If Instagram has started to feel louder, harder, and way less effective lately—you’re not making it up.

The algorithm keeps shifting, everyone sounds the same, and the pressure to keep up is real (especially if you're a mom trying to grow a business between summer chaos and snack refills).

In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on:

• The real shifts happening on Instagram (and online marketing in general)
• Why even great content isn’t converting like it used to
• What I’m changing in my own strategy and business to make sales without the grind
• How Instagram fits into your strategy instead of running the whole show
• The truth about templates, trends, and why messaging is the missing piece

This is the behind-the-scenes look at why I’m shifting everything—from the way I use Instagram to how I support my clients—so we can all build businesses that work with our lives, not against them.

Because more content is not the answer.

Aligned messaging is.

Mentioned In This Episode:

If this episode hit home, DM me @socially.yours.strategist and tell me: What’s Instagram been feeling like for you lately?

You’re not behind.

You’re just ready for something that actually works for your life.

Grab a Buyer Journey Content Map here!

Hey there and welcome back to Mompreneur Mastery.

If you have been feeling over it lately, when it comes to Instagram, you are not imagining it.

The algorithm keeps changing.

Everyone is sharing the same recycled hooks.

The vibe feels more performance than connection, and somehow the pressure to do more just keeps climbing.

And if you're a mom trying to run a business through the chaos of summer with limited time and limited brain space, yeah, it makes sense that Instagram feels way more exhausting than it does exciting.

So today I am peeling back the curtain on these shifts, plus the ones that I am making in my business and my marketing, my Instagram strategy, all the things what's changing, why it's changing, and how it just might be the permission slip you didn't know you needed.

Welcome to Mompreneur Mastery.

Content strategy that sells without spending all day online or having to sell your soul to the algorithm.

I'm Sydney o', Brien, homeschooling mom of three, military spouse and marketing and messaging strategist.

For women who are so over the pressure to just post more, keep up with trends, or use fake urgency and income claims to hit sales goals, this show is your permission slip to quiet the noise, clarify your message, and create content that connects and converts even in the tiny windows of mom life.

If you noticed this episode had a slightly new vibe from the jump, you are right.

Let's start with what I'm seeing.

And maybe you've been feeling it too.

So the first thing I want to address is the noise is louder than ever.

Oh, my gosh.

Instagram has always been a little loud, but right now it is deafening.

Everyone's yelling about hooks and trends and going viral, but when everyone is talking about using all these same sounds and trends and hooks, no one's really saying anything meaningful.

Which I really hate, because I first started using Instagram as a way to connect with others.

You know, when I was dealing with postpartum mental health stuff, plus my husband being deployed, being home at 3Kids, that's what drew me to Instagram, that connection piece.

And I just keep seeing less and less of it.

In online marketing, especially on Instagram, I am seeing more and more mompreneurs doing all the things, following every hack, trying every tactic, and still not getting the clients they thought they would, which is really defeating.

And I hate that for them.

And then it leads to them starting to wonder what's wrong with them, what's wrong with their content, what they it wrong with their business, why their content isn't working, why they feel stuck or behind or just over it.

And again, I really hate that because it's not them, it's the system they're being sold in.

The truth, Instagram has changed.

There's even more pressure now to perform, just to be seen.

And no one's really talking about what is sustainable now.

Instagram is social media.

It's very dynamic, it's constantly changing.

I'm not going to pretend it's not, but the online marketing world in general has changed.

And these two things just feel like very, very noisy right now when combined together.

So when everyone is using the same sounds, the same templates, the same viral hooks, the only thing that can truly set you and your business apart is your messaging.

Okay, so I'm not talking about generic pain points.

I'm not talking about I help statements.

I am talking about messaging that is clear, specific, strategic and rooted in connection.

Because without that, your content blends into the scroll.

You might get some double tap, but are people actually resonating enough to check out your link in bio or send you a dm?

And it's not just the content that follows trends either.

It's offers too.

We've cycled through group programs, then VIP days and then memberships for scaling.

Who knows what's going to be next?

But chasing every trend ignores your audience, your energy and your life.

It's noisy, it's exhausting, and it's time to get off the hamster wheel and build something that actually works for you and your people.

That is what I am doing for myself too.

So let's call it what it is.

Instagram is no longer the all in one sales machine it used to be.

These days, Instagram strategy should more be complimentary to the rest of your marketing, which I'm sure you were already doing.

But that means that instead of relying on Instagram for consistent client and sales, it's going to be more top of funnel than direct sales sales.

Unless you live in your DMs and story replies.

But I know my audience doesn't really have time for that and I don't want to continue to give you strategies for sales.

Consistent sales on Instagram, when it's just not hitting the way it used to, it feels disingenuous and like a disservice to you.

So things are not only shifting on Instagram, but they're shifting within my business.

And the strategy I teach given that reels just aren't quite hitting like they used to.

Engagement requires a ton more output than most moms can give and the algorithm changes faster than your toddler's snack preferences.

