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Every week Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, does a Q&A series in his stories. We follow it closely for updates, news and answers to FAQ’s about the app. and we wanted to add our thoughts as well as summarize it for you here.

HERE are  6 highlights from this Week’s INSTAGRAM Q&A with the head of IG…

QUESTION 1: Do I have to post reels if my followers like photos?

SUMMARY OF ADAM’S RESPONSE

It depends on your audience. Every audience is different and they enjoy different things. Get to know them and stay true to your voice.

OUR TAKE ON IT

The short answer is NO. There is nothing you HAVE to do on this platform if you do not want to. That being said, we strive to teach our client’s and audience to keep their content diverse. Mix it up, because there will  be people within your audience that repond best to photo content, whereas other’s will respond better to video content. Keep these 3 things in mind when planning content  type (1) your goals (2) your audience (3) your messaging.

QUESTION 2: How many stories is too many stories per day?

SUMMARY OF ADAM’S RESPONSE

There is no “silver bullet”. Some creators post tons, and  have has success with that, and others post few. Make it easy for people to tap through (Adam says he posts a couple a day).

OUR TAKE ON IT

Stories are a GREAT place to hang out. We have seen more success with posting throughout the day, every day (without overdoing it), than by only posting one or two every few days. Stories are where you can show up on the fly and in a very casual (less niche-specific way). It is where you will build most of your connections, and where you can let your audience get to know you. SO, our general rule of thumb is to show up every day in your story, with a daily goal of 5-10 stories, again depending largely on your audience.

QUESTION 3: what are main ways creators make money on Instagram?

SUMMARY OF ADAM’S RESPONSE

Branded content. With the creator marketplace, we help creators and brands find each other. There are also subscriptions, gifts where audiences can pay creators directly.

OUR TAKE ON IT

We are always exploring ways to monetize on this platform. It is a great place to directly drive sales in your business.  Our focus with making money on Instagram is with teaching businesses  effective marketing strategies for their offers, using links, and optimizing story selling. We do not work directly in the realm of brand partnerships, but do agree that there is huge opportunity for creators in this area. Gifts and subscriptions are both relatively new features, which we are seeing show up more and more on this platform.

QUESTION 4: what’s the best thing to do to improve reach?

SUMMARY OF ADAM’S RESPONSE

Every audience is different. Try things out, get to know YOUR audience,  and keep an eye on how their interests are changing over time.

OUR TAKE ON IT

We absolutely echo Adam here – you HAVE to know your audience.  In that, we do not just mean knowing their demographic, but also knowing what types of content they engage. You cannot simply follow every single thing that the experts tell you to do, without CHECKING whether it works with your audience. You have to learn what problems they have, what solutions they’re looking for, what they’re inspired by, what entertains them. You have to speak their language.The more your audience engages, the further your content will travel to new audiences who have similar interests.

QUESTION 5: What feature is doing best on IG?

SUMMARY OF ADAM’S RESPONSE

Most people spend time in feed, but for teens it seems to be DM’s.  A new feature that is really being utilized lately is notes.

OUR TAKE ON IT

We cannot answer this from the broad view of what is working best for everyone, and we feel that, again, it largely depends on your audience and their demographic.  Our take home here, is that, until you try it, you will never know  When new features are released, try them, see if you and your audience like them. Generally speaking, if you asked us where to spend most of your time and energy on the platform, we would say in feed, on your content and your relationship building through stories.

QUESTION 6: What is the most important part of page insights to look at?

SUMMARY OF ADAM’S RESPONSE

Reach is a good measure of how well you are doing on IG.  Also look at ratios – likes per follower, or likes per reach.  These ratios are more important than absolute values like follower count.

OUR TAKE ON IT

We take a deep dive into this in our Instagram Basics digital course within our Academy, so we won’t spill too much here, but in general, you should not only be looking at the reach of your content,  but the interactions that your content elicits.  If the post reached a lot of people, but very few engaged on it, this gives you information that something (perhaps an effective call to action) is missing. It lots of people are seeing your carousel posts, but you are not attacting any new followers from it, perhaps something in your bio is missing or your profile is not optimized.

Are you ready to level up your Instagram game for your business? If so, book your FREE discovery call today with us and we can discuss how The Water Cooler can support you! For loads of FREE social media and business growth tips follow us on Instagram.

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Welcome to our house… that’s right, we officially have an office and we are in love!

Located in Aldershot, Burlington, we snagged this amazing space as soon as the listing popped up. We have since been busy transforming it into our dream space. The before and after is pretty amazing, especially since we transformed in in under two weeks!

