You already know what social media is so let’s skip that bit and begin with why it’s so important to use it as a content creator. Social media can be viewed as a way to engage with your audience, disseminate more of your content, & funnel your audience to your other content or community spaces. It’s important to remember that each social media platform has its own nuances & that different types of content may perform differently on each.
An overlooked key point of social media when it comes to being a content creator is that even if your goal is to funnel users to your main platform – you need to make your social media content appealing to the algorithm of the platform you are posting on.
Instead of thinking about directly funneling your audience elsewhere, think of it like creating good content on that platform that may drive users elsewhere as a non-direct next step. If your social media content is only posts about when you are live & a link to that platform – the social media site you are posting on will likely bury those posts or simply not show them on your followers’ feed because the post is just directing users off of the social media platform itself.
Right, Lightstream Partner – LazyFoxGirl’s post on X that talks about stream content, engaging with her community without directly linking to her stream.
This doesn’t mean you can’t make those “Going live!” posts, but we recommend making sure about 80% of your social media posts that keep users on the platform you are posting on.
Here’s an example of a social media post that creates content on the platform itself while also driving users to your live stream content as a non-direct next step:
Post a 30-90 second clip from your live stream content or YouTube video that hooks users & will hopefully encourage them to seek out more of your content without directly linking them off of the social media platform you are posting on
Why? It gives users a sample of your content without directly sending them off of the platform you are posting on
Users of the social media platform you post on are spending 30-90 seconds on that social media platform viewing your content which usually supports the algorithm
Socials are a way for your potential audience to see your personality, not every post has to be based on your content – keep some of it personal, sharing memes and interests is still advertising
Post as often as you can, algorithms vary a lot between platforms but a good rule of thumb is to try to post a couple times a day. The more you post (but not spam) the more you have a chance to be in a user’s feed.
If you’re struggling for ideas/time, pad that out with lower lift posts like retweets of similar creators to you or some quick insta stories sharing your day.
Which Social Platforms Should I Use?
You might feel pressured to dive straight into a platform that’s doing particularly well right now, but how do you know if you’re focusing your efforts in the right direction?
- We recommend selecting a fewer number of platforms to post on that keeps it manageable for consistent posting.
- There can be a pressure to be active on all popular social platforms, but don’t spread yourself too thin across too many platforms. This might start out great but it’ll quickly get on top of you, you can game the algorithm all you like but it won’t matter unless you remain consistent.
- Regardless of where you’re posting, it’s advisable to create an account on each platform to secure your handle.
- What platform is your audience already on? These are just generalizations but, if you are a fitness content creator your audience is likely to be more active on a platform like Instagram instead of X. If you are a gaming content creator your audience is likely to be more active on X than Instagram.
- What kind of content do you enjoy making? Stick to your favorite platforms and you’ll find it a lot easier to build a presence there. Forcing yourself to make TikTok’s you hate making isn’t going to create high quality content, it’ll just drain your batteries.
- How much time do you have on your hands? If you’re already streaming long hours, on top of your day job – do you have time for a podcast and YouTube content on top of that? probably not. That’s a quick way to burn yourself out and then beat yourself up over not being able to maintain a busy schedule.
We hope this guide helps you in your content creation journey! If you have any questions or want to continue the discussion please head over to our Discord server. See you there!
Lightstream Team 💚
