How to Get More Traction on Social Media Today

Social media has changed.

Not because people suddenly stopped using it, and not because there is one new algorithm trick everyone needs to learn.

What has changed is the type of content people are willing to stop and pay attention to.

For years, the formula seemed fairly straightforward. Create polished graphics. Write the perfect caption. Film a carefully scripted video. Add trending audio. Edit everything until it looks professional.

That can still work.

But increasingly, some of the content getting the most attention looks a lot less polished.

It feels more natural. More conversational. More specific. And, most importantly, more interesting.

If you have been posting consistently but feel like fewer people are seeing or engaging with what you share, it may not mean you need to create more content.

You may simply need to change how you are presenting it.

One of the biggest themes from a recent conversation between Instagram expert Brock Johnson and Think Media’s Sean Cannell was the shift toward more natural, less-produced content.

Johnson described one style that is performing well as almost a FaceTime conversation. You pick up the phone, speak directly to one person and explain something the same way you would if a friend were standing in front of you.

That doesn’t mean the content should be sloppy or poorly thought out.

In fact, speaking clearly for 30 or 45 seconds without rambling can take practice.

The difference is that it doesn’t feel like a commercial.

A good place to start is simple.

The next time you have an idea for a post, don’t immediately turn it into a script. Open your camera and explain the idea out loud.

Imagine you are answering a question from one person.

Record it.

Watch it back.

If you communicated the point clearly, consider posting it.

Sometimes every additional layer of scripting, editing and re-recording can take you further away from the energy that made the idea interesting in the first place.

One of the most useful ideas in the podcast was the importance of format.

The information itself may be perfectly good.

The way you are presenting it may be the problem.

Johnson describes a format as essentially the way information is packaged. The same lesson could be delivered through a traditional talking-head video, a comparison, a ranking, a challenge, a series, an interview or another visual concept.

Think about something you have posted before that didn’t perform particularly well.

Instead of abandoning the subject, ask yourself:

Could this become a comparison?

Could I turn it into a before-and-after?

Could I rank three options?

Could I create a short series around it?

Could I show the process instead of explaining it?

Could this work better as a carousel?

Sometimes you don’t need a better topic.

You need a better way of delivering it.

People move quickly through social media.

The podcast points to Meta research suggesting users make the decision to continue watching or keep scrolling extremely quickly.

That puts a lot of importance on the beginning of your content.

And your hook is not only the words you say.

It is also what people see.

If the first few seconds of your video show you sitting still and introducing yourself, the viewer may already be gone before you get to the interesting part.

Start closer to the point.

Show the result.

Ask the question.

Make the statement.

Show something happening.

Then explain.

Before posting your next video, watch only the first two seconds with the sound turned off.

Would you stop?

If the answer is no, work on the opening before worrying about the rest of the video.

There is a tendency on social media to make content as broad as possible because we want more people to relate to it.

But the podcast makes an interesting argument: relatability often comes from specificity.

A vague statement like:

“When your social media post doesn’t do well.”

might technically apply to a lot of people.

But:

“When you spend three hours editing a Reel you were sure would take off and it gets seven likes.”

creates an image.

You can picture it.

You can feel the frustration.

That makes it more relatable, not less.

The same principle applies to almost any type of content.

Instead of talking about “a busy morning,” tell people what actually happened.

Instead of saying something was “expensive,” tell them what it cost.

Instead of saying a project was “difficult,” explain what went wrong.

Specific details make stories feel real.

One of the strongest takeaways from the podcast is the importance of shares.

Before you publish something, ask yourself one simple question:

Would someone send this to another person?

Maybe it answers a question, solves a problem, makes someone laugh or describes something so accurately that they immediately think of a friend.

That is a much better goal than simply trying to collect likes.

Not every post is going to perform well the first time.

If you believe the idea is useful, try presenting it differently. Change the opening. Turn it into a carousel. Make it more specific. Or revisit it again later.

The goal is not to create the perfect post every time.

It is to post, learn what people respond to, and keep adjusting.

If you want more traction on social media today, you may not need to create more.

You may simply need to create differently.