The Instagram Effect: Why You Should Be Diversifying Your Platform Portfolio
Not too long ago I shared in my Instagram stories that Instagram isn’t my most lucrative platform as a creator… not by a long shot. If I’m just creating & posting content for myself across difference platforms, it doesn’t even crack top three in terms of my earnings. While I know many creators who are earning 5- 6- and even 7-figures thanks to Instagram, that’s not my story. It’s not a lot of our stories. Creator after creator after creator that I speak to has complained about “playing the game” on IG, while also continuing to ignore all the many other platforms available for creators.
Now you likely read the title of the episode & thought to yourself, “So I have to be everywhere?!” That is absolutely not what I’m saying because everything isn’t for everyone. Let’s think about this for a sec…
Facebook.
Twitter.
Tik Tok.
Amazon.
Pinterest.
Patreon.
Instagram.
YouTube.
Twitch.
LinkedIn.
Podcasting Platforms.
Blogging Platforms.
Email Marketing.
Affiliate Marketing.
There’s only 24 hours in a day beloveds!
No matter how you slice it, you’re gonna have to be selective, however, it should be a with some semblance of intentionality. In the opening panel of The Meridian Experience Weekend, Mallory Wackerman — Emily Henderson's social media manager — stressed the importance of diversification of video content simply because all the platforms, right now, are fighting for our attention. They want our content, the dollars of the brand's pushing our content, and the ad clicks of the consumers that view our content. Mallory then graced us with these very simple words of advice...
You can't do every single platform. Pick your main one & then repurpose on the other platforms.
Instead, what I’ve seen — especially in the past year — are creators pushing & shoving their way through Instagram, hoping to get seen… all while abandoning their blogs, email lists, and other social accounts… and sacrificing their creative autonomy in the process.
What made being a content creator exciting was the innovation… the originality… the audacity to be different. To actually create. Now, what we have instead is that, in the name of bonuses & badges, everyone’s producing the same of everything in hopes of “going viral”.
The way creators have stopped creating in the name of growing… this is what I call “The Instagram Effect”.
First, let's talk about diversifying your presence as an influencer. I’ll use myself as an example to start...
I currently stretch myself across the following platforms — podcasting, blogging, an email list for Meridian (even though I do have one for Albie Knows too), Instagram, Amazon, Pinterest, and technically speaking, YouTube as well. And while they aren’t officially considered content creation platforms, I consider em to be, so I’m also including my affiliate platforms, specifically LiketoKnow.It. I don’t use Tik Tok, Twitter, Twitch, Patreon, or any of the other places you can find your favs.
How did I decide where to be and where not to be?
What do I have the bandwidth to handle?
Which platforms have I already mastered, or am close to mastering?
Where are the people I want to talk to already hanging out?
How can I comfortably monetize the influence I already have?
I will also add that some platforms, even without having never tried them, I just knew wouldn't be my cup of tea for one reason or another; whereas others, after giving em a whirl, I knew they weren't a good fit for me & mine. As someone who once took an entire year off from social media — granted, it was a very different time — I'm not afraid to step away from something that doesn't serve me and/or feel right. It's the joy of missing out.
I know what you really want to know is how I'm using the platforms I'm on to diversify my content output. Before I give you all my insider tea, I want to be very clear in saying that I am currently in a season that's heavy on the inconsistency. Right now, I'm not at my content creation best, however, when the system works... IT WORKS... so ya know... do as I say, and not as I do lol.
For the Meridian Experience, I have an email list and Instagram account. Technically, you can include this podcast as well, since it stretches across both my audiences. The Meridian Experience instagram account is where most people know & interact with Meridian, so I leverage that presence to drive as many people as possible to the email list. The email list is where Meridian gets the most conversion and that's how I delineate between the two platforms — Instagram is where we can interact and the email list is where I convert aka money is made. Should you be interested in joining us for The Meridian Experience Weekend in 2023, you can also join our 2023 wait list.
Because The Meridian Experience Weekend is brand new, I am fine with having a smaller social media footprint. The purpose is clear — grow at a steady pace to solidify our presence in the industry. In 3-5 years, this strategy may be completely different. As always, I reserve the right to change my mind.
