Instagram Relaunch Plan
Last post: July 2024. Stock arrives: early-mid April. ~1,522 followers waiting.
Timeline
| Phase | When | Duration | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wake Up | Now → mid-March | 5 weeks | Break the silence. Post consistently. Get the algorithm flowing again. |
| 2. Tease | Mid-March → launch | 2-3 weeks | Build anticipation for the new range. Capture emails. Create FOMO. |
| 3. Launch | Early-mid April | 1 week | Sell. Drive every follower to the store. |
| 4. Ads On | 2 weeks post-launch | Ongoing | Put money behind what worked. Scale reach. |
Phase 1: Wake Up (Now → Mid-March)
What we’re doing: Reminding people Arlem exists. Re-establishing Emily as the face. Getting Instagram’s algorithm to notice us again. No product teasers yet, just good content.
Specs: 3 posts/week. Stories daily. Reply to every comment and DM.
Milestone: Reach 500+ per post consistently. Profile visits trending up week on week.
Content Ideas
Reel 1 - The Comeback (week 1) Emily to camera, casual, in the bedroom or studio. “I know I disappeared. I had a baby. I never stopped making cushions. But something big is coming. Stay close.”
Reel 2 - The 15-Second Bed (week 1-2) Making the bed with an Arlem cushion. Bare bed → styled bed in 15 seconds flat. Text on screen: “My entire styling routine.”
Reel 3 - The Origin Story (week 2) Carousel or reel. “I’m Emily. Interior designer, mum, Adelaide. I started making bedhead cushions because I wanted a beautiful bedroom without the effort. Here’s how it started.”
Reel 4 - The Problem (week 2-3) Show a bed covered in decorative pillows. Text: “Every morning. Every single morning.” Then show an Arlem bed. One cushion. Done. “There’s a better way.”
Reel 5 - Day in My Life (week 3) Mum life + business life. Baby, coffee, studio, sewing machine, fabric everywhere. Real, messy, relatable. No selling. Just showing who Emily is.
Reel 6 - Customer Bedroom Feature (week 3-4) Repost a past customer’s bedroom (Claudia, Kylie, or Cherle-Lynn with permission). “One of my favourite customer bedrooms.” Social proof without selling.
Reel 7 - Bedroom Styling Tip (week 4) Quick educational content. “The one thing that makes any bed look styled” or “Why your bed looks unfinished (and what to do about it).” Positions Emily as the expert.
Reel 8 - The Handmade Process (week 4-5) Emily’s hands cutting fabric, sewing, finishing. Satisfying process content. ASMR energy. No voiceover needed, just visuals and music.
Ongoing stories: Studio shots, fabric on the table, baby cameos, polls (“Stone or Natural?”), bedroom inspo reposts, “what I’m working on today.”
Phase 2: Tease (Mid-March → Launch)
What we’re doing: Revealing the new range piece by piece. Building genuine anticipation. Driving email signups for launch day access. This is the home lottery approach: show pieces, never the full picture, until the reveal.
Specs: 4 posts/week. Stories daily. Every post drives to the waitlist link in bio.
Milestone: 100+ email waitlist signups. DMs asking “when can I buy this?” Saves and shares trending up.
Content Ideas
Reel 9 - “6 months of work” (week 1 of tease) Quick montage: Emily’s hands with fabric, mood boards, colour swatches, samples being inspected. End card: “Something new. Coming soon.”
Reel 10 - The Texture Shot Extreme close-up of the ruffled edge. Fingers running along it. Satisfying, tactile. No context, no full product. Caption: “This changes everything for Arlem.”
Reel 11 - Emily’s Evolution Story Face to camera. The transition talk. “I’ve made every cushion by hand. I love it. But I want everyone who wants one to be able to get one. So I’ve been working on something…” Framed as exciting growth, not a compromise. Still making handmade, but also expanding.
Reel 12 - Colour Reveal One reel, quick cuts. Each new colourway gets 2-3 seconds. Fabric draped, styled, held up to light. No full cushion shown. End: “Which one are you? Comment below.”
