CLASS CLOSED FOR 2021 - WE OPEN AGAIN EARLY 2022

“I took the Insta Retreat several months ago, and since then have grown my following from about 600 to over 10k”

KELSEY

question for you...

Ever look at popular Instagram accounts and wonder... how they do it?

What are they doing that you aren’t?

How are they making this work?

The truth is that there isn’t just one magic trick – which is why I’ve put together a whole brilliant box of them. Advice and ideas that you won’t find elsewhere, because they are my own, tried-and-tested, hard-earned techniques, gleaned from practice, analysis, study and experience.

A class that is all of my Instagram & social media knowledge distilled, with the noise of the rest of the internet filtered out.

Whether you’re an artist, a blogger, a creative or a business owner, The Insta Retreat will guide you, step by step, through all you need to do to create an engaging, popular and profitable account that represents all that you have to offer. There are no one-size-fits-all cheap strategies here: we’ll be using your voice and your style to find the people who care about what you do.

The Insta Retreat will bring you clarity and direction, and take your creative dreams to the next level.

Maybe some of this sounds familiar...

Instagram feels like a hungy beast that you can never quite satisfy
Nothing you do seems to get enough traction
You know your people are out there, but can never seem to reach them
You're don't want to pretend to be someone you aren't just to make this thing work

You know things need to change...

… you’re sick of feeling left behind

… you’re burning yourself out creating content that hardly anybody sees

…you’re getting stuck in comparison or worrying what ‘everyone else’ will think

You're most definitely not alone

Remember when Instagram used to be fun?

You’re trying here – you really, really are.

Maybe you’ve tried sifting through the ton of Instagram information out there on the internet… and that’s only made things more confusing!

Everyone wants to tell you how they did it, what worked best for them, but to follow their formula you need to give up on all of your own, unique magic, and try to be a second rate version of them!

It’s hard work, entirely soul-destroying, and it definitely isn’t sustainable.

What you need is to carve out your own unique formula for success.
One that lets you speak directly to your target audience or customers, without selling out, without sacrificing your authenticity and without having to make Instagram become the centre of your life!

It really, truly, doesn't have to be that way.

Imagine how it would feel to...

… know exactly what to post to captivate your audience and tell your story

… grow your audience, gain new opportunities and connect with likeminded souls

… have a daily 20-minute workflow, that makes Instagram a fun task instead of a full time job

Instagram changed my life, and I'm here to make that happen for you, too

The Insta Retreat 2.0

My bestselling, 6-week, tell-all Instagram class for creatives, entrepreneurs, business owners and dreamers

You aren't on your own in this

The Insta Retreat is a LIVE CLASS – giving you real-time, ongoing support for the whole 7 weeks

● Weekly class calls with me, live on Zoom, where you can share your work and get direct feedback

● Weekly mindset coaching calls with me and a Certified Life Coach for coaching on any fears, doubts or struggles that are holding you back

● Real-time Q&A support – write your questions directly at the bottom of lessons to get a personal reply from me and my team

● A Members-Only Community for feedback, support, guidance and general all-around cheerleading whenever you need it

The results speak for themselves...

“I took the InstaRetreat several months ago and since then have grown my following from about 600 to over 10K. Applying what I learnt from Sara’s guidance has been so profound for me and I am constantly referencing her and her work. I am a therapist who up to this point has worked with clients in person but growing and particularly focusing on engagement, on Instagram has opened up a whole new world to me in terms of being able to start moving toward offering online offerings as well.”

@KelseyMech
13k followers

“My life has changed completely in the past year and I owe it all to the Insta Retreat and the amazing community within it.When I did the course back in October of 2018 I had just about 200 followers. Today I have 3500k followers,I quit my jobalmost exactly a year after I started the course and am well on my way to an income that can sustain my business long term. It feels liketaking that course was my golden ticketand I’m forever grateful 🤍”

@MariaWiggeArt

11k followers

“My average like per post has doubled, I am achieving the followers goal that I set myself for each week and I am getting messages from people with accounts of 30k+ followers enquiring about my products and collaborations.

But most importantly I’ve “met” a lot of lovely people who have helped me along the way and given me more confidence as a maker/designer/Instagrammer.”

@Botanical_Threads

18k followers

Ready to make your dreams a reality?

Here's what you'll find inside...

The Insta Retreat is designed to be the only Instagram resource you’ll ever need

What you'll get:

6 weeks of carefully structured modules comprising over 50 individual lessons
Weekly group coaching calls, where you can get 1:1 feedback and support from me, and the rest of the class
Unlimited Q&A access, with answers directly from me and my experienced teaching assistants
Private member’s only podcast covering all the course content and coaching calls
Your digital workbook to print or complete online
Structured tasks, assignments and exercises to help you craft your own unique Instagram strategy plan
Lifetime access to our members-only community where you can join Insta-related challenges, discuss issues and connect with likeminded creative souls
Access to all future coaching calls, and ongoing Q&A support during all future classes
Placement in a small community support group via Instagram DMs – (think of it as our mini cheerleading squad who gets it, right there in the app)
Continually updated, responsive, researched and tested content so that you’re always accessing the most up-to-date knowledge and strategies
Lifetime access to all the course content, including all future updates

