The Creative Bodega | Content Marketing and Instagram Growth for Solopreneurs

51: 6 Instagram Post Musts for 2026 That Actually Work (For Solopreneurs)

• Emily Connors • Episode 51

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Drowning in "new algorithm" posts and conflicting advice about what you must do in 2026? Let's be real: you don't need a total content overhaul. In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I'm breaking down the six things that actually matter for service-based solopreneurs this year—and spoiler alert, it's not about posting more or buying fancy equipment. I'm sharing what's worked for me since 2020 (yes, the same strategy), why fewer high-intent posts beat constant posting, and how to stay visible without burning out. If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the content noise out there, this episode will help you breathe easier and focus on what actually moves the needle.

Check out the full show notes for this episode CLICK HERE.

Things I cover inside this episode:

  • Why people over information is the real strategy—and how to make your content defensible in a world where anyone can Google the "what"
  • The truth about AI in content creation: how I use it for speed without sacrificing personality (and why I almost bought a $1,200 camera but didn't)
  • How fewer, high-intent posts consistently outperform constant posting—plus my exact carousel strategy that reached 58K people
  • Why recurring series are your secret weapon for building momentum and inside jokes with your audience (with a low-effort tip jar method you'll love)
  • The visibility micro-actions that prevent your business from fading slowly—because invisibility is expensive, my friend

Resources & Links mentioned in the episode:

Connect with me:
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🫶🏼 Join my 321 Create Newsletter for weekly content tips
🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven Membership

