This is a follow-up to last month’s articles, but focusing on Instagram.
Let me start with a confession: most of my Instagram posts get modest engagement. A few dozen views here, maybe a hundred there. But three recent posts shattered those numbers, and the reason why taught me something crucial about Instagram marketing that every magician needs to understand.
The secret isn’t better tricks. It isn’t fancier editing. It’s something far simpler—and far more powerful.
The Collaboration Effect
My highest-performing post hit 1,314 views. It was a simple photograph of me, my daughter, and world-renowned magician Giancarlo Bernini, who has 20.8k followers. No special effects. No viral gimmick. Just three people in a photo.
Another post, a chance meeting with Mr Armand (2.4k followers) at a Dunkin’ in Las Vegas, pulled 503 views. Again, nothing fancy—just documentation of a moment with someone who has an established following.
The pattern became impossible to ignore when my daughter and I did a cheese pull challenge—except we used chicken tenders at Chili’s. We tagged Chili’s social account and collaborated with my daughter’s account (500+ followers). That post? 2,995 views as of this writing—nearly triple my next best-performing content.
What do all three have in common? Collaboration with accounts that have more followers than mine.
It’s Not About You (Sorry)
Here’s the hard truth: your audience doesn’t care as much about what interests you as they care about what interests them. I love close-up magic. I could post intricate sleight-of-hand all day long. But Instagram’s algorithm and human psychology don’t reward self-indulgence—they reward relevance.
When you collaborate with someone who has more followers, you’re not just getting exposure to their audience. You’re borrowing social proof. You’re creating content that exists at the intersection of multiple audiences, which Instagram’s algorithm loves to promote.
The biggest mistake I see magicians make on Instagram? Posting way off-topic content that means something to them but nothing to their audience. Your followers came for magic, mentalism, or entertainment. If you’re posting about your breakfast burrito (unless there’s a magical twist), you’re training people to scroll past your content.
The Strategic Approach to Collaboration
So how do you actually implement this? Start with your existing network. Go through your friends and followers right now—not later, right now—and identify people who have more followers than you and whose audience might appreciate magic content.
The key is attainability. Don’t start by DMing David Blaine. Look for:
- Fellow performers with 500-5,000 more followers than you
- Local businesses with established social presence (your favorite coffee shop, popular restaurants, boutique stores)
- Coworkers or friends who’ve built audiences in complementary niches
The goal is mutual benefit. That coffee shop gets entertaining content featuring their location. You get exposure to their local following. That’s a trade both parties can feel good about.
Format Vs. Content: The Instagram Professionals’ Secret
Here’s advice straight from Instagram professionals that changed my approach: look at trending posts and Reels, then replicate their format, not their content.
Notice I said format, not content. If everyone’s doing a “day in the life” style Reel, create a “day in the life of a magician” version. If photo carousels showing before/after transformations are trending, adapt that format to show your setup process for a show. If reaction videos are hot, film reactions to your magic.
The format is what the algorithm recognizes and rewards. The content is where you inject your unique value as a magician.
Reels Vs. Stories: Know Your Tools
Let’s clarify two critical features that serve different purposes:
Instagram Reels are your discovery engine. They’re designed to reach people who don’t follow you yet. Reels appear in the Reels tab, in the Explore page, and can go viral beyond your existing audience. This is where collaboration really shines, because tagged accounts and shared audiences amplify reach exponentially.
Instagram Stories are your retention tool. They keep your existing followers engaged with behind-the-scenes content, quick updates, and daily touch-points. Stories won’t typically bring in new followers, but they keep your current audience warm and attentive.
Most magicians under-utilize Reels and over-think Stories. Flip that ratio. Put your collaboration content, your trending format adaptations, and your best performance clips into Reels. Save the casual, unpolished moments for Stories.
The Action Plan
Here’s what to do this week:
- Here’s what to do this week:
- Audit your followers and friends list for collaboration opportunities
- Reach out to 3-5 potential collaborators with specific ideas (not vague “let’s work together sometime” messages)
- Identify three trending Reel formats and plan magic-specific adaptations
- Create at least one collaborative Reel featuring another account with more followers
- Tag relevant businesses or locations when appropriate
Remember: engagement follows eyeballs. You can’t engage an audience that never sees your content in the first place. Collaboration is how you break through Instagram’s noise and get those views.
Your magic deserves to be seen. Now you know how to make that happen.
Need help developing your Instagram strategy or other marketing approaches for your magic business? I offer marketing consultations for magicians. Let’s talk about taking your visibility to the next level.
Want to connect? Follow me at @willastoundyou for magic content or @totalonlinemarketing for marketing insights. I’m always open to collaboration opportunities!
