 Ben & Jerry's proudly displays their core values, which guide all of their work on digital and in general. Ben & Jerry’s is the top-selling ice cream brand in the US and has a massive fan base of ice cream lovers all over the world. But they don’t just make ice cream. They also speak their values. Loudly and proudly. In fact, they’re one of America’s most outspoken brands. Often when we think of people making a stand on important issues, we think of activists, advocates and politicians… not big businesses. But time and time again, Ben & Jerry’s have shown that businesses can – and should – be a part of the most important conversations shaping our lives. Not only have they shown that living your values is important, but they have also laid out a roadmap for other businesses looking to join them in doing so - especially in regards to their very popular and very outspoken social media program. So let’s take a moment to explore some of Ben & Jerry’s top-performing posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and dissect just what makes their social media content so powerful. First off, if you didn’t already know, Ben & Jerry’s is a company that is seriously committed to progressive values. Human rights, social and economic justice, as well as protecting the environment make up the core tenets of their values. And these stances frame all of their work from the ice cream they make to the tweets they share. You can learn more about their values here. So what can we learn from this iconic brand that never accepts silence in the face of injustice? A lot! Lesson 1: Your Values Should Drive Your Entire Business - Not Just Your digital ContentThat’s the primary lesson to take from Ben & Jerry’s. If your values don’t touch every aspect of your business, then they won’t seem authentic when you throw a social post into the world in honor of some holiday or news event. Ben & Jerry’s constantly seeks out opportunities to support causes and they take big risks to fight for what they think is right. Take this post about a new ice cream flavor for example. It’s their fourth most popular Facebook post of the past year and it highlights their commitment to fighting for racial justice and equity.  Ben and Jerry's live their values in everything their business does. Not only did Ben & Jerry’s take the opportunity to voice support for an important cause, but they also put their money where their mouth is. By partnering with Colin Kaepernick, and committing to giving all of proceeds to his organization, Know Your Rights Camp, Ben & Jerry’s shows that they are a company that doesn’t just talk the talk on Twitter, but one that truly lives its values. While you and your organization may not be able to partner with Colin Kaepernick, your brand can still find ways to live your values. Start by naming them. What do you believe in and why do those beliefs matter. Once you’ve named them, share them with your employees, talk about them with community members. And of course show them in your content. Sometimes we have to take risks to do what is right. If you’re going to choose to voice your values, you’re also going to have to stand by them when they’re tested. That’s exactly what Ben & Jerry’s did this past summer during heightened tensions in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict when they ended their franchise agreements with stores in “occupied Palestinian territory.”  Sticking to your values isn't always easy, but it is always worth it. While plenty of very vocal people and organizations disagreed with this move from Ben & Jerry’s, the company stood true to its core value of advocating for human rights and dignity, above all else. It’s not always easy to do what we believe is right. But the fact is, when you do, people notice. Your employees know when you do – and even more so when you don’t! – stay true to your word. Your followers do too - just check out the comments of that Instagram post. And since 70% of consumers want to know what brands are doing to address social and environmental issues - social media is a great place to live your values! Lesson 2: Meet Your Customers Where They Are By Being Part of the ConversationAnother aspect of Ben & Jerry’s social media content that makes it so powerful is that the brand speaks to consumers at the moments when it counts the most.  When you know your values, you always know what to say. As the country, and many of us here in Wisconsin, were grappling with the outcome of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, Ben & Jerry’s came out with a statement showing the hypocrisy of the criminal justice system. Being a part of the conversation while it’s happening can be difficult - unless you, your staff, and your audience already know what your values are. Then, it's not nearly as hard. By having clear core values, Ben & Jerry’s was able to respond to this event as it was happening in a way that made their stance clear and that also contributed to the online conversation happening around the trial.  Don't just share your values, share your reasoning behind them like Ben & Jerry's did here. Ben and Jerry’s is also good at telling you why they feel a certain way about a timely issue. They provide transparent explanations and press releases that can take complicated issues and make their stance on them clear cut. Some followers are going to disagree with you. But by making your values clear, and backing them up with the thought process behind them, you will show that you're a business that's thinking about these issues critically and applying your values to them. By creating content that sparks or contributes to a conversation, while also explaining your position, you can encourage followers to interact with your business on social media while also building the trust of your most loyal customers, who likely feel the same way you do. Lesson 3: You Don’t Have to Fight Every Battle, And You Don’t Have to Fight Anything AloneWhile Ben & Jerry’s certainly doesn’t shy away from taking tough stances and big risks, they also don’t fight every battle. When you know who you are and what you value, it's easier to know what to say and when to say it. And your followers will better understand what to expect from you. Ben and Jerry’s is passionate about social justice. On 4/20, they could have easily just posted a joke about Half Baked or ice cream being the perfect cure for the munchies!. But this are no ordinary ice cream brand. Instead they posted about racial disparities in arrest rates for marijuana and the importance of passing the MORE act. They’re not out there taking on big tech or tweeting at particular politicians. But they are displaying their values in ways that make sense by informing their audience and urging them to action. This is something that any business can do. By talking about issues that make sense for the values your brand represents, you can build a loyal and dedicated following. You might not get every sale, but your values have a way of breaking through even the most crowded media environment. There are also plenty of ways to make your values relevant to your business, besides just talking about them on social media.  Partnerships with organizations or folks in your community can be a great way to share your values. Partnerships can also be a powerful way to do so. In this example, Ben & Jerry’s partnered with an activist organization, a Black-owned coffee producer, and a Black artist to advocate for transforming the way we approach public safety.
These kinds of partnerships can be developed for any business. If you’re a bank that values economic justice, partner with a local organization to help teach folks about financial literacy. Maybe you’re a clothing brand passionate about supporting animal shelters - that’s awesome. Partner with a local artist to make a T-shirt and donate part of the proceeds to a local shelter. Efforts like these will make it easier for you and your followers to stand up for what you believe in while also helping to amplify your presence in your community by bringing new people into your audience. Overall, we can really learn a lot about how to share values on social media from seeing how pros like Ben & Jerry’s do it. Their willingness to articulate and stick to their values permeates throughout their business, making them an active participant in important conversations, and a powerful ally to partners fighting for the same values. Your business can do this too… if you want. And when you do so, your employees and your followers will love you all the more. Looking for ways to further incorporate your values into your digital marketing program?
This is a short episode, adapted from an article I wrote 5 years, about the importance of engaging with positive comments on social media. It's as true today as it was the day I wrote it. So I wanted to share it with you, my podcast listeners.
If someone goes out of their way to say something nice about you on social, and you can't be bothered to smash that like button, you should re-evaluate why you are on social in the first place! Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream podcasts. And scroll down for a full episode transcript. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
I wrote a version of this post 5 years ago. It’s just as true today as it was then . So I wanted to share it with you, my podcast listeners.
On Friday night — five years ago — I went to see a Grammy winning bluegrass legend wow his crowd with songs spanning his 40+ year career. Because I’m both a bluegrass nerd and a social media nerd, I streamed one of his songs via Facebook Live. It was late on a weekend night and it didn’t get a lot of views in real time. But over the next 36 hours or so, it was watched a few dozen times. (And now I can go back and rewatch the band anytime I want on my personal Facebook page!) But truth be told, by Sunday night, I wasn’t thinking about the video anymore than I was about the drive to and from the show. But then Monday morning, something interesting happened — my video was “liked” by the bluegrass legend it featured. Now let’s be clear: I don’t think that this artist liked the post himself (although he might have). More likely it was a member of his marketing or management team. But the notification that he had liked my video popped up, and I have to be honest — I got excited. Like, more excited than I probably should have. I work in social media for a living. I know how this works. I know he probably has some marketing agency liking positive mentions of him online. But you know what: it still got its intended effect out of me! Having him like my video felt like getting a high five or a quick hello from a bluegrass legend. Does that digital high five mean that we are suddenly best friends? Of course not. Does it mean I can suddenly shred on the mandolin like he can? I wish! Am I still excited enough that it happened that I immediately wanted to tell all my friends about it? Yup. Liking that post cost him and his team literally nothing. Yet it added to my excitement about the show and about the artist overall. Social media serves many roles, not least of which is customer service and community relations. Think about yourself as a movie star. When you walk down the street, people are going to recognize you. You can't stop and have lunch with every fan. You can’t even stop and take a picture with them all or you’d never get anywhere. But you can nod and smile to everyone who waves at you. That’s what a "like" is on social media — it’s a head nod from a celebrity. It doesn’t suddenly make you best friends or ensure that they will buy your product/go see your next movie/buy your upcoming album. But it shows the fans that you are real, and that you respect them as people, not just as consumers. And it only takes as much time to create that connection as you need to give a single click of your mouse or tap on your phone. If someone posts about you or your business online, respond. Or at the very least, smash that like button. If they write you a review, thank them (or address any concerns as needed). But at the very least, like their post and let them know you see them and you appreciate them. If you see a celebrity on the street, and you wave at them, you are going to tell your friends one of two stories: “Oh my goodness, I just say this famous person on State Street. It was so cool!” *** OR *** “I just saw this famous person on State Street. He was kind of a jerk.” You’re the celebrity. Which would you prefer? Kevin Nicholson is running in the Republican primary to take on Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers in November. In 2018 he ran in the Republican primary to take on Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin. He didn’t win in 2018. His chances in 2022 are slim. Which is good - his politics are awful! But he’s running for higher office in my home state of Wisconsin - so of course I’m on his email list. (It’s part of my civic duty as a Wisconsin Digital Strategist to pay attention to such things!) His emails are boring. Run-of-the-mill copy-and-paste jobs screaming about the world ending and asking for $5 so he can fix it all. There are lots of big red buttons and 24 point fonts. Sign up for a dozen or so statewide Republican email programs and you can pretty much mix-and-match them amongst each other, just swapping names and logos. But... because I’m a huge digital and political nerd, I like to track my emails as they work their way through an ever-widening group of shady characters. That’s right <<<GASP>>> lots of political campaigns sell their email lists to the highest bidder. Scott Walker used the massive email list he built up throughout his thwarted Presidential campaign to help pay off his campaign debt. (You might recall he raised — and spent — a ton of money on his campaign, only to drop out before the Iowa primary.) He sold that sucker to anyone — and everyone — with money to burn. So yeah, for better or worse (and it’s definitely for worse) it’s common practice in politics to sell, rent and trade emails these days. “Selling or swapping your campaign’s email list is an amateur move that demonstrates a fundamental lack of respect for your own supporters. When someone signs up to hear from your campaign, they’re placing their trust in you with the understanding that you’ll use their contact information responsibly. Handing their email address over to a consultant or another campaign is an unethical betrayal of that trust that reflects poorly on the candidate and their campaign operation.” That’s according to Josh Nelson, the CEO of Civic Shout and a co-founder of The Juggernaut Project, two companies that help Democratic campaigns and progressive groups grow their opt-in email communities. He’s become a leading advocate in the space, publicly calling out bad actors with the aim of curbing such practices on both sides of the aisle. But here’s the thing about selling your email list: along with being unethical, it can also be risky. Which brings us back to Kevin Nicholson. Tracking Your Email Address with GmailSo most people don’t know this, but Google actually has a simple way to track your email address as it floats around the internet. Let’s say your email is WisconsinPolitics@gmail.com. When you sign up for an email list, you can add a simple tracking tag to your email. Doing so is extremely easy. Just add a + after your name and a keyword or phrase you want to track. For example: WisconsinPolitics+ScottWalker@gmail.com. Now anytime you get an email to that tracked version of your gmail address, it will actually be addressed not to WisconsinPolitics@gmail.com, but to WisconsinPolitics+ScottWalker@gmail.com. This makes it very easy to spot. So in the case of Kevin Nicholson, my email doesn’t come to Josh, but to josh+nicholson.  Pretty simple, right? Pro tip: this even works with professional email addresses run via Workplace (or G Suite as it was once called). So you could be SocialMedia@wisconsinpolitics.com. Simply add that + and now you’re SocialMedia+ScottWalker@wisconsinpolitics.com. It works exactly the same way. So when I signed up for Kevin Nicholson’s email list, I did so using a gmail tracker. It didn’t take long for me to start getting emails from questionable sources. But while the new senders were questionable, how they got my email address never was. First it was Sheriff David Clarke. And it was brutal. Like so bad I’ll spare you screenshots. But yeah, it was bad. Next up was the Wisconsin Conservative Digest. Never heard of them. Wish that was still the case. They send me massive screeds poorly formatted and… let’s just say I’m not their target demo. But then a few days ago, I got an email from them that I found interesting. Quite interesting in fact. While they don’t seem to be outright endorsing him, they published a letter from Tim Michels... who is also running in the Wisconsin Republican gubernatorial primary. So to clarify: Kevin Nicholson made a quick buck selling my email address… to a group that’s now openly promoting a candidate he’s running against. You love to see it!  That’s not just unethical, it’s also just bad politics. So that’s my cautionary tale for you. Have any of your own to share? Hit me up on Twitter. I can’t get enough of this stuff.
If you are running for office — or know someone who is — my team and I help progressive candidates and campaigns find, hone and tell their stories online.
A vanity url is a memorable url that will redirect to the page where you actually want to send people.
They are easy (and inexpensive) to set-up, and can help your user easily find your brand's important content and sub-campaigns. In this episode of Step Up Your Social, we delve into what they are, how to set them up, when you should use them and more. We also cover Bit.ly links and talk about when those can and should be used in lieu of vanity urls. If you aren't using both of these tools in your digital toolkit, you're making things harder than they need to be for your audience. Tune in today and learn more. Listen to the full episode here or wherever you stream podcasts. And scroll down for a full episode transcript. FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
The other day I was watching Hulu and I saw an ad pushing treatment for men suffering from a quote Bent Carrot.
If that sounds a bit phallic… well, yeah, that’s the idea. I tend to tune out most — if not all — medical ads, but this one got my attention. I mean, they took a sensitive issue and made it, if not funny, at least memorable. But what really got my attention was their url: bent carrot dot com. I mean, that is just an epic url for a company in the business of mending, ummm, bent carrots. Here’s the thing though - there's no website at that link. Bent carrot dot com is not a website - it’s a vanity url. What’s a vanity url? Think vanity license plates, but for landing pages. It’s a memorable url that will redirect to the page where you actually want to send people. It can serve a similar purpose as a QR code, but with one memorable exception from this past Super Bowl, most people aren’t gonna capture a QR code from a commercial. Just like having a great 1-800 number used to be the industry standard for anyone who wanted you to remember their phone number, vanity urls are a great way to help ensure people remember your website. If you go to bent carrot dot com, it simply redirects you to peyronies dash disease dot xiaflex dot com slash patient. Think anyone’s gonna remember that url? Of course not. But bent carrot dot com - yeah that one will stick with you. Even though you probably wish it wouldn’t. I was once working with a client on her digital program. Throughout the course of the engagement, it came out that she had a second website. There are certainly times where that can make sense. But I asked a few questions and I got a bit queasy on her behalf. This client had paid for an entire website, developed copy, worked up graphics… all the work that went into a website — when all she really wanted was a landing page for a vanity url she had bought. She wasn’t a musician - but to keep it simple let’s pretend she was. She already had her band's website. She had a new album out and she — smartly! — bought the url matching her album’s name. But to use it, she thought she needed to build a whole new website. Why is this bad? For so many reasons! The first is that she invested a ton of time and money into a new site. But she also made her users’ journey more complicated. If I like a band, I want all info about the band, INCLUDING THEIR ALBUMS, on a single site. Not spread out over a bunch of sites. AND by doing what she did, she actually hurt her SEO (or search engine optimization). Because her two websites are now competing with each other on Google for the same keywords. What should she have done instead? She should have simply built a landing page on her primary site and redirected her vanity url to it. Want an example of that? Head to stepupyoursocial.com. I mention that url in every episode of this podcast. But here’s the thing - that website doesn’t actually exist! It’s just a landing page on my primary website. It was easy to build (well, easier), it helps with my SEO, instead of hurting it, and it keeps my users’ journey clean and simple. After all, you can easily jump from my podcast page right to my blog. Or to my services or about page. You can learn all about who I am and what I do without ever leaving my site. So was this hard to do? Was it expensive? Good news: it doesn’t cost anything (beyond the cost of the url) and it takes about 60 seconds to set up. Go to wherever you buy your urls - I personally use NameCheap. But there are loads of alternatives, including Google Domains, domain.com, buydomains.com, GoDaddy. Lots of options. Once you own the url, simply go into the backend and redirect it to wherever you want it to go. I can’t give you step by step instructions because every platform is going to be a little bit different. But Google “redirect url [insert name of where you bought your domain]” and you’ll find step by step instructions just waiting for you. Follow those instructions and you should have this done in less time that it took watch that hilarious TikTok video you were just checking out. The hosting companies say it can take up to 30 minutes or so to take effect. I find it typically works within minutes. But just wanted to flag it might not work immediately. So that’s what vanity urls are. When should you use them? Anytime you want to have a memorable url for a sub-component of your brand that’s easy to remember. That might be bent carrot dot com. Or stepupyoursocial.com. Or the name of your band’s album. Or a program or campaign your organization is running. Or a video series you have created. Anything you want to be abl e to easily send people to without all those slashes and dashes after your primary url. The cost of a non-premium url is going to be about $10 a year give or take. (A premium url - like social media master dot com for example - could run tens of thousands of dollars.) While I’m personally partial to vanity urls, I also want to share a totally free workaround for you. Bitly. Bitly is a free link shortening tool. You can take any url and drop it into bitly and it will give you a short url that will redirect to your landing page of choice. This could be a page on your site. Or an article you think is important. Or a YouTube video you love. I use a bunch of vanity urls for my brand. But I also regularly use bitly links. Want my free Facebook live checklist? Head to bit.ly/facebooklivechecklist and download it today. Want to find a blog post I wrote, rounding up stock photo sites that focus on diversity? Head to bit.ly/diverse-photos And I’m not the only one. Want to watch Madonna’s Frozen Remix video on YouTube? Head to bit.ly/frozenremixvideo. Want to do a paid internship, spending your time diving off the West coast of Vancouver Island? Head to bit.ly/DiveIntern. I think you get the idea. Not every product needs a vanity url. For everything else, bitly links can be great substitutes. But big important caveat: don’t just create a bitly link. Customize it. Meaning switch it from the random letters and numbers they’ll assign you with something easy to remember, like FacebookLiveChecklist or FrozenRemixVideo. Doing so is free, quick and easy. If you’re not customizing your bitly links, you might as well be sending them to peyronies dash disease dot xiaflex dot com slash patient. And no one wants that. So get out there and set up your redirects. And if this episode was helpful to you, do me a favor and send a few folks to stepupyoursocial.com. They’ll be redirected to a landing page on my site - it’ll be exactly what they were looking for!
In case you missed it, this past weekend Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with members of Congress on a Zoom call to ask for more US assistance in Ukraine’s ongoing siege from Russia.
During the call, he asked for the establishment of a no-fly zone over the country, more direct military assistance, and a ban on Russian oil. While these are all difficult asks, Zelensky did have one request that should’ve been *extremely easy* for any member of Congress to agree to: please don’t share this meeting on social media until after it’s over, in order to help keep the beleaguered Ukrainian President safe. Although the meeting was highly publicized, sharing photos or posts during the meeting could’ve provided information about Zelensky’s location, which might have put the freedom-fighting President’s life at real risk. Despite this EXPLICIT warning - and the fact that politicians could’ve waited to score their social media points until after the meeting - a couple of Republican Senators just couldn’t help themselves. And of course one of their colleagues — two years into a pandemic — still hasn’t yet figured out how to mute his damn mic. Now, we are firm believers that “if it didn’t happen on social media - it didn’t really happen.” But that rule kinda goes out the window when it’s a matter of life and death. You know? Especially when the person whose life you’re risking is the internationally-beloved, embattled leader who has reportedly already survived three assassination attempts in the past week.
Marco Rubio, in yet another desperate attempt at relevance, was the first to succumb to the urge to wrack up some of those sweet, sweet retweets. Since then, Rubio’s team has fired back at critics, saying, “There was no identifying information of any kind. Anybody pretending this tweet is a security concern is a partisan seeking clicks.” Maybe that’s true - or maybe it’s not. The only thing that really matters here is that President Zelensky’s team specifically asked Rubio and his colleagues not to tweet about it. And he did anyway.
The worst part about this in Rubio’s case is that he’s the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Meaning that Rubio should probably be a bit more sensitive to this type of request than almost any member of Congress. Despite this, Rubio’s unquenchable thirst for social media fame just proved too strong a siren call to ignore.
Rubio wasn’t alone though in endangering the life of President Zelensky. Not to be outdone, Senator Steve Daines of Montana quickly fired off a tweet as well.
Maybe Daines doesn’t like to follow instructions. Or maybe, he just had different marching orders. Because Daines was one of numerous Republican Senators who spent the 4th of July hanging out in Moscow back in 2018. He was of course joined by Wisconsin’s own Russian sympathizer, Ron Johnson.
Meanwhile, while Rubio and Daines were setting off a tweetstorm with their ill-advised tweets, Rubio’s fellow Floridian Senator Rick Scott was just trying to figure out how mute his dang Zoom mic.
Perhaps Senator Scott should’ve spent less time working on his 11-point plan to turn America into a Hunger-Games-like dystopia and more time learning about the mysterious technology that is the Zoom mute button. (Pro tip: if you won’t be speaking much on a Zoom call, mute yourself and then simply use the space bar to unmute yourself as needed.) Since we at Reverbal Communications love to give advice to political candidates and elected officials (it's a big part of what we do - learn more here), here’s some advice for Senator Scott: Take some time to head down to The Villages in Florida and sign up for a Zoom intro course. Or better yet, just retire! Ultimately, the moral of the story is this - while it’s always good to share what you’re up to with your followers, you don’t always have to do it in the moment. This is especially true when you’ve been asked by an ambassador of a country under siege to hold a moment on sending out those fire tweets. In a time of absolute crisis and uncertainty, President Zelensky has come to be admired by many around the world as a fearless and inspirational leader - he’s a hero to his people and a symbol for the fight for democracy worldwide. The least Republican Senators can do is give him the opportunity to speak openly with the US without the fear of another Russian attempt on taking his life. Senators Rubio and Daines, with all due respect, both of you should please delete your accounts. Thanks!
Last weekend, Scott Walker made a trip to Star Wars Galaxy Edge at Disney World's Hollywood Studios. Maybe he went to pay homage to his childhood hero and personal role model Darth Vader. Maybe he just needed a way to fill the days while not serving as Wisconsin's Governor.
While it's not clear what he loves most about the leader of the evil empire - perhaps it’s his icy-cold cyborg personality or his lack of empathy for everyday people - we do know one thing: Scott Walker found inspiration lurking in the dark side. That inspiration led Walker to take a moment from his tour to drop this ridiculous tweet.
This tweet is bad — on so many levels. Not only is he glorifying Ukrainian suffering - but he’s using that suffering to compare an illegitimate occupation from foreign forces with a border crisis largely manufactured by right-wing media and talking heads... like Walker himself.
The people entering Ukraine are doing so with tanks and missiles. The people at our southern border are refugees looking for a better life. Needless to say, there’s not too much in common between those two groups. Part of us wants to be thankful that Walker isn’t praising Putin like other Republicans (looking at you Trump and Tucker Carlson) - but nonetheless, this tweet is disgusting - even more so when you know it’s coming from the “most magical place on earth.” For context his southern border tweet was sent just 3 hours after this tweet:
Have no fear though, just like in the galaxy far, far away, the dark side is strong, but the side of light and Resistance is stronger.
In this galaxy though, we fight not with lightsabers and lasers, but with quote tweets and Twitter dunks. We rounded up some of the best and most memorable smackdowns of this truly awful and absurd tweet for your enjoyment: Calling out Walker’s past meetings with Russian spies
Ever wonder who funds the GOP empire? This Twitter user has answers.
Trump doesn’t seem too willing to take up arms - we’re guessing Walker wouldn’t be either.
Twitter won’t let Walker forget about his failed bid for President.
This Twitter user thinks Walker needs a civics lesson. We agree.
Ukrainian freedom fighters and Republican “freedom fighters” are NOT the same.— Jo Burchfield □ (@burchfieldjo) February 27, 2022 It’s hard to keep track of reality when you’re buzzing off the Disney Land vibes.
Scott might not take his arms to protect his country - but he sure did destroy that sandwich.
Thankfully, Scott Walker’s not too relevant these days, unless you’re a CPAC bro or someone pining for the old days of union busting up and the dismantling of Wisconsin’s working class.
And while we'd of course prefer to ignore Scott Walker for the rest of time and pretend he ever existed, it's hard to witness this kind of disgusting politicization of a tragedy like the one unfolding in Ukraine and not get mad. So what choice is there but to point out the hypocrisy of someone like Scott Walker. Hopefully next time he takes a trip to the dark side, he can stay off the socials and just keep his bad takes to himself. One more fun fact for you on this truly awful tweet: it currently has 1158 retweets. But of those, 971 are quotes tweets (just shy of 84%). That is just a whole other level of getting ratioed! If anything in that previous paragraph is confusing to you, you should take my Super Twitterer course! And if you're running for office or looking to help be a force for good in the world, get in touch! We help progressive campaigns, candidates and organizations find, hone and tell their stories online.
Lucas Kunce announced his campaign to flip Roy Blunt’s open Missouri Senate seat in March of 2021. His rapid rise to national renown and social media stardom has been nothing short of meteoric.
Within a little under a year, Kunce has amassed a Twitter following of over 47,000 followers and out-fundraised the entire Republican field in Missouri, totaling $2.5 million in contributions in 2021 and $710,000 in the fourth quarter of 2021 alone. And he’s done all of that without accepting a single dollar from any corporate PAC. His average donation sits at just around $38 dollars. So how did Kunce pull this off? Authenticity. These days, the writing on the wall is pretty clear. Most voters don’t want to elect politicians. They want to elect people that look like them, sound like them, and that resonate with their lived experiences. We find this to be especially true in rust belt states where voters have felt abandoned by career politicians and what they see as the Washington establishment. Kunce and his campaign know that there’s a desire for authenticity and they’ve mobilized and centered their campaign around it. Their platform, messaging, and even the wording throughout their social media posts take the story of Kunce, a Marine veteran turned antitrust advocate, and use it to make real connections with the campaign’s supporters. (What's an antitrust advocate you might ask - it's someone fighting to end corporate monopolies and break up large corporations like big pharmaceutical companies.) This path is not only working for Kunce, but charts a path forward for any other current or would-be candidate. Or really any organization trying to make a difference in the world! It serves as a reminder that we all have a story to tell that’s not only relevant, but also engaging. And honest. And doesn't speak at the people but aims to connect with them! You just have to be sure you're stepping up to tell it. To understand who Kunce, a first-time candidate who started his campaign with almost name ID, pulled off this impressive feat, let’s take a look at his top 10 tweets since announcing his candidacy — ranked by engagement — to see how he did it. Calling out the insulin cartel - 36,602 engagements
An estimated 516,000 Missourians had doctor-diagnosed diabetes in 2020. This is a politically relevant constituency that has been paying too much for insulin for far too long.
