Views on Instagram Are the Least Important Metric for Small Business Success
- Amanda Hughes
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Views on Instagram Are the Least Important Metric for Small Business Success
Most small business owners I speak to have said some version of this: “My posts just don’t do very well on Instagram.”
And when I ask what they mean by that… the answer is nearly always the same:
“The views are low”
Sound familiar?
Listen Now
🎧 Hit play on the podcast player at the top of this page.
If you’re using Instagram to market your small business, it’s really easy to fall into the trap of measuring success by views alone, especially on Reels where the number is sitting there publicly for everyone to see.
You scroll someone else’s account and see 10,000 views, 15,000 views, 20,000 views… and suddenly your 300-view Reel feels like a failure.
But:
Views on Instagram are one of the least important metrics for small business success.
Yep, I said it.
Because views don’t pay invoices.
Views don’t book clients.
Views don’t build trust.
Views don’t always lead to sales.
And if you’re building a business, not trying to become a full-time influencer, then your focus needs to be very different.
Listen Now
🎧 Hit play on the podcast player at the top of this page.
In this episode of The Growth Addicts Podcast, I’m breaking down why so many business owners obsess over views, why Instagram views are often misleading, and how to start measuring your content properly using your own business goals instead of Meta’s.
What Instagram Views Actually Mean
Let’s start here because this surprises a lot of people.
Instagram defines views as:
The number of times your post was played or displayed.
That includes:
Someone watching your Reel
Someone replaying your Reel
Someone pausing briefly on your content
The same person watching more than once
So straight away, views are inflated.
They are not:
unique people
leads
sales opportunities
proof your content is working
They are simply one signal.
And unfortunately, because views are public on Reels, they’ve become the thing small business owners judge themselves by. That needs to stop.
Stop Measuring Success by Meta’s Standards
This is where I always come back to The Get Seen Get Sales Method®
Because when you feel lost on social media, this is the anchor.
It starts with:
1. Knowing Your Ideal Client
Not just “women aged 30–50.”
I mean really knowing them.
What are they struggling with?
What are they searching for?
What would make them stop scrolling?
Because if your content isn’t speaking directly to the right people, the views don’t matter anyway.
2. Optimising Your Profile
Your bio should be doing heavy lifting.
Your profile name, keywords, highlights, pinned posts, and bio should help people instantly understand:
who you help
how you help them
why they should follow
Your profile should convert interest into action.
3. Planning Content With Purpose
This is the hill I will die on.
You should be planning your content.
Yes, leave room for spontaneous Stories, off-the-cuff posts, and real-life moments because people are craving human connection more than ever.
But your core business content?
That should be planned.
I use a simple 60-minute weekly content planning method and honestly, it changes everything.
Because when your content has purpose, you stop caring so much about vanity metrics.
You start caring about results.
Listen Now
🎧 Hit play on the podcast player at the top of this page.
Every Post Should Do One of Three Things
Your content should aim to:
Attract
Bring new ideal client followers into your world.
Usually through Reels, searchable content, strong hooks, and clear messaging.
Nurture
Build trust and connection with your existing audience.
Usually through carousels, Stories, behind-the-scenes posts, and personality-led content.
Convert
Help someone take the next step.
Booking. Buying. Joining. Enquiring.
That’s it.
That’s the job.
Not “go viral.”
A Real Example of a Nurture Post
I recently shared a post called:
Weird Sh*t I Have in My Office as a Business Mentor Who Loves a Bit of Woo Woo
Very professional, obviously.
It included things like:
a horse tooth I found on the beach
crystals
rocks
sea glass
all sorts of strange treasures
The goal of that post was not reach.
It wasn’t sales.
It was nurturing.
I wanted my existing audience to get to know me better.
The caption simply said:
“Shall I just keep things extra weird and not explain why I have any of them?”
Short. Curious. Fun.
The result?
Loads of comments. Exactly what I wanted.
People laughing, asking questions, sharing that they were also into the woo woo.
That post did exactly what it was supposed to do.
Because the benchmark wasn’t views.
The benchmark was connection.
Set Your Own Benchmarks
This is the shift I want you to make.
Instead of saying: “My post only got 300 views…”
ask:
What was the purpose of that post?
Then decide success based on that.
Examples:
Attraction Post
“I’d be delighted if this Reel brought me 5 new ideal client followers.”
Nurture Post
“I’d love 10 genuine comments from existing followers.”
Conversion Post
“If this post brought me 1 sale, it would be a massive win.”
That is how business owners should think.
Because if 10 people were standing outside your office right now wanting to work with you, you’d be thrilled. But somehow online, we dismiss that because it doesn’t look flashy enough.
Madness isn't it?
Links Mentioned in This Episode
Listen Now
🎧 Hit play on the podcast player at the top of this page.
Comments