Glucose Goddess founder Jessie Inchauspé treats her Instagram posts like a tech product, using audience comments and DMs as direct user research. This iterative process of listening to and adapting based on feedback, even when negative, is key to refining a message for mass appeal.
Referencing Christopher Alexander, the discussion highlights "unself-conscious" design, where creators build and adapt a product while using it. This direct feedback loop creates a more functional and soulful product than one designed by specialized "architects" who are disconnected from the end-user's experience.
Before quitting her job, Jessie Inchauspé committed to working on her Instagram account for one hour every day for six months. This low-risk approach allowed her to gather data and audience feedback, validating the concept's potential before going all-in.
Don't just collect feedback from all users equally. Identify and listen closely to the few "visionary users" who intuitively grasp what's next. Their detailed feedback can serve as a powerful validation and even a blueprint for your long-term product strategy.
The most valuable consumer insights are not in analytics dashboards, but in the raw, qualitative feedback within social media comments. Winning brands invest in teams whose sole job is to read and interpret this chatter, providing a competitive advantage that quantitative data alone cannot deliver.
Only showing the final, polished product makes others feel inadequate and behind. More importantly, it prevents you from building an engaged audience by not sharing the journey. Sharing mistakes, pivots, and behind-the-scenes struggles gives others permission to start messy and builds their curiosity for your eventual launch.
Stop treating content as a purely artistic endeavor. The most successful creators apply rigorous scientific testing and investment to creative elements like thumbnails. They understand 'the science of the art,' using data to ensure creative work performs, rather than relying on trends or intuition.
Receiving negative or controversial feedback on social media indicates your work is opinionated and differentiated enough to provoke a reaction. Rather than a failure, this is a sign of market impact and having a distinct point of view.
Instead of maintaining a constant high volume, use it strategically in bursts to quickly acquire data on audience preferences. This “accordion method” allows you to discover what resonates, then contract your efforts into fewer, more in-depth pieces. This balances rapid learning with high-quality production for greater impact.
Stop thinking of content as a one-way broadcast. A sophisticated approach involves creating posts designed to provoke responses. Then, systematically mine the comments for raw, unfiltered consumer insights, effectively turning your social channels into a free, real-time market research platform.
Similar to email marketing, getting users to reply directly to an Instagram Story is a powerful engagement signal. The algorithm interprets this interaction as valuable and shows the story to more people, exponentially increasing its visibility.