Jeff Bullas

That’s a smart question.

Quick Answer: An effective call to action on Instagram must be clear, direct, and provide a compelling reason for the user to act. You need to explicitly tell your audience what to do next and make it as easy as possible for them to do it.

Simply hoping people will take an action is not a strategy; you have to guide them directly, as attention in a social media feed is incredibly fleeting. Here are some best practices for stronger calls to action.

First, you must be direct and start with a command verb. Do not be vague or passive. Instead of saying, “You can find more on my blog,” you should say, “Read the full post at the link in my bio.”

Second, you need to give them a reason ‘why’. A call to action is always more powerful when it is tied to a clear benefit for the user. For example, instead of just “Sign up for my newsletter,” a better version is, “Sign up for my newsletter to get my top 5 marketing tips delivered every week.”

Third, you can create a sense of urgency or scarcity, but only when it is genuine. Phrases like “Shop the sale before it ends tonight” or “Only 3 spots left for the workshop” can encourage immediate action.

Fourth, you have to use the right tool for the job on the platform. In your Stories, you should use the interactive Link Sticker and even physically point to it in your video. In your feed posts and Reels, your primary call to action will almost always be directing people to the ‘link in your bio’.

And fifth, remember that a call to action does not always have to be about a click. To drive comments, a strong CTA is a specific, engaging question. Instead of “Thoughts?”, ask something like, “What is your number one tip for X? Let me know in the comments.”

In summary, a strong call to action is a clear instruction, not a suggestion. Tell your audience exactly what you want them to do, explain the benefit to them for doing it, and use the platform’s features to make it as easy as possible for them to follow through.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is a great question.

Quick Answer: Remix allows you to record your video to play at the same time as the original in various layouts, like side-by-side. Sequence is a specific type of Remix where your clip is simply added to play after the original one has finished.

Understanding the difference is key to choosing the right tool for the type of collaborative or reactive video you want to create on the platform. Here is a breakdown of the two.

First, Remix is the broader, overall feature for creating a video that incorporates another user’s Reel. It offers several layouts for simultaneous playback. The classic ‘side-by-side’ layout is great for real-time reactions or duets. It also includes a ‘green screen’ option where you can use the original video as your background, and a ‘top-and-bottom’ layout.

Second, Sequence is a much simpler, more linear layout within the Remix feature. When you choose this option, you are essentially just adding your video clip to the end of the original video. The original Reel plays in full, and then your clip plays immediately after it has concluded.

Third, the best use case for a Remix is when your video is a direct, simultaneous interaction with the original content. You would use this for a reaction, a duet, or a comparison. The best use case for Sequence is when your video is a response, a continuation of a story, or an answer to a question posed in the first clip. It is the format for ‘and then this happened’ or ‘here is the answer to that’ style videos.

In summary, think of it this way: a Remix is for reacting with the original video, while a Sequence is for reacting to the original video.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is a great question.

Quick Answer: The Remix feature allows you to create your own Reel that plays alongside or after an existing Reel from another creator. You use it by tapping the three-dot menu on an eligible Reel, selecting ‘Remix’, choosing a layout, and then recording your own video response.

It is a powerful tool for engaging with trends, adding your commentary, and participating in the community conversation on the platform. Here is how to use it effectively.

First, you need to find a Reel that has remixes enabled, as not all creators allow their videos to be remixed. When you find one you like, tap the three-dot menu and select ‘Remix’.

Second, you will need to choose your layout. The ‘side-by-side’ layout is the classic format where your video appears next to the original, playing at the same time, which is great for reactions. The sequential layout, where your clip plays after the original, is perfect for adding a punchline or a follow-up thought. The ‘green screen’ layout allows you to use the original video as a virtual background while you comment over it.

Third, you record or upload your video portion. This is where you add your unique value. Your contribution could be a comedic response, a different perspective, a product review, or you could even add a vocal or instrumental harmony to a music video.

Fourth, you edit your Remix just like a normal Reel. You can add text, stickers, and voiceovers before you publish it. The key to an effective Remix is to add something new to the conversation. Your reaction or creative addition is what makes your version engaging.

In summary, the Remix feature is a versatile tool for creating collaborative and reactive content. The best way to use it is to choose an engaging layout and add a valuable, creative, or funny response that builds upon the original video.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is a very timely question.

Quick Answer: As of 2025, Instagram has widely rolled out a grid format that shows full vertical previews for Reels and other posts, moving away from the traditional 1:1 square crop for all content.

This is a major strategic shift designed to make the profile grid a more dynamic and video-first experience, and it fundamentally changes how you should design your cover photos and images. Here is what you need to know.

First, instead of a uniform grid of squares, your profile grid now looks more like a mosaic of different shapes. Your Reels will now typically display using a 9:16 vertical preview, and your standard vertical image posts will use a 4:5 vertical preview. This means much less of your content is cropped when someone visits your profile page.

Second, this has a huge impact on how you design your Reel covers. The old advice was to keep all your important text and visuals in the centre square of your cover image. While that is still a good idea for ensuring clarity in some smaller feed previews, the full 9:16 vertical cover is now what people see on your main grid, which gives you much more creative freedom with your design.

And third, the challenge for creators now is to create a cohesive look with these different aspect ratios. This means thinking about how a tall 9:16 Reel preview will look next to a 4:5 image post on your profile. Using a consistent colour palette and font style across all of your content formats is now more important than ever to maintain a professional brand aesthetic.

In summary, the days of the perfectly uniform square grid are over. You must now design your content, especially your Reel covers, with their full vertical preview in mind to create a visually appealing and modern-looking profile that makes a strong first impression.