A list of the items you see have been added at the end of this post.

Here is the before…

And here is the after…

This is the entry and our meeting space for client presentations and collaborative work with our team.

Each team member gets to choose if they would like to work virtually or in our office, so we have created work stations for in office work and have left room to add more if needed.

We just had to bring in The Water Cooler’s trademark vintage surf flair and in this corner we have created the most relaxing nook that feels like you are on vacation.

Welcome to my (Joanna’s) desk. The perfect spot to work hard on our amazing clients’ brands.

Here is a list of the items we furnished and decorated our office with…

Please feel free to contact us to set up your complimentary zoom meeting.

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In December I popped into our local Burlington Holiday Market and a cute vendor’s tent filled with trendy, minimalist and customizable apparel caught my eye. I started chatting with the shop owner, and ending up ordering a white “Homebody” sweatshirt which spoke to my introverted side.

A little while after that the owner reached out to my team at The Water Cooler and told us that she could really use some help taking her business to the next level. We hopped on a zoom call and talked through everything she wanted to achieve and the tight window of time she had. We came to the conclusion that what she needed was to rent a temporary business partner.

We planned to achieve everything from choosing a new business name, branding and a website overhaul to building out a skeleton business plan including her brand’s values and goals and streamline her processes and operations.

Bringing on a temporary business partner has kept our client from continuing to spin her wheels, create the refresh her brand so needed and increase profitability while working smarter.

We thought we’d break down ten big reasons why taking this approach make take your business from stuck to thriving…

1. Someone to bounce ideas off of.

When you are a one person operation you can at times feel like you are losing your marbles. Trust me, I’ve been there. It is so easy to get distracted by what everyone is doing around you that you almost become paralyzed when it comes to decision making. Having that person to bounce ideas off of points you in a clear direction.

2. A person to share the workload with.

Endless to-do lists can feel completely overwhelming, especially when it comes time to put in the extra hours to do a brand overhaul. Bringing someone in to cary some of the workload burden can mean that all your plates keep spinning and you don’t get burnt out.

3. That person to cheer you on.

Impostors syndrome is real, and it’s common for a doubtful voice to creep into a business owner’s mind from time to time, especially when you are a one person show. Having someone to validate the hard work you have put in, what makes your brand special and you a specialist in that area and that your future is bright can be the exact ingredient you need to propel your business forward.

4. To get you out of your head.

Many of us who work in a fairly isolated manner can spend a lot of time in our heads, or we may resort to talking to ourselves or even our pet “coworker.” To touch on some of the points already made, you can second guess yourself, doubt your talents, and feel really lonely at times. An injection of a person who you know has your best interest in mind and that you can communicate with can get you out of your head and give you the mental recharge you are needing.

5. To be held accountable.

Are you reaching your goals? Are you checking items off of your to-do list? How often do you grab your phone and start scrolling and suddenly realize you lost 30 minutes? If no one is checking in on your productivity then you can get a little distracted, and let’s face it, lazy. To set aside a specific amount of time where you are working in tandem with a business partner to hammer out your goals and hold you accountable is key.

6. Make sure you will stick to your goals.

Dream big! That’s our motto. Big ideas and big dreams are typically common attributes when it comes to entrepreneurs. But have you ever talked through your big ideas and really flushed them out as future goals? What about taking your big goals and breaking them down into steps to get there? Bringing on a business partner can help you really clarify what you want and create a plan to get there.

7. To feel a little less alone.

One is the loneliest number. Many of us thrive off of the more isolated working dynamic, but I think we all from time to time can start feeling a little lonely. Not only that but you can start to feel lonely within your industry. Having that team that is there for you during a time of change and growth can create excitement and energy where there was once a feeling of isolation and loneliness.

8. It’s temporary, so you know you don’t have to share the profits when you are done.

This is a big one. Many entrepreneurs can struggle with the
“should I bring on a partner” idea when they are feeling overwhelmed and stagnant. But then you know that once your business is running smoothly with a fresh injection of new branding, focus and strategy, your future profits have to be split. When you rent a business partner for a limited period of time you get to pocket all of the profits when you are off the races.

9. To get your business to the next level.

Often what can happen is you gain some traction with your business and you’ve hit a bit of a wall. Whether it’s self doubt or not knowing what the next steps are, it’s common to start feeling stuck and stagnant. Going through everything from top to bottom with a temporary business partner will give your business that strategic push it needs to create momentum to get to the next level.

10. To increase your profitability.

Okay… most small business owners are extremely passionate about what they have created, so much so that it can feel like their baby. But a business without profits is not a business, it’s a hobby. Many people, especially women, can feel strange and kind of guilty when making money.

