One of the most popular social networks in Brazil, with more than 134.6 million active profiles according to DataReportal , Instagram is the focus of the new book by digital marketing expert Júlia Munhoz . Published by DVS Editora, the book Desvendando o Instagram brings practical strategies for brands, influencers and content producers who want to transform followers into engaged customers and build genuine connections on the platform.
In the book, you highlight the importance of planning and following strategies to achieve results. How do you see the balance between creative spontaneity and meticulous planning on social media?
I see planning and spontaneity as two sides of the same coin. Planning is essential for consistency, organizing ideas, getting ideas off the ground, and achieving goals. It helps you stay focused, take action, have clarity, and measure results. However, it is creative spontaneity that brings content to life. It is what connects the profile with the audience in a more genuine way, showing that there is a person, a real brand behind that account. In the book, I present strategies for you to create a plan that is not rigid, but that allows flexibility for moments of spontaneity, for example.
Having an editorial calendar is very important, but it needs to be adjustable to take advantage of trends, things that are happening at that moment. A time for you to share something that happened that day, something authentic, unexpected, always at the right time. And this mix between organization and improvisation is what makes the profile more human.
Practice helps you understand what works best for your audience and to acquire this sensitivity and balance. And besides , I believe that spontaneity doesn’t have to be completely unplanned, you know? You can create spaces and should, within your strategy, for natural interactions, such as live streams, daily stories, the possibility of responding to direct messages and comments in a more creative way. All of this reinforces authenticity, which is one of the important pillars for you to be able to retain followers, engage, create a community and stand out among so many.
Your journey into digital entrepreneurship is inspiring. What challenges did you face in the beginning and how did these experiences shape the vision you share in the book?
Back when I started on Instagram, around 2012, the social network was a very new tool. People there had no experience with the social network, there was no information, such as books, courses, mentoring, or people with experience, as well as data on the platform. Everything was very new, so I had a lot of difficulty with the platform itself, understanding the features, understanding what people wanted on it. I remember that I ended up deactivating and even uninstalling the app from my phone about three times… until I said, “No, I see an opportunity in this, I’m going to take it on.” I spent a lot of time on trial and error, you know, testing and making mistakes. Today I can see that a lot of my time was spent understanding that dynamic.
At that time, there were no tools integrated into the app; everything was done manually. Posting frequency was what brought the most results, so I had to post a lot. I would set an alarm clock and create captions, images, captions, images, captions, images. But all of this also helped me to look at the platform in a broader way. I started to develop a strategic view, to think about what was really important.
It is very important for us to find a direction, and that is the proposal of my book, Uncovering Instagram , which is why I bring clear examples, practical examples, to really help people avoid common mistakes, to follow with confidence, to follow a path that will lead to success, that will lead to good results.
You mentioned that social media was fundamental in transforming your life and business. What advice would you give to those who want to do the same but don’t know where to start?
My main advice is to start small, but start. It is important to identify an area that you like, that you are passionate about, that you have knowledge about, and use social media to share value, to impact consumers with content that adds value, that inspires, that entertains people. You can’t just focus on selling, you can’t just look at people as numbers.
Today we need to build a community, we need to get closer to our consumers. And in my book I teach this. I guide you on how to define a niche, how to create valuable strategic content. If you want to start, if you are already in the game but are not getting results, acquire knowledge, acquire guidance to save you time, so you can really focus your efforts on strategies that will bring more results.
Many small businesses use the platform, but they don’t always get engagement or conversions. What attitudes or behaviors do you notice as recurring and how does your book help correct these mistakes?
Many small businesses still publish content randomly or exclusively focusing on sales, forgetting to connect with their audience or simply posting to meet a schedule. Another common behavior is the issue of inconsistency, whether in the frequency of posts, stories or even in the message conveyed or inconsistency in positioning. This causes people to lose interest or have difficulty identifying with the brand and understanding its purpose in connecting.
There is also a tendency for people to ignore the importance of truly understanding who their target audience is. Businesses that fail to research and deeply understand their audiences end up producing content that is out of context, generic content, content that provides no value and results in low engagement. We need to understand very well who our audience is, their difficulties, their pain points, their dreams. In short, we need to understand very well who the ideal follower of our Instagram is, who the ideal consumer of our business is so that we can communicate in the same language.
Another major problem is the lack of diversity in content formats. Some people still don’t explore videos, polls, live streams, or other Instagram features that encourage interaction and consequently generate conversions. In the book, I address these issues in detail, offering practical solutions, teaching how to create a strategic plan that balances engagement and sales, and also providing examples of how to turn mistakes into opportunities, showing how small changes can generate great results.
