For years, Instagram Stories have been like the “cool kids table” of your account: mostly seen by people who already follow you. Great for connection, not great for discovery. That’s changing and businesses should be pretty excited about this. Instagram now lets people reshare public Stories to their own Stories, even if they weren’t tagged. There’s typically an “Add to Story” option when viewing a public Story, and you can control this in your settings. If you’re a small business trying to reach beyond your current followers, this is not a tiny tweak. It’s a built-in word-of-mouth engine. Get Ready for Greater Reach When someone shares your Story to their Story, you get access to their audience without paying for ads or begging the algorithm. It’s like your best customer offering to hand out a stack of your flyers while telling their friends how amazing you are. How this helps you reach your audience: · UGC gets a turbo boost. A customer posts a Story with your product, you reshare it, then their friend reshares it again. That’s a visibility ripple that used to be harder to create on Stories. · Collabs become easier. You no longer have to rely on being tagged for someone to amplify your Story. (But don’t give up tags. They’re still good for attention.) · Your “helpful micro-content” can spread. Quick tips, behind-the-scenes, mini tutorials, reminders, myth-busting, weekly specials. If it’s share-worthy, it can move. Make Stories “share-ready.” · Add one clear takeaway per Story frame (tip, reminder, offer, before/after). · Use text overlays so it makes sense with sound off. · Add a simple prompt: “If this helped, share it to your Story.” (Yes, you can ask. People like being helpful.) · If you want Stories to stay more private-community-only, you can toggle sharing off in Settings → Sharing and reuse → Stories to stories. Early Access Reels: reward followers, attract new ones Instagram is also testing Early Access Reels. The idea: your Reel is shown to followers first, and non-followers who run into it may see a teaser plus a prompt to follow to unlock it, often with a timer for when it becomes available to everyone. Think of it like a velvet rope in an art museum. Without it, what’s hanging on the wall is just a picture. Place a velvet rope in front of it and it has instantaneous importance above all other works of art. Why this matters for small businesses: · You’re training loyalty . Followers get “first dibs” on announcements, drops, limited inventory, new menus, event registration, or seasonal services. · You turn curiosity into follows . If someone lands on your profile from a share or search and sees an Early Access teaser, the follow decision gets easier. · You can build social proof before the wider push . Post early, let your people engage, then later repost or repackage as a broader reach play. Features like this often roll out in phases and may not show up on every account right away but when they do show up on your account, you’ll be ready. Editing Upgrades That Make Your Content Feel “Bigger Than Your Budget” Instagram has been stacking practical creator tools, especially around video. Bulk Caption Editor (in Edits): Instagram’s Edits app has added bulk caption editing so you can view and adjust a transcript in one screen instead of hunting line-by-line. This is a time-saver and an accessibility win. Automated audio control / volume ducking: More tools are rolling out to help balance voice and music, so your Reel doesn’t sound like it was recorded inside a blender. Better audio = more watch time = better reach odds. Creative editing features: Edits has been shipping frequent upgrades (effects, sound effects, planning tools like storyboards). The bigger point is this: Instagram is incentivizing better-made video because it keeps people watching. “Your Algorithm” Means People Can Tune What They See Ever feel like you only see puppy Reels? Or maybe you hesitate to click on something because you know your stream will be filled with similar videos. No longer. Instagram is rolling out more controls that let users shape their Reels recommendations, including a feature often described as “Your Algorithm.” Users can view topics Instagram thinks they like, then adjust those interests. For businesses, the takeaway is simple: clarity beats variety. If your content is all over the map, you’re harder to categorize and easier to swipe past. If you’re consistently posting about a few topics your customers care about, you’re easier to recommend (and be seen). Emojis Still Matter, but Use Them Like Seasoning, not Confetti Do I hear clapping? Never mind. That’s me. Emojis can increase engagement and help your message land faster, especially in captions and comments. The expert business move is to use them with intention like pepper to bring out flavor in your posts, not to smoother them: · Use emojis to organize (bullets, steps, quick scans). · Match tone to brand (you’re allowed to have a personality). · Don’t “emoji spam” as a growth hack. People can smell that from three scrolls away. A Simple 7-Day Plan to Use These Updates Without Adding Chaos Day 1: Turn one FAQ into a 3-frame Story that’s easy to share. Day 2: Post a customer win (user generated content or testimonial) in Stories with “Share if you know someone who needs this.” Day 3: Record one Reel with clean captions (bulk edit if you have Edits). Day 4: Make one “saveable” tip carousel or mini tutorial. Day 5: Do one behind-the-scenes Story and invite resharing. Day 6: If you have it, test an Early Access Reel for an announcement or limited offer. Day 7: Check what got shared, saved, and replied to. Double down on that format next week. Instagram is quietly turning Stories into a bigger distribution channel and turning follower relationships into a stronger growth lever. If you make content that’s genuinely useful and/or entertaining, people will do the sharing for you. Just give them something worth passing along. Read More: 15 Ready-to-Use Social Media Captions for Business Owners Reels and Groups: What people Are Talking About Your Community Is Your Best Marketing Tool ------------- Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story. She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within. _______________________________________ Facebook: @metcalfwriting Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor LinkedIn: @christinametcalf5