Kunce is running as an antitrust candidate. He found his niche here by tying back his platform to an issue that’s relevant — and personal! — for many so Missourians. His social copy explains this issue in a way that’s easy to understand while also matching his authentic voice. No wonder this post had over 36,000 engagements! Taking on a GOP Rival, mark McCloskey - 33,697 engagements
Remember this disturbing moment from the summer of 2020? Mark McCloskey and his wife, Patricia, paraded out of their mansion to wave an assault rifle and a handgun to “protect” themselves from peaceful Black Lives Matter protestors. Since then, they’ve been featured at the 2020 RNC and McCloskey has announced his candidacy for Senate.
Kunce was a Marine who used the same type of assault weapon in service to his country, not to stifle free speech. He sums up that distinction well in this tweet. Masculine and pro-video games? - 23,411 engagements
Kunce isn’t much interested in the ridiculous ramblings of insurrection-inciting and Putin-supporting Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, who’s very concerned about the effects of video games on male youth.
Kunce was able to come back to Hawley's absurd claim with an authentic rebuttal that wasn’t just relatable, but also doubled down on his credentials. We think it was a pretty perfect response. A challenge to mansion man Mccloskey - 20,986 engagements
Next, Kunce solves the age-old question for candidates in a battleground or red state. Do I shoot a gun on camera to show off my gun-toting creds, or not? Here, he takes a unique stance by rejecting the old trope of on-camera gunplay and instead challenging McCloskey to apologize to the people he threatened in exchange for a private weapons training class with Kunce himself.
He used this fun take to call out a rival and make a real statement in the process. Kunce doesn’t have to prove he knows how to use an assault rifle. He did it for 13 years on missions serving our country - not in a vapid show of support to the CPAC and NRA crowds. Calling out politicians moonlighting as day traders - 15,215 engagements
With this tweet, Kunce joined many of his progressive counterparts in highlighting the undemocratic trend of politicians moonlighting as day traders. This is exactly the type of behavior that has turned off so many voters from politics. And Kunce knows it.
He calls out politicians on both sides of the aisle, furthering his antitrust bona fides, while also getting national press for helping to push an important issue. Highlighting the hypocrisy of nation building - 14,023 engagements
Here, Kunce uses his background as a veteran to make a very powerful statement. The same politicians that were comfortable dumping trillions into a failed war won’t even budge on spending half that to build up our own country.
One of Kunce’s major pieces of his platform is a “Marshall Plan for the Midwest,” and he’s able to share it effectively online through his personal story and smart messaging. kunce calls for nation building at home - 13,656 engagements
Kunce continues this theme throughout his messaging and does so to great effect. His campaign has a clear hypothesis: Midwesterners, and particularly Missourians, have felt left behind by a government that is more worried about building overseas than here at home.
This type of sentiment has led to the rise of populist Republicans such as the orange menace himself. But Kunce, and many others like him, clearly believe it can be flipped into a message for Democrats looking to reconnect with middle-class voters who feel burned and abandoned by the Republican party. Contrasting himself with another sleazy opponent, eric greitens - 10,312 engagements
While McClosky might be the most cartoonish candidate vying for the Republican nomination, his claim to the nomination is far from a lock. Eric Greitens, who’s most likely to be Kunce’s Republican opponent (despite his party’s best attempts to stop him), resigned as Missouri’s Governor in disgrace, after a disturbing history of intimidation, sexual assault and invasion of privacy came to light.
Missouri voters have yet to forget about his awful past, and the Kunce campaign wants to make sure it stays that way. Easy to understand antitrust messaging - 10,054 engagements
The price of insulin has surged in recent years, placing a life-and-death medication out of reach of far too many Americans. For Kunce, an antitrust advocate, this issue to ripe for the campaign trail. And he does a phenomenal job of taking what could be a very complex issue and making it simple and easy to understand.
Companies are working together to exploit the necessary health needs of Americans, which is something that Kunce won’t stand for. Along with over 10,000 people who engaged with this tweet. advocating for investments in the us, not abroad - 8,023 engagements
As you’ve noticed, consistency is key when it comes to building authentic relationships with your followers. Kunce maintains — and leans into — the same set of stances on issues such as antitrust legislation and building up the middle class.
His social media presence shows that although political tides may change, Kunce and his values doesn’t. He’s still the same person - the Marine vet from Jeff City who’s going to fight for the working people of Missouri, not the millionaires and the billionaires. Throughout Kunce’s tweets, we can see a clear image of Kunce as a candidate. He’s authentic and relatable to voters in Missouri — as well as donors and social media followers across the country — and while his message is definitely carefully crafted, it never comes off that way. And here’s the thing: any candidate regardless of budget or experience can do this too. Speak how you actually speak, say what you’d actually say, fight for positions you actually care about… and above all else, tell your story. If you need help doing it — hit us up! This is what we do here at Reverbal Communications. Together, we’ll help you and your campaign or organization find ways to share your story with your audience in ways that engage and inspire. Maybe we can even help you capture the same lightning-in-a-bottle energy that Kunce managed to pull off to turn himself into an overnight political star. 
Pete Souza is famous for being President Obama’s photographer. But he also served as the Chief Official White House Photographer for Ronald Reagan.
He wrote a book during the Trump years called “Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents,” where he rounded up all the phenomenal Shade he threw at Trump by comparing the bad news cycle of his day to great moments from President Obama’s administration. It’s a great book full of unbelievable photography — and hilarious snark — that takes the reader behind the scenes into some of the most intimate and powerful moments of the Obama Presidency, while also helping to clarify just what an unserious person his successor was. After properly trolling DJT for some time, Souza has now formally turned his attention to Dr. Ronny Jackson, a Republican Congressman representing TX-13. If you don’t know Dr. Ronny, it may seem odd that this world class photojournalist would bother spending so much energy tearing him down. But Dr. Ronny isn’t just any Congressperson - before getting elected to office in 2020, he served as White House physician to both Presidents Obama and Trump. He was very well liked by many members of Obama’s team - there’s definitely a lot of head scratching going on in Obamaland about what the heck happened to the guy. If you’ve never heard his name, you might remember him as the guy who gushed that then-President Trump was in “excellent health” and that if he adjusted his diet, just a bit, he might just live to 200. This would have been hilarious if Ronny Jackson was just some Trump fanboi on Twitter. But of course he wasn’t – he was Trump’s official White House doctor. So instead of being funny, it was absurd, bordering on dangerous. So yeah, Dr. Ronny went from a beloved member of Team Obama, to a drooling Trump sycophant to… a member of Congress?! And in his latter capacity, he has been working overtime to troll President Biden on Twitter as both physically and mentally unfit for office. Is Dr. Ronny a hypocrite for helping promote the idea that President Trump was fit to serve another - checks note - 120 years(!!!), but that President Biden is somehow unfit for the job at hand? Yes. Yes he is. And Pete Souza has the receipts to show just what a hypocrite Dr. Ronny really is. Souza’s been sharing those receipts on Twitter for a while now, and his fire just continues to grow! He’s got the stats, the stories, and a bunch of intimate shots to show just what a craven, hypocrite Dr. Ronny Jackson has become. Each tweet from Souza should serve as a valuable warning to all Twitter trolls (whether or not they’re elected officials) - if you’re going to share awful, offensive views, don’t forget who knows where your skeletons are - especially if they’re a famous photographer with a substantial platform! It’s been fun watching Souza eat Dr. Ronny’s lunch the last few months. And at some point, it just became too fun to not do a roundup. So here are some of Souza’s most popular digs, curated for your enjoyment: Here's Souza’s Questioning Dr. Ronny’s knowledge of the Bible
|
|
For local voters
|
For out of state voters
|
For ineligible voters
|
Finally, one cool feature worth highlighting is John Fetterman’s chatbot on his website, which is run through a Facebook Chat Plugin.
The chatbot has three paths based on voting status including in-state, out-of-state, and ineligible to vote. Throughout these paths, the bot collects valuable information for the campaign such as contact information, how likely a person is to support Fetterman or other Democratic candidates, and can even sign people up for campaign communications and help them make donations.
All in all, we can see two very different approaches to designing a campaign website that ultimately lead us to the same goals - politicians looking to show who they are and what they’re about while making it as easy as possible to drive action on their website.
The chatbot has three paths based on voting status including in-state, out-of-state, and ineligible to vote. Throughout these paths, the bot collects valuable information for the campaign such as contact information, how likely a person is to support Fetterman or other Democratic candidates, and can even sign people up for campaign communications and help them make donations.
All in all, we can see two very different approaches to designing a campaign website that ultimately lead us to the same goals - politicians looking to show who they are and what they’re about while making it as easy as possible to drive action on their website.
Social Media
While websites are a more static place for folks to interact with a campaign, social media should be used to keep a politician’s followers up to date on what’s going on with the campaign, what's happening in the community, and show followers how they can get involved.
Both of these candidates have unique skills that help them greatly on social media. Fetterman’s personality and strong ideas lend themselves to creating social media content that drives donations and engagement from progressives throughout the country. Dr. Oz started his campaign with millions of followers across his pages, thanks to his long history in the public spotlight.
To learn some lessons from John Fetterman and Dr. Oz’s social media, we can break down their followings by platform, how often they post, their follower engagement levels, and also look at some unique properties of each candidate’s social media strategy.
Both of these candidates have unique skills that help them greatly on social media. Fetterman’s personality and strong ideas lend themselves to creating social media content that drives donations and engagement from progressives throughout the country. Dr. Oz started his campaign with millions of followers across his pages, thanks to his long history in the public spotlight.
To learn some lessons from John Fetterman and Dr. Oz’s social media, we can break down their followings by platform, how often they post, their follower engagement levels, and also look at some unique properties of each candidate’s social media strategy.
Being a celebrity definitely helps a politician get their jumpstart on social media - but the size of your following isn't everything. (Follower counts were taken right at the end of 2021.)
First, by reviewing the overall followings for each politician’s account, we can see that Dr. Oz entered into this race with a much larger total following than John Fetterman.
While his numbers look big on their face (huge really!), we need to consider a couple of things. First, Dr. Oz converted his TV show accounts to campaign accounts. This means that although his following may look large, the majority of his followers are likely not Pennsylvanians or even out-of-state political supporters. Heck a ton of them likely don’t live in America, and a whole bunch more probably do not agree with his political platform.
The second interesting note here is that at the time of this writing, Dr. Oz has still not really converted his show’s Instagram account to a political one. This is a surprising choice given the new mission of his accounts on his other platforms, as well as his massive following on Instagram (over a million!).
Posting frequency
Since the start of their respective campaigns, the Fetterman campaign has posted on Facebook an average of 1.8x per day to Dr. Oz’s 2.6x per day.
On Twitter, the numbers are closer with 2.6 tweets per day for Fetterman and 2.8 tweets per day for Oz.
Lastly, Fetterman takes the easy win on Instagram with an average of just shy of one post per day while Dr. Oz has only posted about his campaign once.
While Dr. Oz is on TikTok, he's only posted a small handful of times since the start of his campaign.
While his numbers look big on their face (huge really!), we need to consider a couple of things. First, Dr. Oz converted his TV show accounts to campaign accounts. This means that although his following may look large, the majority of his followers are likely not Pennsylvanians or even out-of-state political supporters. Heck a ton of them likely don’t live in America, and a whole bunch more probably do not agree with his political platform.
The second interesting note here is that at the time of this writing, Dr. Oz has still not really converted his show’s Instagram account to a political one. This is a surprising choice given the new mission of his accounts on his other platforms, as well as his massive following on Instagram (over a million!).
Posting frequency
Since the start of their respective campaigns, the Fetterman campaign has posted on Facebook an average of 1.8x per day to Dr. Oz’s 2.6x per day.
On Twitter, the numbers are closer with 2.6 tweets per day for Fetterman and 2.8 tweets per day for Oz.
Lastly, Fetterman takes the easy win on Instagram with an average of just shy of one post per day while Dr. Oz has only posted about his campaign once.
While Dr. Oz is on TikTok, he's only posted a small handful of times since the start of his campaign.
Numbers can be deceiving, but when we look hard at a page, we can begin to see some trends.
Engagement
While posting often is important to growing a following, it’s engagement that really matters. We can see an interesting shift here when we comparing the two candidates’ Facebook accounts. Note that while Dr. Oz has a FAR larger following, Fetterman gets a much higher engagement rate per post.
This makes sense - people follow Fetterman on social because they like him and his politics. People follow Dr. Oz on social because they like quack science and Oprah told them too. Not exactly a captive audience when it comes to running a political campaign.
While posting often is important to growing a following, it’s engagement that really matters. We can see an interesting shift here when we comparing the two candidates’ Facebook accounts. Note that while Dr. Oz has a FAR larger following, Fetterman gets a much higher engagement rate per post.
This makes sense - people follow Fetterman on social because they like him and his politics. People follow Dr. Oz on social because they like quack science and Oprah told them too. Not exactly a captive audience when it comes to running a political campaign.
These days, Twitter plays a role in most politicians' campaigns.
Engagement can also give us insight into which of our candidates’ platforms figure most prominently to their social media strategy. For example, Twitter is Fetterman’s most prominent platform with a top post engagement total of 154,594 engagements.
Dr. Oz's most engaged with campaign post is on Facebook and centers on his fears of being canceled by the ladies of The View.
Alternatively, out of all of his posts across platforms, Dr. Oz has found the most engagement on a Facebook post with 80,451 engagements. But bear in mind, he has millions of followers - so while that’s a lot of engagements, the engagement rate is actually quite small.
We give Levi and Artie both the award for MVP - Most Valuable Pups.
Last but not least, each candidate has unique parts of their social media campaign which extend the strengths of their messaging strategies.
For John Fetterman’s campaign it’s his family members. This includes an Instagram account for his wife Gisele and a Twitter account for his dogs, Levi and Artie. These accounts both have sizable followings (31,900 followers for Gisele and 24,100 followers for the Fetterman pups), and allow the Fetterman campaign to amplify messages and show a different side of John Fetterman’s life.
For John Fetterman’s campaign it’s his family members. This includes an Instagram account for his wife Gisele and a Twitter account for his dogs, Levi and Artie. These accounts both have sizable followings (31,900 followers for Gisele and 24,100 followers for the Fetterman pups), and allow the Fetterman campaign to amplify messages and show a different side of John Fetterman’s life.
Dr. Oz's days of daytime TV may be behind him (for now), but he's still strong on the camera.
Again, Dr. Oz’s social media strength lies in his ability to easily produce high-quality media with his team. This becomes incredibly apparent when viewing Dr. Oz’s few TikToks or his videos on his YouTube account which has quite a large following. Anyone can learn how to have a strong presence on camera, but Dr. Oz has been developing his presence and persona for decades.
What We Learned
So what? Now that we’ve taken a deeper look into John Fetterman and Dr. Oz’s digital media presence, what can we take away from our deep dive?
Well, for one thing, this is a great reminder that your digital presence matters. A lot. You need to post quality content that is geared towards your audience, create a website that tells your story, and make sure that all elements of your digital campaign are designed to meet your organizational goals.
Fetterman’s campaign tells the story of a progressive fighter who’s worked hard to make his state better. Dr. Oz on the other hand reaches his audience by leveraging his unique character to make a stance that can appear both authoritative on issues such as COVID while also flying in the face of what he sees as the “establishment.”
One important lesson is that where your audience comes from matters. Anyone can get followers in the wrong ways. But if your audience doesn't care about your content, it doesn't really matter how many of them there are. Social media (and digital in general), like everything, is about quality, not quantity. Keep that in mind the next time you're worried about your Facebook Likes not going up fast enough. Sure, keep an eye on that number. But pay way more attention to your engagement rates than your page likes.
Hopefully this was helpful. And never forget - we dug into Dr. Oz’s digital program so you wouldn’t have to!
What We Learned
So what? Now that we’ve taken a deeper look into John Fetterman and Dr. Oz’s digital media presence, what can we take away from our deep dive?
Well, for one thing, this is a great reminder that your digital presence matters. A lot. You need to post quality content that is geared towards your audience, create a website that tells your story, and make sure that all elements of your digital campaign are designed to meet your organizational goals.
Fetterman’s campaign tells the story of a progressive fighter who’s worked hard to make his state better. Dr. Oz on the other hand reaches his audience by leveraging his unique character to make a stance that can appear both authoritative on issues such as COVID while also flying in the face of what he sees as the “establishment.”
One important lesson is that where your audience comes from matters. Anyone can get followers in the wrong ways. But if your audience doesn't care about your content, it doesn't really matter how many of them there are. Social media (and digital in general), like everything, is about quality, not quantity. Keep that in mind the next time you're worried about your Facebook Likes not going up fast enough. Sure, keep an eye on that number. But pay way more attention to your engagement rates than your page likes.
Hopefully this was helpful. And never forget - we dug into Dr. Oz’s digital program so you wouldn’t have to!
Looking to take your digital program to the next level?
Head to joshklemons.com/politics to learn more about how we help political campaigns step up their digital programs or drop us a line today.
This post was written in collaboration with Nick Dotson.
On any given week, I can create, edit, manage and/or directly post north of a hundred pieces of content to social media. These posts get shared on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google My Business… all that fun stuff!
Some of the posts are for my own channels - many are for my clients.
I’ve experimented with a lot of third party scheduling tools. And I mean a lot!
But for the cost and the power, I’ve yet to find one that comes even close to Publer.io.
In this post, I'm going to give you 10 reasons why I use Publer to schedule and manage social media content for both myself and for my clients.
Some of the posts are for my own channels - many are for my clients.
I’ve experimented with a lot of third party scheduling tools. And I mean a lot!
But for the cost and the power, I’ve yet to find one that comes even close to Publer.io.
In this post, I'm going to give you 10 reasons why I use Publer to schedule and manage social media content for both myself and for my clients.
1) You can customize social media posts by channel
Over the years, I’ve used a bunch of the better known social media scheduling tools. Whether free or pricey, almost all of them lacked this one key feature and it caused me endless headaches. (I’ll mention here that Agorapulse DOES have this feature but their price point is significantly higher than Publer, as well as Buffer, Hootsuite, etc.)
This feature has been kind of a game changer for me to be honest. In fact, it’s such a big one, you can just skip the rest of my list and go ahead and sign up today at publer.io if you're so inclined.
So let’s say I wanted to do a post thanking WisDems (that’s shorthand for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin) for hosting an event.
I can create a single post in Publer, and then edit it as needed by channel.
Which matters SO MUCH if you want to be able to tag WisDems (or anyone else!) in your post.
In Buffer and Hootsuite, you have three options.
Not tagging someone on social media is like talking to them on the phone without first dialing their number. They might hear you, but probably not! You’re missing an opportunity to build on your relationship online and potentially get in front of their audience.
Tagging people with broken links… well that’s worse than not tagging them at all!
This feature has been kind of a game changer for me to be honest. In fact, it’s such a big one, you can just skip the rest of my list and go ahead and sign up today at publer.io if you're so inclined.
So let’s say I wanted to do a post thanking WisDems (that’s shorthand for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin) for hosting an event.
I can create a single post in Publer, and then edit it as needed by channel.
Which matters SO MUCH if you want to be able to tag WisDems (or anyone else!) in your post.
In Buffer and Hootsuite, you have three options.
- Create separate posts for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc, making sure that each post is just right
- Don’t tag them on any channel
- Tag them on one channel and let the remaining channels show a broken link
Not tagging someone on social media is like talking to them on the phone without first dialing their number. They might hear you, but probably not! You’re missing an opportunity to build on your relationship online and potentially get in front of their audience.
Tagging people with broken links… well that’s worse than not tagging them at all!
Publer solves this problem completely. Create your post once and then click the little street sign icon in the bottom left corner.
Now you can edit your post by channel.
And for what it’s worth - you have plenty of channels to choose from. Publer lets you post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google My Business, YouTube, and WordPress. And apparently they have more channels on the way.
And for what it’s worth - you have plenty of channels to choose from. Publer lets you post on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google My Business, YouTube, and WordPress. And apparently they have more channels on the way.
Often, editing by channel is as simple as making sure all tags are correct.
But you can also use this feature to specify which graphics you want to use on which platform. Or to share unique utm links per channel, if you’re looking to track links in Google Analytics or elsewhere.
Sometimes, a post that works great for Facebook will be just a bit too long for Twitter. Time to put on the old editing cap and whittle that post down.
OR if your post is far too long for whittling down, you can hop over to reason number 2 why I so love Publer, and create yourself a tweet thread!
But you can also use this feature to specify which graphics you want to use on which platform. Or to share unique utm links per channel, if you’re looking to track links in Google Analytics or elsewhere.
Sometimes, a post that works great for Facebook will be just a bit too long for Twitter. Time to put on the old editing cap and whittle that post down.
OR if your post is far too long for whittling down, you can hop over to reason number 2 why I so love Publer, and create yourself a tweet thread!
2) You Can Create Tweet Threads In Publer
Sometimes you can say everything you need to say in just a few words. For everything else, there’s tweet threads!
Twitter limits posts to 280 characters. If that’s not enough space to get your message across, you can thread your tweets together to create a longer piece of content.
This was actually a user generated concept — users looking to go beyond characters limits (at the time a paltry 140!) started simply replying to their own tweets. Sometimes once, sometimes dozens of times. They literally started “threading” their tweets. As Twitter so loves to do, they took tools the users were already hacking together and implemented them into the platform.
But there was a problem. Until recently, Twitter’s API didn’t allow 3rd party tools to create threaded tweets. Mindbogglingly, this included Tweetdeck, which is owned by Twitter and STILL doesn't have the functionality! That’s right, if you want to schedule tweets in a platform owned by Twitter, you have long had the option to do so through Tweetdeck. But even today, you can only create single tweets - not tweet threads.
The same is true of pretty much every other third-party tool I’ve tested. Until I found Publer.
Publer let you schedule responses to posts on any channel, even with an optional built-in delay. And for Twitter, they let you schedule as many responses as you want - aka - tweet threads!
Start by typing your first tweet.
Twitter limits posts to 280 characters. If that’s not enough space to get your message across, you can thread your tweets together to create a longer piece of content.
This was actually a user generated concept — users looking to go beyond characters limits (at the time a paltry 140!) started simply replying to their own tweets. Sometimes once, sometimes dozens of times. They literally started “threading” their tweets. As Twitter so loves to do, they took tools the users were already hacking together and implemented them into the platform.
But there was a problem. Until recently, Twitter’s API didn’t allow 3rd party tools to create threaded tweets. Mindbogglingly, this included Tweetdeck, which is owned by Twitter and STILL doesn't have the functionality! That’s right, if you want to schedule tweets in a platform owned by Twitter, you have long had the option to do so through Tweetdeck. But even today, you can only create single tweets - not tweet threads.
The same is true of pretty much every other third-party tool I’ve tested. Until I found Publer.
Publer let you schedule responses to posts on any channel, even with an optional built-in delay. And for Twitter, they let you schedule as many responses as you want - aka - tweet threads!
Start by typing your first tweet.
Then click those talk bubbles underneath.
Toggle on the option to "add follow up comments."
Note: if you've created content for more than one channel (ie: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn AND Twitter) you can easily select which account(s) you want to add follow-up comments too.
Once you've selected Twitter, you can add as many additional tweets as you want:
Once you've selected Twitter, you can add as many additional tweets as you want:
Just keep hitting that "add another comment" button until you've said your piece in full!
It’s worth mentioning that when I first started using Publer, you were limited to a single follow-up on Twitter, just like with every other platform. Often two tweets is plenty for a thread.
But Twitter opened up their API and Publer eventually added the option to thread as many posts as you want to a thread. As someone who does a lot of work in politics, this was another game changer!
But even if you don’t work in politics, it’s worth knowing that tweet threads can often get higher engagement than a standalone tweet.
One other note - until recently, you couldn’t add media (pictures or videos) to follow up tweets in a thread. That changed recently as well.
Bringing us to reason number 3 to use Publer as your third-party social media scheduling tool:
It’s worth mentioning that when I first started using Publer, you were limited to a single follow-up on Twitter, just like with every other platform. Often two tweets is plenty for a thread.
But Twitter opened up their API and Publer eventually added the option to thread as many posts as you want to a thread. As someone who does a lot of work in politics, this was another game changer!
But even if you don’t work in politics, it’s worth knowing that tweet threads can often get higher engagement than a standalone tweet.
One other note - until recently, you couldn’t add media (pictures or videos) to follow up tweets in a thread. That changed recently as well.
Bringing us to reason number 3 to use Publer as your third-party social media scheduling tool:
3) They regularly update the platform
Not much to say here other than that it’s nice to work with a tool that’s regularly getting new functionality added to it.
Users can even request new tools.
Users can even request new tools.
I’ve requested a few - I don’t think any of them have been added. But that’s okay. So long as they don’t remove reasons one or two, I’ll stick with Publer indefinitely!
4) You can reuse media from your Media library
I try not to re-use images too often on social media. But sometimes, it just makes sense.
If you’re promoting an event - you aren’t going to create a brand new graphic every time you post about it.
We’ve all waded through a labyrinth of Google Drive folders to find that one image we need. It’s especially complicated when you are working with a team (or teams!) who use different file naming conventions... or worse yet - no naming conventions at all!
Publer’s media library simplifies this. Once you’ve uploaded media to any post, that media will automatically get stored in your media library.
If you’re promoting an event - you aren’t going to create a brand new graphic every time you post about it.
We’ve all waded through a labyrinth of Google Drive folders to find that one image we need. It’s especially complicated when you are working with a team (or teams!) who use different file naming conventions... or worse yet - no naming conventions at all!
Publer’s media library simplifies this. Once you’ve uploaded media to any post, that media will automatically get stored in your media library.
You can then head to the library whenever you’re looking for an image and share it right from there.
You can also pre-add content to your library, including photos, videos, and GIFs. In addition to this, you can also label your media for easy organization and even upload media directly to your library from Canva and other online graphic design tools.
You can also pre-add content to your library, including photos, videos, and GIFs. In addition to this, you can also label your media for easy organization and even upload media directly to your library from Canva and other online graphic design tools.
5) Publer has a free built-in link in bio tool
Instagram famously only lets you have a single link anywhere on the platform. You get one link in your bio, and that’s it. You can’t add links to posts (you can, but they won’t be clickable) and until recently you had to have 10k+ followers to share links in Stories. That changed recently, but a Story Link sticker still isn’t enough for most brands.
Enter the Link In Bio tool.
With a link in bio, you can create a landing page that shows all of your Instagram posts with links, and folks can click through to an associated link from the matching post.
It’s far from perfect, but for many content creators, it’s better than the alternative - no links at all!
There are loads of free and paid link in bio tools out there. But Publer has one built right into its platform.
It’s easy to set up, simple to use and it's free.
To create yours, click your settings menu in the top right corner and then select Link In Bio.
Enter the Link In Bio tool.
With a link in bio, you can create a landing page that shows all of your Instagram posts with links, and folks can click through to an associated link from the matching post.
It’s far from perfect, but for many content creators, it’s better than the alternative - no links at all!
There are loads of free and paid link in bio tools out there. But Publer has one built right into its platform.
It’s easy to set up, simple to use and it's free.