It is exhausting.

So I am shifting away from reactive content and more into intentional strategic content, not just on Instagram, but across multiple platforms.

Because that platform isn't the only thing that's changing, it's the people that are on it too.

Buyers are taking longer than ever to decide.

They're asking more questions, they're waiting for more trust, more connection.

They're waiting until they actually feel ready.

And I love that because they're skeptical of high pressure tactics, which I mean rightfully so.

They want that connection, they want that trust, and they want messaging that resonates, not just messaging that sells.

Which means we can't rely on a single post that does well to bring in sales or clients.

The buyer journey and a sales funnel.

These are not new concepts, but they are more important than ever, especially paired with connection based messaging.

And that journey has to fit your real life, not some hustle heavy highlight reel you saw in someone else post on Instagram.

So like I said, all of this means that my business is shifting too.

It doesn't feel right to continue to share how to just get sales on Instagram when it's not really doable with all of these changes, especially for my particular audience, which is very busy, you know, moms who just don't have the time to do the constant output to get those consistent clients from Instagram.

So here's what this is going to look like.

Not only for affecting my clients and members, but also me and my life.

I homeschool, my kids have recurring appointments three times a week, which is a lot of drive time.

It's a lot of time hanging out in waiting rooms and in doctor's offices.

We've got homeschool co op, we've got extracurricular classes, we've got sports.

And there are plenty of days where client work happens from those waiting rooms or parking lots.

My work time is limited and my energy is even more limited.

And I realized that over time the last few years, I had built a business that was starting to work against my life instead of with it.

And that is not why I started doing this.

So I am restructuring not just for my business goals, but for my own mental health, for the sake of my family.

This means less content output, less reactive marketing and more deep work, more client focused strategy.

So I'm not giving up Instagram.

I am just giving up the grind that a lot of the time comes with it.

I am still here to help with Instagram, but now in the broader context of how it fits into the rest of your marketing, not how it defines it.

Because when your marketing works together, your content, your messaging, what you're sharing on different platforms, that is what actually moves people toward the sale without it taking over your life.

So Instagram still has a role to play.

I want to be clear, it matters.

You don't have to use it if you don't want to, but it is a great place to connect and show up and start conversations is growing your list.

But if you want sustainable sales or if you're short on time, it can't be the only place you show up.

It can't be the one place you rely on to get those consistent sales.

It takes a lot more engagement and a lot more performance.

And if that lights you up, if that is what brings you energy and joy, go for it.

Truly, I love that for you.

But for me personally, that version of content creation just does not fit in my life anymore.

It doesn't.

So I'm going to be using Instagram a little differently now.

And I'm really excited to help my clients use it in a way that fits their life and their overall marketing strategy as well, so that it also aligns with their goals, with their messaging and their actual day to day lives.

One of the absolute biggest gaps I see right now is a lot of mom business owners are buying templates, whether it's for posts or emails, what have you.

We're trying to follow what's trending.

We're kind of piece mailing together these strategies based on different things.

We're seeing rewriting other people's captions and trends and hooks, but without the actual strategy behind it and without messaging that's grounded in their own offer, their own voice, their own audience, it just doesn't land.

The market is more saturated than ever.

And if your marketing doesn't connect clearly and quickly, it's not going to convert.

So we need better support for moms who want to actually make money through their online businesses without wasting time guessing, chasing trends or second guessing what they're sharing.

So no, I don't have every little thing figured out.

I do have plans for big changes coming, so I am excited to share those with you in time.

But I do know that what worked even a year ago isn't cutting it anymore.

When it comes to Instagram.

So it would be disingenuous and a huge disservice to you to not update Instagram strategy and how I teach it and my offers to make sure that it's actually helping you.

Given that my business will be shifting, my offers are shifting and this podcast is shifting too.

I am doubling down on messaging and strategy and helping you create a content plan that gets you those touch points, that gets you that connection and the trust that you need with your audience on Instagram and beyond so that you can get the sales your business needs.

If this episode resonated with you, I would love to hear from you.

If you could DM me on Instagram, my handle is ocially yours Strategist.

I really just want to know what is Instagram feeling like for you lately?

And I also want you to know that you are not behind.

You are not doing it wrong.

You're just ready for something that actually works for your life.

Thank you so much for listening to mompreduer Mastery.

Also, go refill your coffee or heat it up or whatever you need to do.

Take a deep breath and remember, you don't have to hustle harder to make it work.

You just need a strategy that fits your season.

That's it for this episode of mompreneur Mastery.

If you're building a business around your life, not the other way around, and you're tired of being told to hustle harder to make sales when you're already hustling at 110%, I hope this gave you a breath of fresh air.

And if it did, I would love it if you left a quick review or shared this with another mom entrepreneur who is ready to market with more strategy and way less stress.

And if you want to see what a cohesive content map across multiple platforms with strategic messaging looks like, check out the link in the show notes to grab your free copy of the Buyer Journey content map.

I'll see you next time.