KathaDaily tried three Instagram creators: one story brought 5 paying users, two dedicated reels brought 0
- 5
- Paying users from the story
- 0
- Paying users from 2 reels
- Not disclosed
- Budget
- Not disclosed
- Duration
To find her first readers, Manjiri collaborated with three Instagram creators for KathaDaily, a paid daily-stories site: one creator posted a story, two made dedicated reels. The story brought 5 paying users. The reels brought none.
01The problem
A new paid product with a small audience and no idea yet who the target reader is.
02The experiment
KathaDaily sends a short story from Indian texts (the Mahabharat, the Bhagavat, the Upanishads) every morning, as an alternative to starting the day on reels.
In her first influencer experiment, Manjiri worked with three Instagram creators: one posted an Instagram story, two made dedicated reels.
The story is what worked. About 10% of story viewers visited the site, and 3.8% of those visitors bought — she describes it as a targeted audience. The two reels brought in no paying users.
03Results
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Paying users from the story | 5 |
| Paying users from 2 reels | 0 |
| Visitor → purchasefrom the story's targeted audience | 3.8% |
| Story views → site visits | 10% |
| Revenue | Not disclosed |
| Spend | Not disclosed |
“Not disclosed” means the source doesn't say. We never estimate or fill in missing numbers.
04What worked — and what didn't
What worked
- A single Instagram story from a creator whose audience matched the product.
What didn't work
- Two dedicated reels from other creators: 0 paying users.
05Lessons
The result told her more about who her reader is than about which format to buy: the audience match mattered more than the effort of the post.
“The story brought in 5 paying users. The reels brought in 0.”
06Source & evidence
- View original
Originally shared on X · Jun 18, 2026
Instagram influencer marketing is super tricky
- View original
Also on X · Jun 5, 2026
experimented with influencer marketing for the first time this week
- View original
Also on X · Jun 5, 2026
it was an instagram story
Public source. Extracted from publicly available content by the founder.
Want to try this?
Copy this experiment
A checklist built from what Manjiri actually did. Their numbers are a reference, not a promise.
- 1
Pick the channel and tactic
Influencers & creators — Instagram creator collaborations: one story vs two dedicated reels.
- 2
Set a budget cap
Manjiri didn't say what it cost. Decide your cap before you start.
- 3
Set an end date
Manjiri didn't say how long it ran. Pick a review date before you start.
- 4
Copy what worked
From Manjiri's experience:
- ☐A single Instagram story from a creator whose audience matched the product.
- 5
Avoid what didn't
Where it went wrong:
- ☐Two dedicated reels from other creators: 0 paying users.
- 6
Track the same numbers
So you can compare like for like:
- ☐Paying users from the story
- ☐Paying users from 2 reels
- ☐Visitor → purchase
- ☐Story views → site visits
- ☐Revenue
- 7
Compare, then share what happened
Manjiri's headline result: 5 paying users from the story. Yours will differ — that's the point. Win or flop, the result is worth sharing.
Was this experiment useful?
Want the full playbook behind this?
Manjiri hasn't published a step-by-step playbook. If enough readers ask, we'll ask Manjiri for one.
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