20: When Fast Instagram Growth Feels Wrong: What 25K Comments on One Reel Taught Me

Ever had a piece of content blow up... and then question if it was actually a good thing? In this episode of The Creative Bodega, I’m pulling back the curtain on the Canva reel that went viral—like, 25K comments, almost 9K new followers, and 5.5K new email subscribers kind of viral. It sounds like a dream, right? But what if I told you I’ve thought about deleting it almost every day since?We’re talking about the upside and the unexpected downsides of going viral—like misaligned followers, plummeting email open rates, and that icky “this doesn’t feel like me” gut feeling. If you’ve ever wrestled with creating fast, faceless content vs. showing up as your full self, this one’s for you. Real talk, real numbers, and some behind-the-scenes reflection on what really matters when you're building a brand.Check out the full show notes for this episode.Things I cover inside the episode:✨ The behind-the-scenes of my 12 Days of Reels Challenge and how it led to my most viral reel ever ✨ Why this Canva hack reel got 25,000+ comments—and why I’m torn about it ✨ The ripple effect: How it grew my following and email list fast (and why that’s not always good) ✨ The emotional and strategic conflict of teaching something you wouldn’t actually do yourself ✨ Why I think aligned growth > viral growth—and what I’ll do differently next timeResources & Links Mentioned in this episode: 🔗 Watch the viral reel in question here 🔗 Join the waitlist for the next 12 Days of Reels ChallengeConnect with me:🫶🏼 Follow me on Instagram for daily insights🫶🏼 Join my 321 Create Newsletter for weekly content tips 🫶🏼 Check out The Content Coven MembershipBe sure to hit "Subscribe" or "Follow" so you never miss an episode!