10+ YEARS AS A FULL-TIME CREATOR ON INSTAGRAM: 10 LESSONS LEARNED THAT HELPED ME FIND SUCCESS!
This year marks 10 years since I went full-time as a food photographer and creative business owner, turning food content creation into my career.
Over the past decade, Instagram has played a pivotal role in growing my food photography business; it’s been more than a place to share my food photos — it’s helped me attract food photography students, connect with brands, and build a sustainable creative business online.
Now, after 10 years of consistently posting on Instagram, I’m sharing the 10 key lessons I’ve learned about using Instagram to grow your audience, strengthen your brand, and earn more doing what you love.
1/ CONSISTENCY BEATS TALENT EVERY. SINGLE. TIME!
I’m proud of my food photography portfolio. I know I can style food beautifully and create engaging short-form video content. But I also know I’m not the most naturally talented creator out there.
Talent can certainly help, but it’s consistency that drives real growth. You see, much of my success comes from showing up online week after week, month after month, year after year — even when I didn’t feel like it, even when posts underperformed horrendously, and even when Instagram’s algorithm seemed to conspire against me.
Moreover, having mentored countless food photographers, food bloggers, and food content creators, I’m always reminded that it’s not necessarily the most talented who rise to the top, instead it’s often the ones who put in the hours and show up again and again who ‘make it’ online.
The lesson?
Consistency beats talent every time! Without a doubt, showing up consistently is the single most important predictor of success on social media. It’s the secret sauce that can help you monetise your food content, build an engaged, loyal audience online, and succeed on Instagram.
2/ Your Breakthrough VIRAL Post Is Inevitable
Over 10 years sharing my food content online, I came to appreciate that even if a particular recipe reel didn’t take off today, I had to keep creating to heighten my chances of something eventually resonating tomorrow!
Over time, I simply started to understand what my community responded to most which in turn allowed my creative instincts to sharpen and my content to naturally improve over time too.
From afar, going viral seemed like magic, but I can assure you, it’s not. It’s merely a numbers game. You see, the more you create, experiment and share, the higher the chances that one piece of content will break through and go viral. So, please remember that every post is a step closer to your very own viral moment.
The lesson?
Momentum always compounds. So be sure to keep experimenting with your food content, keep posting even when it feels like no one is watching, and trust that eventually, your hard work will pay off!
3/ YOU WILL HAVE A FLOP ERA!
After 10+ years on Instagram, I’ve learned that growth isn’t linear, especially not in the competitive food space. No matter how much care I put into styling, shooting, or editing my recipe reels, sometimes a post will fall flat and all I hear are crickets.
More often than not, it’s not just one post; there are stretches when engagement feels stagnant, or even drops, for weeks or months at a time. It’s painful, but I’ve also come to appreciate that it’s necessary.
Here’s the truth: every creator who is aiming high and making waves in the industry, goes through a flop era. It’s normal. It’s part of the journey, and I’ve come to appreciate that it’s simply a sign that I’m pushing myself, experimenting, and sharing my work boldly and generously.
The key though has been to not stop posting. Instead, I’ve come to appreciate that I need to treat these “flop” moments as opportunities to learn, recalibrate, and grow creatively.
The good news? From experience I can assure you that flop eras don’t last forever. They come and go like the seasons. Weathering them is a rite of passage and often, your next breakthrough is just around the corner.
The LESSON?
Flop eras form a normal part of every successful food creator’s Instagram growth journey. So be sure to embrace them, learn from them, and trust that eventually your creative spark will ignite again.
4/ Your INSTAGRAM Analytics Tell You Everything YOU NEED TO FIND SUCCESS!
Many aspiring food creators post consistently but still struggle to see results. Why is that you might wonder?
Well, when I review Instagram accounts with my students, I often notice a pattern: some posts perform exceptionally well, but instead of analyzing what worked, they double down on the content that didn’t.
This isn’t intentional; it usually happens because analytics simply and erroneously get overlooked. Yet, Instagram success isn’t just about creativity, talent, or consistency, it’s also about strategy. And that strategy lives in your data.
Engagement rates, saves, shares, and reach reveal what truly resonates with your audience, so be sure to take a look at this data with a magnifying glass!
