If you've ever used Instagram, you've probably seen people add 30 hashtags to their posts and nothing else for their caption.

A recent study that analyzed 65,000 Reels and 180,000 posts on Instagram has two big findings on what helps content perform better:

#1. Hashtags help.

A Reel with >1 hashtag has on average 30% more reach (and about 18% more engagement) than one that has no hashtags.

The optimal number of hashtags falls between 2 and 4.

So use some, but don't do 30. 

And of course, make them relevant to the content.

#2. Posts benefit from long captions. Reels do not.

I was both surprised and not surprised by the results below.

I wasn't surprised that short captions dominate on Reels. Videos are fairly self-explanatory, and Reels are a quick dopamine hit and move on. 

But I was surprised by the effectiveness of 1,000+ character captions across posts and Reels. That's starting to get to LinkedIn post length—something you don't often see on Instagram.

So go ahead and tell a story and add context along with your posts.

People often talk about sales copywriting frameworks. A very popular one is PAS: Problem → Agitation → Solution.

For example:

• Problem: "Tens of millions of people have been laid off in 2023."
• Agitation: "And the recession still isn't even over—more are coming."
• Solution: "Here's how to make yourself invaluable at your company:"

You make readers think about a problem. You make the problem seem worse. Then offer a solution to that problem now that it's top of mind.

Now that you know the PAS framework, you'll see it being used a lot. 

To extend PAS and apply it to a multi-email sales campaign, Jon Brosio recommends:

• Email 1: Establish a problem (Problem)
• Email 2: Amplify consequences (Agitation)
• Email 3: Share a transformation story (Tease the Solution)
• Email 4: Back up your offer with social proof. (Prove efficacy of the Solution)
• Email 5: Finally reveal the offer and show how it works. (Solution)
• Email 6: Create urgency by limiting the time or added bonuses. 

The next time you're setting up a sales email campaign, try this framework out.

There’s a reason Skittles wants us to taste the rainbow instead of seeing it.

Skittles’ famous slogan “Taste the rainbow” is a great example of using a sensory experience to make you want some sugary treats right away.

Imagine instead of encouraging you to taste the rainbow, Skittles said “See the rainbow.” 

You probably wouldn’t be as tempted to impulse-buy a bag.

The reason? In ads, some senses are more likely than others to drive faster conversions. That’s according to a study led by researchers at Brigham Young University and the University of Washington.

• Proximal senses like touch and taste lead to earlier purchases.
• Distal senses like sight and sound lead to more delayed purchases.

In one of the study’s experiments, participants saw fictional restaurant reviews that emphasized either: 1) taste/touch, or 2) sound/vision. The taste/touch participants were significantly more likely to book reservations closer to the present date.

In another experiment, participants read ad copy for a festival that highlighted either taste (“You will taste the amazing flavors…”) or sound (“You will listen to the amazing sounds…”).

People who read the taste version had higher interest in attending the festival that weekend, whereas sound folks were more likely to be interested in going to the festival…next year.

Takeaway: If you want your ads to drive immediate sales, create a touch- or taste-based sensory world in them. Either with words or imagery.