Are you making this huge mistake on Instagram? Here's how to stop.
Learn how to truly connect with your audience and become the life of the (Instagram) party!
Hello again! This week, my family and I have been traveling in the Pacific Northwest - it’s our last vacation before school starts. Can you believe that fall is essentially here already? I’m in denial.
Welcome back to my weekly newsletter, The Grid Report! Below, we’re exploring how to avoid the biggest — and most tempting — misstep brands make on social media, why to avoid it, and what to do instead.
Starting TODAY, everything in the “What to Post This Week” section will only be available to paid subscribers (your subscription can likely be expensed through your company). Everything before the break will remain free.
This week, we’re correcting the biggest mistake brands make on social media: posting bland commercials about their product. Here’s some brutal honesty: Nobody is coming to Instagram to see pretty clips or photos of your product. It’s boring, and people just don’t care (sorry!). To truly connect with your audience, you need to promote the lifestyle your products will help them achieve. That’s why people come to Instagram — to feel something. They want an emotional connection with your brand. So, let’s explore how to give it to them.
Your social channels should sell a LIFESTYLE, not a product
Imagine you’re at a party. Would you rather chat with someone who kept talking about themselves all night? (omg, YAWN.) No way! You’d gravitate toward the person telling funny jokes, relatable quips, and interesting stories. Social media works the same way! You want to be the life of the party, sparking conversation, building loyalty, and keeping your audience coming back for more.
When you weave your products into a relatable but envy-inducing narrative, you create a bond that goes beyond monetary transaction. Your followers don't just see photos of your products; they see a slice of the life they want.
So, ask yourself: What does YOUR audience want in their heart-of-hearts?
The most successful brands have clearly identified and articulated the emotion they’re selling. And you guessed it! It’s bigger than their product. See this?
But, how do you do that?
MOST IMPORTANTLY, Know Your Audience: This requires some market research. You want to get a clear idea of who is following your account. What are their desires, interests, and pain points? Where do they shop? What music do they listen to? Do they have kids? Pets? Are they homeowners? What do they think is funny? You need to get inside their heads and learn how to speak their language. Then you can talk to them as their FRIEND.
Show Vivid, Real-Life Scenarios: Demonstrate how your products fit into everyday life. How does your product suit the life they want? What feelings are you trying to evoke? Prioritize content that embodies their aspirations, then fit your product into that scene. Rhode is especially good at this. Take the video below. There’s no text, and the makeup is barely in frame, but you can easily place yourself into this world.
Share User-Generated Content: Encourage your followers to share their experiences with your products, and repost their content. You want your feed to look like a friend’s. Imperfection is ok!
Engage with Trends: Stay updated on current trends, and incorporate them into your content. Instagram isn’t a serious platform. It’s silly and fun. Embrace that!
Highlight Behind-the-Scenes: Show the process behind your products or services to create a personal connection. Humans are curious; we want to see how the sausage is made. So, show us. The Outset does a great job with this.
Incorporate Storytelling: Share your own anecdotes from life and your business that resonate with your audience and showcase your brand values. How did you come up with that idea? Where did you learn about that specific process? How did you start your business? How did you get to where you are today? What have you learned so far this year?
Use Relatable Visuals: Keep your content casual and authentic. Don’t get too fancy! You can shoot your photos and videos on your iPhone. I love the content from We’re Not Really Strangers. Their videos feel simple, like anyone could create them on their own phone.
Create How-To Content: Provide tutorials or tips that show how your products can be used IRL. The more unique, the better. Remember, you’re competing with 2 billion other accounts, don’t just share ANOTHER influencer unboxing. BORING.
Post Memes: Use humor to connect with your audience and make your brand more relatable. Instagram is where people come to escape and have fun. Stop taking it so seriously!
Plan Seasonal Content: Align your content with seasonal events, holidays, and/or festivals to stay relevant. What is your audience doing and/or thinking about right now? Are they going to the Billie Eilish concert this fall? Are they making their kids’ Halloween costumes? Lean into that. Join in on that conversation as if you were their friend. (Do I sound like a broken record?)
My all-time FAVORITE brand to follow on Instagram is Duolingo. SaaS brands are notoriously difficult to market on social since they don’t have a physical product to shoot. Yet Duolingo has done EXACTLY what I’ve outlined above. They are silly and fun…. and have 3.2 million followers because of it.
Still curious about how this can work IRL? I can help! Visit my website, or send me a note below.
Including: why everyone wants to be “demure”, how to score with US Open trends, and why you should lean into those productive September vibes.
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