What you'll learn:

How to create an account that is irresistibly followable
A deep dive into what you want, who it’s for, and how to make it happen
Support to hone a visual style that feels authentic and exciting to you
Fast-acting guidance to start taking the photos of your dreams, right now, with whatever you have
The secrets to creating viral posts for rocket-powered growth
How to future-proof your account and build something truly sustainable and authentic• How to use your analytics to inform your plans and growth•
How to convert your Instagram audience into blog readers, mailing list subscribers and/or customers (and why this matters for you!)
All the science behind Instagram’s algorithms, and how to work with them instead of against
The apps, tips, insights and tricks that I could not have built my Instagram without
How to set up a workflow to do all of this in as little as 20 minutes a day

Week by Week

let's dig into the details

Week One

Digging the right foundations

What’s working for you on Instagram right now – and what really isn’t? Who are you trying to talk to, and what message are they getting? Why does any of this matter to you at all? Why do people stop by your page, like a few posts but not hit that ‘follow’ button so they can stick around?

Before we can throw a party, we need to get our house in order, so in Week One, we start with a careful assessment of these foundational steps.

Week Two

The Essentials of Instagram Visuals

A picture speaks a thousand words – and presumanly a video is even chattier! Are you saying what you really want to say with your content? Are you saying what your audience really wants to hear?

In Week Two we dig into the power of click appeal – what makes for a viral visual post, how to use these secrets in your content creation, and how to never, ever be short of ideas again.

Week Three

Stripping out the Struggle

Instagram isn’t meant to be arduous!In Week Three we get hands-on with the apps, software, phone-based editing tricks and simple automations you need to make your Insta-life a breeze again, so you can create scroll-stopping content in a matter of minutes.

You’ll learn how to save a failed piece of content, how to take the photos that you can dream inside your head, and create a solid visual identity that makes any piece of content instantly recognisable as yours.

Week Four

Irresistible Value

The big thing that separates a popular page from a stagnant one? Value – whatever you’re giving your audience that keeps them hungrily coming back for more. Value doesn’t have to be as overt or obvious as you might be imagining though.

In Week Four, we dive deep into finding our target audience, before drawing up a plan to harness the magnetic power of value with a strategic and sustainable series of posts.

Week Five

Organic Engagement

With our content and pages now the best they’ve ever been, we’re ready to throw open the doors and invite everyone in!

In Week Five we explore the algorithms and systems that control Instagram recommendations, and ways we can access that all-important organic growth. We’ll play with different ways to maximise our posts’ visibility, exploring all the different facets of the app like Stories, Lives, Reels and IGTV, and the small features within each of these elements that can make huge impacts to your visibility and reach.

Week Six

Future Growth & Sustainability

In Week Six, we craft out your sustainable plan for the months ahead. We learn how to read our analytics for meaning, know how to spot when our strategy might need a subtle tweak, and how to convert that growing Instagram audience we’ve built into sales, email subscribers, blog readers and more.

We’ll plan out our 20-30 minute daily Instagram workflow to make sure Insta-overwhelm remains a thing of the past, and pull all the strands of our learning over the past 6 weeks together into a beautiful, Instagrammable blow.

So What's The Insta Retreat like?

Tamara

and did I mention the *BONUSES*?

You're also going to get access to:

As well as me, you’ll be getting direct access to some incredible experts and teachers from my network in this class!

Certified Life Coach Sally Hardie will be joining me to offer a series of bonus group coaching calls where we’ll tackle your mindset blocks and keep you on track.

Author, speaker and queen of TikTok – Ida @toeverymom will be joining us to talk all things Reels, and sharing how she’s used the platform to quit her job and support her family full time!

Plus, we’ll be joined by Helen & Katie from The Good Ship Illustration to learn how they’ve leveraged weekly Instagram Lives into a six-figure customer base for their online classes!

As an Insta Retreat member, you’ll get access to our ever-expanding library of guest lives and expert teaching content, on topics including:

🧁 Food Styling for Instagram

🌾 Photography Styling & Using Props & backdrops

📱 iPhone Photo Editing

📸 Photography & Cameras

…plus a whole heap of incredible, mind-blowing coaching calls to take your learning to the next level.

For anyone feeling frozen or frightened about this side of Instagram, this 5-day challenge is designed to help you dive in with joy!

Over 5 days, we’ll work our way from terrified to terrific on this side of the platform, holding each others’ hands and taking small but significant steps to have you posting with pride.

And you have my word: no dancing, talking-to-camera or cringing required!

Ready to snag over £2,000 in bonuses?