To create yours, click your settings menu in the top right corner and then select Link In Bio.
You can then customize your page, including adding primary links - like website, your store page, your social channels, your ActBlue account if you're a candidate... anything important and evergreen.
You can even add custom images for those evergreen links to keep things looking nice and on brand.
Then, whenever you're creating an Instagram post through Publer, you can simply add a link, as needed, to the bottom of the post.
You can even add custom images for those evergreen links to keep things looking nice and on brand.
Then, whenever you're creating an Instagram post through Publer, you can simply add a link, as needed, to the bottom of the post.
Once done, you can mention in the post that people can learn more (or shop, or donate, etc.) through the Link In Bio.
When someone clicks the link in bio, they'll see that post, as well as all others you've added links to, and can then click directly through to the url.
Not as easy as Twitter or Facebook, but that's how Instagram rolls. So nice to have an easy - and free! - workaround.
I'll also refer you back to reason number one that I use Publer as my third party social media scheduling tool of choice - not only is this great feature built right into the platform, you don't even have to create a standalone Instagram post. You can crosspost the same content to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever, and then customize by channel and drop that link into the bio.
Voila. You are good to go!
When someone clicks the link in bio, they'll see that post, as well as all others you've added links to, and can then click directly through to the url.
Not as easy as Twitter or Facebook, but that's how Instagram rolls. So nice to have an easy - and free! - workaround.
I'll also refer you back to reason number one that I use Publer as my third party social media scheduling tool of choice - not only is this great feature built right into the platform, you don't even have to create a standalone Instagram post. You can crosspost the same content to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, wherever, and then customize by channel and drop that link into the bio.
Voila. You are good to go!
6) You can share specific channels with your team
If you're a one-person social media team, this next feature probably won't matter to you. But if you are working with clients, or managing a team of people who help with content creation, this next feature is key!
You can add team members to your account, with limited access levels.
You can even pick and choose which accounts to share access to, so you're not turning over the keys to the whole kingdom, just to the doors that make sense for any given client or team member.
To add someone to your account, click the dropdown menu next to your avatar (top right of the page) and select "Manage Teams."
You can add team members to your account, with limited access levels.
You can even pick and choose which accounts to share access to, so you're not turning over the keys to the whole kingdom, just to the doors that make sense for any given client or team member.
To add someone to your account, click the dropdown menu next to your avatar (top right of the page) and select "Manage Teams."
From here you can add team members (clients, band members, people from your team...) and provide them access.
They can then create content you approve, do final edits, give green lights before you post - whatever works for you and your social media team!
They can then create content you approve, do final edits, give green lights before you post - whatever works for you and your social media team!
7) They have a built-in RSS feed for easy content curation
Publer has an easy to use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, to help making content curation a breeze. RSS feeds are a great way of pursuing the internet without having to bookmark and track dozens, or even hundreds, of links.
Head to their “Content” tab and you can search for articles by keyword and category, and filter by date, language, country and even domain.
You can even save your searches to make future curation even easier. This is great for businesses who consistently speak on a few core topics or nonprofits or political campaigns who are passionate about specific issues.
Head to their “Content” tab and you can search for articles by keyword and category, and filter by date, language, country and even domain.
You can even save your searches to make future curation even easier. This is great for businesses who consistently speak on a few core topics or nonprofits or political campaigns who are passionate about specific issues.
Once you’ve found an article that looks interesting, click share and it will pop you right into your creator tab to let you choose which account(s) you want to post it to, write your copy and post or schedule.
8) They have a Chrome Plugin and it’s actually kinda great
Add the Publer Chrome plugin to your browser, and then anytime you are surfing the net and see something interesting, you can easily share it without ever leaving your tab.
Pretty convenient for a social media manager on the go, no?!
Pretty convenient for a social media manager on the go, no?!
9) They have built-in analytics
I’m a firm believer in the power of analytics for social media. Your audience is talking to you through your analytics - it’s your job to listen!
Publer has built in analytics for your accounts.
Honestly, I don’t use their analytics much. I prefer to go directly to the platforms for more granular looks at how things are doing.
That said, they are convenient, free and right there.
They also send regular emails letting you know which of your posts are your top performers. That one is pretty nice to have, if for no other reason than it’s a good reminder that you should be digging deeper into the backend of your accounts.
Publer has built in analytics for your accounts.
Honestly, I don’t use their analytics much. I prefer to go directly to the platforms for more granular looks at how things are doing.
That said, they are convenient, free and right there.
They also send regular emails letting you know which of your posts are your top performers. That one is pretty nice to have, if for no other reason than it’s a good reminder that you should be digging deeper into the backend of your accounts.
10) They have good customer service
I never wear rose colored glasses when it comes to any digital platform.
I’ve had some significant technical issues with Publer over the years.
I was posting content to one Twitter account that regularly had tweets end mid-sentence even though I was 1000% sure I had everything set up perfectly (I mean the first time I was quite sure, but by the 5th time, I was quadruple checking and it was still happening).
Google has tech issues. Amazon has tech issues. Facebook is pretty much just one massive tech issue these days. These things happen. To use the internet is to accept that.
But... every time I’ve had issues with Publer, I’ve reached out and found real people ready and eager to solve my issues. I definitely can’t say that for every platform I work with!
I’ve had some significant technical issues with Publer over the years.
I was posting content to one Twitter account that regularly had tweets end mid-sentence even though I was 1000% sure I had everything set up perfectly (I mean the first time I was quite sure, but by the 5th time, I was quadruple checking and it was still happening).
Google has tech issues. Amazon has tech issues. Facebook is pretty much just one massive tech issue these days. These things happen. To use the internet is to accept that.
But... every time I’ve had issues with Publer, I’ve reached out and found real people ready and eager to solve my issues. I definitely can’t say that for every platform I work with!
So to recap - here are 10 reasons I use Publer for social media scheduling and management
- You can customize social media posts by channel
- You can create Tweet Threads
- They regularly update the platform
- You can easily reuse media from your media library
- They have a free built-in link in bio tool
- You can easily provide limited access with team members and clients
- They have a built-in RSS feed for easy content curation
- They have a Chrome Plugin that’s actually kinda great
- They have built-in analytics
- They have solid customer service
A few features I’d love to see Publer add
So yeah, clearly I’m a fan of Publer. But it’s obviously not perfect.
A few updates I’d love to see:
A few updates I’d love to see:
- I’d love to be able to post Instagram carousels (aka albums) through Publer. Currently, you can post multiple pictures to Facebook and Twitter, but you’re limited to a single image for Instagram. I’m quite sure this is an Instagram API issue, but still on my ultimate social media consultant wish list.
- I’d love to be able to post and schedule Stories to Instagram directly from Publer. Hopefully this one is in the works.
- I’d love to be able to engage directly with comments once my posts are live right in Publer. This one is a beast and likely if Publer ever added this, their price point would look very different. I only know of one scheduling tool that currently has this option and that’s Agorapulse (which is, again, powerful but expensive). I’m not complaining, I'm just saying that would be another game changer for me.
Ready To Start Scheduling?
So that’s 10 reasons I use Publer as my go-to third-party social media scheduling tool.
If you have any reasons you like Publer, let me know! Or if there are any features it’s missing, or a reason why you love one of the many, many alternatives on the market, let me know that as well.
I’ll also mention that I don’t do affiliate marketing for any products or services, but do have an affiliate link for this one specific tool. I only have an affiliate link because I’m such a fan of the platform that I found I was constantly recommending it anyway. Just wanted to be fully upfront about that.
If this post was helpful to you and you do wind up signing up, please use this link when you do so - publer.io/jlemonsk
If you have any reasons you like Publer, let me know! Or if there are any features it’s missing, or a reason why you love one of the many, many alternatives on the market, let me know that as well.
I’ll also mention that I don’t do affiliate marketing for any products or services, but do have an affiliate link for this one specific tool. I only have an affiliate link because I’m such a fan of the platform that I found I was constantly recommending it anyway. Just wanted to be fully upfront about that.
If this post was helpful to you and you do wind up signing up, please use this link when you do so - publer.io/jlemonsk
Thanks for reading. Happy scheduling!
Kevin McCarthy just broke the record for the longest-ever floor speech in the history of the House. He spoke for 8 hours and 33 minutes.
Good for him! He put on his big boy pants and worked really, really hard to ensure that Congress couldn’t do jack for working people in this country... at least for one more night.
Fortunately, the Democrats in the House simply waited him out, and then quickly voted yes on Build Back Better, the bill he was so desperate to prevent moving forward.
Instead of letting a bill pass that would revitalize the US economy and provide $1.75 trillion dollars to build up our country’s infrastructure and fight climate change, McCarthy chose instead to ramble on... all freaking night.
Just to put this in perspective, McCarthy filibustered long enough to play two rounds of golf with his puppet master Donald Trump. Instead of watching McCarthy ramble on about nothing, you could have binged an entire season of Mad Men. In the time he used to set our country back, you could have driven from the House Chamber all the way to Detroit, where you could witness our country’s crumbling infrastructure firsthand.
While McCarthy may have been pretty proud of himself for forcing all eyes on him, his Democratic colleagues — the ones working to make real progress for our country — were none too happy. Lucky for us, through the amazing power of Twitter, we can get their ? takes first-hand.
Here are 15 of the best tweets from McCarthy's Democratic colleagues, sent during a floor speech that will be sure to go down in the history books... as one of American politics' biggest wastes of time. (Alongside this infamous gem of course.)
Good for him! He put on his big boy pants and worked really, really hard to ensure that Congress couldn’t do jack for working people in this country... at least for one more night.
Fortunately, the Democrats in the House simply waited him out, and then quickly voted yes on Build Back Better, the bill he was so desperate to prevent moving forward.
Instead of letting a bill pass that would revitalize the US economy and provide $1.75 trillion dollars to build up our country’s infrastructure and fight climate change, McCarthy chose instead to ramble on... all freaking night.
Just to put this in perspective, McCarthy filibustered long enough to play two rounds of golf with his puppet master Donald Trump. Instead of watching McCarthy ramble on about nothing, you could have binged an entire season of Mad Men. In the time he used to set our country back, you could have driven from the House Chamber all the way to Detroit, where you could witness our country’s crumbling infrastructure firsthand.
While McCarthy may have been pretty proud of himself for forcing all eyes on him, his Democratic colleagues — the ones working to make real progress for our country — were none too happy. Lucky for us, through the amazing power of Twitter, we can get their ? takes first-hand.
Here are 15 of the best tweets from McCarthy's Democratic colleagues, sent during a floor speech that will be sure to go down in the history books... as one of American politics' biggest wastes of time. (Alongside this infamous gem of course.)
1) Grace Meng, NY
It’s like he’s playing squid games and will lose if he stops talking. #Mccarthymeltdown https://t.co/pL6KSURDJ3 pic.twitter.com/pbjuzh8SdC
— Grace Meng (@Grace4NY) November 19, 2021
2) Mark Pocan, WI
Which Kevin did it better?
— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) November 19, 2021
Cc: @BBBaumgartner pic.twitter.com/gH8zVgqYm0
3) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Fun fact: it only has pictures in it https://t.co/eHe63K5G21
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 19, 2021
4) Jamie Raskin, MD
It is a feat of epic proportions to speak for four hours straight and not produce a single memorable phrase, original insight or even a joke.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) November 19, 2021
McCarthy thinks he is a wit but so far he has proved he is only half right.
5) Chellie Pingree, ME
.@SpeakerPelosi made history speaking in the House for 8+ hours in support of DREAMers. (And she did it in heels!)
— Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (@chelliepingree) November 19, 2021
The GOP leader did all that to stop universal Pre-K.
It didn’t work. We’ll be voting after 8AM on #BuildBackBetter to ensure a better future for our country.
6) Ayana Pressley, MA
Y’all, never forget this moment next time the @GOP tries to tell you they care about working people & families. The only thing @GOPLeader cares about is wasting our time. Miss me with that.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) November 19, 2021
7) Lori Trahan, MA
I wish Kevin McCarthy loved delivering for working families as much as he loves the sound of his own voice.
— Congresswoman Lori Trahan (@RepLoriTrahan) November 19, 2021
8) Cori Bush, MO
Still here. pic.twitter.com/niGyO9eNC9
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) November 19, 2021
9) Mondaire Jones, NY
Kevin McCarthy has now shown more anger about making child care affordable than he has about the insurrection on January 6th. https://t.co/HNA5lyAlLv
— Mondaire Jones (@MondaireJones) November 19, 2021
10) Andy Levin, MI
Now I see that all that child care, pre-k, job training, housing assistance, and climate change stuff is just a ruse to hide our secret plan to create open borders to allow undocumented people and fentanyl to flood our country.
— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) November 19, 2021
11) Ilhan Omar, MN
Looks like @GOPLeader is auditioning for a job that his Qanon caucus will never let him have, they will nominate Trump or Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House if they get the chance and he is just making a clown of himself for nothing.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) November 19, 2021
12) Nikema Williams, GA
I wish I could slide @GOPLeader a note and ask if I have time to order pizza or will this #McCarthyMeltdown be ending soon?
— Nikema Williams (@NikemaWilliams) November 19, 2021
13) Adam Schiff, CA
If you took the worst orator in the world
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 19, 2021
Gave him the worst speech in the world
And made him read it for the longest time in the world
That would be a lot like listening to Kevin McCarthy tonight.
Except, probably better.
14) Tim Ryan, OH
.@GOPLeader should really be considered for an Oscar after his acting job tonight.
— Congressman Tim Ryan (@RepTimRyan) November 19, 2021
15) Eric Swalwell, CA
Is there an English translation for @GOPLeader McCarthy Floor speech?
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) November 19, 2021
Any of your favorites not make the cut? Share them in the comments or tag me into the conversation on Twitter.
Feel like you’re falling behind your competition? Not reaching as many people as you’d like to with your website, blog and overall digital presence? What are you doing to make sure your content, and your site, is up to par.
Managing your business’s online presence is more important than ever. Today, 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to check out local businesses. This means having your information online and up-to-date is incredibly important.
What’s even more important though is how you optimize your information to get the best results in Google’s search rankings. This practice is known as SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) and it’s the process of optimizing the content you share online to appear as high as possible on the list of results returned by a search engine.
Paying attention to your SEO is key to expanding your online presence and is especially important since 92% of searchers will pick businesses that appear on the first page of Google’s search results.
NINETY TWO PERCENT!
Put another way: if you ain’t on the first page of Google - you ain’t online!
There are many ways to optimize your online presence that will help lead you to better SEO. Keyword research, proper use of alt tags, backlinks… the list goes on.
Not familiar with any of those terms? Here’s Neil Patel - the SEO master - with some basic background on SEO (in only 5 minutes!).
But this post is about a single tool that can help you step up your SEO game quickly and easily and it won’t cost you a cent to take advantage of. That tool: Google My Business.
Google has long struggled with standalone social media channels (anyone remember Google+?).
But Google My Business, or GMB, seems to be around for the long haul.
It’s not really a social channel. At least not in the traditional sense. But it allows businesses to create profiles and share social-style updates which will help them rank when people search for similar content online.
In this post, we’re going to look at 5 ways you can use Google My Business to improve your SEO game today.
But first, let’s do a slightly deeper dive into what Google My Business actually is and how it can help you grow your online presence.
Google My Business is a free platform that can be accessed by any business owner. It allows businesses to better control the information that appears about their business on their Business Profile when users search within Google Search or Google Maps.
The platform will also let you reply to Google user reviews and FAQs, share posts from your business, and even talk to customers in real-time. In addition, it provides useful analytics that can help you to understand how your business profile is being engaged with.
Important note: your Business Profile is not the same as your Google My Business account. Rather Google My Business is how you manage your Business Profile.
If you’ve not yet set up your Business Profile or you need to claim yours, check out this helpful support page from Google walking you through how to do it.
Managing your business’s online presence is more important than ever. Today, 4 in 5 consumers use search engines to check out local businesses. This means having your information online and up-to-date is incredibly important.
What’s even more important though is how you optimize your information to get the best results in Google’s search rankings. This practice is known as SEO (or Search Engine Optimization) and it’s the process of optimizing the content you share online to appear as high as possible on the list of results returned by a search engine.
Paying attention to your SEO is key to expanding your online presence and is especially important since 92% of searchers will pick businesses that appear on the first page of Google’s search results.
NINETY TWO PERCENT!
Put another way: if you ain’t on the first page of Google - you ain’t online!
There are many ways to optimize your online presence that will help lead you to better SEO. Keyword research, proper use of alt tags, backlinks… the list goes on.
Not familiar with any of those terms? Here’s Neil Patel - the SEO master - with some basic background on SEO (in only 5 minutes!).
But this post is about a single tool that can help you step up your SEO game quickly and easily and it won’t cost you a cent to take advantage of. That tool: Google My Business.
Google has long struggled with standalone social media channels (anyone remember Google+?).
But Google My Business, or GMB, seems to be around for the long haul.
It’s not really a social channel. At least not in the traditional sense. But it allows businesses to create profiles and share social-style updates which will help them rank when people search for similar content online.
In this post, we’re going to look at 5 ways you can use Google My Business to improve your SEO game today.
But first, let’s do a slightly deeper dive into what Google My Business actually is and how it can help you grow your online presence.
Google My Business is a free platform that can be accessed by any business owner. It allows businesses to better control the information that appears about their business on their Business Profile when users search within Google Search or Google Maps.
The platform will also let you reply to Google user reviews and FAQs, share posts from your business, and even talk to customers in real-time. In addition, it provides useful analytics that can help you to understand how your business profile is being engaged with.
Important note: your Business Profile is not the same as your Google My Business account. Rather Google My Business is how you manage your Business Profile.
If you’ve not yet set up your Business Profile or you need to claim yours, check out this helpful support page from Google walking you through how to do it.
One of the most important things you can do for SEO is to make your profile as detailed and accurate as possible. Attributes add an additional dimension of information.
Now that you’re set up, let’s get on to the good stuff!
1) Optimize Your Business Profile Using Targeted Keywords and Information
The most important thing you can do to boost your SEO for your Google Business Profile is to be sure you’re using the right words and phrases.
People may search for your business name. But way more people are doing general searches in your industry. What keywords are they searching for? What questions are they looking to get answered on Google?
If you own a shoe store, you need to know if people searching for “tennis shoes,” “running shoes,” “sneakers”… or something else entirely! Until you know that, you can’t optimize your content accordingly.
When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, the goal is pretty simple: use the language your audience is using!
Not sure what keywords you should be leaning into? There are loads of free and paid tools out there that will help you do keyword research. Google Trends is a free Google tool that’s very helpful. I really like a tool called Ubersuggest (the free version is limited but still very helpful - the paid version lets you dig a lot deeper). There are tons of others. Do a Google search for keyword finder or SEO tools and you can research until your fingers fall off. Happy hunting!
Make sure to fill in all fields requested by Google My Business to the best of your ability. Information that will especially impact your SEO is location, hours, and contact information (phone and website).
You’ll also want to add information about your business using the correct category for your business and attributes to show your full capabilities.
And, as always, don’t forget to lean into your UVPs (unique value propositions). What makes you special? Highlight it! If you’re a restaurant with really awesome patio seating, make sure that’s obvious in your profile.
Once you’ve done some keyword research, use it! Make sure you’re using keywords that people would use when searching for a business like yours. Think about words or phrases that you want your business to be associated with and that users are actually using when they search Google.
PRO TIP: Avoid keyword stuffing (the act of cramming keywords anywhere and everywhere at the expense of actual good, clean writing). Google hates keyword stuffing. Come to think of it, so does everyone else!
People may search for your business name. But way more people are doing general searches in your industry. What keywords are they searching for? What questions are they looking to get answered on Google?
If you own a shoe store, you need to know if people searching for “tennis shoes,” “running shoes,” “sneakers”… or something else entirely! Until you know that, you can’t optimize your content accordingly.
When it comes to Search Engine Optimization, the goal is pretty simple: use the language your audience is using!
Not sure what keywords you should be leaning into? There are loads of free and paid tools out there that will help you do keyword research. Google Trends is a free Google tool that’s very helpful. I really like a tool called Ubersuggest (the free version is limited but still very helpful - the paid version lets you dig a lot deeper). There are tons of others. Do a Google search for keyword finder or SEO tools and you can research until your fingers fall off. Happy hunting!
Make sure to fill in all fields requested by Google My Business to the best of your ability. Information that will especially impact your SEO is location, hours, and contact information (phone and website).
You’ll also want to add information about your business using the correct category for your business and attributes to show your full capabilities.
And, as always, don’t forget to lean into your UVPs (unique value propositions). What makes you special? Highlight it! If you’re a restaurant with really awesome patio seating, make sure that’s obvious in your profile.
Once you’ve done some keyword research, use it! Make sure you’re using keywords that people would use when searching for a business like yours. Think about words or phrases that you want your business to be associated with and that users are actually using when they search Google.
PRO TIP: Avoid keyword stuffing (the act of cramming keywords anywhere and everywhere at the expense of actual good, clean writing). Google hates keyword stuffing. Come to think of it, so does everyone else!
Google My Business insights can give you tons of useful information to improve your search engine optimization and customer experience. One of these is being able to see customer actions on your Business Profile.
2) Use Google My Business Analytics to Learn More About Your Business Profile
Google wants to collect all of the world’s data and make it shareable. So you better believe there is loads of analytic data waiting for you in your Google My Business account.
Poke around in there and you can find a ton of useful information such as:
Knowing this information can help you to perform even better on SEO while also giving you a platform to directly engage also with your customers! Check it out today!
Here’s a review on my GMB site:
Poke around in there and you can find a ton of useful information such as:
- How customers are finding you via search, including discovery and direct searches. (Discovery searches are when your Business Profile is found when using a general search query while direct searches are searches of your business’s name.)
- Where customers view your Business Profile on Google - either on Google Search or Google Maps.
- What actions customers take on your Business Profile such as clicking on your website, getting directions to your address, or calling you.
- How your photos are performing compared to similar profiles or businesses.
- Where your customers are located based on direction requests.
- How your Google My Business posts are performing. These can help you to better understand what content to post on your Business Profile.
Knowing this information can help you to perform even better on SEO while also giving you a platform to directly engage also with your customers! Check it out today!
Here’s a review on my GMB site:
It’s important to respond to Google Reviews quickly and thoughtfully to build trust with your audience, as well as with Google’s algorithm.
Want to see how this feature works? Head to my Google My Business page today and leave me a review. I’ll engage with you for sure!
3) Build Trust With Google and Your Customers
One important thing to always consider when working on your search engine optimization is that Google factors trustworthiness into its algorithm for search rankings. There are a few key things you can do in Google My Business to increase trust both with Google’s algorithm and your audience.
First and most importantly, you’re going to need to start focusing on getting reviews! You want reviews coming in often.
Make sure to respond to every single review. If it’s a great one, thank your customer for leaving it. If it’s not so good, still make sure to respond. Ask the customer for more information or seek honest feedback regarding what you as a business can do to improve. Showing that you listen to feedback and responding thoughtfully builds trust both with customers and Google.
Next, you’ll also want to make sure to respond to customer questions in the frequently asked questions section of your business profile. This also helps to show Google that your business is trustworthy and engages with customers. In addition, responding to customer questions also shows off your expertise and willingness to go the extra mile for your audience.
Lastly, make sure to use your keywords in your responses to both reviews and frequently asked questions. Again, always be natural with your usage of keywords, since keyword-stuffing will negatively impact your Google ranking, but work them in as possible.
First and most importantly, you’re going to need to start focusing on getting reviews! You want reviews coming in often.
Make sure to respond to every single review. If it’s a great one, thank your customer for leaving it. If it’s not so good, still make sure to respond. Ask the customer for more information or seek honest feedback regarding what you as a business can do to improve. Showing that you listen to feedback and responding thoughtfully builds trust both with customers and Google.
Next, you’ll also want to make sure to respond to customer questions in the frequently asked questions section of your business profile. This also helps to show Google that your business is trustworthy and engages with customers. In addition, responding to customer questions also shows off your expertise and willingness to go the extra mile for your audience.
Lastly, make sure to use your keywords in your responses to both reviews and frequently asked questions. Again, always be natural with your usage of keywords, since keyword-stuffing will negatively impact your Google ranking, but work them in as possible.
Take advantage of Google My Business posting to let your business shine. We like to share our podcast - Step Up Your Social, as well as tips and tricks to help our audience better navigate their digital marketing. Check it out for more great marketing tips!
4) Use Google My Business Posts to Help With Rankings!
Google My Business allows you to publish posts directly to your Business Profile that include text, images, video, and even nifty call-to-action buttons for your customers!
You can use this feature to share business updates, new products or services that you offer, events you’re hosting, or even just some fun times at your business. These posts show customers what you’re all about and can also help a ton with search engine optimization when you add in some keywords.
There are a few important things to consider when posting. One thing to think about is how frequently you’d like to post. Google no longer removes Business Profile posts after seven days - but it’s still important to keep your profile fresh. If you can, post a few times a month - more if possible.
You should also know that posts can be up to 1,500 characters long. You’ll likely want to keep it shorter though. Keeping things short and tight can help keep your reader engaged.
You can use this feature to share business updates, new products or services that you offer, events you’re hosting, or even just some fun times at your business. These posts show customers what you’re all about and can also help a ton with search engine optimization when you add in some keywords.
There are a few important things to consider when posting. One thing to think about is how frequently you’d like to post. Google no longer removes Business Profile posts after seven days - but it’s still important to keep your profile fresh. If you can, post a few times a month - more if possible.
You should also know that posts can be up to 1,500 characters long. You’ll likely want to keep it shorter though. Keeping things short and tight can help keep your reader engaged.
Google My Business has useful industry features to use on your profile.
5) Utilize Industry-Relevant Features to Better Engage With Your Customers
Last - but definitely not least - you’ll want to take advantage of Google My Business’s industry-relevant features. These are broken down into features for restaurants, retail, and service businesses.
If you’re running a restaurant, Google My Business will be a key part of your marketing strategy and has lots of potential uses. Features for this industry include the option to highlight essential info such as if you offer takeout or dine-in, and health and safety updates, the ability to share photos of your food and special deals, as well as the option for customers to place online orders or make reservations.
Retail businesses also have equally powerful options. These include the ability to list your products directly to your profile, show how customers can shop and link preferred shopping methods, and post about special offers.
Finally, service-based businesses can also harness the power of Google My Business. Service features such as the option to list your services and credentials, allow customers to request a quote or schedule an appointment directly, or even message you directly will streamline and personalize your customers’ experiences.
Google My Business isn’t going to magically create a pipeline of new customers to your business. But as with all things related to SEO, it adds up. Your site needs to be easy to navigate, you should be blogging, you should be using alt text on your images… and you should claim and set up your GMB account. Every bit helps when you’re competing with everyone else for that prime real estate on Google’s first page.
GMB is low hanging fruit that you should absolutely take advantage of. And the best part: it’s relatively easy and totally free to do so!
So if you’re one of the 56% of local retailers that haven’t yet claimed their Google My Business account, or if you’re just looking to increase your web traffic through search engine optimization, get on Google My Business today!
You will benefit a ton from all of the features covered in this post and more importantly - your customers will too!
