Strut It: Bold Visibility through Instagram Marketing

Instagram Marketing Trends & Predictions for 2026 (Part 1): Why Instagram Feels Harder Right Now

Elizabeth Marberry Season 3 Episode 99

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0:00 | 30:51

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Instagram feels harder than it used to. Your views might be down. Your reach might feel inconsistent. Your content might feel like it is disappearing into the void.

This is not your fault.

In this Strut It episode, I kick off a four part series on Instagram Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2026. I break down what is actually happening on the platform using real data from two massive studies that analyzed more than 44 million posts and nearly 2 million accounts.

You will learn why reach is down, why competition is up, and why this shift is secretly the best opportunity small businesses have had in years.

What You’ll Learn

 00:00 – Why Instagram feels harder right now
 03:02 – What two major studies reveal about reach, Reels, and competition
 08:10 – Why more content means less average reach
 09:27 – How the algorithm has shifted toward recommendations and DMs
 12:21 – Why small accounts are growing faster than big ones
 16:06 – What resonance over reach really means for your business
 17:01 – Why views and income are not the same thing
 15:09 – How I grew my business by 300 percent with lower average views
 20:11 – Why niche content now beats broad content
 20:41 – How shareable content wins in 2026
 24:00 – Why community matters more than ever
 24:56 – Why Reels still matter and how to think about them differently
 25:51 – The three strategic takeaways you need to focus on this year 

Resources Mentioned

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