53. 5 Proven Instagram Content Types That Bring in Hot Leads
Welcome to part two of our four-part series on making more money on Instagram using organic content! If you’re tired of posting and hearing crickets, this episode is for you. I’m breaking down five content types that are working right now to attract high-value followers—AKA, people who actually want what you sell. Plus, I’ll share how to create content in a way that feels aligned with your brand (not forced) and fits seamlessly into your schedule.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[00:00] The Instagram Content That Attracts Ready-to-Buy Clients – What’s working in 2025
[02:08] The Long Game of Organic Marketing – How to build an audience that actually converts
[05:53] The Three Jobs of Every Post – Attract, nurture, and convert
[07:15] Content Type #1: B-Roll with Trending Audio – How short, scroll-stopping clips bring in new followers
[10:35] Content Type #2: Viral Trends – How to leverage popular formats while staying authentic
[16:14] Content Type #3: Memes – Why they’re crushing it right now (and how to use them in your niche)
[18:31] Content Type #4: Direct-to-Camera Reels – How showing your face builds trust and sales
[19:57] Content Type #5: Carousels with Trending Audio – Why Instagram is pushing this HARD in 2025
[22:21] The #1 Content Mistake Business Owners Make – And how to avoid it
[24:11] How to Streamline Your Content Strategy – My favorite way to make this EASY
Key Takeaways
Content that converts = content that connects. It’s not just about posting more—it’s about posting the right kind of content that attracts high-value followers.
Instagram’s algorithm favors engagement. Use trending audio, memes, and direct-to-camera reels to boost visibility and reach.
Carousels are NOT dead! Add trending audio to get them pushed into the Reels feed.
Consistency + alignment = success. You don’t need to post every day—just show up in a way that works for you and your brand.
Links Mentioned in This Episode:
If you’re ready to turn your Instagram into a lead-generating machine, I’ve got two ways to support you:
💡 Hot Reels: My 12-month Instagram content lab to help you master content creation and show up consistently without the stress. DM me “HOT” on Instagram to get on the waitlist or visit elizabethmarberry.com/hot
💡 Private Coaching: Need a deeper, customized strategy? Apply for a complimentary Instagram Breakthrough Call at elizabethmarberry.com/application
Follow Elizabeth Marberry on Instagram
A Truth You Need to Hear:
"One piece of content can do three things: attract new followers, nurture your audience, and drive conversions. But it has to be the right kind of content—because random posting doesn’t equal sales."
S3 Ep53 Transcript: 5 Proven Instagram Content Types That Bring in Hot Leads
00:00
Welcome to part two of our four part series on how to make more money on Instagram using organic content. Today I'm breaking down five proven content types that will help you attract your dreamboat clients, build real connections, and of course, convert them into paying customers. These content types are what's working right now on Instagram, and I can't wait to teach you how to use them in your own strategy. Let's go.
00:30
Welcome to Strut It, a podcast about creating bold visibility on social media with zero apologies. I'm Elizabeth Marberry, your host and Instagram marketing coach. I help small business owners get seen on Instagram and monetize their offers so they can make more money doing their sole lead work. If you're tired of spinning your wheels on Instagram and you're seeking simple, proven Instagram marketing strategies that actually work, you're in the right place.
00:59
Let's dive in.
01:09
Welcome back to the show. I'm Elizabeth Marberry, your hostess with mostest, back again for part two of our four part series on how to make money on Instagram. Because if you're listening to this podcast, you're not just here to chase vanity metrics, grow a huge following and make no money from it. You're here because you are a business owner or creative entrepreneur with something that you sell in your business, whether that's a product or service.
01:39
And my goal in this series is to really help you learn how does that work on Instagram? How do you sell? How do you create content that actually drives leads and sales for your business 24 seven? Last week in part one, I shared with you the organic Instagram strategy that made me thousands without sending a single email. It was really powerful. So if you miss that, go back and listen. I really break down what is an organic content funnel.
02:08
And I went over a really important mindset, which I will remind you of today, which is that you need to be in this for the long game. One of my business besties refers to Instagram marketing as a crock pot. It takes a little bit of time and effort. It's not gonna be an overnight success, most likely, for you. So you do need to have that long-term mindset, but I promise you, if you are intentional and strategic about how you're showing up consistently,
02:38
on Instagram for your business over time, you will be blown away by how it will completely change the name of the game for you, your business, your income, and your impact. Before we dive into the five content types that I'd love to see you working and weaving into your strategy, I wanna share with you that this past weekend, I went and took a dance class.