If you found something useful in this article, have a question, or want more personalized help, let us know! We’re always here to help you take your business to the next level!
If you’re running a restaurant, Google My Business will be a key part of your marketing strategy and has lots of potential uses. Features for this industry include the option to highlight essential info such as if you offer takeout or dine-in, and health and safety updates, the ability to share photos of your food and special deals, as well as the option for customers to place online orders or make reservations.
Retail businesses also have equally powerful options. These include the ability to list your products directly to your profile, show how customers can shop and link preferred shopping methods, and post about special offers.
Finally, service-based businesses can also harness the power of Google My Business. Service features such as the option to list your services and credentials, allow customers to request a quote or schedule an appointment directly, or even message you directly will streamline and personalize your customers’ experiences.
Google My Business isn’t going to magically create a pipeline of new customers to your business. But as with all things related to SEO, it adds up. Your site needs to be easy to navigate, you should be blogging, you should be using alt text on your images… and you should claim and set up your GMB account. Every bit helps when you’re competing with everyone else for that prime real estate on Google’s first page.
GMB is low hanging fruit that you should absolutely take advantage of. And the best part: it’s relatively easy and totally free to do so!
So if you’re one of the 56% of local retailers that haven’t yet claimed their Google My Business account, or if you’re just looking to increase your web traffic through search engine optimization, get on Google My Business today!
You will benefit a ton from all of the features covered in this post and more importantly - your customers will too!
If you found something useful in this article, have a question, or want more personalized help, let us know! We’re always here to help you take your business to the next level!
In Episode 13 of #StepUpYourSocial, we discussed why you should be blogging.
Today let’s talk about how you should approach writing content for your blog.
In this episode, we cover a lot of best practices for blogging in 10 minutes or less including:
Today let’s talk about how you should approach writing content for your blog.
In this episode, we cover a lot of best practices for blogging in 10 minutes or less including:
- The Goldilocks approach to finding good topic areas
- How to make your content easy to skim
- How to write for your audience, even if you're not a great writer
- The ideal length of a blog post (hint: it's exactly how long it needs to be and not one word longer!)
- And the importance of writing for Google. Or Facebook. Or both.
Full episode transcript
If you aren’t already blogging… you should be.
We did a deep dive into why in Episode 13. But the short version:
For more on all three of these reasons, head back to episode 13 and dig in.
So that’s why you should be blogging.
Today let’s talk about how you should approach writing content for your blog.
First things first: a blog post should answer a question. It doesn’t literally have to be titled with a question, though that doesn’t hurt.
The question should be specific enough that people are looking for the answer, and broad enough that you can turn it into a full-length blog post.
A while back, I did a blog post on the Evolution of Instagram. That topic is potentially HUGE - but I was answering a specific question: How has Instagram changed over the years.
-What was the score of last night’s game? A bit too specific.
-Let’s do a full annotated history of our local sports team, along with in-depth explorations of every players’ personal journey to get there, the story of the team mascot and a recap of every game they’ve played since 1945. A bit too broad.
-What can we learn about our favorite team based on their playing last night? Sweet spot!
You can write pages on that topic, without ever losing the thread of why you are writing the post - or more importantly - why someone might want to read it.
So answer a question. Specifically.
Next up: make your post easy to skim.
No matter how captivating your writing, some people are not going to be interested in pouring through every word.
User headers. And subheaders. And sub-subheaders.
Use bullet points and lists. Please LOVE lists.
Keep your sentences short.
Keep your paragraphs short.
Use formatting - like bold, italics and underline - to make it easier for your reader to know what’s the most important content in the page.
If you can, use images and graphics to help make your content flow.
The word I like to use when it comes to content written for the internet: digestable. How easily can someone digest what you are trying to impart. If it’s not easily digestable - they will just move on.
You don’t have to be a great writer to be a great blogger. You just have to break things down in a way that your audience can follow.
So answer a question and keep your content easily digestable.
If you want to connect with a wide audience, don’t assume they know… well anything!
The goal of writing for an audience is not to make yourself sound smart. It’s to make them feel smart.
Picture a real person in your head when you write (or at least when you edit) your content. You are an expert in your field (if you weren’t, you couldn’t be blogging on it!). Unless you only want to talk to other experts, don’t assume they know the lingo. Spell out acronyms for them, explain why something that seems obvious to you should matter to them. Write for them as if they don’t know what you are talking about. Because frankly, if they knew what you were talking about - they probably wouldn’t be reading your blog post!
So answer a question with easily digestible content in a way that makes your audience feel smarter.
Next up: write your blog post for Google. Or Facebook. Or Both.
What does this mean? If you want a post to do well on Google — meaning you want people to find it when they do a search on the topic — know your keywords before you start. What’s a keyword (bearing in mind a keyword can be a phrase as well)? It’s the thing someone is going to put into Google that will hopefully help them find your post!
Before I wrote my blog post on the Evolution of Instagram, I did research into which keywords people were actually searching for on the topic. Were they looking for a history of Instagram? A breakdown of how Instagram has changed? Something else altogether? They were looking for an Evolution of Instagram. So I wrote my blog post accordingly. And my blog post is now on the first page of Google when someone searches for that keyword.
How did I get it on the first page of Google? I used Evolution of Instagram as my url slug (the part after the .com in my website). I used it in my title. I worked it into my copy as often as I could without sounding redundant (if your copy sounds like it’s been “stuffed” with keywords you will be penalized by Google, not to mention by your annoyed readers!).
How did I know that this was a keyword worth optimizing for? I did research. There are loads of free and paid tools out there you can use. I like one called Ubersuggest. You can also just use Google directly - run a few searches and see what comes up. Did one query give you 20 hits and another 200,000? Well that’s good to know, isn’t it!
Not every blog post needs to be written for Google.
But if it’s not written for Google, make sure you’re writing it for Facebook!
If you don’t have to worry about people searching for your content - because it’s something timely, interesting to you and your audience but not necessarily to the world, or for any other reason, then be sure the title helps it pop.
Let’s say you’re writing a post about the ways that your industry has changed, and what it means for consumers. And, just so we can get specific, let’s say your industry is artisanal sourdough bread .
If you’re writing for Google, you might go with: How Sourdough Baking Has Changed Over The Years, or What Do I Need To Make Sourdough?
If you’re writing for Facebook, you might go with something more like: Finding the Sweet Within Your Sourdough! Or 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sourdough… But Should!
No one is going to search for those latter titles - but they are fun and have the potential to do great on Facebook!
In this day and age, if your content isn’t written for Google OR Facebook, it’s written for no one. So pick one - or find a way to tailor it to both - and get to writing.
To recap:
One last thing: folks always want to know how long their posts should be. Google likes long form content, so if you’re writing for Google, keep that in mind. That said, I prefer the following: your content should be exactly how long it needs to be and not one word longer.
You’re not doing yourself any favors adding fluff to a post. Google will see through it. So will your readers. Tell them what they need to know and let them get on with their day.
Happy blogging y’all!
We did a deep dive into why in Episode 13. But the short version:
- It provides you content you can use to drive traffic to your website.
- It’s great for your SEO - Search Engine Optimization
- And it clarifies you as an expert in your field.
For more on all three of these reasons, head back to episode 13 and dig in.
So that’s why you should be blogging.
Today let’s talk about how you should approach writing content for your blog.
First things first: a blog post should answer a question. It doesn’t literally have to be titled with a question, though that doesn’t hurt.
The question should be specific enough that people are looking for the answer, and broad enough that you can turn it into a full-length blog post.
A while back, I did a blog post on the Evolution of Instagram. That topic is potentially HUGE - but I was answering a specific question: How has Instagram changed over the years.
-What was the score of last night’s game? A bit too specific.
-Let’s do a full annotated history of our local sports team, along with in-depth explorations of every players’ personal journey to get there, the story of the team mascot and a recap of every game they’ve played since 1945. A bit too broad.
-What can we learn about our favorite team based on their playing last night? Sweet spot!
You can write pages on that topic, without ever losing the thread of why you are writing the post - or more importantly - why someone might want to read it.
So answer a question. Specifically.
Next up: make your post easy to skim.
No matter how captivating your writing, some people are not going to be interested in pouring through every word.
User headers. And subheaders. And sub-subheaders.
Use bullet points and lists. Please LOVE lists.
Keep your sentences short.
Keep your paragraphs short.
Use formatting - like bold, italics and underline - to make it easier for your reader to know what’s the most important content in the page.
If you can, use images and graphics to help make your content flow.
The word I like to use when it comes to content written for the internet: digestable. How easily can someone digest what you are trying to impart. If it’s not easily digestable - they will just move on.
You don’t have to be a great writer to be a great blogger. You just have to break things down in a way that your audience can follow.
So answer a question and keep your content easily digestable.
If you want to connect with a wide audience, don’t assume they know… well anything!
The goal of writing for an audience is not to make yourself sound smart. It’s to make them feel smart.
Picture a real person in your head when you write (or at least when you edit) your content. You are an expert in your field (if you weren’t, you couldn’t be blogging on it!). Unless you only want to talk to other experts, don’t assume they know the lingo. Spell out acronyms for them, explain why something that seems obvious to you should matter to them. Write for them as if they don’t know what you are talking about. Because frankly, if they knew what you were talking about - they probably wouldn’t be reading your blog post!
So answer a question with easily digestible content in a way that makes your audience feel smarter.
Next up: write your blog post for Google. Or Facebook. Or Both.
What does this mean? If you want a post to do well on Google — meaning you want people to find it when they do a search on the topic — know your keywords before you start. What’s a keyword (bearing in mind a keyword can be a phrase as well)? It’s the thing someone is going to put into Google that will hopefully help them find your post!
Before I wrote my blog post on the Evolution of Instagram, I did research into which keywords people were actually searching for on the topic. Were they looking for a history of Instagram? A breakdown of how Instagram has changed? Something else altogether? They were looking for an Evolution of Instagram. So I wrote my blog post accordingly. And my blog post is now on the first page of Google when someone searches for that keyword.
How did I get it on the first page of Google? I used Evolution of Instagram as my url slug (the part after the .com in my website). I used it in my title. I worked it into my copy as often as I could without sounding redundant (if your copy sounds like it’s been “stuffed” with keywords you will be penalized by Google, not to mention by your annoyed readers!).
How did I know that this was a keyword worth optimizing for? I did research. There are loads of free and paid tools out there you can use. I like one called Ubersuggest. You can also just use Google directly - run a few searches and see what comes up. Did one query give you 20 hits and another 200,000? Well that’s good to know, isn’t it!
Not every blog post needs to be written for Google.
But if it’s not written for Google, make sure you’re writing it for Facebook!
If you don’t have to worry about people searching for your content - because it’s something timely, interesting to you and your audience but not necessarily to the world, or for any other reason, then be sure the title helps it pop.
Let’s say you’re writing a post about the ways that your industry has changed, and what it means for consumers. And, just so we can get specific, let’s say your industry is artisanal sourdough bread .
If you’re writing for Google, you might go with: How Sourdough Baking Has Changed Over The Years, or What Do I Need To Make Sourdough?
If you’re writing for Facebook, you might go with something more like: Finding the Sweet Within Your Sourdough! Or 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Sourdough… But Should!
No one is going to search for those latter titles - but they are fun and have the potential to do great on Facebook!
In this day and age, if your content isn’t written for Google OR Facebook, it’s written for no one. So pick one - or find a way to tailor it to both - and get to writing.
To recap:
- Know the question you are trying to answer BEFORE you start writing.
- Make your content easily digestible.
- Write to make your audience feel smarter.
- Optimize your post for Google. Or Facebook. Or both.
One last thing: folks always want to know how long their posts should be. Google likes long form content, so if you’re writing for Google, keep that in mind. That said, I prefer the following: your content should be exactly how long it needs to be and not one word longer.
You’re not doing yourself any favors adding fluff to a post. Google will see through it. So will your readers. Tell them what they need to know and let them get on with their day.
Happy blogging y’all!
What do you do at the end of your customer lifecycle? Do you go above and beyond to ensure that the customer who is moving on never forgets just how much they love you?
Chewy is a pet supply company. They know their customers will have to cancel their auto-renewal products... eventually ? ? ?
But Chewy doesn't just offer canceling clients full refunds. They take their "marketing generosity" to the next level.
They don’t just want to get out of the way. They want to be a part of the family.
In this episode of Step Up Your Social, we take a look at how Chewy creates unyielding brand loyalty from their customers, even as those customers are canceling their orders.
We then give some thought to how *you* can keep your client lifecycle going, even as it seems like it might be wrapping up for the foreseeable future.
Chewy is a pet supply company. They know their customers will have to cancel their auto-renewal products... eventually ? ? ?
But Chewy doesn't just offer canceling clients full refunds. They take their "marketing generosity" to the next level.
They don’t just want to get out of the way. They want to be a part of the family.
In this episode of Step Up Your Social, we take a look at how Chewy creates unyielding brand loyalty from their customers, even as those customers are canceling their orders.
We then give some thought to how *you* can keep your client lifecycle going, even as it seems like it might be wrapping up for the foreseeable future.
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
If you’re a pet person, you know how much joy your little furry (or scaly or feathery) friend can bring into your life.
Sure there are chores associated with having a pet: They have to be cleaned, walked, taken to the vet… did I mention the endless cleaning?! But through it all, our days are just better with a pet at our side.
Unfortunately, most pets have shorter life cycles than us pet owners.
You might enjoy your fish for a few months, your bird for years, or your dog or cat for decades. But eventually, that hard day will arrive when you have to say goodbye to them… for good.
So now grab a tissue, wipe your eyes and take off your pet owner hat and replace it with your digital marketer hat.
If you’re in the business of selling products to pet owners, this cycle can create a real challenge for you. When someone loses a pet, your customer cycle for them ends. At least for the time being.
There aren’t TOO many industries where customer service reps have to field questions from the grieving as a regular part of their job.
Selling pet products is DEFINITELY one of them.
So you know that awful day is coming for every one of your customers. What do you do?
If you’re Chewy, you use that awful day to builder deeper and more meaningful relationships with your customers.
Head to Twitter and search @chewy and the word died and you will find countless stories all getting at the same thing - my pet died. I had regular packages getting delivered from Chewy. I called to cancel and not only did they refund my money, they told me to keep the food and donate it to some other pet owner who needed it.
AND NOT ONLY THAT! Loads of people shared stories that they got flowers in the mail from Chewy expressing their condolences. I even saw people posting about Chewy sending them oil paintings of their passed pups!
To quote just one of the many tweets you’ll find when you search: “That’s all class.”
Here’s the thing - you can find these posts all over Twitter. But I first learned about this tactic from a random post in a Facebook Group.
And I can pretty well guarantee you that anytime a first-time pet-owning friend asks someone on the receiving end of Chewy’s — let’s call it “marketing generosity” -- where they should buy their pet supplies, they aren’t just going to recommend Chewy — they are going to do so empathically, as if it’s a family company.
Could Chewy simply offer full refunds and call it a day?
Sure.
You might even see tweets letting you know that Chewy customer service makes it easy to cancel orders when your pet departs.
But by going from easy to compassionate, Chewy takes their relationships with their customers to another level.
They don’t just want to get out of the way. They want to be a part of the family.
On a P&L, this might seem bad for business. You are building deep bonds with someone who no longer needs your services.
But pet owners are pet owners through and through. It might be weeks or months before they get back on the horse (or kitty or puppy or chameleon). It might even be years. But they will almost certainly get another pet!
And even if they don’t, they will have friends and family members who do.
Chewy sees these regular order cancellations not as an end of their relationships, but as the start of a whole new one, one deeper and with more intimacy between them and their customer.
And it pays off for them big time - don’t believe me? Just head to Twitter or Google or reddit or Facebook and poke around! The stories are endless.
The takeaway here: wow your customers, even if they’re no longer your customers. Host free classes teaching people how to be better at something related to whatever you sell. If you ship products, make the packaging so fun people can’t help but post a picture of it on Instagram. If you’re a nonprofit and someone sends you a gift, do you send a thank you that let’s them know you appreciate them… or do you send them a letter that knocks their socks off?
The person who bought your product or donated money might never do so again. So what?! They are the people most likely to spread the word about how great you are to their networks.
Make it easy for them to do so and more importantly , give them a reason to want to!
At the end of the day, remember that you can’t just sell pet stuff. You have to be a pet person! I hope you have the same passion for whatever you are selling or advocating for online, as your typical pet owner has for their furry, four-legged friend!
Sure there are chores associated with having a pet: They have to be cleaned, walked, taken to the vet… did I mention the endless cleaning?! But through it all, our days are just better with a pet at our side.
Unfortunately, most pets have shorter life cycles than us pet owners.
You might enjoy your fish for a few months, your bird for years, or your dog or cat for decades. But eventually, that hard day will arrive when you have to say goodbye to them… for good.
So now grab a tissue, wipe your eyes and take off your pet owner hat and replace it with your digital marketer hat.
If you’re in the business of selling products to pet owners, this cycle can create a real challenge for you. When someone loses a pet, your customer cycle for them ends. At least for the time being.
There aren’t TOO many industries where customer service reps have to field questions from the grieving as a regular part of their job.
Selling pet products is DEFINITELY one of them.
So you know that awful day is coming for every one of your customers. What do you do?
If you’re Chewy, you use that awful day to builder deeper and more meaningful relationships with your customers.
Head to Twitter and search @chewy and the word died and you will find countless stories all getting at the same thing - my pet died. I had regular packages getting delivered from Chewy. I called to cancel and not only did they refund my money, they told me to keep the food and donate it to some other pet owner who needed it.
AND NOT ONLY THAT! Loads of people shared stories that they got flowers in the mail from Chewy expressing their condolences. I even saw people posting about Chewy sending them oil paintings of their passed pups!
To quote just one of the many tweets you’ll find when you search: “That’s all class.”
Here’s the thing - you can find these posts all over Twitter. But I first learned about this tactic from a random post in a Facebook Group.
And I can pretty well guarantee you that anytime a first-time pet-owning friend asks someone on the receiving end of Chewy’s — let’s call it “marketing generosity” -- where they should buy their pet supplies, they aren’t just going to recommend Chewy — they are going to do so empathically, as if it’s a family company.
Could Chewy simply offer full refunds and call it a day?
Sure.
You might even see tweets letting you know that Chewy customer service makes it easy to cancel orders when your pet departs.
But by going from easy to compassionate, Chewy takes their relationships with their customers to another level.
They don’t just want to get out of the way. They want to be a part of the family.
On a P&L, this might seem bad for business. You are building deep bonds with someone who no longer needs your services.
But pet owners are pet owners through and through. It might be weeks or months before they get back on the horse (or kitty or puppy or chameleon). It might even be years. But they will almost certainly get another pet!
And even if they don’t, they will have friends and family members who do.
Chewy sees these regular order cancellations not as an end of their relationships, but as the start of a whole new one, one deeper and with more intimacy between them and their customer.
And it pays off for them big time - don’t believe me? Just head to Twitter or Google or reddit or Facebook and poke around! The stories are endless.
The takeaway here: wow your customers, even if they’re no longer your customers. Host free classes teaching people how to be better at something related to whatever you sell. If you ship products, make the packaging so fun people can’t help but post a picture of it on Instagram. If you’re a nonprofit and someone sends you a gift, do you send a thank you that let’s them know you appreciate them… or do you send them a letter that knocks their socks off?
The person who bought your product or donated money might never do so again. So what?! They are the people most likely to spread the word about how great you are to their networks.
Make it easy for them to do so and more importantly , give them a reason to want to!
At the end of the day, remember that you can’t just sell pet stuff. You have to be a pet person! I hope you have the same passion for whatever you are selling or advocating for online, as your typical pet owner has for their furry, four-legged friend!
Instagram has a new feature and it's a fun one!
It's called Guides and it allows you to batch posts to create compilations. For a platform notorious for keeping things "simple" (WHY can't I add links to my posts?!), this new feature is a powerful new way to take your content further.
Think Pinterest meets blogging. That's kind of where Instagram seems to be positioning Guides.
Instagram is a massive platform with a billion Daily Active Users. Understanding all the tools they have to offer is a huge step in standing out from the crowd.
So let’s take a look at how Instagram Guides work and hopefully you can get some ideas for how to use them to grow your own brand.
It's called Guides and it allows you to batch posts to create compilations. For a platform notorious for keeping things "simple" (WHY can't I add links to my posts?!), this new feature is a powerful new way to take your content further.
Think Pinterest meets blogging. That's kind of where Instagram seems to be positioning Guides.
Instagram is a massive platform with a billion Daily Active Users. Understanding all the tools they have to offer is a huge step in standing out from the crowd.
So let’s take a look at how Instagram Guides work and hopefully you can get some ideas for how to use them to grow your own brand.
How To Create an instagram guide in 3 easy steps
 1. Tap the + on your profile |  2. Tap Guide |  3. Choose Guide Type |
Like I said. Easy!
There are three types of Instagram guides
The three types are Places, Products, and Posts.
The primary difference is in determining how you search for content to add to your Guide. But all three are ultimately pretty similar and none of them limit your content options.
Places lets you search locations to add content.
Products lets you search shops to add content.
Posts lets you search your own posts, as well as posts you've saved from others, to add content.
Editing each Instagram Guide type is a bit different, but they do have most basic features in common. Let’s start with Places.
The primary difference is in determining how you search for content to add to your Guide. But all three are ultimately pretty similar and none of them limit your content options.
Places lets you search locations to add content.
Products lets you search shops to add content.
Posts lets you search your own posts, as well as posts you've saved from others, to add content.
Editing each Instagram Guide type is a bit different, but they do have most basic features in common. Let’s start with Places.
Instagram Guides Types
 |  |
Once you’ve started a new Places Guide, you’ll see a search bar as well as some recommended places. Choose or search for a location to see posts geotagged in that location.
Select images to add them to your guide. Don’t worry if they’re not your posts — the image will automatically link to its creators’ account.
As with all location-based searches on Instagram, you can go super specific (Wisconsin State Capitol), more general (Madison, WI) or very general (Wisconsin).
A Capitol search will only find pics tagged at the Capitol.
A Madison search might find pics tagged at the Capitol, but also posts tagged in other places throughout the city.
A Wisconsin search could find Capitol pics, Madison pics or pics from anywhere else throughout the Badger State.
Go as specific, or as general, as makes sense for you.
Select images to add them to your guide. Don’t worry if they’re not your posts — the image will automatically link to its creators’ account.
As with all location-based searches on Instagram, you can go super specific (Wisconsin State Capitol), more general (Madison, WI) or very general (Wisconsin).
A Capitol search will only find pics tagged at the Capitol.
A Madison search might find pics tagged at the Capitol, but also posts tagged in other places throughout the city.
A Wisconsin search could find Capitol pics, Madison pics or pics from anywhere else throughout the Badger State.
Go as specific, or as general, as makes sense for you.
 | If you choose multiple images, they will be added to your Instagram Guide as a gallery your followers can swipe through. To add a new item to your guide, simply scroll to the bottom of the page and tap + Add Place. You’re well on your way to posting your first ever Instagram Guide — but don’t forget to write a title and description. Note: to edit the cover photo, tap Change Cover Photo below your Guide’s title. |
| Want to rearrange or delete a post from your Guide? No problem. Tap the three dots next to any image to edit, reorder, or remove that post. Once you’re done, hit post. Don't forget to share it to your Instagram Story (tagging folks if you've used their content of course!). Products is very similar to Places, except instead of locations, you can search through Instagram shops along with your Wishlist. Posts is a bit more freeform, and as a result it’s the most versatile (and potentially most powerful) Instagram Guide type. |  |
The Posts Guide lets you search and select from your own posts along with, possibly more importantly, your Saved Posts.
Wait, How Do I save Posts on instagram?
To save any post on Instagram, simply tap the bookmark icon located to the bottom right of the post. Doing so adds it to your Saved Posts.
To organize your Saved Posts (for Guides or in general), head to your profile and tap the hamburger menu in the top right corner of the screen. Tap Saved, and you’ll see your collections, including the default All Posts collection. Tap the plus in the top right to create a new collection. Here, you can choose posts to create a new collection of related posts. Boom — you're in business!!
I use Saved Posts as a way to find posts I want to be able to find again later. I have collections for fun gift ideas, interesting ads I see (#DigitalNerd! 🤓), pics of my cat... Saved collections are private, so think of them as a safe space to save things you want to come back to later.
It actually seems that after years of having private Saved Collections, Instagram is using Guides as a way to simply have public Saved collections as well. And I for one am here for it!
With well-organized collections, you’ll start to see how flexible Posts Guides really can be!
To organize your Saved Posts (for Guides or in general), head to your profile and tap the hamburger menu in the top right corner of the screen. Tap Saved, and you’ll see your collections, including the default All Posts collection. Tap the plus in the top right to create a new collection. Here, you can choose posts to create a new collection of related posts. Boom — you're in business!!
I use Saved Posts as a way to find posts I want to be able to find again later. I have collections for fun gift ideas, interesting ads I see (#DigitalNerd! 🤓), pics of my cat... Saved collections are private, so think of them as a safe space to save things you want to come back to later.
It actually seems that after years of having private Saved Collections, Instagram is using Guides as a way to simply have public Saved collections as well. And I for one am here for it!
With well-organized collections, you’ll start to see how flexible Posts Guides really can be!
How Do I find Instagram Guides Once They're Published?
Once you've published your Guide, they're actually super easy to find. Just head to your homepage and navigate to the map icon directly under your profile. If you haven't yet created a Guide, you won't find the option (the same is true for IGTV and Reels).
You can also visit other people's profiles and click on their Guides the same way (if they've created any).
Want to see an example of an Instagram Guide? Here's one I made that's just pics of the Wisconsin Capitol. (Noticing a trend? I freaking love that building!)
Don’t forget, this feature is quite new as of this writing. There’s plenty to explore, and you can find your own way to use this tool uniquely.
Now... who wants to make a Guide explaining how to make Guides? Have fun and don’t forget to tag me (@jlemonsk) when you post your first Guide! I definitely want to see it!
You can also visit other people's profiles and click on their Guides the same way (if they've created any).
Want to see an example of an Instagram Guide? Here's one I made that's just pics of the Wisconsin Capitol. (Noticing a trend? I freaking love that building!)
Don’t forget, this feature is quite new as of this writing. There’s plenty to explore, and you can find your own way to use this tool uniquely.
Now... who wants to make a Guide explaining how to make Guides? Have fun and don’t forget to tag me (@jlemonsk) when you post your first Guide! I definitely want to see it!
Further Instagram Geeking Out
Want to know more about how Instagram has evolved over the years? Check out this Evolution Of Instagram I put together.
And then check out this episode of my podcast, Step Up Your Social, where I cover 10 Tricks and Hacks to Step Up Your Instagram Stories.
And then check out this episode of my podcast, Step Up Your Social, where I cover 10 Tricks and Hacks to Step Up Your Instagram Stories.
Ready to become an Instagram Champion? I provide private lessons to businesses, campaigns, nonprofits, solopreneurs, bands... anyone who wants to get more out of this powerful platform.
Instagram Stories currently have 500 million daily active users. Half a billion people — around one-and-a-half-Americas — use Instagram Stories every single day!
