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Are Your Social Media Channels A Reality Show Or A Magazine?

Do you create social media content in a strategic way?

Most people (and companies) don’t.

They just post whatever they feel like, what they think they’re supposed to post, whatever happens to be on their mind, or whatever seems clever when they’re drunk or bored.

Most people spend more time thinking about which hashtags they should use than the actual content they create.

If your approach to social media content is not the most strategic at the moment, here’s a simple way to change that.

Ask yourself this:

Are your social media channels a reality show or a magazine?

Most people default to a reality show approach because that’s what they see others doing.

They fill their feeds with selfies and content about their day-to-day activities including the places they go, food they eat, clothes they wear, and work they do.

They assume people follow them because they want to know what they’re up to, so that’s what they share.

And thus begins the never-ending selfie stream.

This approach can work for some people and some goals, but it’s rarely the most effective approach to social media content.

An alternate approach (and one I’ve found to be more effective and interesting in most cases) is to program your social channels the way you would a magazine.

A magazine doesn’t only feature content about its creators, it features a curated collection of content reflective of its creator’s interests, viewpoint, and expertise.

Let’s take Oprah for example.

Her magazine isn’t just a collection of articles about Oprah.

It’s a vessel to share content from and about others who fit nicely into Oprah’s worldview.

As a result, it’s way more interesting (if you’re the kind of person who finds Oprah-land an interesting place).

You can use that same approach with your social accounts and you’ll likely wind up with a more interesting — and valuable — experience for your audience.

There’s nothing wrong with the occasional selfie and you certainly should share the story of yourself, your work, and your art — but those doesn’t have to be the ONLY stories you tell on social media.

Here’s a fun/scary test to see just how much of a reality show approach you currently employ.

Look at your last 20 social media posts and count how many of them are specifically about you or something you create .

The higher the number, the more of a reality show character you’ve become.

Give the magazine approach a try — see how it feels and how your followers react.

I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.