03:04
And if you have been listening to the podcast or you know me, you know that I am a former professional dancer. I was a dance major in college. I studied in New York City. I danced on cruise ships. I danced in Japan, India, Paris. And dance was always my home. It was always a place where I just felt I could really express myself, my artistry. And it was my first passion in life. And of course, now here I am.
03:33
Fast forward, mid 40s and 44 years old. And I can't even tell you the last time I took a dance class. If you follow me on Instagram, which hello, I hope you're already doing that, you will see me dance in my content because dance is just a part of who I am. It's part of my joy. I teach people to show up boldly in their skin. Not that you have to dance on Instagram, but it's part of how I showcase my unique brand energy and personality and all of that.
04:02
And this past weekend, I was able to go and take a dance class just for fun. And it was so life-giving. And it was such a good reminder that as busy business owners and entrepreneurs, it can be so easy to become, shall I say, obsessed with growing our businesses? Or am I just speaking to myself? I love what I do so much to the point where I could do it all the time.
04:27
and that can get really unhealthy. So I was really proud of myself. I carved out this time to go take a dance class. I communicated it with my husband. So it was just in the calendar. I knew he was gonna be with the kids. I was gonna go do my dance class. And it just really filled me up. And I made a commitment to him that I wanna go take that class at least once a month because I wanna find more times in my schedule to just play and...
04:57
kind of invoke that in our child and me to come out. And so I share this with you because I wonder if you also have been working yourself to the bone, if you're also a high achiever who feels very passionate about what you do and you maybe love your work and you could do it all the time. And it's so important that you take some time to pause and rest or play or go on a date with your partner or.
05:24
binge watch movies with your kids, whatever you want to do, but I really invite you to weave in some play into your week, because that really, it's so important that we are well-rounded people and that we take care of ourselves. And I think that is super, super important. All right, so let's get into the goods. Last week, I was teaching you that it's true that one piece of content on Instagram can absolutely
05:53
do three things. It can attract new followers, people who don't already know who you are and people who've never heard of your business or service before. It can nurture your current followers, meaning deepen that relationship and connection with people who already know you, they know of you, they haven't purchased from you yet, but they're in your field.
06:15
And then the third step is conversion, right? Really driving those followers into actual paying clients or customers for your business. So yes, one real, for example, can do all three of those things. But before we even get to the nurture and conversion piece of that organic funnel that we talked about last week, we need an audience of high value followers. High value followers,
06:44
are people who are your hottest prospects, meaning your ideal clients, the people who are specifically looking for your product or service. In other words, I don't care if your neighbor follows you unless they're actually interested in your product or service. So when I say high value followers, that's what I mean. Your hottest prospects, the people who want what you sell. So today we're gonna focus on that first step of attraction.
07:15
the right people, the right content, and the right strategy to bring in hot prospects who are already primed and ready for your offer. So that way when you do go to put an offer in front of them, they're already like itching to buy it. So I'm gonna quickly go through five different content types, and I want to just say one thing. You don't need to go out and try to do all five of these this week if that overwhelms you, okay? The most important thing when it comes to content creation for your business is,
07:44
Two factors, one, it has to align with you, your values, your brand voice, your mission, all of that, your heart. If it's inauthentic to you, it's not gonna work. Okay, so that's step one. Step two is you are in the process of discovering what will resonate with your ideal client. What kind of content does your ideal client most want to see from you?
08:11
So it's that balance of what feels aligned for you and then what does your audience want to see? And guess what? That takes time, testing, tweaking, and that's why in the last episode, I was really weaving in that mindset piece of you have to be in it for the long haul. Okay, you got it? Okay, so let's get into the five content types. One, the first is B-roll with trending audio.
08:38
These typically are videos that are under 10 seconds, so they're really short. Even five to seven seconds can work really well. And B-roll is simply just that behind the scenes video of you living your life. So whatever you do in your daily life, make sure there's good lighting, you've cleaned your camera lens, and you're down with the aesthetic of the video, but it could be anything. It could be you pouring a cup of tea. It could be you.