We highly recommend reading “You Are A Badass at Making Money,” by Jen Sincero if you have felt this way.

We have spoken to multiple women small business owners who admit they have struggled with these feelings, and tend to self-sabotage, sometimes without realizing it. To bring someone into your world, help you realize how amazing you and your brand that you built are, figure out how to increase profitability and in many cases add additional revenue streams, can be the exact thing you need to take your side hustle to a booming business.


Are you considering investing in your business? We at The Water Cooler make sure that we meet business owners where they are, break down the fourth wall and the traditional agency model to bring you into the process working hand-in-hand to keep you involved and to stay within your budget.

Step one is to have a complimentary meeting with our CEO Joanna and from there we design a proposal that fits exactly what your business needs to get to the next level.

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You can’t do it all. Let’s repeat that one… you can’t do it all.

You really shouldn’t be trying to tackle all of the biggest platforms in order to grow your business… most of us shouldn’t.

We at The Water Cooler are on almost all social media platforms to be able to experiment and keep our eye on trends for our clients.

And if you are looking to get into the Influencer game it might not be a bad idea to at least have most and keep them a float while really laser focusing on the couple that are your jam. Brands like to be able to spread their advertising campaigns across many platforms, partially so that they can then share it to their own account. More platforms means more lucrative opportunities.

But I digress…

If you are looking to grow your brand then my advice is to pick your top three to get to your big goal.

In my opinion, everyone should probably have Instagram. Think of Instagram as your portfolio.

If your goal is to teach, then you should add YouTube to your list.

Does your brand have to do with fashion, food or products? Are you wanting to drive traffic to your website? You should probably be on Pinterest.

What about journalism? Or are you providing a service to your local community? You will want to have a Facebook presence so that you can easily be shared to community Facebook groups.

TikTok is an interesting unicorn which can serve many purposes, but if you have a lot of personality it doesn’t matter what your brand is, you should get going making TikToks.

There is so much more to picking platforms to fit your brand than where you personally spend your time. You need to think about what your end goal is and then choose your platform vehicles wisely.

A little food for thought.

Helping brands zero in on the right platforms to build their business and creating a strategy to grow a brand’s community online is our bread and butter. We can work with you on creating this plan and sending your on your way to tackle those platforms, or we can then work with you consistently managing your brand’s social media platforms while you pour your energy into the parts of your business where you need to be. Contact us at info@makeworkcool.com to learn more.

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I was an Influencer, and then I retired.

“Am I crazy?” I asked myself before announcing my exit from the Influencer world. Maybe to some, because to some becoming an influencer is like holding the golden ticket.

Free stuff, being paid to get free stuff and share it, cool events, incredible opportunities… that’s what it’s all about.

It is a pretty cool gig.

But the Influencer, or as I prefer to call it, Content Creator world has changed so much from the close to ten years ago when I entered the scene. I entered the world as a blogger and it was about inspiring and teaching and sharing. I naturally transitioned into video with YouTube which helped me tell stories.

Next came this big Instagram wave full of curated feeds and perfectly polished and produced content. That one was harder for me to grasp. I still loved the storytelling, sharing and the honestly imperfect content I had started with.

Over the past couple years the Content Creation world took on yet another transformation with a big push to perform and entertain as TikTok and Instagram Reels became king. The short, light clips filled with dancing and music have filled our feeds. I have wondered if this has become popular because of the pandemic. Maybe we are all so worn down and traumatized that this is all that we can handle right now.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to consume all of it… the beautiful photos, the Pinterest DIYs, the TikToks and Reels and I get how to make them, how to make them perform well and grow your community, but personally I needed to get off the hamster wheel.

And I’m not the only one.

As we exit these two years of lockdowns and our world completely changing as we know it, I have watched as quite a few content creators who started out around my time exit, change careers and pivot away.

I recently had dinner with a few creators, most who have exited like me and a couple still in that world who are adapting and growing. We were having a conversation about this shift and I shared my thoughts… either we are performers or we are not.

I am not. I think that many of the other Influencers who have pivoted away are also not performers, and that’s okay.

For me stepping out and observing this phenomenon while figuring out how it can be turned into a strategy to grow a brand is what gets me excited.

I am so ready to cheer on those creators still in the space as they adapt and grow.

It is hard to turn some social media traction into a full-time business. I know because I have done it. It really is something to celebrate.

How can you take your social media hobby and brand it, monetize it and turn it into a full-time career? We know how and we want to work with you. Contact us at info@makeworkcool.com to discuss how to make your dream a reality.

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