What The Members Are Saying:

Charlotte

Kyleigh

I'm on a mission to always delight my members

Here's what you get when you join:

Instant access to the Insta Retreat Private Platform & Workbook

Lifetime access to classes, calls and support, plus ongoing updates

Lifetime membership to our private and close-knit community

Bonus Guest Expert Calls on Reels, Tiktok and using Instagram Live to build your audience

Members-only podcast, with audio lessons, call replays and special bonus content

The 5 day Reels Challenge, to get you past all your nerves and blocks, and start posting to Reels with clarity & confidence

all for a one-time investment of £375
(+VAT, where applicable)

Choose Your Payment Plan

@me_and_orla

Hey there, I'm Sara

and I’m one of the UK’s leading Instagram experts. Trusted by The Guardian, BBC News, Radio 4 and many more, I wrote a bestselling Instagram handbook, host an iTunes #1 podcast and grew my own blue-ticked account to over 220k followers using my own tried-and-tested techniques.

I’ve partied on the roof of Instagram HQ and been down in the trenches of every sudden and confusing new update. I read textbooks on algorithms to unwind; hike my car up on muddy roadside verges so I can leap out in impractical shoes to capture that all-important Instagram snap.

A photographer and creative with an (overly)analytical mind, I’m passionate about the internet as a gateway to human connection. As a certified coach with a background in children’s education, I’ve been coaching people just like you in Instagram, online business and the art of making dreams come true for the past 7+ years.

STILL HERE?

Good, because there's something I need to tell you.

I wrote my first class on Instagram in 2015, and I’ve been developing this ever since. When you take a class with me you benefit from five years of online teaching experience (plus 5+ years of working in education before that), through the feedback of every prior student, and careful improvement, updates and development.

I’ve mentored 1:1, consulted to big brands and businesses, and spoken at big events worldwide. But most of all I’ve done this: sitting at my computer, teaching a group of people, just like you. I’ve helped over 2000 students gain Instagram insight, growth and understanding, and to take their creative dreams to the next level.

I know what works, where people get stuck, and the questions and exercises that really get things moving again. I know what doesn’t work, too – so your time and money is never wasted here.

have a question?

Frequently Asked Questions

When does this class start and finish?

Class will begin on Monday 4th October, running for 7 weeks (6 weeks of classes plus a ‘rest week’ midway). I recommend buying as soon as you’re ready so you have some time to prepare, get to know some of your classmates in the community and access some of the pre-course material before we dive in.

Class will officially end on 22nd November, but thanks to your Lifetime Access you can continue to access the teaching materials, podcast, live calls, support and community for as long as you need!

When do the Live Calls take place?

The Insta Retreat has a global student base (the only continent we don’t have any members in is Antarctica), so we try our best to schedule calls at times that are as accessible as possible.

We also offer the opportunity to submit questions in advance for calls you won’t be able to attend, and replays of all the calls are available as both video, and audio that will automatically appear in your private podcast feed.

For this class, the calls are scheduled as follows:

Teaching calls with Sara: Wednesdays at 1pm
Mindset Coaching Calls with Sara and Sally: Fridays at 2pm
Guest Live with Ida (on Reels): Monday 11th October at 3pm
Guest live with The Good Ship Illustration team (on Instagram Lives): TBC

(All times shown in BST, changing to GMT from 31st October when the clocks go back)

My stellar assistant Naomi is based in Australia, so between us we cover pretty much every time zone for support meaning you’re never left hanging on your own!

Who is this course for?

This course was written based on my 1:1 client work with small business owners, makers, photographers, artists, coaches and bloggers. It’s specifically for anyone looking to grow an audience for a purpose on Instagram, and for people who want to overhaul their account and fix any problems they’ve hit along the way.

If you’re not interested in strategy and prefer to focus on your creative Instagram output, you might find my other classes,Bloom & GrowandGloom & Glowa better place to start.

I’m brand new to using Instagram. Can I still take this course?

Absolutely. If you like to plan ahead and do things with clarity, then taking this course first is a great way to arm yourself in advance. You’ll be required to complete certain tasks on Instagram as you go along, so you’ll need an account set up and ready to begin at the start of the course.

i've been using IG for a while now. Can I still benefit?

Yep! I’ve worked with a wide range of clients from beginners to Instagram pros, and I’ve found we are all always learning. I’m sharing insight and ideas I’ve developed through years of professional Instagramming, and I’m confident there’ll be content you’ve never considered or heard about before. The earlier modules might cover ground you’re already confident with, but it’s a great opportunity to solidify and take stock before concentrating on growth in the later lessons. Even having written this myself, I still find myself coming away with new reflections and improvements to my own work each time I run this course!

Can I pay in instalments?

Yes! All members have the option to spread the cost of the programme across two or three months. Just click the button below and choose your option from the pop-up box and check out using your preferred payment method. If you’re eligible to pay VAT (UK customers only), it will be added to each payment individually to spread this cost too.

Do I have to pay VAT on top of the price?

This is dependent on where you’re located – if you live in the UK, VAT will automatically be added to your total when you check out. This is due to UK rules about digital products – please seeherefor more information. It sucks, I know!

I have another question that's not covered here

No problemo! Drop us an email at admin@meandorla.co.uk, and a member of our little team will get back to you ASAP!

No questions, I'm ready for this!

You are so ready for this journey.

Confronting all your Instagram baggage is like some kind of therapy, I swear. It’s about visibility, it’s about staying true to yourself, it’s about courage and creativity and in the end, it’s about transformational growth.

It’s time to stop holding yourself back, my friend.
Let’s do this together.