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Emily Connors

don't starve your business by staying safe or invisible. Most businesses don't fail. In some like dramatic cliff drop situation, they fade slowly because we stay safe, we stay invisible, and we never quite get the posts out that would actually help people. And invisibility is expensive, my friend. Welcome back to the Creative Bodega. Today I'm sharing what I consider to be the six musts for 2026. this is what I'm seeing for service-based solopreneurs. Who really wanna thrive, not just sort of like survive or meander through 2026. And yes, we're gonna get a little ranty because I, I honestly cannot, with the amount of posts that I'm seeing about what you have to do, you know, the new algorithm, how to please the algorithm, you know what to do, what not to do, anyways, it's, it's been overwhelming. Me and I am recording this on the 6th of January, so I hope by the time this comes out in mid-January that all of those posts are done. But as a content creator and you know, content strategist, I can't not talk about what I see as, you know, what's kind of gonna be trending or how to keep up with the Joneses, if you will, in 2026. Like quick context for you. I have basically been posting the same way since October, 2020 when I started my business. I honestly shit you not, I, I really haven't changed it up that much. I would say each of those years there's something that sort of. Uh, rains Queen, if you will, when it comes to content, and I will change the way I'm posting a little bit, or like one day of the week, I'm sort of leaning into said trend, right? So in 2024 it was reels like, literally, it was like reels or bust. If you're not making reels, you know, you're, you're gonna be dead in the water. So I leaned into reels a bit more in 2025. Uh, I just didn't feel like making reels and I really leaned in carousels and I saw a lot of other people being really successful with carousels and I was very successful with carousels, so I did more of those. but I'm not like, drastically changing how I show up, and I haven't since October, 2020, so. Take a deep breath with me. We don't need to throw everything we've been doing out the window. Okay. I talk about a subject that lights me up. Content creation in Canva. Uh, I solve a real problem for my ideal client, my female solopreneurs, who are short on time, but really wanna show up in an impactful way consistently, and I provide a ridiculous amount of value. Free value the end. And in fact, you guys, oh my God, some person just showed up on my feed. It was an advertisement, and I very quickly hit the three dots and said, I don't wanna see things like this. And she basically was saying. That, you're making a huge mistake if you're giving away free value'cause you just attract people who want free stuff. I could not disagree with that more. And, and, and I don't even wanna get into that, but I basically just wanna say you are gonna find creators saying everything across the board, right? Give free value. Don't give free value. Show your face. Be a faceless account. You know, everyone. You're gonna, if you wanna find a message, you're gonna be able to find it. Like everyone is saying something and everyone is saying something that is gonna go against something that someone else is saying. it is overwhelming. you can hear me, I'm getting a little like, worked up like it, it overwhelms me. So I can't imagine how you feel. So what I'm gonna say before I get into this is like, find a couple creators. Listen to them, follow what they say. If you like them, trust them and then like block out all the rest of the noise.'cause that's what it is. It's literally noise. Okay, So when I look at what performed for me in 2025, it's really the same patterns that worked for me in 20 21, 22, 23. And it's just small tweaks. So if you're spinning out over like, what's working in 2026, again, just breathe. We don't need to start over. Here's what I think is actually gonna matter this year. And again, it's really not any different than everything I've been saying all along and everything I've been doing for the last five years. But I wanna share with you exactly how to do it without burning out basically. So number one, people over information. Information is everywhere. If somebody wants a tip list, I mean they can ask chat, GPT for it, right? 10 ideas for Instagram, whatever. People aren't missing information. They're missing you. The person with a point of view and a method that makes sense and their real life. So what does that look like in practice? You explain the why behind your advice. You explain your experience with using your own advice, not just the steps, right? You show how you think, not just what you do, and you name your approach. Right? So for me, it's the magnet method. That's what I teach inside the messaging edit. Or it's the visual method, which I'm teaching inside of the visual edit, and E, every letter stands for something, and I can really break down exactly what that all means. So for the magnet method, it's message clarity, attracting through specificity, goal aligned content, nailing your offer language. Engagement, energy and testing and tweaking. So each letter stands for something, but I've named my method and I can really easily talk about it, through naming it. So I would love to see you really get specific and name your approach. I think that's gonna go a really long way. So a personal brand with a clear method is defensible in a world where everyone can Google the what. Right. It's gonna build trust faster and trust sells. And if your content could be posted by anyone in your niche, it's too generic, right? So you really need to add your voice, your stories, your experience with your method, your pictures, your videos, your opinions. We want to hear how you approach the problem. So that was number one. People over information because information's everywhere you are, not you are what's gonna make your brand different. Yeah. Number two, less AI and more human. And I am seeing this everywhere and I couldn't agree more. Right? And I am so pro AI for speed, but not for sameness. So I use it to brainstorm, to create outlines, to find patterns, to punch up the clarity in my content. I do not use it to airbrush my personality out of my posts. Okay, so 2026 content that wins feels like. A voice DM from a friend. Honestly, it is face to camera. Let me explain this real quick. Imperfect direct. In fact, I almost bought a camera that my lovely hair stylist told me to get. It's great for social media content, right? It's over a thousand dollars, and she was really talking me into it at my last hair appointment. She's like showing me what it looks like and how good the quality is, and I was like. Damn, that's really good. do I need to do that? And I almost bought it. I asked my husband, I said, Hey, is this better tax wise for me to buy this, you know, before the end of the year or in the new year? And he was like, it doesn't really matter. and then I, I, I kind of sat with it and I was like. Here I am telling my female busy service providers, content creators, to just keep it simple, you know? And then, you know, and, and like you don't need all this fancy equipment and stuff. Like I