InstaFame Exposed

A bodybuilder and personal trainer who leveraged Instagram for promotion and profit shares tips and tricks on using the tool in this debut how-to guide.

A “nobody without any startup money at all,” Titan now has “one of the most active and real personal fitness accounts on IG [Instagram], with thousands of comments on many of my posts.” A key word for Titan is “real,” with the author spending the early part of this primer decrying the practice, deployed by many users, including celebrities, of buying quantities of “fake” followers via “click farms,” an industry that he admits he used to make his living in. Instead, he recommends achieving real growth and engagement with target audiences by building an Instagram presence and pages “organically.” His suggestions include crafting clear, keyword-rich copy for your page; following other real Instagram pages that are aligned to your audience objectives to gain authentic return followers (a common Instagram courtesy); practicing “purposeful posting,” including creating content that will generate comments and repostings (funny videos, a hashtag to clue you in to what’s trending at the moment, etc.); and bartering as well as buying strategic “shoutouts” for your endeavor that others will execute on their pages. Titan notes that his approach has generated growth and revenue for his business, with “approximately 40 to 50 people inquiring about my coaching and diet plans for each shoutout. The shout paid for itself bringing me new clients.” Titan, who now also offers consulting services, provides readers a fascinating and actually quite inspiring peek into how even a “nobody” can make a splash—and of course, most important, earn some money—by keeping it real in the high-profile world of Instagram. His jabs at celebrities regarding their purchases of fake popularity are both entertaining and enlightening, and his suggested tactics provide genuine help on how to compete and pop out amid such inflated yet powerful hype. A key drawback of this narrative remains its length (only 42 pages), and Titan would do well to expand on his tips in a more fully fleshed-out book.

An intriguing glimpse into how to thrive among Instagram Goliaths.