Is it really still possible to grow an audience on Instagram in 2021?
Without resorting to dancing on Reels??
If you’re struggling with Insta-overwhelm in your creative or business life, you’re most definitely not alone.
The stakes feel so high, and without the right content and strategy, the rewards can be so low.
How are other people doing this?
What do they know that you don’t?
How are they making it 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, ideas and insights that you won’t find elsewhere because they are my own, tried-and-tested, gleaned from years of practice, analysis, study, experience and growth.
This course is what you really need to know about Instagram, with all the noise of the rest of the internet filtered out. It’s all that wish someone had told me at the beginning, to take the years of struggle away.
It doesn’t have to be a struggle, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Whether you’re an artist, maker, service or product-based business owner, The Insta Retreat will guide you, step by step, to crafting 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 help you take your creative dreams to the next level.
What you’ll get:
• 6 weeks of carefully structured modules comprising over 50 individual lessons (plus one in the middle to consolidate)
• 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 own 90+ page 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 update
What you’ll learn:
The Insta Retreat is designed to be the only Instagram resource you’ll ever need. It covers everything you’d expect from a premium rate Instagram course, plus…
• How to create an account that is irresistibly followable to your target audience
• A deep dive into what you want, who your work is for, and how to make it all 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 equipment 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 and results 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
• Know when to use Reels, Stories, Live and IGTV – and do so in ways that feel organic and easy for you
• How to set up a workflow to do all of this in as little as 20 minutes a day
Plus… the Guest Experts
Choose your Payment Plan
Continue to checkout, then on the second page, click ‘pay with payment plan‘ to choose your preferred payment plan option
What The Members Say:
“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
“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 job almost 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 like taking that course was my golden ticket and I’m forever grateful 🤍”
– @MariaWiggeArt
“The goal I had set at the start of the course was I wanted Etsy sales through Instagram. At the time I had zero, and now I have had 46!!!
I have tried launching shops before and never made sales but this time people seem to like what I’m doing”
– @BethofVictoria
Frequently asked questions:
When does this class start and finish?
Our next class will be on sale on Wednesday 21st April and will begin on Wednesday 5th May, running for 7 weeks (6 weeks of classes plus a ‘rest week’ midway) . If you buy on the first day of presale, this means you have three weeks to get organised, to get to know some of your classmates in the community and access some of the pre-course material.
Who is this course for?
This course was written based on my 1:1 client work with bloggers, small businesses, makers, photographers and artists. 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 & Grow and Gloom & Glow a 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 Instagram for a while already. Will I still learn from this course?
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 installments?
Yes! All members have the option to spread the cost of the programme across two or three months. Just head to the checkout and tick the “pay with payment plan” box when you’re entering your payment details. If you’re eligible to pay VAT (UK customers only), it will be added to each payment individually to spread this cost too.
About me
Hi I’m Sara, and I’m one of the UK’s leading Instagram experts. I’ve been coaching creative people just like you in Instagram and online magic for over seven years and helped thousands of clients grow followings, launch successful online businesses and make their creative dreams come true.
I’m a photographer and creative with an (overly)analytical mind and a love for all forms of communication. I’m passionate about the internet as a gateway to human connection: that’s how I grew my Instagram following past 200k, built a blog readership of over 45k a month and was able to quit my job to follow my dreams full time. I’ve been featured by Stylist magazine, The Guardian, The Independent, Buzzfeed, BBC Radio and more, as well as talking about Instagram and social media for creatives at events and conferences around the world. My podcast, Hashtag Authentic, sits firmly in the iTunes top 30 business chart, featuring high profile guests and expert advice for creative business owners.
Whenever you work with me you will learn not only the how but also the why. We’ll focus as much on the creative process and producing beautiful, emotive, expressive content as any snazzy tips and tricks. Because I believe it takes both of these things – it takes your heart and your mind. That’s when the magic really starts to unfold, and dreams can start to come true for you.
Read more testimonials:
“Working with Sara was such a relief after putting so much effort into my Instagram feed for so long, and never understanding why I wasn’t getting anywhere.” – Freya
“Full of little gems of information that seem so obvious, but I would never have thought of. My following has gone from about 30 to over 6.5k” – Helen
“I love the way you teach! I should know…I’ve only signed up to a bazillion courses in search of Jedi tricks (and the real Obi Wan), and have never had so much as an ‘aha’ moment but with each lesson I read in here I can hear my little brain going ‘aha’, ‘aha’, ‘aha!” – M
“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 “meet” a lot of lovely people who have helped me along the way and given me more confidence as a maker/designer/instagrammer.” – Alicia
“The Insta Retreat is not your average e-course, it is an inspirational journey. Sara’s knowledge, wisdom and encouragements are not only practical, they are creatively enlightening. For anyone looking to grow in every sense of the way.” – Marion
“Without Sara’s advice and guidance I would never have had the confidence to grow my instagram. This year I’ve grown from a few hundred followers to well over 12k. And my (engaged) followers are growing daily despite the changes to the algorithm.” -Helen R
“Not only have my followers increased from around 500 to just under 74k, but I’m now receiving regular jewellery commissions and filling workshop spaces from amongst my Instagram followers.” – Emma
“When I first chose Sara as a coach it was from a curiosity driven approach where I wanted to see how people create truly engaging and inspiring content and how they build communities around their own personal brand. This expectation was almost immediately met. However what I got out of the coaching was so much more than I expected. Sara has an ability to think great and see potential in people. She opened the door for me to reflect over my talents and how to weave them into a meaningful life journey, something I wasn’t expecting would happen. Sara is a great coach for hard working people who feel that they have something within that they want to shape and set in motion, a vision or a calling. Sara words the coaching as Instagram mentoring but I’d say that she’s more of a creative coach who will help you stretch yourself, with the clever questions that require reflection and by generously sharing her own hard learnings. What the course has undoubtedly given me is clarity – I feel like I know what I’m doing, that I understand how everything is connected and what can lead to success. I now feel drunk on possibility, and excited that this is just the beginning for me. “ – Melia
“More than any other e-course I’ve taken, this one is filled with practical and purposeful information I could action week by week and see results really quickly. The Facebook group feels like a real community and I’ve made some awesome friends through it too, plus Sara encourages you with bespoke, personal encouragement at every step. Beyond Instagram, it’s made a huge difference to my blog and given me my creative mojo back!” -Lucy
“In the 6 weeks of The Insta Retreat I’ve already seen tangible results from my improved Instagram feed. My follower numbers have gone from 1000 to 2000+ and growing every day and my engagement has grown in line with those. I’ve had 4 approaches from brands (up from zero!) and am being found by the big Instagrammers I’ve always looked up to – and they love my feed!
More than these things, I’ve grown so much in confidence. I’ve always been inspired by Instagram, able to see the opportunities that can come from it, but felt lost and without direction. What the course has undoubtedly given me is clarity – I feel like I know what I’m doing, that I understand how everything is connected and what can lead to success. I now feel drunk on possibility, and excited that this is just the beginning for me.
If you’re lacking in Insta confidence, you want creative inspiration or just a little more direction, I definitely recommend The Insta Retreat and can’t wait to take more of Sara’s future courses.” – Kayte