Because, after sharing over 2,000 pieces of content on Instagram, I’ve learned that your growth, and with it your success on social media, is hidden in plain sight: your analytics. So be sure to learn to read them, and you’ll know exactly what content to create next.
The lesson?
Track your Instagram analytics at least on a monthly basis; the numbers can help guide your content, expedite your growth, and help you post with more clarity and direction.
5/ Storytelling Turns Viewers Into COMMUNITY MEMBERS
If you’ve followed my journey as a food photographer on Instagram, you’ll know that food photography is and always will be my first love. So when Instagram shifted from static images to short-form video, I adapted — slowly, and admittedly a little (very) reluctantly.
But since 2020, I’ve come to appreciate that video content isn’t just a trend, it’s one of the most powerful tools for growth on Instagram. Not only has mastering videography supported my income and long-term success as a food creator, it has transformed the way I connect with my audience.
That’s because video allows you to tell meaningful, emotive and engaging stories.
And storytelling is what turns casual viewers into loyal community members. It gives context to your recipes. It shares the why behind the dish. It communicates emotion, culture, memory, and personality, things that go far beyond ingredients and technique.
A strong food photo can absolutely stop the scroll. But, a well-crafted food video with a compelling story builds trust, loyalty, and most importantly, connection. And connection is ultimately what drives Instagram growth, engagement, and long-term success as a food content creator, photographer or stylist.
You see, storytelling isn’t optional anymore, it’s a core skill for any food content creator who wants to grow on Instagram and build a sustainable creative business for the long haul.
The LESSON?
Don’t just post recipes, tell engaging stories. The deeper the connection, the stronger your community (and your growth) will be.
6/ Hooks Matter More Than AestheticS
Few things are more frustrating than spending hours perfecting a recipe Reel or ‘How-To’ video, only for it to flop miserably on Instagram. I know because it’s happened to me more times than I care to remember.
In the beginning, I blamed everything I could think of: my camera, my editing software, even my recipes. But over time, I came to realise something crucial about Instagram growth and short-form video content:
It’s not the camera.
It’s not the music.
It’s not even (necessarily) the recipe.
It’s the hook.
You see, on Instagram, the first 1–3 seconds of your Reel determine whether someone keeps watching attentively or scrolls past speedily. It’s so annoying because you can create the most beautifully styled food video, with flawless editing, but if those opening few seconds don’t hit the mark, your audience will never get to see the rest.
But, once I understood how to craft strong hooks tailored to my ideal audience, everything changed. I developed a repeatable Reel formula that consistently performs well. That shift didn’t just increase views, it led to more online course sales, more brand collaborations, and more food photography enquiries.
The LESSON?
On Instagram, you only have a heartbeat to capture someone’s attention. That’s why learning to craft strong hooks matters so much — because if you don’t stop the scroll in those first few seconds, all the care and creativity you poured into the rest won’t get the chance to shine.
7/ Community Is More Valuable Than Follower Count
It’s easy to believe that a high follower count on Instagram is the ultimate measure of success. And yes, it’s true that big numbers can feel validating. But, after more than a decade as a full-time food content creator and food photographer, I’ve learned something far more important:
You don’t need hundreds of thousands of followers to build a sustainable, profitable creative business.
What truly matters is the relationship you build with the people who choose to follow you. The ones who comment. The ones who reply to your Stories. The ones who cook your recipes, join your courses, and share your work with friends.
Viral posts can bring rapid Instagram growth for sure, but they can often also attract passive followers, that is people who watch but don’t actually engage, connect, or invest in your content. And over time, passive audiences don’t build thriving businesses, engaged communities do.
So remember, when you take the time to respond to comments, answer DMs, ask questions, and share more of yourself, you create belonging. You build trust. And trust is what turns followers into loyal community members, customers, and advocates for your work.
In short, a smaller, engaged audience will always outperform a large, disconnected one.
The LESSON?
Focus on building connection, not just chasing numbers. Community is what sustains your growth and your business if you’re eager to build something for the long haul.
8/ The More Human You Are, the Faster You Grow
After 10+ years creating food content on Instagram, I’m still surprised by what truly resonates. Time and time again, I’ve seen raw, in-the-moment Instagram Stories outperform perfectly scripted tutorials or highly polished food videos.
That’s because people don’t connect as much with perfection, instead they connect with real, genuine people.