And Stories keep growing, both in their popularity and in their functionality.
So in this post, we’re going to cover some fun tricks, tips and hacks your can use to take your Instagram stories to the next level.
If you’re not already posting Instagram Stories on a regular basis, check out Episode 3 of my podcast Step Up Your Social and get caught up on what they are and why you should be using them.
That short podcast episode (all episodes of Step Up Your Social are short — ~10 minutes or less) is the 101. This post is the 202.
So let's dig in!
And Stories keep growing, both in their popularity and in their functionality.
So in this post, we’re going to cover some fun tricks, tips and hacks your can use to take your Instagram stories to the next level.
If you’re not already posting Instagram Stories on a regular basis, check out Episode 3 of my podcast Step Up Your Social and get caught up on what they are and why you should be using them.
That short podcast episode (all episodes of Step Up Your Social are short — ~10 minutes or less) is the 101. This post is the 202.
So let's dig in!
Instagram Stories: The basics
Instagram Stories launched in August 2016 — by October 2016 they already had 100 million daily active users!
- Stories are ephemeral (they disappear after 24 hours)
- Initially you could only use pictures and videos for Stories that were taken in real time — that’s no longer the case
- By late 2017, Stories started rolling out interactive stickers — they continue to introduce new ones regularly
- In early 2018, they introduced GIF stickers
- As mentioned above, at last reporting, they have 500 million daily active users (on a daily basis, more people use Instragram Stories than use any part of Snapchat)
Want a deeper dive into all the changes and added tools that have been rolled out by Instagram over the years, both for Stories and in their primary feed? Check out my Evolution of Instagram.
But needless to say, Instagram Stories is a vibrant platform and you should definitely be taking advantage of it. Here are some tips, tricks and hacks to get the most out of your Instagram Stories
But needless to say, Instagram Stories is a vibrant platform and you should definitely be taking advantage of it. Here are some tips, tricks and hacks to get the most out of your Instagram Stories
How to make instagram stories
Several Ways to Create a New Story:
Since Stories have become such a successful part of the platform, Instagram has made it all but impossible to miss them when logged into the app. Users’ Stories are spread out horizontally across the top of the screen, just below the Instagram logo.
Your's is the first circle on the left. If you don’t have an active story, there will be a blue plus icon over your photo. Tap there to create a new Story. Stories last for 24 hours, so if you have made one in the past day, tapping here will show you your current story.
You can also tap the plus button at the top of your profile or home page and then select Stories from the bottom menu choices.
You can also swipe right anywhere in-app to create a new story. That's right, this is such a popular tool, Instagram — known for their obsession with simplicity — has given us numerous ways to get to the same place.
Since Stories have become such a successful part of the platform, Instagram has made it all but impossible to miss them when logged into the app. Users’ Stories are spread out horizontally across the top of the screen, just below the Instagram logo.
Your's is the first circle on the left. If you don’t have an active story, there will be a blue plus icon over your photo. Tap there to create a new Story. Stories last for 24 hours, so if you have made one in the past day, tapping here will show you your current story.
You can also tap the plus button at the top of your profile or home page and then select Stories from the bottom menu choices.
You can also swipe right anywhere in-app to create a new story. That's right, this is such a popular tool, Instagram — known for their obsession with simplicity — has given us numerous ways to get to the same place.
Spice it Up with Filters & Stickers
Adding filters can make an otherwise run-of-the-mill Story feel special. Take for instance this fun shot of my Turkish carpet. With a few quick taps, I can easily add some fun flair.
Once you’re on the Story creation screen, you can see a menu of filters in small circles at the bottom of the display. Tap on one, or swipe through to see different filters applied to your photo or video.
Instagram cycles through filters often, so it’s worth scanning through to see if there’s anything new. This example was taken in June, so there were a bunch of cool Pride filters. Some filters like this one have different variations, which you can see directly above the filter list.
Next, there’s the sticker library. These are meant to be placed over your content, and they’re incredibly diverse — GIFs, location, @mentions, #hashtags, donation requests, and more.
To resize or move a sticker, just use two fingers to pinch or drag it, respectively. If you change your mind, drag it to the bottom of the screen, where a trash can will appear. Poof, it’s gone!
Want a deeper dive into some of these fun sticker types? We’ll cover a few of the specific sticker types in more detail below.
Sticker Quick Tips
-Pinch and drag to resize and move stickers
-Tap on a sticker to change what it does — feel free to experiment!
-Change color of some stickers with a tap
-Add a “sound on” button sticker to let viewers know to turn up the volume
-Explore the deep GIF library to find something that fits your personality or mood
-All text is customizable — from font, alignment, size, color, and more
-Tap the squiggle to draw: change line styles & color, add arrows, erase, and undo/redo
All of these powerful and fun tool are… literally at your fingertips.
Adding filters can make an otherwise run-of-the-mill Story feel special. Take for instance this fun shot of my Turkish carpet. With a few quick taps, I can easily add some fun flair.
Once you’re on the Story creation screen, you can see a menu of filters in small circles at the bottom of the display. Tap on one, or swipe through to see different filters applied to your photo or video.
Instagram cycles through filters often, so it’s worth scanning through to see if there’s anything new. This example was taken in June, so there were a bunch of cool Pride filters. Some filters like this one have different variations, which you can see directly above the filter list.
Next, there’s the sticker library. These are meant to be placed over your content, and they’re incredibly diverse — GIFs, location, @mentions, #hashtags, donation requests, and more.
To resize or move a sticker, just use two fingers to pinch or drag it, respectively. If you change your mind, drag it to the bottom of the screen, where a trash can will appear. Poof, it’s gone!
Want a deeper dive into some of these fun sticker types? We’ll cover a few of the specific sticker types in more detail below.
Sticker Quick Tips
-Pinch and drag to resize and move stickers
-Tap on a sticker to change what it does — feel free to experiment!
-Change color of some stickers with a tap
-Add a “sound on” button sticker to let viewers know to turn up the volume
-Explore the deep GIF library to find something that fits your personality or mood
-All text is customizable — from font, alignment, size, color, and more
-Tap the squiggle to draw: change line styles & color, add arrows, erase, and undo/redo
All of these powerful and fun tool are… literally at your fingertips.
Check Your Analytics
Wondering who watched your Story and which Stories inspired actions on your account? Analytics aren't quite able to read minds, but they are definitely the next best thing.
During the 24 hours your Story is live, you’ll notice in the bottom-left of the screen “Seen by x,” so you know how many people viewed your story. Tap here to see more detailed analytics of how your Story performed.
On the analytics screen, you can see both who viewed your story and what actions they took (for example, if they skipped your story or watched the next one), Instagram will break that down for you. This can be helpful if you’re posting 20 times a day and want to know what’s connecting with your audience... and what isn't!
Ok, now that we’re all caught up with the basics, so let’s talk hacks!
Wondering who watched your Story and which Stories inspired actions on your account? Analytics aren't quite able to read minds, but they are definitely the next best thing.
During the 24 hours your Story is live, you’ll notice in the bottom-left of the screen “Seen by x,” so you know how many people viewed your story. Tap here to see more detailed analytics of how your Story performed.
On the analytics screen, you can see both who viewed your story and what actions they took (for example, if they skipped your story or watched the next one), Instagram will break that down for you. This can be helpful if you’re posting 20 times a day and want to know what’s connecting with your audience... and what isn't!
Ok, now that we’re all caught up with the basics, so let’s talk hacks!
1. Increase Reach With The Location StickeR
Adding a location sticker doesn’t just let your viewers know where you are, it can also potentially extend your reach beyond your current followers. How you use the location sticker is up to you.
You can be super specific — I’m at the WI capitol.
You can be a bit vague — I’m in Madison, WI.
Or you can be super vague — I’m in WI.
There are 2 reasons to use location stickers:
1) It helps people know where you are. And
2) and this is the important one, it could dramatically increase your Story’s reach.
There’s no surefire way to get one of your Stories added to a public Story* — which will definitely increase your reach — but not tagging your location guarantees that you WON’T be added to the public location’s story.
*What do I mean by public Stories? When you search for any place on Instagram, you'll find a menu of images tagged in that location. You'll also find public Stories that Instagram is highlighting to give a fuller peak at the spot you are checking out.
You can be super specific — I’m at the WI capitol.
You can be a bit vague — I’m in Madison, WI.
Or you can be super vague — I’m in WI.
There are 2 reasons to use location stickers:
1) It helps people know where you are. And
2) and this is the important one, it could dramatically increase your Story’s reach.
There’s no surefire way to get one of your Stories added to a public Story* — which will definitely increase your reach — but not tagging your location guarantees that you WON’T be added to the public location’s story.
*What do I mean by public Stories? When you search for any place on Instagram, you'll find a menu of images tagged in that location. You'll also find public Stories that Instagram is highlighting to give a fuller peak at the spot you are checking out.
And here’s something cool: Instagram is smart enough to know that the WI Capitol is in Madison and that Madison is in WI. So it’s possible you’ll wind up in the public Stories for all 3 of those places. Which is the main reason why specific location tagging is better than general location tagging. But any location tagging is better than none!
Two quick notes on this — 1) not every story should be tagged by location. If you’re sharing a screenshot of one of your tweets, or posting a Game of Thrones meme that got you laughing, it’s okay to skip the location. And 2) — and this is a big one — you don’t actually have to be at a location to tag yourself there. Now of course I’m not telling you to lie to your audience. In fact I'm straight up telling you to NEVER lie to your audience. But if you took a bunch of pictures at an event last night and you we’re too busy to share them to your Stories in real time, you can post them the next day, and tag the location after the fact. Just search for the location within the search bar, select it, and voila. You’re tagged.
You can then move that sticker around, make it bigger or smaller, or tap it to get different color formatting to better fit the feel of your story.
Two quick notes on this — 1) not every story should be tagged by location. If you’re sharing a screenshot of one of your tweets, or posting a Game of Thrones meme that got you laughing, it’s okay to skip the location. And 2) — and this is a big one — you don’t actually have to be at a location to tag yourself there. Now of course I’m not telling you to lie to your audience. In fact I'm straight up telling you to NEVER lie to your audience. But if you took a bunch of pictures at an event last night and you we’re too busy to share them to your Stories in real time, you can post them the next day, and tag the location after the fact. Just search for the location within the search bar, select it, and voila. You’re tagged.
You can then move that sticker around, make it bigger or smaller, or tap it to get different color formatting to better fit the feel of your story.
2. Increase Reach With Hashtags
There’s a location sticker. There’s also a hashtag sticker. Use it! Just like you might be added to a public location’s Story when using the location sticker — thus increasing your potential reach — using a hashtag sets you up to potentially be added to a public hashtag’s Story.
Now on a general Instagram post, you can use up to 30 hashtags. Stories won’t let you go that far, but it will allow you to use up to 10 hashtags. The more hashtags you use, the better chance you have of getting added to public Stories.
You can only use the hashtag sticker once in a Story. But if it makes sense for you to add more, just pop on over to your text and start typing out relevant hashtags.
IF IF IF you are going to do this — and of course you don’t have to add 10 #s in every post — consider stacking and then hiding them, so that it doesn’t make your Story look... gaudy.
Now on a general Instagram post, you can use up to 30 hashtags. Stories won’t let you go that far, but it will allow you to use up to 10 hashtags. The more hashtags you use, the better chance you have of getting added to public Stories.
You can only use the hashtag sticker once in a Story. But if it makes sense for you to add more, just pop on over to your text and start typing out relevant hashtags.
IF IF IF you are going to do this — and of course you don’t have to add 10 #s in every post — consider stacking and then hiding them, so that it doesn’t make your Story look... gaudy.
Try this:
Create each hashtag as a new piece of text, meaning that instead of just hitting space between tags, you hit done typing out tag one, and then start new text for tag number 2 and so on.
Then, stack them. Literally put them all on top of each other. Which will look awful. But fear not. Once you've got your hashtags stacked, head back to your stickers and find yourself a sticker or GIF to stick on top of them. Then no one will see them except Instagram… which in this case is the only one who really matters!
Create each hashtag as a new piece of text, meaning that instead of just hitting space between tags, you hit done typing out tag one, and then start new text for tag number 2 and so on.
Then, stack them. Literally put them all on top of each other. Which will look awful. But fear not. Once you've got your hashtags stacked, head back to your stickers and find yourself a sticker or GIF to stick on top of them. Then no one will see them except Instagram… which in this case is the only one who really matters!
3. Increase Reach With The Mention Sticker
There's a location and a hashtag sticker. There’s also a mention sticker. This sticker lets you tag someone(s) in your Story. This one won’t help you get into any public Stories, but it will give a public shoutout to the account(s) you are tagging, and just as important, it will send a notification to that account that you have tagged them in a Story.
As I always say — don’t talk about anyone on the internet if you wouldn’t want them to know. And talking about someone on social without tagging them is like talking to them on the phone without first dialing their number. Without it, they might accidentally come upon your post, but a tag all but ensures they see it!
Another reason to tag someone is that when you do so, they'll get the option to share your Story with their followers. So you give them a shoutout, and then they help you reach new audiences. Win-Win!
Along with hoping your community shares your posts, definitely consider sharing relevant and interesting Stories from your audience that tag you. User generated content can be an amazing way to tell your brand’s story.
And, something cool about sharing other people’s stories — it’s more like a quote tweet than a retweet. Meaning you don’t just have to share their Story as is. You essentially are sharing their Story as a sticker, so you can add your own location, mention and hashtag stickers to it as well as GIFs, text and more. Have fun with it!
As I always say — don’t talk about anyone on the internet if you wouldn’t want them to know. And talking about someone on social without tagging them is like talking to them on the phone without first dialing their number. Without it, they might accidentally come upon your post, but a tag all but ensures they see it!
Another reason to tag someone is that when you do so, they'll get the option to share your Story with their followers. So you give them a shoutout, and then they help you reach new audiences. Win-Win!
Along with hoping your community shares your posts, definitely consider sharing relevant and interesting Stories from your audience that tag you. User generated content can be an amazing way to tell your brand’s story.
And, something cool about sharing other people’s stories — it’s more like a quote tweet than a retweet. Meaning you don’t just have to share their Story as is. You essentially are sharing their Story as a sticker, so you can add your own location, mention and hashtag stickers to it as well as GIFs, text and more. Have fun with it!
 |  |
The ability to share stories changed the whole concept of Instagram’s power of telling stories in real time. Take advantage of this tool, as it makes sense for you and your brand.
4. Get Engaging With StickerS
If you haven’t explored the loads of fun stickers available to you in Instagram Stories, you are missing out! Along with the ones we’ve already covered, and GIFs (which I love!), there are also some really cool engagement stickers built right into the platform.
You can use stickers to solicit questions from your audience (which you can then answer in follow up Stories), take polls, quiz your audience… there’s even a countdown clock available to you if you have an exciting event taking place and want to build some excitement.
Explore and get to engaging your audience with stickers.
You can use stickers to solicit questions from your audience (which you can then answer in follow up Stories), take polls, quiz your audience… there’s even a countdown clock available to you if you have an exciting event taking place and want to build some excitement.
Explore and get to engaging your audience with stickers.
5. Create Your Own StickerS
Can’t quite find the perfect sticker for your story? Don’t sweat it: you can make your own. It’s surprisingly simple to do so.
Find a photo you like. Whether it’s in your browser or saved on your phone, either will work.
In your browser, long tap the image until you see the option to save it. Once the image is saved to your photos, tap the Share button and then tap copy photo.
Now, head back to your story. The copied image should pop up in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Tap on it and bang! You’re good to go.
If you miss the pop up, don’t sweat it. Just open the keyboard, hit paste, and you’re back in business.
That was the tip—here comes the hack! You can save transparent images (.png files) like a Polaroid frame and use these as stickers too. This way, it’s easy to get really creative with a few basic building blocks. Add these in the same way you added those previous stickers, and you’re in business.
This is a super fun and interesting way to create your own content, and most importantly, to be able to do so in your own voice (and with your own colors and branding).
In your browser, long tap the image until you see the option to save it. Once the image is saved to your photos, tap the Share button and then tap copy photo.
Now, head back to your story. The copied image should pop up in the lower left hand corner of the screen. Tap on it and bang! You’re good to go.
If you miss the pop up, don’t sweat it. Just open the keyboard, hit paste, and you’re back in business.
That was the tip—here comes the hack! You can save transparent images (.png files) like a Polaroid frame and use these as stickers too. This way, it’s easy to get really creative with a few basic building blocks. Add these in the same way you added those previous stickers, and you’re in business.
This is a super fun and interesting way to create your own content, and most importantly, to be able to do so in your own voice (and with your own colors and branding).
6. Add Any Instagram Post To Your Story
Did you know that you can add ANY public Instagram post — your own or anyone else’s — to your Stories? To do so is extremely simple: at the bottom of the post, next to the heart and comment icons, there’s a little paper airplane. Click it and you’ll see the option to “add to story.”
Click that and whatever you were looking at will appear as a sticker in your Story. When I say “whatever you were looking at,” what I mean is that if it was an album, you can only add one image, and if it’s a video, you will only be adding a screenshot of the thumbnail associated with the video.
But once you have the image in your Story, you can move it around, make it bigger or smaller and add all of the stickers, GIFs and text you want. And if you tap on the actual post, it will change the formatting from the clean image with a tag of who posted it, to an image that includes the handle and part of the post’s original text.
Click that and whatever you were looking at will appear as a sticker in your Story. When I say “whatever you were looking at,” what I mean is that if it was an album, you can only add one image, and if it’s a video, you will only be adding a screenshot of the thumbnail associated with the video.
But once you have the image in your Story, you can move it around, make it bigger or smaller and add all of the stickers, GIFs and text you want. And if you tap on the actual post, it will change the formatting from the clean image with a tag of who posted it, to an image that includes the handle and part of the post’s original text.
Here’s the coolest hack for this though — go to your GIF library and search “tap here.” You’ll have loads of options — pick one you like. Add your "tap here" sticker to your Story.
When someone taps it, they’ll get a seemingly magic option to visit the original post. Here’s the thing — they would get that option whether or not you point them to tap there. Most folks just don’t realize that it's an option to click through.
The built-in call-to-action makes it super easy to drive people from your Story to your original post (or anyone else’s). It's a big part of why more and more accounts are creating Stories from their posts. It’s a second audience you can engage around the same content, and you can potentially drive people back to the original content at the same time.
I don’t recommend doing this for every one of your posts, but definitely a helpful tool for the posts you are particularly excited about.
When someone taps it, they’ll get a seemingly magic option to visit the original post. Here’s the thing — they would get that option whether or not you point them to tap there. Most folks just don’t realize that it's an option to click through.
The built-in call-to-action makes it super easy to drive people from your Story to your original post (or anyone else’s). It's a big part of why more and more accounts are creating Stories from their posts. It’s a second audience you can engage around the same content, and you can potentially drive people back to the original content at the same time.
I don’t recommend doing this for every one of your posts, but definitely a helpful tool for the posts you are particularly excited about.
7. Get Creative With Color
When I am building a new Story that’s not based on a picture, I’ll sometimes just snap a photo while covering the camera so I can start with a black background. This works fine, but if you want a different color background, there’s actually a really easy way to create one.
Take any picture and then tap the pen tool. Select the first pen, pick your color of choice on the bottom and then hold your finger down on the screen. The whole background will become that color.
If you want to add a transparent color over top of one of your pictures, you can do that too. Instead of selecting the first pen, select the second one, which looks more like a marker. Choose your color, hold down and you get a transparent overlay over top of your picture.
Want to get really clever with either of these — create your solid or transparent color over top of a picture, and then use the eraser to remove color from the selected areas. That can create a very cool effect!
If you want to add a transparent color over top of one of your pictures, you can do that too. Instead of selecting the first pen, select the second one, which looks more like a marker. Choose your color, hold down and you get a transparent overlay over top of your picture.
Want to get really clever with either of these — create your solid or transparent color over top of a picture, and then use the eraser to remove color from the selected areas. That can create a very cool effect!
8. Keep The Story Going With IGTV
If you have 10k+ followers, you can link a Story to an external link. This is a very powerful tool, but one that not a lot of users actually have access to.
For those of us with less than 10,000 followers, you do still have one option for linking out from your Story — you can link it to an IGTV video that you have previously posted.
IGTV, short for Instagram TV, allows you to post longer videos then you can post within Instagram proper. On Instagram, you are limited to one minute videos, but with IGTV, you can go up to 10 minutes (some bigger accounts can even go up to an hour).
It can be a great way to repurpose videos that you created elsewhere but couldn’t post to Instagram because they were too long.
For those of us with less than 10,000 followers, you do still have one option for linking out from your Story — you can link it to an IGTV video that you have previously posted.
IGTV, short for Instagram TV, allows you to post longer videos then you can post within Instagram proper. On Instagram, you are limited to one minute videos, but with IGTV, you can go up to 10 minutes (some bigger accounts can even go up to an hour).
It can be a great way to repurpose videos that you created elsewhere but couldn’t post to Instagram because they were too long.
Once you have posted something to IGTV, you can link directly to the video through a Story. To do so, simply tap the link icon at the top of your story. You will then be able to select from any of your pre-published videos in IGTV. Then anyone seeing your Story can swipe up and get to your IGTV video.
Like with the “Tap Here” hack, search the GIFs library for a “Swipe Up” call-to-action. so your audience realizes that your Story is intended to take them somewhere else to continue on in the fun!
You can also share an IGTV directly to your Instagram Stories. To do so, simply select it and add it to your story like you would any public post. This will not show the entire IGTV, but will let people stream a few seconds of it and give folks an option to keep watching your full video at IGTV.
Like with the “Tap Here” hack, search the GIFs library for a “Swipe Up” call-to-action. so your audience realizes that your Story is intended to take them somewhere else to continue on in the fun!
You can also share an IGTV directly to your Instagram Stories. To do so, simply select it and add it to your story like you would any public post. This will not show the entire IGTV, but will let people stream a few seconds of it and give folks an option to keep watching your full video at IGTV.
9. Make Your Own Drop ShadowS
Here’s a fun hack — while Instagram recently upped their font offerings, including a drop shadow option, it's still a bit limiting as far as customizing your retro drop shadow text look. Want to create a drop shadow effect using the colors and fonts of your choice? Doing so is really easy!
Create your text. You can change the size but doing so makes this hack a little tricky. Position it right where you want it, and then create the exact same text again, just with a different color.
Then place one of the texts on top of the other, but just slightly off, enough to create your own… wait for it… drop shadow.
Want to see an example of this in action. Head over to my Instagram account — I’m @jlemonsk — and then check out my Story highlight titled IG updates. Whenever I create a Story about a new Instagram feature, hack, or strategy, I add it to that highlight. Scroll through and you’ll find one that shows this drop shadow hack in action.
Create your text. You can change the size but doing so makes this hack a little tricky. Position it right where you want it, and then create the exact same text again, just with a different color.
Then place one of the texts on top of the other, but just slightly off, enough to create your own… wait for it… drop shadow.
Want to see an example of this in action. Head over to my Instagram account — I’m @jlemonsk — and then check out my Story highlight titled IG updates. Whenever I create a Story about a new Instagram feature, hack, or strategy, I add it to that highlight. Scroll through and you’ll find one that shows this drop shadow hack in action.
10. Put a Pin In IT
I saved this one for last because it is just so freaking awesome! Want to add a sticker, text or GIF to a video and have it follow along with the video, rather than just remaining static in one spot? Doing so is actually really easy!
Create a video Story (either take a new video in the app, or add in a video that’s already on your phone). Then, select a sticker or GIF you want, or add even text. While the video is playing in the background, long press the sticker or text.
You’ll then get a scrollbar at the bottom of the screen. That scrollbar will let you move through the video at your own speed. Scroll to a spot that lets you clearly see where you want your sticker to stay pinned. Then move/resize the sticker until you have it where you want it. Hit pin and voila. You've pinned your sticker, text of GIF.
Create a video Story (either take a new video in the app, or add in a video that’s already on your phone). Then, select a sticker or GIF you want, or add even text. While the video is playing in the background, long press the sticker or text.
You’ll then get a scrollbar at the bottom of the screen. That scrollbar will let you move through the video at your own speed. Scroll to a spot that lets you clearly see where you want your sticker to stay pinned. Then move/resize the sticker until you have it where you want it. Hit pin and voila. You've pinned your sticker, text of GIF.
 |  |  |
This one's a little complicated, so here’s a quick recap:
-Create a video story
-Select a sticker
-Tap and hold the sticker
-Scroll to a good spot
-Hit pin
Assuming your video isn’t too complicated for Instagram to handle, it should paste your sticker or text onto that spot in the video and then let it follow along throughout the duration of the video.
So in this example, I pinned a Like sticker to a little toy car. Let’s call it a Heart-Ford. (Fun pun to always remember the capital of Connecticut: the Heart Ford Connects a Cut 😂). Instead of the Like sticker just sitting in the corner, it zooms along with the car.
Pretty cool, right?
-Create a video story
-Select a sticker
-Tap and hold the sticker
-Scroll to a good spot
-Hit pin
Assuming your video isn’t too complicated for Instagram to handle, it should paste your sticker or text onto that spot in the video and then let it follow along throughout the duration of the video.
So in this example, I pinned a Like sticker to a little toy car. Let’s call it a Heart-Ford. (Fun pun to always remember the capital of Connecticut: the Heart Ford Connects a Cut 😂). Instead of the Like sticker just sitting in the corner, it zooms along with the car.
Pretty cool, right?
Bonus! Third Party Tools
Everything you've seen in this post can be created directly in Instagram. But if you want to take your Story game to the next level — or if you want to innovate some hacks of your own — feel free to try out some of these third-party apps.
These design tools are useful beyond Instagram, with templates and editing capabilities to make almost anything you need for your social media program.
Adobe Photoshop: The gold standard of image editing, Photoshop now has a great mobile-friendly version of the app
Adobe Spark: A browser-based editor with thousands of fun templates
Canva: Similar to Spark, Canva is a user-friendly, browser-based image editor
InShot: A powerful video editing tool with cool filters
These next 3 apps focus specifically on Stories, and each has a free or paid option, so you can take your content as far as you can imagine.
Over: Easy to edit templates for beautiful stories
Unfold: Story-editing tool with beautiful, designer-built templates
Instories: A personal favorite, this is imho the most fun story editor with dynamic and fluid titles and video frames that make your Stories look quite professional without much effort at all
Your Turn!
What are some of your favorite strategies, tricks or hacks that you have been using to step up your Instagram story game? I want to hear about them. Hit me up on Instagram (again, I’m @jlemonsk), or on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn where I’m Reverbal Communications.
Or… show off what you’ve learned! Make a cool Instagram Story and use the hashtag #StepUpYourSocial.
If you tag me in your Stories, you better believe I’m gonna share it! So hit me up!
Now what are you waiting for? Get out there and step up your Story game!
These design tools are useful beyond Instagram, with templates and editing capabilities to make almost anything you need for your social media program.
