Why Social Media Feels Harder Than Ever (And Why That’s Your Advantage) — Part 1

I want to talk about something every business owner or content creator feels right now, but most don’t say out loud: social media is harder than it’s ever been… and at the exact same time, it’s the most wide-open it’s ever been.

You’re competing with massive global brands.
But because of how the algorithms work today, a small business with smart strategy can outrun a corporation with a seven-figure budget. That’s the crazy part: more competition, bigger opportunity.

And the timing couldn’t matter more. A new Sprout survey shows 80% of people plan to use social media just as much or more this year to decide what to buy. That means every post you publish genuinely has the potential to turn someone into a customer.

Before we get to the creative ideas, I want to start with the five strategies that actually make your posts convert. These matter more than any idea you’ll ever use.

1. Use DM automation instead of “link in bio”

Telling people to click your bio link kills your engagement.
Not because Instagram punishes the phrase, but because your followers stop interacting. They either scroll away, or they leave your post to go to your profile. Zero likes, zero comments, zero saves. And low engagement = low reach.

DM automation flips the whole system.
People comment a keyword, they get the link instantly, and your engagement skyrockets instead of tanking. This works on posts, but it also works beautifully on Stories, especially the “single story with lots of text + reply with KEYWORD” style.

Just swap “link in bio” with “comment ____” and watch the difference.

2. Focus on benefits, not features

Features tell, benefits sell.

Apple didn’t market “16GB storage.”
They marketed “1,000 songs in your pocket.”

Every product has technical details, but people buy outcomes. Ask yourself:
What are the big three wins your customer gets from this?

Base your captions, hooks, and scripts around those outcomes, not the specs.

3. Don’t be scared to post about your product, a lot

The algorithm doesn’t show all your posts to everyone.
Some of your audience will see one promotional post. Some will see none. That’s why posting more isn’t “spammy”, it’s realistic.

During one launch, I posted 25 times in 10 days.
Some posts flopped, some took off. You’re a bad judge of your own content. We all are.

And if Justin Bieber can post 97 times in 5 days about one album, you’re fine.

4. Clarity beats complexity every time

Confusion kills sales!!!

Your promo should make sense to a “drunk grandma.”
Keep it simple, clean, direct, and easy to understand. People are scrolling through thousands of posts a day, make yours obvious.

5. If you’re running one sale, give people one link

If your link-in-bio leads to a menu of 17 links, you’re losing customers.
If it’s 20% off ski boots, the link should go directly to the ski boots. Not the homepage, not a link tree, not a directory. One sale, one link.

That’s it for Part 1.

Next email drops tomorrow, where we finally get into the good stuff: the first batch of actual post ideas you can use right away to make sales.

See you then.