09:06
you know, speaking on a Zoom call into a microphone. It could be you working at your desk. It could be you in the behind the scenes part of your product-based business, packaging up your products. It could be you building out a new course. It could be you watering a plant. I mean, truly like anything that you can think of. I was in Vegas for a conference where I was speaking at in November, and I was walking around one of the malls there.
09:36
And I just kind of randomly whipped out my phone and took a video of me walking through the mall because there was a really cool background at that time. I didn't have a plan of how I was gonna use that video. I just was like, okay, this'll come in handy at some point. And just this week, I was able to use that video and a piece of content. So the more you can kind of get in the habit of building up that B-roll footage, that is gonna be a game changer in terms of saving you time as a business owner when it comes to creating content.
10:06
So what you're gonna do is you're gonna take a piece of B-roll video and you're gonna connect it with some trending audio. Now how do you know if audio is trending on Instagram? Well, when you're scrolling your feed on Reels, you'll see the audio labeled at the bottom of the reel and if there's an upward diagonal arrow that's kind of pointing up to the right, that tells you that that audio is currently trending on Instagram. So B-roll with trending audio is one of the easiest ways to get in front of new people.
10:35
because Instagram really pushes trending audio out and it's just simple scroll stopping content, right? It's just short and easy to consume. And of course you need to have a strong compelling hook on the screen. It's not just your video. You need to have some sort of a text hook. And this training today is not all about hooks. I've talked a lot about that in prior episodes. You can go listen to that, but you need to have a hook on the screen. An example of a hook is
11:05
how I increase my revenue by 10% by working 25 hours a week or something like that, something really compelling. And then in the caption, I would explain, I would go deeper into the steps of how I did that. And then I would have some sort of call to action inviting my audience to engage with that piece of content. So B-roll and trending audio can work really, really well. The second type of content is
11:33
trends, recreating trends that are going viral. Now, how is this different from using trending audio? I know it gets a little bit confusing. So let me see if I can explain this clearly. So there was a trend going around this week, and I'm gonna use this as an example, is there was a hook on the screen that a creator did, and she said, I'm 25 years old, and I'm not ashamed to admit that, dot, dot, dot.
12:03
Then in the caption, she went into the parts of her life that she wasn't ashamed of. And it's a really great kind of storytelling hook, right? Because you're curious that that hook captures your attention of like, ooh, what are they not ashamed of? Like, this is so interesting. And so that video went viral for that creator. And how these trends happen is a creator will create something like that. It goes massively viral. And then people start to,
12:33
recreate the exact same formula. So this turned into a trend where hundreds of thousands of creators were using this formula of saying, I'm, and then you say how old you are and say, I'm not ashamed to admit that. And then you list out things in the comments. And this trend was really gold because it blends vulnerability, authority, and personality. And
12:59
part of your job in creating content that's gonna work like a magnet for your ideal client is that human connection piece, which is so easy to lose when you're creating content for your business. We kind of get a little too promo in our brains about it. And it's really about building that bridge of connection of human to human. And so I wanna read to you what I posted.
13:25
in my version of this trend so you can really understand like how this trend works. And then you can start to identify when you see a trend going around Instagram. So here's what I said. I said I'm 44 and I'm not ashamed to admit that. So that was the hook on the screen. And I actually use that B-roll video of me walking in Vegas that I took way back in November. I didn't even have to film a new piece of content for this post I did this week.
13:52
And my caption was broken down in the same formula as the other ones where I just started listing off, you know, one, two, three, four. And just to give you an example, I said, I'm not ashamed to admit that I've started and stopped multiple businesses over the last 15 years. At the time, I wondered if I was failing or just chasing shiny objects. But every pivot, every so-called failure led me exactly where I'm meant to be.
14:22
doing work I love, helping others grow their businesses with confidence. Number two, I battled postpartum depression for four years. Becoming a mom rocked me in ways I never expected. I felt like I had lost myself for a while, but I found my way back. And that journey made me stronger than ever. I'm gonna share one more.
14:46
I posted on Instagram for over a year without my follower account budging from a thousand followers. But what I did gain was skill, strategy, and resilience, which set me up for the explosive growth I have now. And then I listed three more things. And in just hearing that, I'm sure you can feel how, what does this single piece of content do? It builds a bridge between me and my ideal clients.
