The Ugly Secret of Social Media Success (Not Going to Be Revealed by Your Gurus)
About six months ago, my notifications were looking pretty quiet for me. I had done everything that the “social media gurus” had been saying was necessary for my success. I’d invested in a good quality ring light, used 12 different popular songs for my audio background, and planned out 3 reels per day.
Social media success does not happen overnight — but if you follow the right social media success tips, results will come. A lot of people post daily, chase every trend, and still see no growth. Because there is a big difference between just posting and actually having a strategy. When you understand your audience, show up at the right time, and give them content that actually matters — that is when the algorithm works in your favor and real growth begins.
What did it give me? Silence. My posts averaged 42 views each – a number that includes views from my mother and cousin. At times, I would want to rip my hair out of frustration; when I thought about my lack of engagement, I’d ask myself if there was something wrong with me, if it was the algorithm’s fault, or if this was just how it worked social media today.
In the end, I stopped looking at social media like a math equation and treated it like actual human contact instead. I got rid of the formal sales scripts, quit worrying about looking “perfect,” and just started having a real conversation about the challenges of being a business owner.
What was the outcome? Engagement increase by 400% in one month.
Social media as a platform is not in disarray; instead, it’s our method of engagement that’s unbalanced! Are you fed up of pursuing elusive trends or simply want to know what will make users cease their scrolling actions, click on ‘Follow’, and purchase items from you? Then you’ve come to where you need to be. We are going explore the uncovered areas for us to learn what is currently happening on social media!
How “The Death of ‘Perfect'” Relates to Low Quality Content Winning
When Instagram first came out, we were told that if we wanted to be successful on the app, then our grids needed to look like the pages of a high-end magazine, with everything organized and arranged perfectly (in terms of lighting) and without any imperfections or flaws whatsoever.
The truth today is that people don’t want perfect anymore in their feeds.
When they see something that looks like a heavily produced television commercial, they recognize it as an ad very quickly and often swipe on by.
The type of content that tends to perform best in terms of user engagement is usually much more casual and seems more like something you would see from someone who is just living life every day.
Why Raw Content Connects so Much More:
- It creates instant trust – when someone watches a shaky, unedited video that you shot on your phone in your kitchen, they feel like they just had a FaceTime call with their friend!
- It decreases the barrier for creating content – by not worrying about getting perfect lighting, you can create more pieces of content faster and more frequently.
- It feels attainable – people do not want to purchase from an immaculate robot, they want to purchase from another human being that understands the messiness of their life!
Rather than taking the time to edit your video removing all those “um’s” and “ah’s,’ just leave them in. Let the background of your uncluttered home office/your remote office. Share a mistake you made this morning. Those types of things are precisely what will create the bond between your content and your audience!
#2. The Secret Currency – Optimizing for the “DM Share” (a.k.a. Understanding the New Algorithm Changes)
If you are still evaluating how successful your social media posts are by the number of ‘likes’ they get, you’re playing the wrong game.
The algorithm changes were significant, and now algorithms will reward content that starts private conversations. An algorithm’s highest form of approval for your content is when someone clicks on that airplane paper icon and sends the post directly to another friend’s direct message (DM).
The DM Rule: If your content leads a person to say, ‘Oh my God, this totally is us’ or ‘Hey – you gotta see this’ the algorithm will push your post to thousands more feeds.
Creating Shareable Content:
- Focus on specific problems: Don’t simply state “how to stay organized”. For example “How to clean your desk with severe creative ADHD”
- Use the “I feel attacked” humor: Create relatable memes that depict the ‘struggles’ of your industry. When folks laugh at their own struggles, they will share them immediately with their coworkers.
- Create actionable cheat sheets: Create step-by-step checklists to save people time. They will save them for themselves, share them with their team.
#3. The rise of Social Media Search Engine Optimization
The last time you had to find a place (cafe), no matter where you were in the world, to determine if they serve food that would suit you, was it Google you went to first or is it Tik Tok/Instagram?
If you’re under 30, most likely you opened one of the social media platforms first because they have now created a new platform that serves as a visual search engine. That’s right; if you’re not using social media to optimize for Keywords, you are leaving thousands of free views on the table. You don’t need to be a computer whiz to figure this out; you just have to change the way you write your captions.
Simple Tricks for Social SEO
- Get rid of vague captions. For example; “Chasing the horizon…” Use instead “3 Best Hiking Trails near Denver for Beginners”.
- Say your keyword out loud. The algorithms actually will listen for the audio on your video. When they’re looking for your main topic, state clearly the topic within the first three seconds of your video.