For Albie Knows, the list is a bit longer —
Blog: the Albie Knows blog has had MANY iterations since 2017, however, it's always been the primary hub for my web presence. I know it may sound cliche & it's nothing new, however, I like knowing that if all else fails, so long as I keep paying for my domain & hosting, I will have a place to run my mouth on the internet, lol. I like having that autonomy & ownership. It's always been a place for me to share, educate, and inspire, however, in the past 2 years, that's become the primary purpose versus supporting my e-design business.
Email List: yes, Albie Knows has an email list. Over the years, I've toiled around with using it a bunch of different ways — creating content that's unique to the list — and right now, I've landed on it simply being a vehicle to increase my blog readership through an RSS feed automation. If I post on the blog, people on the list get a weekly round up. If I don't post, then the list gets nothing from me. Keep in mind, my list was originally set up to help me get more client work... then it was for my subscription box... then it was to sell my book... making this the first time since the inception of Albie Knows that I'm not "selling" anything to my email list. I like it here.
Instagram: I have had a love/hate relationship with IG since joining this platform 10 years ago. I remember when it was new. I resisted so hard because I was like "why do I need to be on a some app sharing random pictures all day long?" Tumblr and other apps like that were never my ministry, so nothing about IG attracted me. This was also during a time when my career goal was to be a global product presentation specialist for Nike and as far as I was concerned, IG wasn't gonna get me there. When I finally succumbed, I struggled... A LOT. I flailed, trying all the tips & tricks of "experts" and I genuinely hated being on the app. After 5 years of an on again off again toxic relationship, I went on a one year hiatus... and then 3 years later STMN happened. Overnight, I literally went from about 1,700 followers to over 10,000. This completely changed my relationship with IG. It's now my largest audience base, so over the years, I've accepted that it's main purpose in my social ecosystem is as a place of community & connections, and not necessarily commerce. I have seen very little success when it comes to converting on IG. This isn't to say I haven't earned money because of IG, however, it's always either been indirectly (i.e. linking a blog post in my stories) or through a brand partnership, in which case they're paying me for access to my audience. The money isn't coming from IG. Bonuses & badges are very young features on the platform and what I've earned from them is like pocket change. It gets transferred into my account & I almost never even notice it. All of my other platforms out earn my IG account. Let that be a reminder that being popular ≠ being paid.
Pinterest: If we were having this conversation 5 years ago, I don't know that I would've put Pinterest on the list because it's presence as a "social" platform is relatively new. I've always viewed it as, first and foremost, a search engine... specifically a visual search engine. Y'all remember the Pinterest of the olden days — it's where you went to search for tutorials, recipes, etc. It was all about the inspiration, ideas, and images. It's since evolved and, in the world of influencer marketing & content creation... well... it makes the list. When I went on my social media hiatus in 2017, it was actually so I could prioritize/learn platforms like Pinterest & YouTube (which we'll get to later). Pinterest was already driving a little bit of traffic to my blog and I wanted to optimize how I was using it so that I could continue to grow my blog. These days, I'm extremely lazy about my Pinterest strategy, and yet, it's still the number one social source of traffic to my site (77.8%) with IG at a whopping 20.59%. And in case you're wondering, holistically, the number one source of traffic to my site is search — Google — at 42.99%. Keep in mind, my "following" on Pinterest is 1/4 of my IG following. Pinterest now placing more of an emphasis on content creation has also served me financially. In addition to driving traffic to my site, I can now monetize directly on Pinterest as a part of the Pinterest Creators program. There are a variety of bonuses & opportunities to earn on the platform, including being able to add affiliate links to my content. Personally, I've seen a much greater ROI with these than I have with IG Reels Bonuses.
YouTube: Like Pinterest, the concept of YouTube as a social media platform feels relatively new. It has always functioned, first, as a search engine for video content. While it absolutely still does that, it now has a ton more features that are content creation driven (i.e. YouTube Shorts). I got onto YouTube during my one year social media challenge. Admittedly, I did a much better job at staying consistent back then. For the past 3 years, however... the struggle is real. So do I have an YouTube channel? Yes. Is it a present day priority? Nope. I will say this though... because like Pinterest it's searchable & evergreen, my YouTube channel still generates traffic to my blog & some affiliate income as well. It's not a ton of traffic or money, yet worth mentioning because I'm not even actively using my channel.