And just to finish, it is important to keep in mind that when the account is not closing, when engagement is not coming, when conversion is not happening, when the account is not growing, all of this is the result of some failure in strategy, some lack of strategy, some error in the process. So it is necessary to identify what is happening, correct it and the results will change.
With over 134 million active profiles in Brazil, standing out can be challenging. What would you say is the secret to building true relationships with followers?
I believe that one of the secrets to building a true relationship is your ability to consistently deliver value to people in an authentic way. Being authentic means showing who you are, sharing your real stories, your personal experiences, insights that you have that are relevant to your audience, showing your behind-the-scenes story, sharing more about the process. All of this creates an emotional connection that is much more powerful than a purely technical strategy.
Another key factor is that the public is looking for content that educates, inspires, entertains, and solves a problem. When you position yourself on Instagram as someone, as a brand, as a business that really cares about helping and making a difference, your followers will notice this and become more loyal, more engaged, and you will develop a sense of gratitude. So, delivering value is a very important factor.
And interacting is essential, right? You ‘re there responding to comments and direct messages, which means you create spaces to listen to your audience, so that your followers feel valued. They feel like they’re part of a community. In the book, I also explore these practical strategies for strengthening these bonds, such as telling authentic stories, using real-time interactions to create these relationships, and diversifying content formats to engage different types of audiences.
And finally, it’s about understanding that a true relationship goes far beyond numbers, far beyond metrics, right? It’s not about how many followers you have, but about the depth of connection and engagement you create with them. Trust is the foundation for any relationship and it is built with consistency, empathy, and transference. And in the book, you learn this: how to transform your practice in a way that makes you stand out among so many active profiles so that you are heard, seen, and recognized.
The pursuit of numbers, engagement and relevance can be exhausting. How do you guide your readers to deal with the pressure to perform and stay motivated?
The pressure to achieve numbers is a reality on social media. People demand a lot from themselves, and they always compare themselves to others. This is very cruel because people’s realities are different, their backgrounds are unique, and everyone has their own difficulties. It is important to remember that metrics do not define who you are or the impact you can have. In the book, I emphasize this a lot, that success on social media comes from consistency, authenticity, within strategies and not from an incessant search for likes and followers, looking only at the numbers.
So one of the pieces of advice I give is to always think long term, to think about why you are there on social media, so that you always keep your motivation in mind, set realistic goals, measurable goals and, above all, always celebrate the small victories: a meaningful comment, a direct message from a follower, the first sale… these are already signs that you are on the right path, these are small gains that we need to celebrate.
It is also very important to prioritize mental health. Social media can be very exhausting, so you need to plan breaks when necessary, diversify your interests, and remember that disconnecting is also part of reconnecting. And in the book, I present strategies to reduce pressure. To help, use automation tools, create an editorial calendar, manage expectations, and read metrics. All of this is to make social media a little lighter, more sustainable, and a more rewarding path.
“Unraveling Instagram” presents methods and exercises to engage and retain followers. What kind of transformation do you hope to see on your readers’ social media after they apply the lessons in the book?
Unraveling Instagram presents methods and exercises to engage and retain followers.
Well, I really hope that my readers will experience a transformation in their approach to social media, moving from a presence that is often disconnected, unseen or improvised to a solid, creative, efficient and consistent strategy. So, by applying my method, the exercises I propose and reflecting on the various examples that are there, I imagine that profiles will gain more identity, clarity and professionalism, always reflecting the values and objectives of each person or business, maintaining that authenticity that is so important on social media.
I hope that people can create genuine connections with their audience, that they can truly convert followers into customers, that they can create a community, that they can feel confident enough to use Instagram as a strategic tool, that they can feel confident enough to invest time, money and dedication in a way that maintains, as I said, the essence that makes a brand unique. And that Instagram is not seen just as a channel for advertising and sales, but rather as a space for exchange, inspiration and growth. And that people, of course, feel satisfied when they see the fruits of their efforts and strategies, with concrete results ranging from visibility to recognition, business growth and brand strengthening. They feel increasingly empowered and motivated to continue innovating and building relationships within the social network, because success on Instagram is about making a difference in the lives of your audience.
After all, for me, success on Instagram is about making a difference in the lives of my audience. That’s the transformation I want to help bring about, creating a chain of goodness. Because when I grow my business, I improve my life, the lives of my family, and my employees. When I help my consumers with my product or service, I’m helping them solve a pain, an inconvenience, or find pleasure. For me, entrepreneurship is about that, about transformation.
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