The Instagram Tip I Can’t Stop Thinking About

A tiny tweak that’ll transform your content

My company (&Scene) has shifted away from full-service social media strategy and now focuses solely on content creation but I still get asked a lot about overall social strategy. And when I do, I send people straight to Shannon McKinstrie.

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There’s a lot of fluffy, recycled advice floating around out there, but Shannon is actually helpful. She’s practical, smart, no-BS, and shares advice that feels doable. Her Reels Lab program is excellent for small business owners who have the time to create their own content, but need a little guidance, and she’s always dropping gold on Instagram and her podcast.

One thing Shannon has been talking about lately and I can’t stop thinking about it: is the importance of using “I” instead of “we” in your content. Especially if you’re creating videos or captions for a personal brand, a small business, or even a brand with a big team that wants to feel approachable.

shannonmckinstrie

A post shared by @shannonmckinstrie

Here’s why this matters:

Content performs better when it feels personal. It feels real. It’s easier to connect with. When a post sounds like it’s coming from a human, not a polished corporate team, it makes us feel like we’re part of something. We see ourselves in it.

When your brand says, “We believe our customers deserve the best,” it sounds… like marketing. But when you say, “I really believe you deserve to feel confident walking into a room,” that feels different. It’s warm. It’s human. It’s shareable.

And sharing is the ultimate metric right now. Posts go viral because they’re shared, not because they’re polished. People share things they connect with, not things that sound like a press release. So even if you're managing a brand account, think: what would this sound like if our ideal customer was telling the story? Could we speak from their perspective instead of ours?

So this week, try this experiment:
Open up your last five posts and rewrite the captions using “I” or “me” instead of “we” or “our.” Talk like a person. Then watch what happens.

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For Paid Subscribers: A New Take on Weekly Trends

Instead of breaking everything down step-by-step, I’m now giving you a batch of Reel formats you can easily tweak to fit your brand. Personally, I think it’s a faster, more efficient way to plan your content calendar, but let me know if you totally hate it 😉