Adobe Photoshop: The gold standard of image editing, Photoshop now has a great mobile-friendly version of the app
Adobe Spark: A browser-based editor with thousands of fun templates
Canva: Similar to Spark, Canva is a user-friendly, browser-based image editor
InShot: A powerful video editing tool with cool filters
These next 3 apps focus specifically on Stories, and each has a free or paid option, so you can take your content as far as you can imagine.
Over: Easy to edit templates for beautiful stories
Unfold: Story-editing tool with beautiful, designer-built templates
Instories: A personal favorite, this is imho the most fun story editor with dynamic and fluid titles and video frames that make your Stories look quite professional without much effort at all
Your Turn!
What are some of your favorite strategies, tricks or hacks that you have been using to step up your Instagram story game? I want to hear about them. Hit me up on Instagram (again, I’m @jlemonsk), or on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn where I’m Reverbal Communications.
Or… show off what you’ve learned! Make a cool Instagram Story and use the hashtag #StepUpYourSocial.
If you tag me in your Stories, you better believe I’m gonna share it! So hit me up!
Now what are you waiting for? Get out there and step up your Story game!
Ready to become an Instagram Champion? I provide private lessons to businesses, campaigns, nonprofits, solopreneurs, bands... anyone who wants to get more out of this powerful platform.
There are hundreds of millions of pieces of content created for the internet every day Want to break through the noise? The best writing won't stop someone's thumbs from scrolling through their feed. You have to first nab them with an eye-catching pic. Then you might have a shot to keep their attention long enough to read about your new offer, hear your fundraising pitch, or learn more about whatever you're talking about.
My general go to stock image site for finding high quality, free* photos online is Unsplash. Unsplash refers to itself as "the internet's source of freely-usable images. Powered by creators everywhere." It's a website full of beautiful, interesting and dynamic photos from all over the world. Type in whatever you need in the search bar and get ready to scroll through countless wonderful photos, brilliantly capturing your subject matter.
But representation matters — especially to kids. Early impressions leave an indelible mark that shape what children imagine is possible. Think a picture is worth a thousand words? It’s probably closer to a a few million!
High-quality, representative stock photography is absolutely crucial for any business, whether you’re writing a blog post, creating a graphic or promoting an event.
I use Unsplash all the time. But sometimes I need photos more geared specifically towards diversity, intersectionality or multiculturalism. While scrolling Unsplash will typically get me where I need to be, there are other options out there that focus specifically on representing the under-represented through high-quality stock photography.
Here is a compilation of 10 free (or affordable) stock photo sites that go further than tossing a BIPOC cherry-on-top of a scoop of vanilla. You might even say these collections are pretty much the whole damn sundae.
*Quick caveat: I'm not a lawyer and I'm certainly not your lawyer. While many of these sites offer free stock photos for you to use, I'm not telling you what you can and can't do with them. If you're worried about what's okay or not, talk to a lawyer, read the fine print, or... you know... head to Google and read up.
My general go to stock image site for finding high quality, free* photos online is Unsplash. Unsplash refers to itself as "the internet's source of freely-usable images. Powered by creators everywhere." It's a website full of beautiful, interesting and dynamic photos from all over the world. Type in whatever you need in the search bar and get ready to scroll through countless wonderful photos, brilliantly capturing your subject matter.
But representation matters — especially to kids. Early impressions leave an indelible mark that shape what children imagine is possible. Think a picture is worth a thousand words? It’s probably closer to a a few million!
High-quality, representative stock photography is absolutely crucial for any business, whether you’re writing a blog post, creating a graphic or promoting an event.
I use Unsplash all the time. But sometimes I need photos more geared specifically towards diversity, intersectionality or multiculturalism. While scrolling Unsplash will typically get me where I need to be, there are other options out there that focus specifically on representing the under-represented through high-quality stock photography.
Here is a compilation of 10 free (or affordable) stock photo sites that go further than tossing a BIPOC cherry-on-top of a scoop of vanilla. You might even say these collections are pretty much the whole damn sundae.
*Quick caveat: I'm not a lawyer and I'm certainly not your lawyer. While many of these sites offer free stock photos for you to use, I'm not telling you what you can and can't do with them. If you're worried about what's okay or not, talk to a lawyer, read the fine print, or... you know... head to Google and read up.
1. #WOCinTech
This Flickr photo stream features hundreds of images of women of color working in tech. Everything is free under a Creative Commons license, so you won’t have to pay a cent.(That said, as is the case throughout this round-up, the above caveat applies.)
This Flickr photo stream features hundreds of images of women of color working in tech. Everything is free under a Creative Commons license, so you won’t have to pay a cent.(That said, as is the case throughout this round-up, the above caveat applies.)
2. CreateHER Stock
This authentic stock site is a finely-curated “for-us-by-us” set of lifestyle+business content featuring Black women. A subscription runs ~$10/month, but given that the pics are behind a paywall, you’ll have access to exclusive content (unlike some big box stock photos you see on every 3rd ad in your timeline).
This authentic stock site is a finely-curated “for-us-by-us” set of lifestyle+business content featuring Black women. A subscription runs ~$10/month, but given that the pics are behind a paywall, you’ll have access to exclusive content (unlike some big box stock photos you see on every 3rd ad in your timeline).
3. Pexels
Pexels is a well-known free stock site, granted, but it's included here to point out their solid suggestions engine. Try searching for “Black people” in Pexels and not only do you get accurate results, but Pexels will suggest related tags, making it easy to hone in on exactly who you’re looking for.
Pexels is a well-known free stock site, granted, but it's included here to point out their solid suggestions engine. Try searching for “Black people” in Pexels and not only do you get accurate results, but Pexels will suggest related tags, making it easy to hone in on exactly who you’re looking for.
4. nappy.co
Search “coffee” on your standard stock site. While the latte might be brown, the hands holding it rarely are. Nappy refers to itself as providing "Beautiful, high-res photos of black and brown people. For free." I can't really sum it up better than that.
Search “coffee” on your standard stock site. While the latte might be brown, the hands holding it rarely are. Nappy refers to itself as providing "Beautiful, high-res photos of black and brown people. For free." I can't really sum it up better than that.
5. Picnoi
Picnoi is a hand-picked collection teeming with great shots of hip, young Black & Brown folks. You can also browse their co-op's collection directly in Unsplash.
Picnoi is a hand-picked collection teeming with great shots of hip, young Black & Brown folks. You can also browse their co-op's collection directly in Unsplash.
 |  |
6. Body Liberation Stock
Intersectionality can be particularly difficult to find represented on stock photo sites. Body Liberation Stock is an impressive stash of shots depicting body-positivity in folks from all walks of life.
Intersectionality can be particularly difficult to find represented on stock photo sites. Body Liberation Stock is an impressive stash of shots depicting body-positivity in folks from all walks of life.
7. The Gender Spectrum Collection
From Vice, these photos are intended to articulate the complexity of people not necessarily defined by their gender. You’ll find a solid variety of non-binary and trans people at work, school, and off the clock.
From Vice, these photos are intended to articulate the complexity of people not necessarily defined by their gender. You’ll find a solid variety of non-binary and trans people at work, school, and off the clock.
8. Disabled And Here
This is a wonderful reclamation for disabled BIPOC. In a unique—and incredibly vulnerable feature—this collection features interviews with each model, engendering a true intimacy rarely felt in stock photos.
This is a wonderful reclamation for disabled BIPOC. In a unique—and incredibly vulnerable feature—this collection features interviews with each model, engendering a true intimacy rarely felt in stock photos.
9. TONL
Intended for editorial use, TONL feels like an enlightened version of Adobe Stock. If you’re looking for exceptionally high-quality and exclusive imagery, you can pay as you go (~$2/pic). The content curation will save you hours of scrolling those big name free sites.
Intended for editorial use, TONL feels like an enlightened version of Adobe Stock. If you’re looking for exceptionally high-quality and exclusive imagery, you can pay as you go (~$2/pic). The content curation will save you hours of scrolling those big name free sites.
10. Salam Stock
A lot of stock sites can really miss the mark when trying to depict modern Muslim life. Salam Stock remedies that with a hefty collection that includes free and paid plans.
A lot of stock sites can really miss the mark when trying to depict modern Muslim life. Salam Stock remedies that with a hefty collection that includes free and paid plans.
Those are a few diversity-first stock photo sites I've found helpful over the years. Do you have any to add to the list? I'd love to hear about them. Share them in the comments or slide on over to my DMs.
I'd love to see how you put these new resources to use. Tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook when you post your awesome, new, diverse content.
Have fun!
I'd love to see how you put these new resources to use. Tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook when you post your awesome, new, diverse content.
Have fun!
This post was last updated fall 2020.
You know the old saying that the only constant is change?
Well, that never been more true than when talking about social media.
You go to bed understanding exactly how a platform works — you wake up to find that everything has changed. There are new features, but also missing features, and moved features, and some features that are still there but no longer work. Arggghhh. It’s enough to make you logoff and go refill your coffee. But when it comes to the big platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit… they know you’ll be back. So you just have to sit back down, pound that coffee, and get used to their radical new designs.
It’s been just shy of 10 years since Instagram was first launched in the app store. In a lot of ways, Instagram today is still very similar to the platform it was way back then (ten years is a lifetime in tech!). But while Instagram might feel pretty similar day in and day out, they’ve actually been rolling out new products and features pretty consistently year after year.
They have also hit some pretty big milestones along the way.
So let’s dig in and breakdown some of those key new features and major milestones in this Evolution of Instagram.
Well, that never been more true than when talking about social media.
You go to bed understanding exactly how a platform works — you wake up to find that everything has changed. There are new features, but also missing features, and moved features, and some features that are still there but no longer work. Arggghhh. It’s enough to make you logoff and go refill your coffee. But when it comes to the big platforms — Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit… they know you’ll be back. So you just have to sit back down, pound that coffee, and get used to their radical new designs.
It’s been just shy of 10 years since Instagram was first launched in the app store. In a lot of ways, Instagram today is still very similar to the platform it was way back then (ten years is a lifetime in tech!). But while Instagram might feel pretty similar day in and day out, they’ve actually been rolling out new products and features pretty consistently year after year.
They have also hit some pretty big milestones along the way.
So let’s dig in and breakdown some of those key new features and major milestones in this Evolution of Instagram.
Instagram Launches — October 2010
The year was 2010. The Social Network was in theaters. Moves Like Jagger was on the radio. Lost was wrapping up its final season, disappointing millions of fans all over the world. And Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger were rolling out Burbn, a mobile check-in app that was essentially a clone of Foursquare. Kevin and Mike realized they had a problem. So they did what anyone in their position — who had already raised a half a million dollars in funding — would do and they pivoted.
And thus Instagram was born. For those wondering, the name Instagram came from combining Instant (as in instant camera) and telegram.
At the time, you had to access Instagram through a mobile device. Ten years later, that’s still the case. (It’s actually not, but it still feels that way.)
And thus Instagram was born. For those wondering, the name Instagram came from combining Instant (as in instant camera) and telegram.
At the time, you had to access Instagram through a mobile device. Ten years later, that’s still the case. (It’s actually not, but it still feels that way.)
Instagram Incorporates Hashtags — January 2011
In 2007, a bunch of Twitter users inadvertently invented the hashtag as a way to more easily connect and converse at a conference.
Twitter leadership thought it was a “thing for nerds,” but alas, the hashtag was born.
Hashtags were eventually incorporated into Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr and Google+ and of course, Instagram, where they made their debut in January 2011. (They have also FINALLY made their way to LinkedIn, which in the words of Verge reporter Casey Newton, is just “Facebook in slow motion.”)
Twitter leadership thought it was a “thing for nerds,” but alas, the hashtag was born.
Hashtags were eventually incorporated into Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr and Google+ and of course, Instagram, where they made their debut in January 2011. (They have also FINALLY made their way to LinkedIn, which in the words of Verge reporter Casey Newton, is just “Facebook in slow motion.”)
Instagram Is Acquired By Facebook — April 2012
Mark Zuckerberg paid a billion dollars to buy Instagram, despite the fact that they had no revenue stream and were only 13 employees strong.
At the time, people panned the purchase. But not today! With over a billion active users, and long serving as Facebook’s primary growth platform for young people, that billion dollars now looks like a heck of a steal.
At the time, people panned the purchase. But not today! With over a billion active users, and long serving as Facebook’s primary growth platform for young people, that billion dollars now looks like a heck of a steal.
Instagram Rolls Out Explore — June 2012
If you like logging onto Instagram, checking in on your friends and the few select brands you follow, and then getting out, you were good to go from day one.
But if you are looking for new accounts to follow or interesting content to peruse, well Instagram wasn’t really built for that. Until June of 2012 that is, when they rolled out Explore.
Explore let’s you rove around Instagram in a new way, not just by username or hashtag, but also by content suggestion, curated specifically for you.
But if you are looking for new accounts to follow or interesting content to peruse, well Instagram wasn’t really built for that. Until June of 2012 that is, when they rolled out Explore.
Explore let’s you rove around Instagram in a new way, not just by username or hashtag, but also by content suggestion, curated specifically for you.
Milestone: Instagram Hits 100 Million Monthly Active Users — February 2013
Instagram picked up 100k users in the first week following their launch. It only took them a few months to get to a million users. It was six more months before they hit five million users and another three months before they hit ten million users.
They launched in October 2010. It took them less than 2.5 years to add that ninth digit to their user-base. By early February 2013, they already had more users than any European country had citizens.
Not bad for a platform that had just 13 employees a short ten months ago!
They launched in October 2010. It took them less than 2.5 years to add that ninth digit to their user-base. By early February 2013, they already had more users than any European country had citizens.
Not bad for a platform that had just 13 employees a short ten months ago!
Instagram Adds 15-Second Video Sharing — June 2013
If you are an active user of Instagram, you might not even realize that there was once a time you could only upload images to the platform. But for their first few years of existence, there was no video to be seen in Instagram.
That changed in June 2013 when they rolled out the option to upload videos of up to 15 seconds in length. (Note: at the time of this writing, that’s the length limit of videos shared to TikTok — it will be interesting to see if they too “evolve.”)
That changed in June 2013 when they rolled out the option to upload videos of up to 15 seconds in length. (Note: at the time of this writing, that’s the length limit of videos shared to TikTok — it will be interesting to see if they too “evolve.”)
Instagram Incorporates Ads — October 2013
Despite paying a billion dollars to acquire Instagram, Facebook held off on monetizing the platform via ads for a full year-and-a-half.
Presumably, there was a lot of work to do on the backend to enable their ads program to synchronize with Facebook’s pre-existing advertising platform.
While the initial ad rollout was limited to sponsored posts, it set the stage for Instagram becoming a product with an estimated standalone value of $100 billion.
Presumably, there was a lot of work to do on the backend to enable their ads program to synchronize with Facebook’s pre-existing advertising platform.
While the initial ad rollout was limited to sponsored posts, it set the stage for Instagram becoming a product with an estimated standalone value of $100 billion.
Instagram Enables Direct Messaging — December 2013
Instagram is a primarily public platform, as opposed to Facebook which for individual users tends to default to content being shared only with friends.
So while you could tag your friends in posts and comment on their content, you were doing so for the world to see. But those were pretty much your only options.
That changed in December 2013 when Instagram rolled out Direct Messaging.
Now you could have private conversations with friends, without ever having to leave Instagram.
So while you could tag your friends in posts and comment on their content, you were doing so for the world to see. But those were pretty much your only options.
That changed in December 2013 when Instagram rolled out Direct Messaging.
Now you could have private conversations with friends, without ever having to leave Instagram.
MILEstone: Instagram Hits 200 Million Monthly Active Users — March 2014
While the first 100 million users took 2.5 years to acquire, the next 100 million joined in on the fun in just 13 months.
By March 2014, Instagram had a bigger user-base than the population of Russia, Mexico or really any country in the world save for a few.
Those 15-second videos really made an impression!
By March 2014, Instagram had a bigger user-base than the population of Russia, Mexico or really any country in the world save for a few.
Those 15-second videos really made an impression!
Instagram Expands Video from 15 to 60 Seconds — March 2016
If 15 seconds of video is good, 60 seconds of video must be better, right?!
As of March of 2016, you could start uploading videos to Instagram that were up to 60 seconds in length.
Still not long enough to play the full version of that new song you just wrote, but at least now you can get through the whole refrain!
As of March of 2016, you could start uploading videos to Instagram that were up to 60 seconds in length.
Still not long enough to play the full version of that new song you just wrote, but at least now you can get through the whole refrain!
MILESTONE: Instagram Hits 500 Million Monthly Active Users — June 2016
Instagram just keeps on growing. By June of 2016 they had 500 million monthly active users. Which, just to stay on theme, made their “population” bigger than any country in the world except for China or India.
Instagram Introduces Stories! — August 2016
There’s an old adage in the social media world: when a platform becomes popular, Facebook will aim to own it or clone it.
While they managed to buy Instagram and WhatsApp (as well as a slew of other companies that aren’t quite household names), a couple of the big players eluded them.
They desperately wanted Twitter. But Twitter wouldn’t sell. So in short order, Facebook introduced hashtags, verified accounts, trending content (now defunct) and a bunch of other features that were all “inspired” by Twitter. (Ie: they couldn't own it, so they went to work trying to clone it.)
But Facebook’s appetite to consume Twitter was nothing compared to the newer kid on the block, Snapchat.
Snapchat, launched in 2011, was immediately popular with the youth, a demographic that Zuck knew he needed to keep satisfied and clicking if he wanted to remain at the head of the social media table.
In 2013, just two-years after launch, he offered $3 billion to buy them out. They refused. Facebook reportedly tried again shortly before Snap went public. He was again rebuffed.
That second attempt happened in 2016. Coincidently, that’s the same year that all the primary platforms in the Facebook universe (that’s Facebook itself, Messenger, WhatsApp and of course Instagram) rolled out Stories.
Stories are ephemeral content (they disappear after 24 hours) that are intended to be less perfectly quaffed, more fun and allow a user to post as often as they want throughout the day without worrying about bothering the almighty algorithm.
While Snapchat is still doing its thing, there’s no doubt that the rollout of Stories slowed their growth considerably.
While they managed to buy Instagram and WhatsApp (as well as a slew of other companies that aren’t quite household names), a couple of the big players eluded them.
They desperately wanted Twitter. But Twitter wouldn’t sell. So in short order, Facebook introduced hashtags, verified accounts, trending content (now defunct) and a bunch of other features that were all “inspired” by Twitter. (Ie: they couldn't own it, so they went to work trying to clone it.)
But Facebook’s appetite to consume Twitter was nothing compared to the newer kid on the block, Snapchat.
Snapchat, launched in 2011, was immediately popular with the youth, a demographic that Zuck knew he needed to keep satisfied and clicking if he wanted to remain at the head of the social media table.
In 2013, just two-years after launch, he offered $3 billion to buy them out. They refused. Facebook reportedly tried again shortly before Snap went public. He was again rebuffed.
That second attempt happened in 2016. Coincidently, that’s the same year that all the primary platforms in the Facebook universe (that’s Facebook itself, Messenger, WhatsApp and of course Instagram) rolled out Stories.
Stories are ephemeral content (they disappear after 24 hours) that are intended to be less perfectly quaffed, more fun and allow a user to post as often as they want throughout the day without worrying about bothering the almighty algorithm.
While Snapchat is still doing its thing, there’s no doubt that the rollout of Stories slowed their growth considerably.
Milestone: Instagram Stories Hits 100 Million Daily Active Users — October 2016
Instagram Stories were popular almost immediately. They rolled out in August 2016 and by October of that year they already had 100 million daily active users. That’s 100 million people who were using Stories. Every. Single. Day!
Instagram Stories Launches Boomerang — November 2016
At first, Instagram Stories only allowed users to share pictures or short videos taken in real time. Then they expand that to allow you to share pictures and videos you had shot within the last 24 hours. That limitation quickly went away as well, as Instagram enabled the ability for users to share anything on their phone roll (well any photo or any video up to 15 seconds in length).
But Stories also quickly started rolling out fun filters and camera tricks (very similar to Snapchat, who had been providing such offerings for quite some time).
One early and popular such feature was Boomerang — which enables a user to take a short video which is then popped it back and forth, like a boomerang.
While they aren’t as popular today as they were when they first rolled out, you would have a hard time spending 10 or 15 minutes scrolling through IG Stories without coming across at least a couple such clips.
But Stories also quickly started rolling out fun filters and camera tricks (very similar to Snapchat, who had been providing such offerings for quite some time).
One early and popular such feature was Boomerang — which enables a user to take a short video which is then popped it back and forth, like a boomerang.
While they aren’t as popular today as they were when they first rolled out, you would have a hard time spending 10 or 15 minutes scrolling through IG Stories without coming across at least a couple such clips.
Instagram Enables Albums — February 2017
From 2010 until early 2017, you could only share one piece of content to your Instagram timeline at a time.
That changed in February 2017 when Instagram rolled out Albums. Albums made it possible to share up to ten pieces of content at once. (You can mix and match photos and videos in a single album.)
This made it easier to share bigger stories to the timeline without having to pump out a bunch of separate and disjointed posts.
Learn more about Albums, and how to use them, with this explainer piece I made when they first launched using... what else? An Instagram Album!
That changed in February 2017 when Instagram rolled out Albums. Albums made it possible to share up to ten pieces of content at once. (You can mix and match photos and videos in a single album.)
This made it easier to share bigger stories to the timeline without having to pump out a bunch of separate and disjointed posts.
Learn more about Albums, and how to use them, with this explainer piece I made when they first launched using... what else? An Instagram Album!
Milestone: Instagram Stories Hits 200 Million Daily Active Users — April 2017
Less than a year after being introduced, Instagram Stories had already hit 200 million daily active users.
Milestone: Instagram Hits 800 Million Monthly Active Users — September 2017
And just a few months after that, Instagram as a platform hit 800 million active users.
Instagram Gets Engaging With Their First Interactive Sticker — October 2017
Instagram has rolled out loads of fun features to Stories over the years, but it was in October 2017 that they rolled out their first interactive stickers with the introduction of the poll sticker.
You could use it to have people weigh in on a simple multiple choice question of your liking (simple because you were — and are — limited to only two answer choices). Once a user votes, they can see the breakdown of how everyone else has voted.
Like with all Stories, those containing polls still disappear after 24 hours. But it was the first of many stickers that Instagram Stories would offer intended to help bring your audience into the conversation.
You could use it to have people weigh in on a simple multiple choice question of your liking (simple because you were — and are — limited to only two answer choices). Once a user votes, they can see the breakdown of how everyone else has voted.
Like with all Stories, those containing polls still disappear after 24 hours. But it was the first of many stickers that Instagram Stories would offer intended to help bring your audience into the conversation.
Instagram Lets Us Keep Our Stories With Highlights — December 2017
It didn’t take long for Instagram to realize that people were putting a lot of time and effort into their Stories, and that while some should just go ahead and disappear after 24 hours, it would be nice if users could keep some of them around.
And with that was born Highlights. (I’ve always thought this feature would have been called Albums, if Instagram hadn’t already used that name on a product less deserving of it).
Highlights are very important — first of all, they let you keep select Stories public indefinitely.
But even more importantly, they let you flesh out your account’s profile page, which has always been quite limited.
For your Instagram profile, you get a pic, a short bio, a location and a link to a website (the only active link you can use on the entire platform!). Now suddenly, if you choose to use them, the next thing someone sees while looking at your profile, after your photo and brief bio, is your Highlights. So if used well, they can really do a lot to help you tell your story in a more in-depth and relevant way for your audience.
Let’s say you own a restaurant. You might have one Highlight for salads, another for entrees, a third for desserts and a fourth showcasing the awesome artisanal cocktails you create in house.
Or let’s say you run a boutique. You could have a Highlight for hats, another for skirts, one for accessories, and one for handbags.
Highlights are a great way to show your audience what you do in a way that simply isn’t possible through the limitations offered in the Instagram profile section.
And with that was born Highlights. (I’ve always thought this feature would have been called Albums, if Instagram hadn’t already used that name on a product less deserving of it).
Highlights are very important — first of all, they let you keep select Stories public indefinitely.
But even more importantly, they let you flesh out your account’s profile page, which has always been quite limited.
For your Instagram profile, you get a pic, a short bio, a location and a link to a website (the only active link you can use on the entire platform!). Now suddenly, if you choose to use them, the next thing someone sees while looking at your profile, after your photo and brief bio, is your Highlights. So if used well, they can really do a lot to help you tell your story in a more in-depth and relevant way for your audience.
Let’s say you own a restaurant. You might have one Highlight for salads, another for entrees, a third for desserts and a fourth showcasing the awesome artisanal cocktails you create in house.
Or let’s say you run a boutique. You could have a Highlight for hats, another for skirts, one for accessories, and one for handbags.
Highlights are a great way to show your audience what you do in a way that simply isn’t possible through the limitations offered in the Instagram profile section.
Instagram Stories Get Active With GIFs — January 2018
I’m not gonna lie — I’m one of those people that’s reluctant to update the iOS on my phone for fear of messing with something that’s not broken.
I was probably a year behind the current iOS when Instagram Stories introduced GIF stickers (GIFs are short videos that play on repeat) and I was so anxious to get access to them, I updated my phone.
My phone was fine, but alas, it was months before the amazing GIF library found its way into my account. Why? That’s just the way it goes sometimes. Instagram and Facebook don’t typically rollout new features to everyone all at once.
But suffice to say, I eventually got them and two plus years on, the novelty has still not worn off. Not even a little bit! 😉
I was probably a year behind the current iOS when Instagram Stories introduced GIF stickers (GIFs are short videos that play on repeat) and I was so anxious to get access to them, I updated my phone.
My phone was fine, but alas, it was months before the amazing GIF library found its way into my account. Why? That’s just the way it goes sometimes. Instagram and Facebook don’t typically rollout new features to everyone all at once.
But suffice to say, I eventually got them and two plus years on, the novelty has still not worn off. Not even a little bit! 😉
Instagram Stories Introduces Type Mode — February 2018
Instagram Stories was initially limited to sharing real-time photos or videos. But right from the beginning you could type or draw on top of them.
Well in February 2018, Instagram Stories rolled out Type Mode, enabling the option to share JUST text, without any associated media.
While it might not be the most engaging kind of content to share, there are certain times when all you need is text, and it’s nice to have the option.
Well in February 2018, Instagram Stories rolled out Type Mode, enabling the option to share JUST text, without any associated media.
While it might not be the most engaging kind of content to share, there are certain times when all you need is text, and it’s nice to have the option.
Music Comes to Instragram Stories — June 2018
This one is controversial y’all.
In June 2018, Instagram Stories partnered with Spotify to enable the sharing of short clips of songs directly into a Story.
That part is is simple enough. But do a Twitter search for “why can’t I share music on Instagram?,” scroll through the endless steam of angry, frustrated or just plain sad users, and you’ll see where the controversy lies.
Because here’s the thing: only personal accounts can share music, not business accounts (more on that in a bit). But really, even that isn’t exactly true! Sometimes business accounts can share music, usually however they can’t. Or that’s my experience anyway.
Why? Because Instagram is a website and there are glitches. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In June 2018, Instagram Stories partnered with Spotify to enable the sharing of short clips of songs directly into a Story.