15:16
Right? They might see themselves in my story. Maybe they haven't started and stopped a bunch of businesses, but I'm sure they've had moments where they felt like they failed or they were behind or they should have been further ahead. So the more that you can really build that connection with your people, the more successful your content's gonna be at attracting those high value followers that are really meant that you're really here.
15:46
on this planet meant to serve. So how do you find these trends? Well, what you do is when you're searching on Instagram, you'll start to see a pattern. So I noticed this trend because I was looking through my Instagram reels and I saw that hook of I'm blank years old and I'm not ashamed to admit that. And then I kept seeing tons of different creators doing the same exact video. That's an example of a trend and that you can mimic and recreate for your brand. So that is definitely a type of.
16:14
content that you want to take advantage of if that resonates with you. The third type of content is super fun and easy. It's called memes. So memes are so fantastic. I'm sure you've seen them. You know what I'm talking about. Memes work really well because they are shareable content. Shares are king on Instagram right now. If you can create a piece of content that gets shared a ton, you will be rewarded.
16:41
A lot of the videos that I've had go viral in the last 90 days, like I want to say, I just did the analytics on this. It was like eight out of 10 videos were memes, which kind of made me mad. I was like, what? Like memes? But they worked. They worked. They drove those high value followers who are meant to see my brand. They drove them to me. So yay, I'm happy that worked. And so what you do is you find a funny, relatable, lighthearted meme.
17:10
and you remix it. So you click on the little three dots in the lower right-hand corner of the video, you hit remix, then you can add your own hook on the screen. So you have to put a text hook over the original creator's hook, and then you write your own caption and then you share it. It's so simple and easy. It takes less than five minutes. They're really helpful when you have limited time as a creator.
17:36
but they're also really effective because like I said, they're very relatable and they're funny and people come on Instagram to be entertained. You know, I think about the memes that my husband and I send back and forth and they're hysterical and part of why we go on Instagram after the kids are in bed is we just wanna laugh, we wanna unplug. So you wanna make sure that there's part of your content that has that entertainment factor.
18:02
And I know if you're new to this space, it can kind of feel weird because you're so used to thinking like, well, business isn't funny or is that not professional? But you kind of have to, this is where you have to learn the culture of Instagram is people come on this app to be entertained and the brands that are doing the best right now are the ones who are really masterful at entertaining their audience. The fourth type of content you wanna be creating is direct to camera reels.
18:31
So what are direct-to-camera reels? They are the reels where you are speaking directly to the camera. We see your face, we hear your voice. These are really powerful as business owners to showcase who you are, the face behind the brand. They're really simple in the sense that you just need your face to be in the center of the screen. You need a hook over the top of your head in the first three to five seconds of the video, and then you need...
18:59
closed captions on your video because a lot of people consume Instagram with the sound off. So you always wanna make sure you include closed captions and it also makes your content more accessible to people of all abilities. Now, why does this work? People by people. So if they never see your face or hear your voice, they're less likely to trust you. So it really doesn't matter what industry you're in, what niche you're in.
19:28
I'm telling you, the more you can really showcase who you are and your brand personality, your vibe, all of that, you will be much more successful at driving leads and sales on Instagram. Now the last type of content I'd love for you to create is carousels with trending audio. Now this is something I had a call with Meta this last week. They have these Meta experts that you can get calls with as a creator.
19:57
And I've done three of these calls now. They're kind of hit or miss with honestly, with who you get. But the woman I spoke to was incredibly kind, incredibly helpful. And she actually challenged me. She said, your content strategy is on fire. And I'm like, well, of course it is. Hello, this is what I do. No, just kidding. I'm always open to learning. There's so much I can improve upon. But she, it was funny. I don't do a lot of carousels because reels are my jam.
20:23
But she was like, Elizabeth, I'd love to see you do at least one carousel a week with Trending Audio. I actually just did one this week. It performed okay, but again, long-term mindset, I have to commit to showing up every week with carousels for like six months before I can determine if it's not gonna work for my audience, right? So that's my mindset, you can borrow it. But I encourage you to use carousels with Trending Audio. The reason why you want to use Trending Audio with those is that a recent Instagram update
20:53
change the name of the game for carousels. And that is when you add music to a carousel, it can now be pushed out on the Reels tab, which simply means that your carousels can be used to reach more people. So in the past, carousels were really only for those people who already follow you. They were a great way to nurture that relationship and drive conversions. But now, because carousels are being pushed out on the Reels feed, they are awesome for, you know, expanding your reach and getting in front of new people.
