XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments in the wine industry.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview John Jackson (Instagram: @attorneysomm), an attorney by day, wine drinker by night.  We ask John about how he got started in wine blogging and built his 11,000+ Instagram account in less than two years.  Robert and Peter discuss the methods John used to build his following, the Sips Around the Globe Initiative (Instagram: @sips.aroundtheglobe), and how he works with wineries to build their brand awareness. Other topics covered in this episode include:2007 Opus One - the wine that got him into wineHis favorite wines - Northern Rhones and older winesStart with InstagramNov 2018 - when he transitioned his personal account to attorneysommUsed it as a creative outlet for his business travelPosts 2-3x/week because of large time commitment to respond and engage with followers, he gets ~200 comments per postOther social platformsFacebook - mostly just mirrors the postsTwitter - just started trying to figure this outTikTok - claimed the name, but haven’t done much yetWine education - in the process of doing the WSET DiplomaFollowing demographics~33% US, Italy, France, Brazil (6.5%), UK60% male, 40% female82% 25-55 years oldGrowing his followershipTrips and winery tours built some followersWatched YouTube videos on how to grow followers for a monthStaggers content to not be too repetitiveGood content is keyResponding to peopleSupporting others who support himMistakes in growing followersFollow for follow backPosted more about restaurants vs wine - good to have a niche in the algorithm, moved food content to storiesSips Around the GlobeGroup of 11 influencers, each in a different country>100k collective followersWorks with wineries to reach a broad range of people globallyBrands send wine and work on a schedule, usually a 2-week collaborationEach influencer has a different angleWineries choose which countries to post inMostly European producers so farStarted in May 2020 - IG page has 1,500+ followers (July 2020)Content that worksHigh-quality price ratio (“QPR”) wines1st growth Bordeaux gets the most engagementLayout formats don’t do as well as regular picturesConsistency in what you’re posting aboutWorking with wineriesPayment sometimes in samples, sometimes in cashNeed to enjoy the brand and the wines to have consistency for followersTakes into account winery size and meansIG LivesWineries mostly reached out to himHave done Chateau Lagrange and Charles HeidsieckIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Get access to library episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.