Cheers,

Jeff

That’s an excellent strategic question.

Quick Answer: Content pillars are the 3 to 5 core topics your brand will consistently talk about. You create them by finding the intersection of your audience’s biggest problems and your own unique expertise.

Moving from posting random content to a pillar-based strategy is what separates amateur creators from professional brands, as it brings focus and authority to your account. Here is a simple process to define yours.

First, you must deeply understand your target audience. What are their biggest questions, challenges, and goals related to your niche? You should write these down.

Second, you need to identify your unique expertise and passion. Your content will be far more sustainable and authentic if you are genuinely knowledgeable and excited about the topics you are covering. What can you talk about better than anyone else?

Third, you find the intersection of these two lists. Look at your audience’s problems and your expertise, and group them into three to five broad, overarching themes. For example, for a fitness coach on Instagram, these pillars might be ‘Beginner Workouts’, ‘Nutrition Myths’, and ‘Motivation Mindset’.

And fourth, once you have your pillars, you can easily brainstorm dozens of sub-topics under each one. For the ‘Nutrition Myths’ pillar, you could create Reels, carousels, and Stories on ‘The truth about carbs’ or ‘Protein shake mistakes’. This makes your content planning much simpler.

In summary, content pillars provide the essential structure for your content strategy. They ensure that everything you post is relevant to your audience and consistently builds your authority in your chosen areas of expertise.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is an excellent question.

Quick Answer: The purpose of a Lookalike Audience is to find new people on Facebook and Instagram who are very similar to your existing best customers. It is the platform’s most powerful tool for finding new customers at scale.

Instead of you having to manually guess which interests or demographics to target, you provide Facebook with a high-quality ‘source’ audience, and its algorithm goes out to find more people just like them. Here is a breakdown of how the process works.

First, you must have a ‘source audience’. This is a Custom Audience of at least 100 people from a single country that you have already created. The best source audiences are your most valuable lists, such as your existing customer email list, people who have made a purchase on your website, or a list of your most engaged social media followers.

Second, you then tell Facebook’s algorithm to analyse this source audience. The system looks at thousands of data points to identify the common characteristics, interests, and behaviours of the people on your high-quality list.

Third, Facebook then finds millions of other users on its platforms who ‘look like’ your source audience based on those shared attributes. You can choose how broad or narrow you want this new audience to be. For example, a ‘1% Lookalike’ is the group of people in a country who most closely match your source audience, while a ‘10% Lookalike’ is a much broader group.

This is so effective because it uses real data from your best customers to find new ones, which is far more accurate than manual interest targeting. By using a quality source audience, you leverage Facebook’s data to find new people who are highly likely to be interested in your business.

Cheers,

Jeff

That’s a great question.

Quick Answer: An email click map is a visual overlay on your sent email that shows you exactly where people are clicking. It is a powerful tool for understanding which links, images, and calls to action are getting the most attention from your subscribers.

While your overall click-through rate tells you how many people clicked, the click map tells you what they clicked on, which provides much deeper insight for optimising your design. Here is what a click map can tell you about your subscriber engagement.

First, it identifies your most effective calls to action. The report will visually show you, often with percentages or a ‘heatmap’ of colours, which specific button or link received the most clicks. This is invaluable data for understanding what CTA copy and design works best for your audience.

Second, it reveals what content your audience is most interested in. If you have links to several different blog posts, products, or articles in your newsletter, the click map will show you precisely which topics generated the most curiosity and clicks.

Third, it can uncover unexpected click behaviour. You might discover that people are frequently clicking on images that you have not linked, or on headlines, because they expect them to go somewhere. This is excellent feedback that suggests you should add a link to those elements in your future emails.

And fourth, it helps you optimise your email layout. By seeing where people are, and are not, clicking, you can make data-driven decisions about where to place your most important links and buttons in your future email designs for maximum visibility and engagement.

In summary, a click map is a visual report that moves you beyond simply knowing that people clicked to understanding what and why they clicked. You should use it after every campaign to analyse which elements are most engaging and to continuously improve your email layout.

Cheers,

Jeff

That is a great question that gets into the finer points of YouTube SEO.

Quick Answer: The standard best practice is to place a small, curated list of your most relevant hashtags in the video description. Only place a hashtag in the title for very specific, high-priority trends.

YouTube uses hashtags to help categorise your video, but there is a clear strategy for placement to get the best results without harming your click-through rate. Here is a breakdown of how to approach it.

First, the video description is the primary and safest place for your main list of hashtags. YouTube officially recommends placing them here. You should add a small block of three to five highly relevant hashtags, usually towards the end of your video description text.

Second, regarding the video title, you can place one or two highly important hashtags directly in it. When you do this, those hashtags become prominent, clickable links above your video title on the watch page. This can be an effective tactic for tying your video to a very specific and timely trend or a branded series.

Third, you must understand the trade-off of using hashtags in your title. While it can boost visibility for that specific hashtag, it takes up valuable space in your title, which is your single most important piece of SEO real estate. A compelling, keyword-rich title is often more powerful for attracting clicks from search and browse than a title cluttered with hashtags.

And fourth, you must not overdo it. YouTube’s official policy states that if you use more than 15 hashtags in total across your title, description, and the dedicated tags section, their system will ignore all of them for that video. It is always better to use a small, highly relevant set than to stuff the field with irrelevant tags.

In summary, the professional best practice is to place your main three to five hashtags in the description. Only consider using a hashtag in the title if it is for a very important, specific trend, and you are willing to sacrifice that valuable title space.

Cheers,

Jeff