- Add text to the video. Put the searchable phrase (the name of the video) directly on the video itself as the title. This will help both the user and the social media platform understand your video’s subject.
#4. 3-SECONDS HOOK THAT STOPS ALL THUMB
You will have only 3 seconds or less to get a user interested in the video they are watching, or they will swipe to watch something else (i.e., a video of a dancing golden retriever). If you’re starting with a boring “Hey everyone—welcome back to my channel—I wanted to talk to you…” then you’re too late because they have already left.
You need to eliminate fluff and give lots of value from the moment you start the video.
[Boring Hook]: “I’m going to show you how to have a great morning routine.”
[Great Hook]: “How I saved my business with a 5-minute morning habit.”
3 FORMULAS THAT NEVER FAIL FOR HOOKS: THE NEGATIVE CALL OUT – STOP DOING [X] IF YOU WAN’T [Y]. (E.G. “STOP POSTING EVERY DAY IF YOU WANT TO GROW YOUR AUDIENCE.”)
- VISUAL PROOF – STARTING WITH THE END RESULT FIRST AND THEN SAYING “HERE IS THE MESSY WAY I DID THIS.”
- SECRET INVITATION – “THE LARGEST LIE YOU’VE EVER HEARD ABOUT [TOPIC] IS…”
#4. Burnout is Real: How to Build a Work-Flow That Creates Lasting Results
Social media management often feels like a constant chore for every hour of every day. The demands from social media for constant production can drain your creative resources quickly and make you want to stop using the applications altogether.
To remain sane while managing your workflow, you need to be smart, not necessarily hard-working; create a plan to eliminate the daily question of what to post on a daily basis, which can only bring about stress.
My simple way of batching content:
Week 1 – Dump your thoughts (1 hour): Write down everything you can think of in relation to customers, customer service, or customer from this week etc. No need to filter.
Week 2 – Create scripts & shoot (2 hours): Record five or six videos in one setting (if desired, change clothes once or twice between recordings to appear like they are recorded on different days).
Week 3 – Polish (1 hour): Write search engine optimized captions for all videos, add simple graphics/text, and schedule using a free content calendar.
In only four hours per week, you will produce enough content to maintain a fully supplied social media pipeline that leaves you plenty of time to grow and run your true business.
REINFORCING YOURSELF
All the digital technology in the world can’t replace people There’s so much generic, robotic noise on the Internet today. Create brands and creators who can cut through all of that are the ones that show up to be themselves. They are not trying to be perfect. Whatever the goal you have for using the internet, remember: Nothing will ever replace the importance of real relationships between people. There is an endless amount of cold or sterile content that has been produced by computers and the internet; therefore, the only people or businesses that stand out from the crowd of other creators are those who have had the courage to reveal themselves for who they are (flaws and all).
Don’t obsess over how to “game” the system; rather, start treating the people behind their screen as if they are sitting across the table from you at a coffee shop. Share what you’re proud of; take responsibility for what you haven’t done well; give away your best tips to help others at no cost – this will eventually result in creating an authentic community that has been built organically.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q1 How does the current Instagram algorithm prefer long-form videos or shorter form videos?
Yes, but in two ways. Yes, right now short-form content is favoured by the Instagram algorithm. Given the fact that the algorithm is currently favouring short-form videos between the length of 7 seconds and 15 seconds because of their ability to easily attract new followers. However, if users watch longer videos (60+ seconds), the algorithm will strongly promote that type of content. Therefore, be sure to create engaging content through value rather than length!
Q2: How can one incorporate AI without it feeling robotic?
Utilize AI for brainstorming hooks, organizing ideas, and developing outlines for content creation. Never allow AI to generate your actual captions or scripts. Personal accounts and human error are the basis of what people connect with.
Q3: Do scheduling apps negatively affect reach?
No, this is a common misconception. Social media platforms create entry points exclusively designed for third-party app platforms to enter content into a social platform. An algorithm only tracks engagement with a post once it has been posted, so where it originated (e.g., via a scheduling app) does not impact reach.
Q4: Are hashtags now considered expired?
No, they are not dead, but they have evolved. Hashtags do not cause virality anymore but have become more like indexed file folders that hold similar content together. Eliminate posting 30 general-purpose hashtags like #trending and replace them with 3-5 highly focused hashtags that accurately describe the content you posted.
Q5: What’s my next move when I experience a major drop in views for my posts?
Do not panic or alter your entire strategy. Your reach may fluctuate due to regular behind-the-scenes updates being made to social media platforms. Analyze your total Number of Shares and Saves. If they are remaining constant, then your core audience remains engaged. Continue producing quality content.