LinkedIn: While I'm not sure how it's classified — social media or not — what I do know is that it's a platform for professionals, making it a great asset for networking. This is where, often times, I begin my search when looking for brand partner contacts, as well as brand & industry news. It's been a great asset as I continue to educate myself in this space. It is not a place I am hanging out for hanging out sake.
Amazon: You're probably VERY confused by the addition of this to the list so lemme clarify — Amazon is not, by the more traditional parameters, a social media site. What it has done, however, is tap into the power of influencer marketing with creator features like allowing consumers to follow you, affiliate marketing shopping, and livestream shopping. Of all the platforms I've named so far, here is where I earn the most as it relates to the platform itself making me money. I create content for the platform — shoppable media, curated lists, and/or livestreams — and then Amazon does what Amazon does. To earn on IG what I earn on Amazon, I would have to exponentially increase my content creation output, and I don't have it to give. Amazon is perfect for this current season of productivity I'm in while also being something I can continue to scale.
LTK: Just like Amazon, while technically not a social media platform, it is a place to leverage my shopping prowess... where my audience can follow me... and where I can earn affiliate marketing income. It's also a source of my product linking for the blog, IG, and Pinterest.
This feels like I good place to note that everything works together. I have done my best to not just diversify my output, but to create my own content ecosystem. These platforms don't just work together to drive traffic from one to the next. In Season 1 Episode 2 of the podcast, I talked about single tasking & thought purging for better productivity. Alongside single tasking, I shared batching, and while my systems are a long ways away from what they were when I recorded that episode, I still swear by batching. If I'm able to find time to record, I will stretch that video as far & wide as I can. Right now TikTok is all the rage. I don't Tik. I don't Tok. This popularity still works to my advantage because it also means that short form 9:16 vertical video in general is popular. That means IG Reels, YouTube Shorts, and Pinterest Idea Pins are all capitalizing on the trend. It also means on other platforms — like Amazon & LTK — video is also prime for viewership & more likely to convert. I realized I would spend a ton of time & mental calories to create a reel that would maybe get a couple thousand views & maybe make a couple bucks from bonuses. Why would I waste all that effort for little ROI... not when that one video can live (for me) on Pinterest as an Idea Pin, and on Amazon & LTK as a shoppable video, in addition to an IG Reel. That stretches my efforts a lot further & increases my earning potential. This effort reached further for someone who also utilizes TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
In my big age, my only goal is to work smarter, not harder....
...sentiments that were also shared by Mallory —
“You wanna work smarter, not harder, so don’t think of your IG audience as this completely different thing that you have to come with all new content, and then your blog, all new content. I think each idea that you have can be translated from the blog to Pinterest to Facebook to TikTok to Instagram Stories to Reels... like I would really stretch out those content ideas cuz they can live in a lot of different places in a lot of different ways.”
To which Emily said... "and it's a lot of work."
Knowing the platforms where I can earn and/or just be myself did not come easy. Armed with this insight, however, eliminates any undue pressure to be in all the places & do all the things. My content creation ecosystem has become this safe cocoon, which is especially important to me when I'm not creating & performing at a level I'd like. I need to know that I can put things down when life starts life'ing... and for the first time in years, this feels like the case.
Now I've talked a lot about platforms, however, diversification also includes verticals.
Simply stated, verticals = niches. It's a commonly used term in marketing across industries. As a content creator, vertical examples include home, fitness, technology, food, fashion, beauty, and parenthood. If you're here, you're likely in the home vertical. To this, I'll also add that your verticals can be aligned with your channels... and with that, the purpose they serve.
In the opening panel, Caitlin Higgins from the EHD team noted that "figuring out the value of each of your channels — where is brand awareness, where is your audience converting..." is important in positioning yourself in front of brands. The same can be said for your audience. We've all seen the rapid growth of the "lifestyle influencer", who dabbles in a little bit of this & a little bit of that. In the home space, however, I see so many creators follow the narrative "people know me for home/design/diy..." and they don't allow themselves to expand beyond what they're "known" for and to integrate other verticals into their content strategy.
In my affiliate marketing workshop, I challenged everyone in attendance to bring their audience into their lives & to monetize the entire breadth of their influence, starting with them sharing their fashions from the weekend. Since that weekend, It's been so much fun to watch creators share their fashions, travels, families, and recipes, all seamlessly alongside their home content.
