Episode Summary: A full walkthrough of Mike's Instagram and Instagram Stories workflow and strategy — why daily content, the exact production steps, and the case for why more creators and businesses should be using it.
What You'll Learn
- Instagram usage and business-adoption stats as of 2017
- Mike's exact 6-step daily video workflow, from topic to AirDrop upload
- Why daily video-making started as a way to discover strengths and weaknesses
- The full morning routine and Instagram Stories rhythm behind the consistency
Follow along: @mikeunplugged on Instagram.
Instagram Facts & Figures (2017)
Source: Sprout Social. In 2016, Instagram had 300 million active users; by January 2017 (Episode 71: The Instagram Live Show), that had grown to 600 million; by this episode, over 700 million. On the business side, 70% of US businesses were using Instagram (8 million business profiles), up from 48% (1.5 million profiles) in 2016. Mobile ad revenue hit $4 billion in 2017, with 25% of all ads being video. Instagram Stories had 250 million active daily users. On Facebook, 85% of ads were watched without sound — a strong argument for captions and text overlays. Favorite stat: roughly 50% of Instagram text contains emojis.
Tip #1: mobile content matters — audit your website and always be thinking about what people will actually consume on a phone.
Why Instagram Is the Favorite Channel
Design, photography, video, and creative people cluster there, and visual creativity is genuinely inspiring to be surrounded by. As of this episode: at least one piece of hand-made content uploaded to Instagram for 693 days straight, including 290 consecutive days of one video per day since November 1, 2016 — and essentially no missed days on Instagram Stories since its release.
Why Make Daily Videos?
It started as a way to discover strengths and weaknesses and get genuinely good at making videos, tutorials, and teaching. Building a real personal brand and business takes skill and consistent effort — daily practice is simply the fastest way to get there, and the learning never really stops.
Daily Workflow & Routine
Each video typically takes 1–3 hours.
Topic — something tied to content creation, personal branding, podcasting, or a tool that's genuinely useful. Record & edit — Camtasia and ScreenFlow for screen recording (computer and iOS), plus a Logitech C920 for webcam footage and simple b-roll. Adobe Draw — hand-drawn icons or logos when needed, using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Thumbnails — created in Photoshop, both square and horizontal formats. Write the description — a step-by-step writeup in Apple Notes (syncs instantly across devices). Tip: always write real descriptions with hashtags, keywords, and emojis for SEO. AirDrop to iPhone — for the final upload to Instagram.
Read the complete show notes and resources on mikemurphy.ai.
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