That part is is simple enough. But do a Twitter search for “why can’t I share music on Instagram?,” scroll through the endless steam of angry, frustrated or just plain sad users, and you’ll see where the controversy lies.
Because here’s the thing: only personal accounts can share music, not business accounts (more on that in a bit). But really, even that isn’t exactly true! Sometimes business accounts can share music, usually however they can’t. Or that’s my experience anyway.
Why? Because Instagram is a website and there are glitches. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Instagram Stories Hits 400 Million Daily Active Users — June 2018
By June of 2018, Instagram Stories — less than two years after their rollout — had more daily users than there are people in the United States (or again, any other country on the planet save for India or China).
Not bad for a product that was initially designed simply to slow down a competitor!
Not bad for a product that was initially designed simply to slow down a competitor!
Instagram Doubles Down on Video With IGTV — June 2018
Facebook has been extremely invested in video for quite some time. So it is no surprise that Instagram would find ways to allow users to share videos longer than one minute.
In June 2018 they rolled out IGTV, short for Instagram Television (yup) enabling users to share videos ranging from 61 seconds up to ten minutes. Some accounts could go as long as an hour, but in my experience, most are limited to ten minutes.
The IGTV rollout was extremely flawed from the outset and widespread use has been so limited that they actually rolled it off into a standalone app where it could sit quietly and not bother anyone.
You can still watch users IGTVs (two points to anyone who knows who to do so!), but mostly it serves as a tool to let people trying to upload longer videos to be able do so. Of course if you do so, people can watch the first minute of your video in their feed, but then they have to switch over to the IGTV version to continue.
The biggest mistake Instagram made with IGTV bar-none (in my opinion of course) was limiting IGTV search to only apply to the handle of the user who uploaded the piece, and not to the accompanying descriptive text.
I’m clearly a huge social media nerd — when a platform rolls out a new product or feature, I’m going to try it. When IGTV launched, I quickly headed to the search bar and searched for bluegrass (I’m a bluegrass musician and fan). What did I find: content from a bank in Kentucky… and not much else. Because the search term only applied to the name of the sharing accounts, despite the fact that just like with any other post, you could describe the video you were sharing with accompanying text. Hell, you could even use hashtags, but since they were unsearchable, they were completely worthless.
For example, lets say Del McCoury or Punch Brothers upload a video to IGTV, and introduce it as their "new bluegrass track," I still couldn’t find it by searching bluegrass, because their name doesn’t have bluegrass in it. They could even tag it as #bluegrass and still nothing! Pretty silly, don’t you think?!
In June 2018 they rolled out IGTV, short for Instagram Television (yup) enabling users to share videos ranging from 61 seconds up to ten minutes. Some accounts could go as long as an hour, but in my experience, most are limited to ten minutes.
The IGTV rollout was extremely flawed from the outset and widespread use has been so limited that they actually rolled it off into a standalone app where it could sit quietly and not bother anyone.
You can still watch users IGTVs (two points to anyone who knows who to do so!), but mostly it serves as a tool to let people trying to upload longer videos to be able do so. Of course if you do so, people can watch the first minute of your video in their feed, but then they have to switch over to the IGTV version to continue.
The biggest mistake Instagram made with IGTV bar-none (in my opinion of course) was limiting IGTV search to only apply to the handle of the user who uploaded the piece, and not to the accompanying descriptive text.
I’m clearly a huge social media nerd — when a platform rolls out a new product or feature, I’m going to try it. When IGTV launched, I quickly headed to the search bar and searched for bluegrass (I’m a bluegrass musician and fan). What did I find: content from a bank in Kentucky… and not much else. Because the search term only applied to the name of the sharing accounts, despite the fact that just like with any other post, you could describe the video you were sharing with accompanying text. Hell, you could even use hashtags, but since they were unsearchable, they were completely worthless.
For example, lets say Del McCoury or Punch Brothers upload a video to IGTV, and introduce it as their "new bluegrass track," I still couldn’t find it by searching bluegrass, because their name doesn’t have bluegrass in it. They could even tag it as #bluegrass and still nothing! Pretty silly, don’t you think?!
Milestone: Instagram Hits 1 Billion Monthly Active Users — June 2018
Despite IGTV not giving them the bump they surely hoped for, less than eight years after launching, Instagram did what few have done before — they hit the billion active user mark.
Quite a feat for a company whose initial launch was just a knockoff of Foursquare!
Quite a feat for a company whose initial launch was just a knockoff of Foursquare!
Milestone: Instagram Stories Hits 500 Million Daily Active Users — January 2019
And not too long after that, Instagram Stories hit the 500 million daily active user mark. Expect this number to continue rising in the coming years.
While Instagram didn’t invent the concept of ephemeral content, they have certainly perfected it. This is one feature that I don’t think will be going away anytime soon.
While Instagram didn’t invent the concept of ephemeral content, they have certainly perfected it. This is one feature that I don’t think will be going away anytime soon.
Instagram Adds Reels in response to growth from rival tiktok
Stories was Facebook's response to Snapchat. So when TikTok raged onto the scene in the summer of 2020, it was clear that Facebook would have to respond. They initially created a standalone app called Lasso, mimicking many of features of TikTok. But that app was shut down before anyone had really even heard of it. (Honestly, had you heard of it?)
When that didn't work, they decided to stuff the complexity of an entire other social channel directly into Instagram. After all, it worked with Stories - why not try again?!
Thus Reels was born.
Reels hasn't seen the same kind of fast usership growth as Stories, mostly because it's more complicated to use than Stories and doesn't do as good a job at actually solving a problem for users.
Stories enabled users to worry less about creating a perfect take before sharing a picture or video. Reels... kinda does the opposite. Videos have to be a very specific amount of time (15 or 30 seconds) and have to tell an entire story in a way that Stories didn't require. Stories can run together to show the happening of an evening or a campaign. Reels standalone and have to start and conclude, while ensuring something interesting happens in a very short and concrete amount of time.
There's clearly an appetite for creating and consuming such content (see: the explosive growth of TikTok!) but it doesn't naturally compute than everyone on Instagram is going to take the time or effort to join in on the content creation.
That said in November of 2020, Instagram rolled out a massive redesign of the app, placing Reels front and center (it literally took the place of the button that, since day one, was used to create a post!). So clearly Instagram is invested in its success.
Side note: this redesign also added a shopping tab, as Instagram continues to invest in the ecommerce side of social.
Whether or not Reels can ever claim the kind of standalone success as Stories is to be determined, but it's clear that Instagram will continue to invest heavily in this internal spinoff. And as long as the political future of TikTok continues to remain murky, that decision from Zuck and co. makes sense.
When that didn't work, they decided to stuff the complexity of an entire other social channel directly into Instagram. After all, it worked with Stories - why not try again?!
Thus Reels was born.
Reels hasn't seen the same kind of fast usership growth as Stories, mostly because it's more complicated to use than Stories and doesn't do as good a job at actually solving a problem for users.
Stories enabled users to worry less about creating a perfect take before sharing a picture or video. Reels... kinda does the opposite. Videos have to be a very specific amount of time (15 or 30 seconds) and have to tell an entire story in a way that Stories didn't require. Stories can run together to show the happening of an evening or a campaign. Reels standalone and have to start and conclude, while ensuring something interesting happens in a very short and concrete amount of time.
There's clearly an appetite for creating and consuming such content (see: the explosive growth of TikTok!) but it doesn't naturally compute than everyone on Instagram is going to take the time or effort to join in on the content creation.
That said in November of 2020, Instagram rolled out a massive redesign of the app, placing Reels front and center (it literally took the place of the button that, since day one, was used to create a post!). So clearly Instagram is invested in its success.
Side note: this redesign also added a shopping tab, as Instagram continues to invest in the ecommerce side of social.
Whether or not Reels can ever claim the kind of standalone success as Stories is to be determined, but it's clear that Instagram will continue to invest heavily in this internal spinoff. And as long as the political future of TikTok continues to remain murky, that decision from Zuck and co. makes sense.
What's Next?
The above list of product rollouts and milestones is far from exhaustive. Very far in fact!
Despite Instagram retaining its simplicity year after year, it is actually constantly changing.
If I wanted to make this post twice as long, I easily could have done so! But for your sake and mine, I’m not going to do that.
That said, here are a few highlights we didn’t cover, but that are worth noting.
February 2016: Since Instagram has always been a mobile-first platform, it has bothered people to no end that you couldn’t login to more than one account at a time. Back at the beginning, if you wanted to share content from more than one account, you had to logout of one and login to the other to do so. In 2016, they added the option to be logged into five accounts at once (but no more). This was a much appreciated feature for anyone who works in social media!
March 2016: Instagram switches its feed from chronological, where you see whatever was posted most recently by anyone you follow, to algorithmic, where Instagram determines what content you see and in what order, based on what they think you will like.
May 2016: Instagram introduced a business account, which looks and feels identical to a regular account but comes with a few extra tools, the most important being analytics!
July 2016: They began to enable the ability to better moderate comments on your threads.
January 2018: Instagram added an “Archive,” storing all of your Stories even after they have disappeared. They are only visible to you, unless you have them shared in a Highlight. But with the Archive, you can go back and add old Stories to Archives, even if they’ve already disappeared from your profile.
September 2018: Instagram’s founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, resigned from the company. Notice how closely this follows the rollout of IGTV. Wonder if they’re related? #JustSaying
October 2019: Instagram removed the “Following” activity tab, which let you see the activity of the people you were following, breaking the hearts of exes and creeps everywhere!
This post could go on and on. But we’ll stop here.
What have been your favorite features Instagram has rolled out over the years? Are there any you wish they would retire from the platform?
Have their been any changes that you think should have been on this list but weren’t? Share them in the comments or hit me up on social.
In case it’s not obvious, I never get tired of talking about this stuff!
I hope this post was as helpful for you to read as it was for me to write.
If you enjoyed it, connect with me on Instagram (@jlemonsk). I regularly share platform updates, tricks, tips, hacks and the like. As well as the occasional pictures of my kids and my cat. (You know, all the good stuff!).
See you there.
Despite Instagram retaining its simplicity year after year, it is actually constantly changing.
If I wanted to make this post twice as long, I easily could have done so! But for your sake and mine, I’m not going to do that.
That said, here are a few highlights we didn’t cover, but that are worth noting.
February 2016: Since Instagram has always been a mobile-first platform, it has bothered people to no end that you couldn’t login to more than one account at a time. Back at the beginning, if you wanted to share content from more than one account, you had to logout of one and login to the other to do so. In 2016, they added the option to be logged into five accounts at once (but no more). This was a much appreciated feature for anyone who works in social media!
March 2016: Instagram switches its feed from chronological, where you see whatever was posted most recently by anyone you follow, to algorithmic, where Instagram determines what content you see and in what order, based on what they think you will like.
May 2016: Instagram introduced a business account, which looks and feels identical to a regular account but comes with a few extra tools, the most important being analytics!
July 2016: They began to enable the ability to better moderate comments on your threads.
January 2018: Instagram added an “Archive,” storing all of your Stories even after they have disappeared. They are only visible to you, unless you have them shared in a Highlight. But with the Archive, you can go back and add old Stories to Archives, even if they’ve already disappeared from your profile.
September 2018: Instagram’s founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, resigned from the company. Notice how closely this follows the rollout of IGTV. Wonder if they’re related? #JustSaying
October 2019: Instagram removed the “Following” activity tab, which let you see the activity of the people you were following, breaking the hearts of exes and creeps everywhere!
This post could go on and on. But we’ll stop here.
What have been your favorite features Instagram has rolled out over the years? Are there any you wish they would retire from the platform?
Have their been any changes that you think should have been on this list but weren’t? Share them in the comments or hit me up on social.
In case it’s not obvious, I never get tired of talking about this stuff!
I hope this post was as helpful for you to read as it was for me to write.
If you enjoyed it, connect with me on Instagram (@jlemonsk). I regularly share platform updates, tricks, tips, hacks and the like. As well as the occasional pictures of my kids and my cat. (You know, all the good stuff!).
See you there.
Ready to Become an instagram champion?
I provide private lessons to businesses, campaigns, nonprofits, solopreneurs, bands... anyone who wants to get more out of this powerful platform.
One of my favorite podcasts, Reply All, just did a whole episode trying to track down something that wasn't showing up on Google. If they had remembered that Facebook, while first and foremost is a social media channel, is also a search engine, they could have saved themselves a whole lot of time and energy.
The Facebook search bar is more powerful than you probably realize. In this episode of Step Up Your Social we'll walk through some of the power lurking right at your fingertips.
Have any search bar tricks you like that we didn’t cover? Or find any surprises utilizing any of the above? We want to hear them!
Drop us a line or hit us up on social using #StepUpYourSocial.
Want to listen to the recreated version of the song? Or the original one? You can hear both in Reply All episode #158 The Case of the Missing Hit.
Or scroll down and listen to them both below.
The Facebook search bar is more powerful than you probably realize. In this episode of Step Up Your Social we'll walk through some of the power lurking right at your fingertips.
Have any search bar tricks you like that we didn’t cover? Or find any surprises utilizing any of the above? We want to hear them!
Drop us a line or hit us up on social using #StepUpYourSocial.
Want to listen to the recreated version of the song? Or the original one? You can hear both in Reply All episode #158 The Case of the Missing Hit.
Or scroll down and listen to them both below.
Full Episode Transcript
\Do you listen to Reply All? It’s an awesome podcast about living in the age of the internet. Or something like that. If you don’t listen already, you should. It’s one of my favorites for sure.
Last week, they dropped an episode called “The Case Of The Missing Hit.” In it, PJ, one of their two hosts, goes on a truly epic search — and I mean epic in its literal meaning — to find a song that was big enough to be played on the radio internationally in the 90s, but somehow had [virtually] no presence on Google.
The story starts simply enough: A man named Tyler reached out to PJ for help. He could hear this song in his head, but he couldn’t find it on Google, even though he remembered many of the lyrics. It’s a weird concept in today’s age, where we can find virtually anything online. And yet the song was nowhere to be found… with one weird exception. Years ago, a guy who lives in Trinidad and Tobago had asked about it in an online message board, referencing several of the same lyrics that Tyler remembered. But of course, he too, was trying to track down the song.
This proved that Tyler hadn’t made it up, but it also didn’t help PJ solve the case of the missing hit.
To solve the case, PJ did what any normal person with a budget and an obsession does: he helped Tyler recreate the song in its entirety from memory. Tyler took a song he hadn’t heard in more than 20 years and he coaxed it out of a group of session musicians. PJ then took that recording and talked to… well everyone!
He spoke with numerous music critics from Rolling Stone, producers, radio show hosts from the era, even the lead singer of the Bare Naked Ladies, as the song in question had a very BNL type feel too it.
Google failed them, so PJ took his query to the world. And in the end, all this time, energy and effort amounted to… nothing. Everyone he spoke with had a great idea about how to try to solve the problem. Every great idea took PJ down another rabbit hole. And every rabbit hole ended as unceremoniously as it had started with, “sorry, I just don’t know.”
Then something the Trinidad and Tobago guy had said in his original post sparked something in PJ and he plugged a few lines of the song into Facebook’s search bar. Immediately, not only did he find the song… he found the songwriter who had written it in the first place.
So much time and energy and effort could have been avoided if PJ (or Tyler for that matter) had remembered that while Facebook is first and foremost a social media platform, like virtually every other social media platform you know and love, it’s also part-search engine.
So let’s talk about a few other things the Facebook search bar — that simple little bar right at the top of your account — can do, that you might not have realized:
First things first, type something — anything — into the bar on desktop, and you’ll be brought to a search page. From there, you have a slew of filtering options both on the top of the screen and on the lefthand side.
On the top of the screen, you can choose to only see posts, people, photos, videos, market place, pages, groups, apps, events and links. So the next time you’re trying to find a Facebook Page and you can’t quite remember what it’s called, instead of scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, try filtering instead.
On the lefthand side of the screen, you have a whole other bunch of options. You can opt to see posts from anyone, or only yourself, your friends, your groups or pages, or only content shared publicly. You can even choose a source, to see if a friend, group or page has talked about an issue you care about.
Want to see all posts? Of course you can do that. But you can also limit your search to only posts you’ve already seen. Which could come in super handy if you’re looking for something you saw, but can’t remember where.
You can limit your search to only show content tagged in certain locations or posted in a certain year — or even in a certain month of a certain year!
So yeah, right off the bat, you can see that while Facebook might not be Google, there’s more to its search then simply keywords and scrolling.
Now let’s get into some of the less obvious things you can do with Facebook search:
Once upon a time there was an easy way to see which of your friends lived in which city. Then Facebook got rid of that helpful feature. But good news, they replaced it (they just forgot to tell anyone). Looking for friends in a particular city or state? Just type in “my friends in [wherever]” and Facebook will show you a list.
Looking for a bar, a pizza place, or a spot to get your oil changed? Type in “pizza places near me” and Facebook will show you a list, with a map. Just like Yelp, but without ever leaving Facebook.
Want to know if your friends liked the pizza place you are considering? On the top menu bar, head over to places. On the lefthand side, select “visited by friends.” You can also filter by “open now” and price!
Want to know which events your friends are going to (or should we say so-called friends, since they’re apparently going out without you!)? Type in a keyword. On the top menu, go to events. On the lefthand side menu, go to “popular with friends.” You can also search for events based on location and date, to find things to do today, tomorrow, this week, this weekend or next week.
While their Boolean search isn’t as powerful as Google, you can employ it to some degree. If you don’t know Boolean by name you might know it in practice. Boolean search is a method of search that lets you filter or exclude terms by using all caps AND, NOT and ORs. So type “social media” AND “Madison, WI” into Facebook (or Google) and you’ll only get content back that mentions both. Switch AND with OR and you’ll find content mentioning either. Go with NOT and you’ll find content mentioning the first term but not the second one. This can be pretty helpful when trying to narrow your search.
Now it is worth mentioning that while Facebook search is powerful, it’s far less powerful than it used to be. Google “Facebook search bar tricks” and you’ll find tons of articles telling you about a bunch of features you can use. But alas, Facebook killed a lot of them off when they did away with their Graph Search. This feature let you see which of your friends liked which pages, and which posts had been liked by a specific person. Guess it was all just a bit too invasive for a company so worried about your privacy. #LOL
But there’s still plenty you can do with the Facebook search bar.
Have any search bar tricks you like that we didn’t cover? Or find any surprises utilizing any of the above? We want to hear them!
Drop us a line at stepupyoursocial.com or hit us up on social using #StepUpYourSocial.
In the meantime, don’t get stuck like Tyler and PJ. Start appreciating the power of Facebook search today!
PS: want to hear the song PJ and Tyler recreated, as well as the original? I’ll have links to them both at stepupyoursocial.com.
Last week, they dropped an episode called “The Case Of The Missing Hit.” In it, PJ, one of their two hosts, goes on a truly epic search — and I mean epic in its literal meaning — to find a song that was big enough to be played on the radio internationally in the 90s, but somehow had [virtually] no presence on Google.
The story starts simply enough: A man named Tyler reached out to PJ for help. He could hear this song in his head, but he couldn’t find it on Google, even though he remembered many of the lyrics. It’s a weird concept in today’s age, where we can find virtually anything online. And yet the song was nowhere to be found… with one weird exception. Years ago, a guy who lives in Trinidad and Tobago had asked about it in an online message board, referencing several of the same lyrics that Tyler remembered. But of course, he too, was trying to track down the song.
This proved that Tyler hadn’t made it up, but it also didn’t help PJ solve the case of the missing hit.
To solve the case, PJ did what any normal person with a budget and an obsession does: he helped Tyler recreate the song in its entirety from memory. Tyler took a song he hadn’t heard in more than 20 years and he coaxed it out of a group of session musicians. PJ then took that recording and talked to… well everyone!
He spoke with numerous music critics from Rolling Stone, producers, radio show hosts from the era, even the lead singer of the Bare Naked Ladies, as the song in question had a very BNL type feel too it.
Google failed them, so PJ took his query to the world. And in the end, all this time, energy and effort amounted to… nothing. Everyone he spoke with had a great idea about how to try to solve the problem. Every great idea took PJ down another rabbit hole. And every rabbit hole ended as unceremoniously as it had started with, “sorry, I just don’t know.”
Then something the Trinidad and Tobago guy had said in his original post sparked something in PJ and he plugged a few lines of the song into Facebook’s search bar. Immediately, not only did he find the song… he found the songwriter who had written it in the first place.
So much time and energy and effort could have been avoided if PJ (or Tyler for that matter) had remembered that while Facebook is first and foremost a social media platform, like virtually every other social media platform you know and love, it’s also part-search engine.
So let’s talk about a few other things the Facebook search bar — that simple little bar right at the top of your account — can do, that you might not have realized:
First things first, type something — anything — into the bar on desktop, and you’ll be brought to a search page. From there, you have a slew of filtering options both on the top of the screen and on the lefthand side.
On the top of the screen, you can choose to only see posts, people, photos, videos, market place, pages, groups, apps, events and links. So the next time you’re trying to find a Facebook Page and you can’t quite remember what it’s called, instead of scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, try filtering instead.
On the lefthand side of the screen, you have a whole other bunch of options. You can opt to see posts from anyone, or only yourself, your friends, your groups or pages, or only content shared publicly. You can even choose a source, to see if a friend, group or page has talked about an issue you care about.
Want to see all posts? Of course you can do that. But you can also limit your search to only posts you’ve already seen. Which could come in super handy if you’re looking for something you saw, but can’t remember where.
You can limit your search to only show content tagged in certain locations or posted in a certain year — or even in a certain month of a certain year!
So yeah, right off the bat, you can see that while Facebook might not be Google, there’s more to its search then simply keywords and scrolling.
Now let’s get into some of the less obvious things you can do with Facebook search:
Once upon a time there was an easy way to see which of your friends lived in which city. Then Facebook got rid of that helpful feature. But good news, they replaced it (they just forgot to tell anyone). Looking for friends in a particular city or state? Just type in “my friends in [wherever]” and Facebook will show you a list.
Looking for a bar, a pizza place, or a spot to get your oil changed? Type in “pizza places near me” and Facebook will show you a list, with a map. Just like Yelp, but without ever leaving Facebook.
Want to know if your friends liked the pizza place you are considering? On the top menu bar, head over to places. On the lefthand side, select “visited by friends.” You can also filter by “open now” and price!
Want to know which events your friends are going to (or should we say so-called friends, since they’re apparently going out without you!)? Type in a keyword. On the top menu, go to events. On the lefthand side menu, go to “popular with friends.” You can also search for events based on location and date, to find things to do today, tomorrow, this week, this weekend or next week.
While their Boolean search isn’t as powerful as Google, you can employ it to some degree. If you don’t know Boolean by name you might know it in practice. Boolean search is a method of search that lets you filter or exclude terms by using all caps AND, NOT and ORs. So type “social media” AND “Madison, WI” into Facebook (or Google) and you’ll only get content back that mentions both. Switch AND with OR and you’ll find content mentioning either. Go with NOT and you’ll find content mentioning the first term but not the second one. This can be pretty helpful when trying to narrow your search.
Now it is worth mentioning that while Facebook search is powerful, it’s far less powerful than it used to be. Google “Facebook search bar tricks” and you’ll find tons of articles telling you about a bunch of features you can use. But alas, Facebook killed a lot of them off when they did away with their Graph Search. This feature let you see which of your friends liked which pages, and which posts had been liked by a specific person. Guess it was all just a bit too invasive for a company so worried about your privacy. #LOL
But there’s still plenty you can do with the Facebook search bar.
Have any search bar tricks you like that we didn’t cover? Or find any surprises utilizing any of the above? We want to hear them!
Drop us a line at stepupyoursocial.com or hit us up on social using #StepUpYourSocial.
In the meantime, don’t get stuck like Tyler and PJ. Start appreciating the power of Facebook search today!
PS: want to hear the song PJ and Tyler recreated, as well as the original? I’ll have links to them both at stepupyoursocial.com.
So Much Better by Evan olson (Original Version)
Better Than (Reply All Version)
I LOVE Twitter lists. They are an amazing listening tool, helping to bring order and clarify to the chaos that is the Twittersphere.
You can use them to easily simplify who you are following at any given moment on Twitter. While I follow many accounts, there are times where I ONLY want to know what a few of them are saying. So I have a Twitter list just for them.
I love them so much, the second episode of my podcast, #StepUpYourSocial, was about how, when and why to use them. (You can listen to that episode at stepupyoursocial.com or wherever you stream podcasts).
Whenever I run trainings on Twitter, I always highly recommend that people utilize this amazing tool.
I even include it on my list of free tools you should be using but probably aren’t and recommend that even if your brand isn’t on Twitter, you have an account you can use to build lists and monitor your competitors, customers, influencers, etc. just as a way to keep tabs on your field.
So yeah, I’m a fan.
There are two types of lists: public and private.
Public lists can be followed by anybody and they are visible through your profile. And whenever you add someone to such a list, they get a notification. They are public.
Private lists on the other hand exist only for you. No one will ever know that such a list exists. No one can follow it or even find it unless they are logged in as you. And of course no one knows when you add them to it. They are private.
But here’s the thing — nothing online is ever actually private.
When I build private lists for political campaigns, I also give them overly-guarded innocuous names like “interesting” or “other campaigns.” I would never call them “competition,” “the enemy,” or, as we’ll soon see, “haters.”
Likewise, when I work with businesses or nonprofits on developing their own listening tools or prepping them for crisis management, I always push them to do the same. Don’t call the trolls “trolls.” Call them “interesting accounts,” or “people to follow.”
Why? you might ask. These are private lists. No one will ever know that they exist.
Well, that’s true. Right up until it’s not.
I was (and am) always afraid of hacking. I have run very large Twitter accounts and you never know what’s going to happen. If heaven forbid someone hacked into one of those accounts, it would be awful. Because they could post whatever they wanted.
But there would be nothing incriminating or embarrassing in those accounts for them to find. Because our campaign doesn’t have “enemies” or “haters.” It has “accounts to follow” or “notables.” It would have to be a pretty quiet news day for that story to get written.
Well as it turns out, my caution was extremely valid. Because Vice just reported on a bug that led to people being notified when they were added to... private lists. 😳 😳 😳
The bug was first noticed when a Vice reporter was added to a PRIVATE list called… you guessed it… “haters.”
Who’s fault was this? Twitter’s of course!
Who’s problem is it though (should it happen to you)? Yeah, YOU know.
I always advise that you never put anything in writing you aren’t prepared to see in the paper. But that advice definitely goes beyond writing.
Being in a sketchy Facebook Group — even if it’s a secret Group — can still come out. Having a secondary account you use online to talk about how hot or awesome you are… is stupid. And risky!
And labeling Twitter lists, even private ones, with any name that would embarrass you were it to come out — is just a bad idea.
Be smart out there y’all! The internet is our permanent record.
You can use them to easily simplify who you are following at any given moment on Twitter. While I follow many accounts, there are times where I ONLY want to know what a few of them are saying. So I have a Twitter list just for them.
I love them so much, the second episode of my podcast, #StepUpYourSocial, was about how, when and why to use them. (You can listen to that episode at stepupyoursocial.com or wherever you stream podcasts).
