I Neglected My Instagram Page For Years. Here’s What I’m Doing To Revive It
January 28, 2026
Ah, I remember the good old days. The ones where you could post a static, square image on Instagram and it gets heaps of engagement. The days where, even if you only had 500 followers, your posts would consistently get at least 50 likes…. 10%+ engagement rates for days (all organic of course)…perfectly curated feeds… Mmm, *chefs kiss*.
But just like with any technology, change is inevitable. User behaviour changes, too.
When you work in marketing, or own a business, you have to roll with the punches. It’s adapt or die. If you stop keeping up, you’ll get left behind.
And that’s exactly what happened to my Queen of Swords Media Instagram account.
Admittedly, the main reason it got left behind was that I became complacent. Comfortable. Happy with where I was at in my business and career. I got to a point where I didn’t prioritise my own Instagram marketing. I wasn’t actively looking for new clients.
So I left my Instagram to gather dust for 3-4 years. A bit ironic, considering I’m a social media/content marketer, don’t you think?!
My account was officially dead. Goodbye, hard-earned engagement.
Then last year, I decided to revamp it. See if the Meta gods would forgive my social media sin.
But this time, the content was aligned with 2025 best practices.
This meant a focus on short-form videos/reels, talking-to-camera style videos, and carousels. Yes, after about 7 years of being a freelance social media manager, I finally got behind the camera myself.
And guess what? Engagement is starting to come back.
The key is to adapt to the types of content the platform is rewarding right now, and the style of content your consumers prefer to, well, consume.
And last but not least, consistency. Not “posting and ghosting” – especially for 3 years (oops).
I’m a huge believer in “practicing what you preach”. So here I am, back to being active on my business’s Instagram account, doing the thing. I love helping other businesses with their socials, and what better way to showcase my passion (and expertise) than by being active on my own? Makes a LOT of sense to me.
If you’re keen to follow along on my account’s resurrection journey, check out @queenofswordsmedia on Instagram.
