts about the program.
What have you found most rewarding about how your audience has received the program?
I’m really excited when I hear from my customers after they have completed the 40 Day Skin-Clearing Detox and they explain how much it has helped them. It puts a huge smile on my face to know that I’ve inspired one person to take control of something that has been affecting them for so many years. I also appreciate when people email me additional questions about maximizing results and to request additional features in the book. The amazing thing about it all is that incoming questions are not just from the US, they’re from all over the world. I just can’t believe how far the program has reached. It’s all thanks to the Instagram platform connecting us all.
Do you have any final words of wisdom or advice for other creators who want to use Instagram to grow their audiences and to sell products to their audiences?
- Instagram is free, it is fun, and it is ok to follow and connect with people you have never met in real life.
- Think about every photo before you post it and make sure that your posts reflect only what you truly believe in and stand by 100%. Less is more when it comes to Instagram.
- Don’t forget, Instagram isn’t an advertising site. It’s a platform where you can get as creative as you like. People will appreciate all the amazing work that you put into it. In other words, people don’t want to see endless photos of products, they want to see creations.
A big thank you to Lina for sharing her Instagram expertise! Be sure to check out @bysaber on Instagram and to keep an eye out for Lina’s New Year’s Cleanse and Official Skinfood Recipe E-books, both out soon.
Thinking about promoting your work on Instagram? Be sure to check out our first post on making the most of Instagram, 7 Ways to Engage Your Audience on Instagram.
Already using Instagram in ways we didn’t mention here? We’d love to hear from you.
