It’s time for the InstaRetreat and Sara’s announcement reminded me that I hadn’t reviewed the course! The last time I wanted to talk about courses, I held back on reviewing The InstaRetreat because Sara was introducing a few new things and I wanted to go through the course again before talking about it.

What is The InstaRetreat about?

Although I reviewed 15 Minute Magic first, The InstaRetreat is actually THE star course for Sara and how I initially found her. This is a six-week course for creative people who want to use Instagram more effectively, covering:

• Week 1: Instagram basics – including reviewing your goal for your account (it’s not always “go viral”, apparently), doing a profile audit, choosing your focus, etc
• Week 2: Instagram visuals
• Week 3: How to edit photos
• Week 4: How to write captions and connect with people
• Week 5: Setting up an instagram routine
• Week 6: Growth, whether you should do paid ads, etc

There is a rest break in between, which means this whole course lasts seven weeks. Every week, there is one group call, where Sara answers questions. While not every question can get answered (especially in the first few weeks), you are encouraged to resubmit your question in the next week if you still want an answer. There is also an additional styling webinar that takes place sometime during the course.

The previous round, which took place earlier this year, also had weekly coaching calls with Sally, a certified life coach. These calls were opportunities for people to work through mental blocks they might have on any issue – whether it’s the fear of selling out, the fear of change, and others. Looking at the email for the next round, it seems like the coaching calls are still going to take place.

My Experience with The InstaRetreat

Because I have lifetime access to the course, I’ve done The InstaRetreat twice. The first time (May 2020), my followers grew from 249 to 339, which was probably the fastest that I grew since I started. Growth continued after the course, which makes sense because I used the same routine I developed during the course and by the time I started the course for the second time (in May 2021), I had 606 followers. Unfortunately, I did not finish the course the second time, but I do have about 737 followers right now, so it does seem that my follower count has been growing steadily since I took the course for the first time.

Apart from follower growth, I find the Instagram routine that Sara leads us to develop to be very helpful. I’m also using a planning app that was recommended – such a small tweak but something that makes me a lot happier with my grid!

I’m also really enjoying the community in the InstaRetreat Facebook group. It’s most active whenever a new round of the course starts, but if you need feedback (delivered kindly but constructively), it’s a great place to ask.

Why I like The InstaRetreat

• Lifetime access to a regularly updated course (I bought it last year and so far, I’ve seen a new and revamped workbook, a new site to access course material, a Reel’s challenge, and of course, the addition of coaching calls)
• Helpful community
• Structured – if you have no idea where to start, this course is a great place

What you may not like about The InstaRetreat

• It’s expensive
• If you’re already ‘good’ at Instagram, you may not find it as helpful as I did
• Focuses on finding the right people rather than explosive growth – If you want to grow no matter what, then this might not be something for you. While I have grown my Instagram account at a faster rate than before, it’s nothing compared to others who use follow trains, etc.
• On a related note – while I have had follower growth, I can’t really track if it has led to additional book sales, so in that sense I’m not sure how effective the course is.
• While there are a few people in the book community in the InstaRetreat community, I didn’t see that many people who did the course the same time I did. So if you’re looking for people who are in the same niche as you, this is something to check before buying.
• If you don’t plan on advertising via Instagram, then you don’t really need it.

Overall Thoughts

The InstaRetreat is definitely pricey and not for everyone. It really depends on what you want your Instagram account to do.

If you’re not sure if this course is for you, I highly recommend checking out Sara’s book Hashtag Authentic, which also covers the basics of Instagram (I found this at the library, so you might not even need to pay for it). If you don’t need the structure of the course and/or you already have a great Instagram community, then the book might be all you need to improve your Instagram account.

However, if you want something a bit more structured, or if you want people to bounce ideas off on, and especially if you plan to go through the course periodically, then the InstaRetreat might be a worthwhile purchase.