Reel 13 - The Unboxing Emily opening the final samples/first stock. Film her genuine reaction. Show her face, not the product. The excitement IS the content.
Reel 14 - The Full Reveal First time showing the complete new cushion on a styled bed. This is the big one. Every colourway. Classic and ruffle side by side. “The new Arlem collection. Launching [date]. Link in bio for first access.”
Stories during tease phase:
- Countdown sticker to launch day
- “Guess the colour” polls
- DM prompt: “DM me FIRST for early access”
- Behind-the-scenes of the photo shoot
- Waitlist link on every story
Phase 3: Launch (Early-Mid April)
What we’re doing: Converting followers into customers. This is the one week where we go hard. Every piece of content points at the store.
Specs: Post every day for launch week. Stories every few hours. Don’t discount. The limited first run (~45 cushions) IS the scarcity.
Milestone: Sell out the first run. Capture every sale with proper Meta Pixel tracking (ViewContent, AddToCart, Purchase) so Phase 4 ads have data.
Content Ideas
Reel 15 - Launch Day (morning) “It’s live. The new Arlem collection is here.” Quick, punchy, every product shown. End with “Link in bio. Go.”
Reel 16 - Styling Each Colourway One reel per hero colourway. “Let me show you the Natural Ruffle.” Close-up, on the bed, how it catches light.
Reel 17 - Size Guide “Which size for your bed?” Quick visual showing Double, Queen, King on actual beds. Practical, saves people from DMing to ask.
Reel 18 - “First Order Just Shipped” Emily packing an order. Writing a thank you note. Genuine gratitude content. Makes followers who haven’t ordered yet feel like they’re missing out.
Reel 19 - The “Almost Gone” Update Mid-week stock check. “Queen Natural Ruffle is almost gone.” Only post this if it’s true.
Stories during launch:
- “It’s live!” announcement
- Screen recording scrolling the new website
- Order notifications coming in (hide customer details)
- “This one’s going to Melbourne” / “Brisbane, you’ve got taste” as orders ship
- Customer DM reactions (with permission)
- Daily stock updates if things are moving
Phase 4: Ads On (2 Weeks Post-Launch)
What we’re doing: Taking the reels that performed best organically and putting ad spend behind them. Reaching beyond our 1,522 followers for the first time.
Specs: $500/month to start. 60% cold audiences, 30% retargeting site visitors, 10% cart abandoners. Only boost content that already got strong organic engagement.
Milestone: 3x ROAS minimum (spend $500, make $1,500). Scale to $750-1,000/month once we hit 5x.
What to Boost
Don’t make “ads.” Just boost your best reels:
- The reel that got the most views → run it to cold audiences (lookalikes of website visitors, 28-55 female, Aus metro)
- The reel that drove the most website clicks → run it to warm audiences (people who’ve visited the site)
- A product carousel with pricing → run it to hot audiences (people who viewed a product page but didn’t buy)
The retargeting audience is tiny but historically had the best results (6.3% CTR at $0.11 CPC last time). That’s where most of the early ROAS will come from.
Before Posting: Quick Checklist
- Update bio (“New collection coming April” → then “Shop now” at launch)
- Link in bio → waitlist page (pre-launch) → shop (at launch)
- Set up Story Highlights: About / New Collection / Customer Bedrooms
- Archive any old posts that don’t fit the current aesthetic
- Connect Instagram Shopping to Shopify so you can tag products
- Make sure Meta Pixel is tracking ViewContent + AddToCart + Purchase before ads go on
Filming Plan
Three batch sessions. One afternoon each. Bank weeks of content in advance.
Session 1 (this week): Comeback reel. 3x styling/bed-making reels. Studio shots for stories. Emily face-to-camera pieces.
Session 2 (when ruffle samples are ready): Unboxing reaction. Texture close-ups. Colour reveals. Side-by-side classic vs ruffle. Emily evolution reel.
Session 3 (pre-launch): Full product showcase per colourway. Size comparison. Launch day reel. Styled product photos for carousels.
Setup: iPhone + tripod + natural light + one clean white/neutral quilt set. CapCut for editing. Subtitles on every reel.