only use my iPhone. I don't even have a microphone like everybody else has. Although I did just order one.'cause I kind of wanna see how it feels to hold something. because I think that will like reduce my nerves a bit. Yes, I still get nervous. but anyways. I didn't do it because how hypocritical. Then I have this fancy camera and I'm putting out content. Then everybody's asking me,'cause everybody does ask me when I change things up, what are you using? And then I'm saying, oh, you gotta go buy this$1,200 camera. Like no, that's not the kind of content I put out. So I didn't do it. I didn't do it for now, maybe one day. But for right now, I'm like, that doesn't really feel true to who I am and the type of content I'm telling my busy female solopreneurs to make. So I didn't buy it. But that imperfect content's really gonna win. It feels like a FaceTime call. It feels like a story. Honestly, I'm approaching my reels this year as stories. That's where I show up like my most imperfect, authentic, ranty kind of self. And the algorithm really cares about watch time and retention. So that means, you know, did people stay because they felt that human connection? So, I would love to see you swap out maybe one. Polished caption a week for a scrappier voice note style caption. keep it real. Don't worry about uppercase, lowercase. Don't worry about punctuation if you don't want to. record a 45 second talking real where you share one opinion that you tell your best friend. Keep it messy, right, and keep it, you keep it really authentic and that's gonna resonate so much more with people versus these perfect. Polished real videography, you know, cinematography type stuff. Okay. a mini rant. The new algorithm myth. Okay, so every January the, my feed at least gets flooded with the, the algorithms changed and I actually saw a lot of it towards the end of the year. And, just no, just, just no to that. Honestly, the core of content that works is not changed. My strategy since 2020 has been the same. Talk about what lets me up solve a real problem, deliver a ton of value, the. End. Yes, I've made small tweaks. I test different hooks. I test, different types of reels. I simplify my calls to action. I, I change the, the pacing on my reels, but I don't burn down what's working and you don't need to either. And honestly, at the end of December, I went on a massive unfollow campaign. I was following too many content experts. It was making me feel really overwhelmed. It was getting in my head about whether I knew enough, whether I was showing up in the correct way, and they had to go. They didn't do anything wrong. I, I just needed to follow a small handful of people that I really like how they show up and I trust. And that don't make me feel less than, to be really honest. So protect your brain. Curate who you, you have in your feed, and when someone shows up, that makes you feel less than unfollow them. Even if that's me. I hope it's not me, but if it is, I get it. no hard feeling. Okay, so number three, fewer high intent posts. So I've never really been on team post more ever. Like you're never gonna see me being like, I did a 30 day challenge where I posted five times a day. no, okay. I have a life. I have young children. I have so much going on. So what I am on board with is. fewer posts with more intention, and I definitely leaned into that. In 2025, my top carousels reached 58,000, 45,000, 39,000, like people tons. My top reels reached my highest was 38,000. This year, not as much as my carousels. Carousels consistently pulled in. Bigger non follower reach for me. Why they slow people down. They're very saveable. They feel like mini lessons. So rather than. Five throwaway posts, like five easy. You know, here's a quote, here's a like that kind of stuff. I would love to see you create one great post that solves a specific problem this week. Write the hook, like it's the subject line of an email somebody wants. To open, give one really actionable takeaway and tell them exactly what to do next. That to me is pro energy in 2026, and please remember that done beats perfect every time. If we sat down and counted how many times I posted something imperfect that still did really well, I'm not gonna lie, it'd be a pretty long list. Your people are not grading you. They're grateful for your help. Okay, so. Fewer high intent posts. That means showing up three times a week with three bangers, right? Instead of showing up six times a week with three, you know, posts that you had to slap together really quickly that don't really have depth or anything to really latch onto for your audience. Must number four. A recurring series. Okay, this, I'm seeing this everywhere. And in fact, in the content coven this month, our challenge of the month is to create a recurring series. I'm gonna be doing it leading up to the doors of the visual edit opening. you want inside jokes, you want personality, you want a recurring series. This is my favorite way to build momentum. I have done this in the past. I've done the 12 days of reels challenge, 12 days of you pick what you want to be, known for what you wanna talk about inside this series, And confession. I actually skipped 2025. I had a pretty long, intense fall winter season, and I really was needing more rest than a sprint. And when December came around, I just said to myself, em, if one of your members in the coven came to you and they described their fall and they described how they were feeling and they asked you, should I still push through and do the 12 days of real challenge? I would've said No. So I have to really take my own advice, sustainability over hustle anytime. And I, I'm good. You know, I, I came, I'm coming back fresher in 2026. I took the time that I needed, but for you, I would love to see you pick a series theme that is, you know, low intensity and really high personality. So my plan. Is to actually follow what one of my coven members Amanda is doing. She actually wrote down 30 Days of Tech Tips. She's a tech and productivity coach. I will link her in the show notes. She's inside the coven. She's pulling her ideas out of a jar. Okay. And then she opens the tip and she just goes for it. And why that I love this is because it really forces you to take action. You're on the spot. There's something about planning out this real series that feels pretty heavy to me. But if I'm just picking a tip out of a jar and I have to share what that tip is immediately on the spot, you know, it, it, you just gotta go for it. It feels very low effort and I kind of love that for 2026. Give it a recurring language, give it a theme, pull the tips out of a jar like Amanda is. do something like that. And I, I feel like people are really gonna resonate with that. tip number five, carousels. For non follower reach all day long for me. Okay, so carousels are not dead. They are so smart. They work beautifully for attracting new audiences, especially if you design them like a miniature story. Okay, so hot take in slide one, you know, make me. Stop, stop using these six fonts. You're the only two you need. make us be like, wait, what? Like what are like, it's that curiosity driving hook that's doing so well right now and that like just real raw honesty. Okay. Like I wanna make a post saying how many followers I lost over the break. I just saw a creator be like, I gained 700 followers and I didn't post once in the last two weeks. And I'm like. Uh, I, I wanna be like, I lost 700 followers and I didn't post in the last two weeks. you know what I mean? Just be real. That's what people want. They, they, they don't want the perfection. So, share the, the messy middle. Share what's happening right now. Now just be real, be raw A few writing notes for your carousels. write like you speak, write. Don't have AI writing all of this for you. Write like you speak short lines, lots of white space. use specific nouns and numbers, right? 