Whenever I run trainings on Twitter, I always highly recommend that people utilize this amazing tool.
I even include it on my list of free tools you should be using but probably aren’t and recommend that even if your brand isn’t on Twitter, you have an account you can use to build lists and monitor your competitors, customers, influencers, etc. just as a way to keep tabs on your field.
So yeah, I’m a fan.
There are two types of lists: public and private.
Public lists can be followed by anybody and they are visible through your profile. And whenever you add someone to such a list, they get a notification. They are public.
Private lists on the other hand exist only for you. No one will ever know that such a list exists. No one can follow it or even find it unless they are logged in as you. And of course no one knows when you add them to it. They are private.
But here’s the thing — nothing online is ever actually private.
When I build private lists for political campaigns, I also give them overly-guarded innocuous names like “interesting” or “other campaigns.” I would never call them “competition,” “the enemy,” or, as we’ll soon see, “haters.”
Likewise, when I work with businesses or nonprofits on developing their own listening tools or prepping them for crisis management, I always push them to do the same. Don’t call the trolls “trolls.” Call them “interesting accounts,” or “people to follow.”
Why? you might ask. These are private lists. No one will ever know that they exist.
Well, that’s true. Right up until it’s not.
I was (and am) always afraid of hacking. I have run very large Twitter accounts and you never know what’s going to happen. If heaven forbid someone hacked into one of those accounts, it would be awful. Because they could post whatever they wanted.
But there would be nothing incriminating or embarrassing in those accounts for them to find. Because our campaign doesn’t have “enemies” or “haters.” It has “accounts to follow” or “notables.” It would have to be a pretty quiet news day for that story to get written.
Well as it turns out, my caution was extremely valid. Because Vice just reported on a bug that led to people being notified when they were added to... private lists. 😳 😳 😳
The bug was first noticed when a Vice reporter was added to a PRIVATE list called… you guessed it… “haters.”
Who’s fault was this? Twitter’s of course!
Who’s problem is it though (should it happen to you)? Yeah, YOU know.
I always advise that you never put anything in writing you aren’t prepared to see in the paper. But that advice definitely goes beyond writing.
Being in a sketchy Facebook Group — even if it’s a secret Group — can still come out. Having a secondary account you use online to talk about how hot or awesome you are… is stupid. And risky!
And labeling Twitter lists, even private ones, with any name that would embarrass you were it to come out — is just a bad idea.
Be smart out there y’all! The internet is our permanent record.
The Episode:
Full Episode Transcript, Along With Links to All Mentioned Free digital tools:
Facebook loves video and really wants you to share videos to the platform. When you do so, they reward you with views. But here’s a scary statistic: around 85% of Facebook video is watched… without sound. So what are you to do? Hone in on your acting skills? Stockpile posters and write out the accompanying text? I won’t tell you NOT to do either of those. But there’s a far simpler option available to you built right into Facebook.
Once you've added your video to Facebook, but before you've posted it, you’ll see a menu on the right side of your post. (This only works on your computer, not on mobile.) You’ll see an option to replace your thumbnail. You can either select another moment from the video or upload something you created. In other word, good news: you'll never again have to start off you video with an awkward open-mouth shot. Then below that, you’ll have the option to add subtitles and captions. Select that, pick your language, and Facebook will auto-create subtitles for your video. Assuming your video isn’t too long, it should only take a few moments for them to do so. Once they've been created, you can go through and edit them to make sure they are perfect. Then you can add them to your video and voila, instead of speaking to the 15% of your audience who DO listen with the sound on, now you can now speak to all 100% of them.
It’s worth mentioning this also works with live videos. But only after the fact. Once your video has been posted to your page, click the top right icon to edit it and you’ll get the same option to customize your thumbnail and to create subtitles.
So that’s one free digital tool you should DEFINITELY be using, but probably aren’t.
In this episode, I’m going to run through a bunch more. Let’s dig in.
Let me clarify that, per the title of the episode, every tool I am mentioning today is free. But it’s worth noting that many of them have premium versions you can pay for. But not one of these awesome digital tools requires a credit card to start using.
So let’s get into some more free tools you should be using.
In previous episodes of Step Up Your Social, we’ve covered Google Alerts, Facebook Pages to Watch (both in episode 10) and Twitter lists (in episode 2). Those are three killer, free listening tools. Let’s add one more to the list.
Feedly. Feedly is an RSS tool. (RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.) Instead of having to jump all over the internet, looking at countless news sources and blogs, you can create a free Feedly account and then subscribe to as many publications as you want. You can bundle your publishers by category and then, whenever you are looking to catch up with the news — or importantly, wherever you know you need to share something on social but are not sure what — you can head to Feedly and see all the content that every publication or blog you follow has posted. You can even break down content by category, so you can just see what’s going on in the world of Facebook, or email marketing, or minor league baseball or whatever. Instead of searching the internet for relevant news, use Feedly to create a pipeline to bring all that relevant news directly to you.
Next up, let’s look at two powerful apps owned by Instagram.
There are no shortage of free photo and video apps or tools in the app store. But these two are owned by Instagram, so you know they must be good.
The first is called Layout, and it lets you take multiple pictures and lay them out as you want. You can easily drag and drop to switch pics or to change the size of one image or another. It's very easy to use.
The second is called Hyperlapse. I really love this one. It’s just a simple camera app, but it lets you create videos that can be sped up as desired. You have to take the video in the app for it to work, but once you’re done filming, you can speed up the video from 2x up to 12x speed. So let’s say you stick your phone in a tripod and film you and your team setting up for an event. You can take that footage, speed it up by a factor of 12 and suddenly your 15 minute set-up can be viewed in under a minute. Very powerful storytelling tool for the right situation! Quick caveat: for obvious reasons, it will record video without sound. If you want, you can add sound in after the fact. But the app will not capture any audio accompanying your video.
I don’t refer to many digital tools as magic, but this next one really kinda is. It’s called Remove.bg (as in remove background). And that’s exactly what it does. Caveat: it only works for people, not things.
You can use this tool on your computer or phone by visiting Remove.bg. Upload a photo and then tell it to remove background. It will take about 4 seconds and then, just like that, you'll have the person (or people) in your photo captured against a transparent background. In my experience, they aren’t 100% accurate. They’re only about… 97% or so. Not bad for a free tool and four seconds! You can then erase anything they missed or add back anything you want to keep.
Then you can export that file and upload it somewhere else to edit it, or just add a background to it right through their site. You can upload your own background files, or select from their photo library.
Anyone with any Photoshop experience can do this same thing. But not as quickly as remove.bg. And probably not for free!
Speaking of graphic design, there are a million free tools out there that will help you design better graphics, add logos to your pictures and do plenty of other basic graphic design work without having to invest years into learning Photoshop. But Canva was the originator of the field and they are still the go to for all my “graphic designs for dummies” needs.
They're free to use, but they do offer a premium version that adds perks like letting you store your brand’s colors and create more advanced file storage systems. You should also know that despite having an endless amount of pictures, icons and pre-made templates to pull from, a bunch are free but many are not. So be aware that you aren’t building something you love using a paid pic or icon, unless you are prepared to pull out your credit card. That said, most assets can be bought for just $1, so you don’t have to worry about breaking your budget.
Another great thing about Canva is that it's all web based. So you can login on your computer, start a design. Then head to your Canva app and keep working on the go.
It’s also worth noting that Canva.org offers free premium options for nonprofits.
And since we’re talking about stock photos, my go to stock photo source these days is Unsplash. You can search the site by keyword, find beautiful, high quality photos that you can then use for free. They request, but don’t require, giving credit to the photographer.
I will add that I’m not a lawyer and there are some fine print things that might affect you and your brand. If you have a lawyer, ask them to vet the language per your needs. If you don’t, head to Google and get lots of different takes on what you can and what you can’t do with “free” stock images.
I’m going to close my list with two quick writing assistance tools. The first is Grammarly, a free extension you can add to your browser (and your phone as well, though I’ve stuck with just using it on my computer). It’s essentially spellcheck for everything you do online. It won’t make you a better writer per se, but it will help ensure you don’t embarrass yourself with typos, missing commas or by using the wrong your.
The second one is called Hemingway App. This one may actually make you a better writer.
Copy and paste your text into Hemingway App and it will flag sentences that are hard to read, words that you can simplify, overuse of the passive voice and anything else keeping you from writing more like Ernest Hemingway.
So that’s my list. I’d love to hear any tools that you use that I didn’t include. Share them in the comments, hit me up on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn at Reverbal Communications or tweet at me using the hashtag #StepUpYourSocial.
As always, if this was helpful to you, I’d really appreciate a review wherever you stream podcasts. It will only take you a moment and will go a long way towards helping us reach a larger audience.
Once you've added your video to Facebook, but before you've posted it, you’ll see a menu on the right side of your post. (This only works on your computer, not on mobile.) You’ll see an option to replace your thumbnail. You can either select another moment from the video or upload something you created. In other word, good news: you'll never again have to start off you video with an awkward open-mouth shot. Then below that, you’ll have the option to add subtitles and captions. Select that, pick your language, and Facebook will auto-create subtitles for your video. Assuming your video isn’t too long, it should only take a few moments for them to do so. Once they've been created, you can go through and edit them to make sure they are perfect. Then you can add them to your video and voila, instead of speaking to the 15% of your audience who DO listen with the sound on, now you can now speak to all 100% of them.
It’s worth mentioning this also works with live videos. But only after the fact. Once your video has been posted to your page, click the top right icon to edit it and you’ll get the same option to customize your thumbnail and to create subtitles.
So that’s one free digital tool you should DEFINITELY be using, but probably aren’t.
In this episode, I’m going to run through a bunch more. Let’s dig in.
Let me clarify that, per the title of the episode, every tool I am mentioning today is free. But it’s worth noting that many of them have premium versions you can pay for. But not one of these awesome digital tools requires a credit card to start using.
So let’s get into some more free tools you should be using.
In previous episodes of Step Up Your Social, we’ve covered Google Alerts, Facebook Pages to Watch (both in episode 10) and Twitter lists (in episode 2). Those are three killer, free listening tools. Let’s add one more to the list.
Feedly. Feedly is an RSS tool. (RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication.) Instead of having to jump all over the internet, looking at countless news sources and blogs, you can create a free Feedly account and then subscribe to as many publications as you want. You can bundle your publishers by category and then, whenever you are looking to catch up with the news — or importantly, wherever you know you need to share something on social but are not sure what — you can head to Feedly and see all the content that every publication or blog you follow has posted. You can even break down content by category, so you can just see what’s going on in the world of Facebook, or email marketing, or minor league baseball or whatever. Instead of searching the internet for relevant news, use Feedly to create a pipeline to bring all that relevant news directly to you.
Next up, let’s look at two powerful apps owned by Instagram.
There are no shortage of free photo and video apps or tools in the app store. But these two are owned by Instagram, so you know they must be good.
The first is called Layout, and it lets you take multiple pictures and lay them out as you want. You can easily drag and drop to switch pics or to change the size of one image or another. It's very easy to use.
The second is called Hyperlapse. I really love this one. It’s just a simple camera app, but it lets you create videos that can be sped up as desired. You have to take the video in the app for it to work, but once you’re done filming, you can speed up the video from 2x up to 12x speed. So let’s say you stick your phone in a tripod and film you and your team setting up for an event. You can take that footage, speed it up by a factor of 12 and suddenly your 15 minute set-up can be viewed in under a minute. Very powerful storytelling tool for the right situation! Quick caveat: for obvious reasons, it will record video without sound. If you want, you can add sound in after the fact. But the app will not capture any audio accompanying your video.
I don’t refer to many digital tools as magic, but this next one really kinda is. It’s called Remove.bg (as in remove background). And that’s exactly what it does. Caveat: it only works for people, not things.
You can use this tool on your computer or phone by visiting Remove.bg. Upload a photo and then tell it to remove background. It will take about 4 seconds and then, just like that, you'll have the person (or people) in your photo captured against a transparent background. In my experience, they aren’t 100% accurate. They’re only about… 97% or so. Not bad for a free tool and four seconds! You can then erase anything they missed or add back anything you want to keep.
Then you can export that file and upload it somewhere else to edit it, or just add a background to it right through their site. You can upload your own background files, or select from their photo library.
Anyone with any Photoshop experience can do this same thing. But not as quickly as remove.bg. And probably not for free!
Speaking of graphic design, there are a million free tools out there that will help you design better graphics, add logos to your pictures and do plenty of other basic graphic design work without having to invest years into learning Photoshop. But Canva was the originator of the field and they are still the go to for all my “graphic designs for dummies” needs.
They're free to use, but they do offer a premium version that adds perks like letting you store your brand’s colors and create more advanced file storage systems. You should also know that despite having an endless amount of pictures, icons and pre-made templates to pull from, a bunch are free but many are not. So be aware that you aren’t building something you love using a paid pic or icon, unless you are prepared to pull out your credit card. That said, most assets can be bought for just $1, so you don’t have to worry about breaking your budget.
Another great thing about Canva is that it's all web based. So you can login on your computer, start a design. Then head to your Canva app and keep working on the go.
It’s also worth noting that Canva.org offers free premium options for nonprofits.
And since we’re talking about stock photos, my go to stock photo source these days is Unsplash. You can search the site by keyword, find beautiful, high quality photos that you can then use for free. They request, but don’t require, giving credit to the photographer.
I will add that I’m not a lawyer and there are some fine print things that might affect you and your brand. If you have a lawyer, ask them to vet the language per your needs. If you don’t, head to Google and get lots of different takes on what you can and what you can’t do with “free” stock images.
I’m going to close my list with two quick writing assistance tools. The first is Grammarly, a free extension you can add to your browser (and your phone as well, though I’ve stuck with just using it on my computer). It’s essentially spellcheck for everything you do online. It won’t make you a better writer per se, but it will help ensure you don’t embarrass yourself with typos, missing commas or by using the wrong your.
The second one is called Hemingway App. This one may actually make you a better writer.
Copy and paste your text into Hemingway App and it will flag sentences that are hard to read, words that you can simplify, overuse of the passive voice and anything else keeping you from writing more like Ernest Hemingway.
So that’s my list. I’d love to hear any tools that you use that I didn’t include. Share them in the comments, hit me up on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn at Reverbal Communications or tweet at me using the hashtag #StepUpYourSocial.
As always, if this was helpful to you, I’d really appreciate a review wherever you stream podcasts. It will only take you a moment and will go a long way towards helping us reach a larger audience.
The episode:
The transcript, along with links and screenshots:
Last week, a “YouTube Star” named Drew Gooden tweeted “Excuse me @Delta but this is outrageous. I just got sucked through the toilet hole in one of your aircrafts and am now hurtling through the sky, can I get my money back? This never happens on Southwest.”
Obviously this is a ridiculous tweet, intended for comedic purposes. But the person handling customer service for Delta that day, who was clearly in dire need of a few pots of coffee, apparently didn’t read beyond the first line before responding “Hello Drew, I am sorry to learn of this, can you provide more detail to what occurred. HBB.”
Drew promptly responded “got sucked through toilet hole.”
Let’s take a step back and think about how this happened.
Now what the airlines lack in legroom, they more than make up for in social media budgets. Who amongst hasn’t used social media to reach out to an airline to complain about something, only to be met with a pseudo-personalized response — replete with an employee’s first name or initials — only to be informed they can’t actually help us with our problem but that they hope we have a nice flight (even though we’re writing to ask why our flight has been delayed 18 hours, with no end in sight!).
But still, they are paying people to monitor their channels, and provide quick responses to any and every query sent their way, including paying HBB to respond to Drew when he complains about being sucked out of one of their toilet holes.
What’s the lesson from this ridiculous exchange: social listening is good. But only, if you are actually hearing what your audience is saying.
Now this podcast exists to share quick, actionable tips to help you step up your social. In this episode, we’re going to look at 6 more times the airlines blew it on social media, and talk about what we can learn from their collective mistakes. Let’s let their fails become our best practices.
So without further ado:
Social Fail Number 2: The lesson here is the same as in the previous example, but it’s too good not to also share.
When American Airlines merged with US Airways, they created the world’s largest airline. Twitter user Mark Murphy tweeted his congrats. And this new mega-airline was quick to reply, thanking him for his support.
The problem: Mark’s congratulatory tweet actually read: “Congrats to @americanair and @usairways on creating the largest, shittiest airline in the world.”
So yeah, the airline was listening, but they weren’t actually hearing.
Social Fail Number 3: During the 2014 World Cup, the US was playing Ghana. When the US men’s team scored their second (game-winning) goal, Delta was excited to share the news with its fans. Smart. Delta serves an international audience of people who like to travel. Why wouldn’t they want to show their audience that they are in on the fun?
To represent the US, they used an image of the Statue of Liberty. To represent Ghana, they used an image of a giraffe. The problem? There are no giraffes in Ghana.
What can we learn from this mistake? Don’t make assumptions. Five minutes on Wikipedia could have prevented years of embarrassment for a brand that was trying to show they were with it, and instead showed how little they understood the world they were trying to connect.
Now what the airlines lack in legroom, they more than make up for in social media budgets. Who amongst hasn’t used social media to reach out to an airline to complain about something, only to be met with a pseudo-personalized response — replete with an employee’s first name or initials — only to be informed they can’t actually help us with our problem but that they hope we have a nice flight (even though we’re writing to ask why our flight has been delayed 18 hours, with no end in sight!).
But still, they are paying people to monitor their channels, and provide quick responses to any and every query sent their way, including paying HBB to respond to Drew when he complains about being sucked out of one of their toilet holes.
What’s the lesson from this ridiculous exchange: social listening is good. But only, if you are actually hearing what your audience is saying.
Now this podcast exists to share quick, actionable tips to help you step up your social. In this episode, we’re going to look at 6 more times the airlines blew it on social media, and talk about what we can learn from their collective mistakes. Let’s let their fails become our best practices.
So without further ado:
Social Fail Number 2: The lesson here is the same as in the previous example, but it’s too good not to also share.
When American Airlines merged with US Airways, they created the world’s largest airline. Twitter user Mark Murphy tweeted his congrats. And this new mega-airline was quick to reply, thanking him for his support.
The problem: Mark’s congratulatory tweet actually read: “Congrats to @americanair and @usairways on creating the largest, shittiest airline in the world.”
So yeah, the airline was listening, but they weren’t actually hearing.
Social Fail Number 3: During the 2014 World Cup, the US was playing Ghana. When the US men’s team scored their second (game-winning) goal, Delta was excited to share the news with its fans. Smart. Delta serves an international audience of people who like to travel. Why wouldn’t they want to show their audience that they are in on the fun?
To represent the US, they used an image of the Statue of Liberty. To represent Ghana, they used an image of a giraffe. The problem? There are no giraffes in Ghana.
What can we learn from this mistake? Don’t make assumptions. Five minutes on Wikipedia could have prevented years of embarrassment for a brand that was trying to show they were with it, and instead showed how little they understood the world they were trying to connect.
Social Fail Number 4: This one isn’t actually from an airline. It’s from an airport. But it still made our list.
In 2013, Luton Airport in London posted a photo of a recent incident from Chicago in which a plane had skidded of a runway, promising that “Because we are such a super airport… this is what we prevent you from when it snows… Weeeee :)”
In 2013, Luton Airport in London posted a photo of a recent incident from Chicago in which a plane had skidded of a runway, promising that “Because we are such a super airport… this is what we prevent you from when it snows… Weeeee :)”
Let’s start with the fact that this is just bad writing. But convulsion aside, the real problem with this post is that they were using a plane crash as a punchline, despite the fact that a six year old boy had died in the incident.
Even if your brand’s voice is bold and irreverent, know when it’s appropriate to make jokes about incidents involving dead kids? Umm, let’s go with never. Sound good?
For Social Fail Number 5: let’s start with the lesson and then move backwards. Contests and hashtags can be great ways to drum up User Generated Content and to encourage your audience to sing your praises to their communities. But they aren’t magic, and if you are struggling with a PR crisis, they can often create more harm than good.
This is a lesson that Qantas Airways learned the hard way.
Qantas wanted to drum up some online excitement for their brand, so they decided to give away a first class gift package by having people tell them about their “dream luxury inflight experience” using the hashtag #QantasLuxury.
The responses came streaming in. But they weren’t what Qantas had in mind.
Here are just a few examples:
This is not the story that Qantas wanted their audience to share with their networks. But even an intern should have foreseen that you can’t use a hashtag to solve a PR problem. A hashtag is offering the floor to your community. And if you think their stories MIGHT be more problematic than positive, maybe find another outreach approach.
Social Fail Number 6 was a famous one — United Airlines overbooked a flight and instead of raising the incentives until someone volunteered to leave the plane, they opted instead to violently drag a man — a doctor in fact — off of their plane. Someone shot a video of the brutal altercation and of course it went viral.
So I guess the lesson here is don’t be a jerk to your customers. But actually, I’m including this one on the list for a different reason.
As bad as the video was — and it was BAD — their real social media fail came from their response.
Bad things happen. An overzealous security guard or a stressed out flight attendant made a mistake and let their emotions get the better of them. Give it time and enough volume, it’s going to happen.
But when you inevitably make your apology, you better make it good. Needless to say, United blew that as well, or this issue wouldn’t have made today’s list.
A United exec put out a statement that essentially blamed the passenger, even though it was United who oversold the flight in the first place.
Additional apologies followed but it’s safe to say that this issue will stick with their brand for some time to come.
The lesson: if you are going to issue an apology, make it right the first time!
Which brings us to Social Fail Number 7, the final mistake on our list. This one is a doozy, and it’s — to put it mildly — NSFW (Not Suitable For Work).
In April, 2014, a Twitter user, Elle, tweeted her frustration with US Airways regarding an issue with her flight.
Five hours later, US Airways responded to let her know they were sorry.
Elle didn’t accept their apology. “Yeah, you seem so very sorry. So sorry, in fact, that you couldn’t be bothered to address my other tweets.”
US Airways responded with the following: “We welcome feedback, Elle. If your travel is complete, you can detail it here for review and follow-up.”
Accompanying this tweet was almost definitely the most explicit, shocking and inappropriate image every tweeted out by a Fortune 500 company, if not by any company ever!
It’s so NSFW I won’t even describe it here, other than to say it involved a toy airplane.
The tweet was deleted within an hour, but it is still very much lives on via screenshots all over the internet (even though I kinda wish it didn’t).
So here’s the lesson: don’t put anything on the internet, whether in a DM, a secret Facebook group or certainly not in response to a customer, if you aren’t prepared to see it quoted or screenshot across the internet.
Also, trust the people you have helping you manage your social accounts. Like, really.
Special thanks to Tre Temperilli for providing research assistance for this episode.
If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider leaving it a review wherever you stream podcasts. It will only take you a moment and can go a long way towards helping grow our audience.
Thank you and be smart out there.
Even if your brand’s voice is bold and irreverent, know when it’s appropriate to make jokes about incidents involving dead kids? Umm, let’s go with never. Sound good?
For Social Fail Number 5: let’s start with the lesson and then move backwards. Contests and hashtags can be great ways to drum up User Generated Content and to encourage your audience to sing your praises to their communities. But they aren’t magic, and if you are struggling with a PR crisis, they can often create more harm than good.
This is a lesson that Qantas Airways learned the hard way.
Qantas wanted to drum up some online excitement for their brand, so they decided to give away a first class gift package by having people tell them about their “dream luxury inflight experience” using the hashtag #QantasLuxury.
The responses came streaming in. But they weren’t what Qantas had in mind.
Here are just a few examples:
- Getting from A to B without the plane being grounded or an engine catching fire
- #QantasLuxury is a massive executive bonus while your workers starve and your former customers choke
- Flights that leave on schedule because Management doesn’t arbitrarily shut down the airline #QantasLuxury
- #qantasluxury having a skybed so “superior in its class” you have to be under 5 foot to be able to use it with your legs straight.
- #qantasluxury – is not being told you can apply for refund online & finding out they only refund via a phone # that no one answers for 4hrs
This is not the story that Qantas wanted their audience to share with their networks. But even an intern should have foreseen that you can’t use a hashtag to solve a PR problem. A hashtag is offering the floor to your community. And if you think their stories MIGHT be more problematic than positive, maybe find another outreach approach.
Social Fail Number 6 was a famous one — United Airlines overbooked a flight and instead of raising the incentives until someone volunteered to leave the plane, they opted instead to violently drag a man — a doctor in fact — off of their plane. Someone shot a video of the brutal altercation and of course it went viral.
So I guess the lesson here is don’t be a jerk to your customers. But actually, I’m including this one on the list for a different reason.
As bad as the video was — and it was BAD — their real social media fail came from their response.
Bad things happen. An overzealous security guard or a stressed out flight attendant made a mistake and let their emotions get the better of them. Give it time and enough volume, it’s going to happen.
But when you inevitably make your apology, you better make it good. Needless to say, United blew that as well, or this issue wouldn’t have made today’s list.
A United exec put out a statement that essentially blamed the passenger, even though it was United who oversold the flight in the first place.
Additional apologies followed but it’s safe to say that this issue will stick with their brand for some time to come.
The lesson: if you are going to issue an apology, make it right the first time!
Which brings us to Social Fail Number 7, the final mistake on our list. This one is a doozy, and it’s — to put it mildly — NSFW (Not Suitable For Work).
In April, 2014, a Twitter user, Elle, tweeted her frustration with US Airways regarding an issue with her flight.
Five hours later, US Airways responded to let her know they were sorry.
Elle didn’t accept their apology. “Yeah, you seem so very sorry. So sorry, in fact, that you couldn’t be bothered to address my other tweets.”
US Airways responded with the following: “We welcome feedback, Elle. If your travel is complete, you can detail it here for review and follow-up.”
Accompanying this tweet was almost definitely the most explicit, shocking and inappropriate image every tweeted out by a Fortune 500 company, if not by any company ever!
It’s so NSFW I won’t even describe it here, other than to say it involved a toy airplane.
The tweet was deleted within an hour, but it is still very much lives on via screenshots all over the internet (even though I kinda wish it didn’t).
So here’s the lesson: don’t put anything on the internet, whether in a DM, a secret Facebook group or certainly not in response to a customer, if you aren’t prepared to see it quoted or screenshot across the internet.
Also, trust the people you have helping you manage your social accounts. Like, really.
Special thanks to Tre Temperilli for providing research assistance for this episode.
If you are enjoying this podcast, please consider leaving it a review wherever you stream podcasts. It will only take you a moment and can go a long way towards helping grow our audience.
Thank you and be smart out there.
There are three primary reasons you should be blogging to grow your brand:
1) It's great for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
2) It positions you as an expert in your field
3) It creates endless bridges between your social media and your website
In this episode of #StepUpYourSocial, we dig into all three of these reasons, as well as how to approach creating content, the difference between timely and evergreen content... and a whole lot more!
Tune in today right here or wherever you listen to podcasts.
1) It's great for your SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
2) It positions you as an expert in your field
3) It creates endless bridges between your social media and your website
In this episode of #StepUpYourSocial, we dig into all three of these reasons, as well as how to approach creating content, the difference between timely and evergreen content... and a whole lot more!
Tune in today right here or wherever you listen to podcasts.
RSS Feed