You see, your audience isn’t looking for a perfect food content creator with an impeccably curated life. They’re looking for someone relatable, someone who shares the wins as much as they do the messy middle because sharing hardship takes a lot of courage and even more vulnerability, both qualities that people are naturally drawn to.
I’ve noticed time and again that when you allow your true personality, opinions, and real experiences to shine through your content, you build trust — and trust drives Instagram growth, it drives connection, it drive success.
Now, let me reassure you: Beautifully styled recipes and high-quality food photography absolutely matter, especially if you want to be hired as a food photographer and command good rates! But if everything feels overly staged or overly produced, things can start to feel sterile and cold.
Moreover, in an age where AI-generated content is everywhere, authenticity is your competitive advantage. Your voice. Your perspective. Your quirks. Your behind-the-scenes moments. Those are the things that simply can’t be replicated and they’re also the things that build long-term loyalty and community on social media.
So if you want to grow on Instagram as a food creator, if you want to work with brands and establish a long term viable career within the food space, please don’t only share the finished dish. Share the process. Share your thoughts. Share your story.
The LESSON?
Perfection doesn’t build connection — authenticity does. The more human you are, the stronger (and faster) your growth will be.
9/ Repetition Builds Recognition
Experimentation is essential when you’re starting out as a food content creator. Trying new styles, formats, and ideas helps you discover your unique voice. But once you’ve found an approach that feels aligned and authentic, the real growth begins when you lean into it.
That’s because Instagram growth doesn’t come from constantly reinventing the wheel. It comes from being recognisable!
Hence, if you want to get hired by brands, attract well paid collaborations, or build authority as a food photographer or food creator, your content needs to feel unmistakably yours. Whether you focus on food photography, recipe Reels, or ‘how-to’ short-form video content like I do, your visual style, tone, and core message should be instantly recognisable.
So, remember that growth on Instagram happens when you:
Repeat key themes (think content pillars - more about that in my Instagram Growth Masterclass and Food Reels Course!)
Reinforce your unique visual identity
Solve the same core pain points for your audience, over and over again
Now, I will acknowledge that as creatives, repetition can feel a little boring sometimes. But don’t forget that what feels repetitive to you feels reliable and soothing to your audience; it also builds trust, loyalty and with that a sustainable, long-term creative business.
Evolution is important, in fact it’s a core part of continuing to find success as the social media landscape shifts continuously, but endless pivoting slows momentum tremendously.
So, refine what works, strengthen it at every junction and in the process become known for doing a few specific things really, really well!
The LESSON?
Don’t pivot endlessly. Repeat what works until your content becomes unmistakable; that’s how you build recognition, authority, and long-term growth on Instagram.
10/ You’re Not ‘Just’ a Creator — You’re a Brand!
To grow on Instagram as a food creator, you need to be both human and strategic. Authenticity builds connection — but strategy builds sustainability. Learning to balance those two forces has been one of the most important lessons in my 10+ years as a full-time food photographer and content creator.
Everything shifted when I stopped “just posting” and started building a clear personal brand aligned with my long-term career goals and my heart. So, instead of sharing content randomly and hoping it would resonate, I created with intention. I became clear on who I was serving, what problems I was trying to solve for them, and how I wanted to position myself within the food content space.
As a result:
My content became more focused and recognisable.
My paid offers solved specific pain points for my audience.
Brand collaborations felt aligned and plentiful.
My income became more consistent.
It’s that clarity that made building a sustainable creative business, possible.
When I speak to my creative business mentees or online course students, many feel uncomfortable thinking of themselves as a ‘brand’. But the reality is, the moment you decide to monetise your Instagram whether through brand collaborations, online courses, digital products, client work, or food photography services, you are no longer just a creative. Instead you become a brand strategist, a CEO, a marketer, a salesperson and a creative all in one!
And when you embrace this multitude of roles, your growth accelerates because your content, offers, and positioning start working together.
The LESSON?
If you want to make money on Instagram and build a long-term creative business, start thinking like a brand because strategy and authenticity together are what turn content into income.
Before you go…
I truly hope this blog post was helpful to get you excited about building an Instagram presence for the long haul!
If you’re serious about wanting to improve your Instagram strategy and grow your online community, why not order my new book, How to Make Your Food Famous, join my Food Reels Course OR join the waiting list below for our brand new Instagram Growth Masterclass, launching this Spring!