42 Canva fonts that pop, not, here's a ton of great fonts. You know what I mean? Like specificity is gonna win every single time. And make this last slide a natural next. Step not a hard pitch, right? what freebie aligns with what you're talking about, what low priced offer aligns with what you're talking about. So, you know, grab my free font pairings guide, or dm the word font, and I'll send you this template. So again, a natural next step, not like a hard pitch. And number six, don't starve your business by staying safe or invisible. Most businesses don't fail. In some like dramatic cliff drop situation, they fade slowly because we stay safe, we stay invisible, and we never quite get the posts out that would actually help people. And invisibility is expensive, my friend. So each week pick one micro action that makes you visible. This means showing your face. Once, even if you are a designer or a strategist, humans buy from humans. I'm sorry. That is just the way that this industry works, especially right now with all the AI out there. We wanna feel you, we want to hear you. We wanna know that you're a real person with feelings, okay? post one opinion, right? Uh, stand up. To stand out. It doesn't have to be spicy, it just has to be yours, and then offer one low risk. Touchpoint. So a free audit thread or a 10 minute loom tear down, or like a Canva template sampler, like make it really easy, make it low effort for you. Let people experience their value before they commit to more. And to me, that's in a free. Way. So this simple 2026 plan, this is what I'm laying out. Again, this is not groundbreaking. This is not groundbreaking. This is about probably very underwhelming, but it's real, right? If you want a one page plan to print and stick on your desk, here it is. Number one, pick a recurring series that you can keep up with. Name, the number of tips you're gonna give. Make a cover, add a recurring, you know, uh, intro imm. I'm a content strategist and Canva verified expert, and I'm here to help make your content feel easier, you know, and then just go into the tip. Number two, ship one, like hot. Take story takeaway, carousel. Each week, hook with a promise. Teach one thing, end with the natural. Next step for people to take a tool or a checklist or whatever it is. Uh, number three, record one face to camera. Reel each week in your real voice. It's 30 to 60 seconds. One opinion. One example, one story from your real life. One. Call to action. Done. Easy. Okay. Number four, add one low risk trust entry. Point to your bio, your links, or talk about it once a week. This is the thing that people can grab from you because we want to grow that list. You guys, what I didn't say in this roundup is just get people off Instagram. Instagram is my visibility platform, but my podcast and my newsletter, that is where I'm nurturing the, you know what out of people. So get them off. And onto your list. Number five, curate your inputs. Okay? Curate who you're following, unfollow or mute people that make you feel smaller or scattered or overwhelmed, or less than. Follow the few people who help you stay grounded in action. this week, if you do one thing I just want, every time you pop into Instagram, if you're consuming content, make sure you're consuming the people that make you feel good and lighter. And more in control. And number six, measure saves and replies. Forget the likes. You guys. I feel like no one's liking anymore. It's, it's like kind of like a joke. Like everyone is here to either reply for the free thing or to save it. If it's really valuable, they're not taking the time to like something I'm actually. Trying to take more time to like things that I actually watch, just to give that person a little like, you got this, you're doing something good. I watched it. Thank you. A like is like a thank you in my opinion. And I think we need to do more of it. So please, please like the things, but the saves and replies are gonna. Signal to the algorithm, that usefulness and that trust. So really measure your success on the saves and replies. Please, not just likes or views because it, it's down across the board for everyone You are so not alone. So if you have been thinking, I need a whole new plan for 2026, I am asking you to try to do the opposite. Okay? Keep your core the same, make tiny, specific tweaks. If there's something in this episode that you kind of pause and said to yourself, I'm not doing that, then that's your thing. Pick one of the six, pick two. Don't, don't even do all of them. take what feels good and doable and move forward with it and ignore the rest. Like literally, I'm giving you permission to ignore me. Okay. If you want support in implementing any of these things, I really have three great ways to work with me so you can pick the one that that fits for you. My ongoing Forever Evergreen offer is my membership, the content coven. It's my year-round community where you get support, guidance. And you feel so much less alone in this insane solopreneur journey. Okay, so the link will be in my show notes if you need that accountability to keep that recurring series going that we just talked about, or a place to test those hot takes. Come and hang out with us. The more immediate one and the much more hands-on, smaller container is the visual edit. The doors open January 25th. I would love for you to get on the VIP wait list to save some money and to snag one of 30 spots. We start on February 15th. This is where we make your visuals do the heavy lifting, right through a brand system, templates, covers that are gonna stop the scroll and a design workflow that you can actually maintain. Okay. That would be your next step, if that sounds good. And then the messaging edit is my other signature program, and that will be in the fall. That will return in late September. And that's, if you want me to deep dive into your messaging clarity and your offer language, get on the wait list for that so you don't miss those dates. So pick one that matches whatever season you're in. And if you're like m. I just need my visuals cleaned up so I can stop messing around. Definitely join the visual edit. Okay. I know it's noisy out there, my friend. You are so not alone. But your business doesn't need a total reinvention. I pinky promise. Swear to you. You already have the ingredients. You've got the brain, you've got the heart. I know that you've got the skills and people who need you are out there waiting to hear from you. So make it human, make it helpful. And make it a habit, like that's literally the play in 2026. I'm proud of you and I will see you on the next episode