What's Poppin Reader Welcome To Content Corner!!!
Read the web version hereβ
This week:
π Instagram's new Instants feature and the quiet creator strategy inside it
π AI Alley: Codex just came to your phone (and what that actually means for you)
π The Inner Circle Drip framework: 3 steps to use Instants the right way
and more...
βSponsored by Lions Behavior β¬
οΈ Test AI. Build habits. Create fearlessly with no judgment.
π° What's Poppin
I was scrolling around 6:42 PM yesterday on Instagram, and I had to check my DMs because I got a message from Isiaha. I saw this weird photo feature that I've never seen before, though.
When I clicked on it, it was someone's selfie, then a POV of someone driving, and then a blurry picture of a coffee mug. I got instantly intrigued.
New feature alert!
Here's what nobody wants to say out loud: most of us are exhausted from performing.
Every post feels like it has to earn its place. It has to hit a certain metric and justify the time it took. The gap between what I want to share and what will actually work has gotten so wide that some days you just don't post at all.
You scroll, you consume, you wonder why. Real connection feels lost when it comes to Instagram
WELP I guess Instagram heard that and is trying something new....not all the way new. New on this app.
On May 13th, they launched Instants, a new feature where you share a disappearing photo to your close friends or people you follow back. No filters, no uploads from your camera roll, just the moment you're in, gone in 24 hours. The people watching it can't take a screenshot of it.
But I can't lie, this feels a little bit too familiar. It's giving BeReal and Snapchat clone.
Now, how does this apply to us? The smartest creators I know aren't building their brands in the main timelines anymore. They're building it in the DMs, in the group chats, and in the "I saw this and thought of you" moments.
Instants is where the energy lives now, and if you use it right, it's not a distraction from your strategy. It could be the strategy.
The Inner Circle Drip
- Step 1: Build your Close Friends list with intention. This isnβt your whole follower list. Itβs your 50-100 most engaged people: the ones who reply to Stories, who buy first, whoβve been around since early. Start there. Think of it like your inner circle, not your broadcast list.
- Step 2: Post one Instant per day, unfiltered. Behind-the-scenes of a creative decision. Your actual workspace at 9pm. Notes from a brainstorm. Nothing polished. The point is presence, not performance.
- Step 3: Soft-launch ideas here first. Before you drop a new video, offer, or framework, Instants it to your inner circle. βWorking on something. This is where my head is at.β You get real-time signal from your most invested people before you ship publicly. Thatβs not just connection... thatβs market research.
Instants won't grow your following. That's not what it's for. It's for deepening the relationships that already e xist, the ones that turn casual followers into real community members. Let me know if you have this feature and if you will be using it?
π AI Alley
Codex came to your phone β and here's why that matters for creators
OpenAI just dropped Codex inside ChatGPT on iOS and Android. It's available on all ChatGPT plans right now.
Hereβs what you can do from your phone:
- Monitor ongoing build tasks
- Review outputs
- Remove commands
- Switch between threads
- Start new projects
All without touching your laptop. For creators who are building systems, automations, or tools, the gap between "I have an idea" and "can I build this?" just got smaller. You're at a coffee shop, your automation breaks, you open up ChatGPT on your phone, and you fix it in three messages. You're on a walk, you got an idea for a new workflow, and you start the build right there
You don't need to code. You describe what you want in plain English. Codex builds it, and now you can do it from your pocket.
The creator who builds the fastest will win. Codex on mobile just cut the distance
So you already know you have to email me back about your biggest takeaway from this week's Content Corner take a screenshot and tag me in your stories (or Threads/Substack) so I know you liked this week's content. If not, I'll see you next Friday. Same time, same corner.
I'll Holla,
Nicky S
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