Imagine if the creators we admire — the ones who've been doing this for 10+ years — only shared home content with us? Would they have built the empires that they currently have? When I talk about the Meridian archetype, what they all have in common is that they've opened themselves up to be lifestyle creators, with a central focus on home... but not exclusively as home creators.
During the final keynote panel of the Meridian Experience Weekend — which was truly the best possible way to have ended the weekend — Kennesha Poe-Buycks hosted a great conversation with Emily Henderson, Orlando Soria, and Carmeon Hamilton in where they discussed how they're able to show up as their whole selves on their blogs & social channels. They all shared the same sentiment — they don't know how they could possibly do it any other way because they'd be doing themselves and their audiences a disservice. As Carmeon put it, "You get what you get because you walked into my living room today." Yet why is it that so many of us who are looking to achieve similar longevity & success are limiting ourselves? In the words of Orlando, "Who's asking you not to do this & are these the people you want to be speaking to?"
I won't lie...
Even though I have done my best to avoid the trappings of IG — especially creatively — they've also gotten the best of me on more than one occasion. To that end, if you follow me over on @albieknows, then you know I've been actively avoiding reels on my feed. I've done this not only to retrain my feed, but to also allow myself a creative respite. How much more creative would we all be if we weren't chasing trending audio and shortcuts to virality... amassing followers like cattle? Hundreds of thousands of followers... and leading em where?
In preparation for this episode I went to the pages of a bunch of creatives across industries that I've seen recently gone viral and y'all... it was only a small percentage of em who had engagement that paralleled their growth. There's a reason spending with nano influencers is projected to rise 220.5% while the spend with mega influencers is only projected to rise 8% (source). A high following doesn't always translate to high engagement or conversion. While I can attest there can be many benefits to having a large following, I can also say that I don't need fame to have fortune. Food for thought.
It's said that we should find the places we thrive and continue to build on it; however, is there a fine line between building and being complacent? Whether it's IG or any other platform — it's called the Instagram Effect... not because it's the only place this happens, but because remaining still has lulled many of us into a false sense of security. I know this has definitely been the case for me — something like a fever dream really — until one day I looked around, with little to show for it in return. That's when I had a lightbulb moment...
I wasn't doing anyone any favors — not myself & not my audience — by keeping my content homogenous. I asked myself, "if I wasn't me, would I follow me?" and the answer was no. At some point our audiences will grow tired of seeing the same "rinse & repeat" strategy because it says you don't value their follow... their time... their attention. Look at how quickly the trend of "daily vlogs" rose to popularity then faded away? Ask yourself how many "about me" reels your existing community will sit through before they find themselves bored with the repetition? Or disinterested in you altogether? During the panel on Longevity In Design & Content Creation, Shavonda Gardner shared valuable insight into how she's continued to prioritize her community, in spite of the ever-changing landscape —
“Number 1 for me is connecting with my community and I have always put a lot of priority on the people already in my community and not necessarily for people who don’t know me yet. I don’t create my content or put out things for the attention of others. I create the content that I create and engage with my community because they’re already there. Those are the people that I focus a lot of my energy and time on. I’m never like seeking more and more and more people. Like that is not what my ministry is.”
When we think of it this way and prioritize the original intent of social media — to connect — and remain set along this path, it's actually easy to see how multi platform distribution is a win win for everyone —
exercise dormant creative muscles in a return to experimental & authentic storytelling
excite existing community by sharing with them other enjoyable platforms
organically reach new audiences & expand reach beyond current ecosystem
increase earning potential, or at the very least, add to existing revenue stream
During The Meridian Experience Weekend, the Meridian IG was flooded with DMs and tags all saying they wish they knew about this event & they don't know how they missed it on their timelines. When creators spend more time creating content to attract, instead of creating to engage, the algorithm notices. Yeah, you'll get a ton of new follows, however, what happens to the people who were already there if you're not connecting with them & they're not engaging with you? The reason so many people were now suddenly aware of the event is because nearly 100 people were simultaneously sharing & tagging... very much like what we saw happen when I did the STMN home edition initiative in 2020. It was almost as though the algorithms (because yes, there's more than one) were hit with a defibrillator & that shock to the system caused accounts that were buried deep to rise to the surface. Our audiences felt the shift & were better for it. Imagine what would happen if we were consistently creating original content and organically sharing share worthy content. Again... just food for thought
I've shared a lot — mainly because I've been sitting on these thoughts since the Spring & just didn't have time to share em till now — however, I don't share them without purpose... nor without the intent of moving you to action. Now that you're (hopefully) thinking about diversifying your content verticals & social platforms, I want to leave you with five thought starters as to what your next steps could be —
Take inventory of all the platforms you use for your content — the ones you actually use. Why do you use them over others? Do you enjoy using them? How have they enhanced and/or supported your business? In doing this analysis, I want you to consider whether or not they're an asset or a distraction. I can't answer that for you. I simply ask you be honest with yourself about the evaluation.
