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Sarah Mitchell
Senior Engagement Strategist at UpGrow
Reels, video engagement, and like-velocity optimization
Credentials
- 4 years building engagement-growth playbooks at UpGrow
- Tracked first-hour like velocity across 18,000+ Instagram accounts
- Author of UpGrow's internal Reels Retention Framework
Areas of Expertise
About Sarah
Sarah Mitchell is UpGrow's Senior Engagement Strategist and has spent the last four years studying how Instagram's ranking signals respond to video pacing, caption structure, and first-hour like velocity. She joined UpGrow in 2022 after running paid social at a Brooklyn-based DTC agency, and now leads a 4-person engagement-research pod that ships weekly tactical breakdowns to UpGrow's 300,000+ readers. Her playbooks have helped UpGrow customers add a combined 41 million likes across 18,000 accounts. Sarah lives in Austin, lifts heavy three days a week, and writes most of UpGrow's Reels and likes coverage.
Articles by Sarah
How to Get Real Instagram Likes in 2026
Free and paid methods that actually work, plus why first-hour velocity shapes reach.
Instagram Likes Benchmarks 2026: UpGrow's Analysis of 12,400+ Accounts
Median likes by follower band, best posting windows, format performance, and first-hour velocity.
Are Bought Instagram Likes Safe in 2026? UpGrow's Detection Risk Analysis
Detection rates across 8 provider categories, penalties observed, and velocity risk zones.