21:24
You only need about five to seven slides in your carousel. You don't need to overcomplicate things. You need a hook on your first slide. Your hook is gonna just tell them what to expect in the following slides. And then your final slide is a call to action. So they know exactly what to do with that piece of content. So it could be, you know, share this with, you know, and then you kind of say your ideal client or save this for later and follow blank for more X, Y, and Z.
21:52
So whatever you do, you just wanna have a simple call to action on that last slide. All right, let's quickly review the five content types we went over. One, B-roll with trending audio. Two, trends that tap into the culture of what's going viral on Instagram right now. Three, memes. Four, direct-to-camera reels. Five, carousels with trending audio. Woo, we covered a lot today.
22:21
But here's your next step. Take a deep breath. I want you to pick one of these content types and post it this week. Just one, just one. And don't wait until you feel ready. Just start, just post it. Even if it's good enough, even if you know you could do better, just post the dang thing, okay? And if you want help to refine your content strategy so it really...
22:47
feels aligned for you and it works like a magnet to attract your dreamboat clients. I have two different ways that I can support you. One is we are gonna be opening up the doors for Hot Reels, which is my 12 month Instagram content lab. This is a high touch group mentorship and the wait list is currently open. So you're gonna want to get on the wait list if you know that you really just need help
23:17
becoming a better content creator this year. If content is your main focus and problem where you really need to build up that skill set, then Hot Reels is definitely the right spot for you. In that program, we have live group coaching calls, live Q&A calls, we have a group where you can share your content and get feedback. It's really, really valuable.
23:42
I'll share weekly trending content ideas in there so you always have an idea of what to post for your business. It's very content focused and I love it because it's a year long. So you don't have to feel like you're drinking from a fire hose. We can move from a place of alignment and not hustle so you can actually build a content strategy that feels aligned and feels good in your body, in your brain, in your business, in your schedule. I'm all about.
24:11
alignment over hustle. If you want to get on the wait list so you're the first to know when the door is open and wait listers get exclusive bonuses not available to the public then you can DM me the word HOT on Instagram. Make sure you're already following me my handle is Elizabeth Marbury. DM me the word HOT and then my sexy robot assistant will send you the link to join the wait list.
24:39
Or if you want to really dive into like what the heck is Hot Reels, let's dive into the details of the program. You can go to ElizabethMarberry.com slash hot for full program information and the waitlist link is on there too. If you're at a point where you're like, okay, I feel good about like content creation. I know how to create reels. I know how to edit them. I'm pretty good at showing up consistently on Instagram, but Elizabeth, my problem is, is that it's crickets.
25:07
There is no sales, there's no leads, there's no conversions. I'm not actually making money. My customer journey is clearly not dialed in. I'm struggling with how to connect Instagram into my business. Then private mentorship is the right fit for you. And the next step for you is to apply for a complimentary Instagram breakthrough call with me. You can do that by DMing me the word apply, A-P-P-L-Y on Instagram.
25:34
or you can go to elizabethmarbury.com slash application. I'll learn about you and your business and then we'll hop on a free call to discuss details. I'm so excited to support you in growing your business on Instagram this year, whether that's just through this podcast, my Instagram content or in one of my programs. I'm rooting for you. I hope you found today's episode super helpful. If you did, I would be grateful if you would share it with another business owner who's also trying to figure out
26:04
Mystery that is Instagram and I am so grateful for your support. Next week we're diving into part three, how to sell in the DMs without feeling salesy or sleazy. So make sure you have subscribed or followed the show so you do not miss when it drops and I cannot wait to strut it with you next week. Thank you for listening to strut it. If you're ready to start leveraging Instagram to grow your business.
26:33
then you're gonna wanna grab my free Monetize Your IG Guide, where you'll learn seven simple and proven ways to finally make money on Instagram. You can grab your guide at elizabethmarberry.com slash freebies. That's elizabethmarberry.com slash freebies to get my Monetize Your IG Guide.
26:57
If you got some incredible value from today's episode, be sure to leave a review and subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms. And I cannot wait to start it with you again next week.