Small Business Season is almost in the rearview mirror. The shopping rush may be fading, the wrapping paper is in the trash, and your brain is trying to do two things at once: recover and prepare. So let’s make this simple.This is not the moment for a dramatic reinvention. It’s the moment for a clean, confident reset. Think of these next few days like sweeping the shop floor before opening day. Not glamorous. Deeply powerful.  Here are end-of-year moves that help most without turning the last week of December into a stress fest. 1. Capture the “Truth” While It’s Still Fresh Before January turns this year into something for the history books, spend 30 minutes answering three questions: What worked this year that you should repeat? What drained you that you should redesign? What surprised you, good or bad, that you need to plan for? Write it down. Not in your head. On paper or in a notes app. Your future self will appreciate it. 2. Do a Five-number Year-end Check You don’t need a 12-tab spreadsheet right now. You need a snapshot. Pick five numbers that tell the story of your year. Examples: Total revenue (or best estimate if you’re still closing books) Average monthly expenses Your top-selling product or service Your best marketing channel (the one that actually brought customers) Your cash cushion (how many weeks you could operate if sales dipped) This gives you clarity without drowning you in data. Clarity is the point. 3. Fix the One Thing Customers Trip Over Every business has a small “friction point” that quietly costs sales. It might be: Confusing hours online A clunky booking link A checkout process that feels like a maze Slow response time to inquiries No clear “what’s next” after someone buys Pick one. Fix it this week. Small tweaks are like tightening the bolts on a ladder. Suddenly everything feels sturdier. 4. Clean up Your Digital Front Door If you do nothing else, do this. Customers are making decisions fast, and your online presence is often the first handshake. Quick checklist: Update holiday and New Year hours everywhere (website, Google Business Profile, socials) Confirm your phone number and address are correct Add 3 new photos (don’t get bogged down with scheduling professional shots. Your phone is fine.) Make sure your top service or product is easy to find in one click This is low effort, high return. 5. Ask for Reviews the Right Way End of year is perfect for review requests because customers are already in a reflective, generous mood. Send a short message to your happiest customers: “Before the year wraps up, would you be willing to leave a quick review? It helps more than you know.” Include the direct link. Always include the link. Make it easy enough that they can do it while waiting for coffee. 6. Turn Holiday Buyers into January Regulars Holiday sales are great. Holiday repeat customers are better. If you sold gift cards, ran holiday specials, or gained new customers, plan a simple January follow-up: “New Year thank you” email with a bounce-back offer A “first visit of the year” perk A limited-time add-on that’s easy for you to deliver The goal is not a big discount. The goal is a reason to return. 7. Do a Quick Inventory of Your Marketing Assets Open your social posts and emails from this season and ask: Which post got the most engagement? Which offer got the most clicks? Which message made people reply? Now circle those. That’s your “winning language.” Bring it into Q1. Let your best words do more reps. If you’re using an AI assistant, communicate this info to it. It can be invaluable in creating future winning content. 8. Choose one Focus for Q1 and Make it Measurable January feels like possibility, which is inspiring… and also how we end up with 37 goals and zero traction. Pick one primary focus: Increase repeat customers Improve cash flow consistency Raise prices strategically Build your email list Get more appointments booked in advance Then choose one simple measurement. One. If your focus is repeat customers, your metric might be “number of return visits per week.” Keep it clean enough that you’ll track it. 9. Build Recovery into the Plan on Purpose You are not a machine. You’re the engine. Before the year ends, put one recovery decision in writing: One day off One half-day with no inbox One week of lighter blog or social posting (recap posts of popular content work well this time of year—like sharing memories of 2025.) One boundary you’ll protect in January Rest is not what you earn after you finish. It’s what makes you able to keep going. Small Business Season may be ending (technically), but your business isn’t. The goal now is to close the year with your head up, your notes saved, and lessons learned incorporated into a new plan. There’s no need to sprint all a mess into January. Instead, walk in steady, like you own the place.