Ex: I have a twitter account. It does absolutely nothing for me as a creator. Maybe it could, however, I also don't like it there. The same goes for Facebook. So I don't spend any time on em.
Think about the audience you want to reach — where do you want to take them and where are they already hanging out? Different platforms can serve you in different ways — education, community, sales, discovery, growth, etc. A common creator mistake is not going where their target audience is; and instead, going where the popularity is. Stop doing that.
Ex: I've never had any desire to join SnapChat or TikTok because, as far as I could tell, the audience I'd like to reach isn't on those platforms. These platforms would only serve me for discovery & growth, two things that are not a priority for me right now.
Assess your current content mediums — video, audio, photo, etc — and ask yourself which ones excite you, inspire you, and exhaust you. Do not take on creating anything that's only gonna serve to stress you out... or worse yet, flame you out. Just as each platform can serve a particular purpose, each platform also has certain mediums it disseminates best.
Ex: While video inspires me, currently, creating it also exhausts me. This is why, as much as I would love to improve my video presence, it's not something I can do right now, which is why I don't presently prioritize my YouTube channel. Audio excites me. Writing excites me. Which is why we're here.
Examine your analytics & all of your numbers — are you, at present, getting sufficient ROI for all of your creation efforts? This exercise is about more than just followers, subscribers, and likes. Those are mostly vanity metrics. There are so many valuable KPIs (key performance indicators) that go overlooked because they aren't on the surface, including clicks of shared links, affiliate marketing earnings, organic comments & community messages, email marketing open rate, video watch time, blog post bounce rate... and so much more!
Ex: Every single platform has its own back end reporting. I prioritize looking at the ones that where I want to improve & where I see the greatest success — my opportunities & my strengths. While the former is the type of content that challenges me to be better, the latter allows me to create recurring content with ease.
Study other industries and their creators — are your creative limitations a result of staying inside of a bubble of creatives that are all doing the same thing? Often times it's hard for us to see things objectively because our sight is clouded by all the noise of our echo chamber. As creators, we're constantly urging our audiences to diversify their following so that they can diversify their experience. The same goes for us.
In recent months, as a consumer, I have found myself less & less interested in following creators in the home space, while following more creators in the fashion, beauty, education, tech, and lifestyle arena. Some I follow to learn from, others for inspiration, and others purely for entertainment. No matter the reason I was attracted to their accounts, I am also able to takeaway something as a creator... something that can later help improve my content.
I don't present this episode as any sort of expert of growth strategy or as a social media savant. I am simply someone who is both creator & consumer, and after many years of trial & error, someone who is still learning & embraces the continued education. I speak only to what I observe on my own timelines, as well as the conversations had with peers. Our consumers are savvier & brand budgets are bigger. Translation: the stakes are higher! So consider this post/episode your permission slip to untether yourself from The Instagram Effect.
Slow down.
Take a step back.
And maybe let's all allow ourselves to create like creators do.
This episode is brought to you by The Meridian Experience Weekend Vault.
If you weren’t able to make it out to the PNW this past June, no fret. You can now enjoy all 4 of our keynote panels right at home. For a limited time — now through 08-18 — you can purchase access to all 4 conversations, including the attendee Q&As that followed 2 of the 4 conversations. You can purchase access to the vault for a single investment of $200, unlocking conversations that’ll rock you in the best possible way. Binge em in one sitting or spread em out like we did in real time! You can even dress up if you really just wanna feel like you were there.
If you want to enhance your viewing experience, you can also get the digital version of The Meridian Experience 2022 Workbook. Adapted from the original print workbook, this 44 page download encourages you to take a holistic look at your business by exploring the balance between being a design professional & an influencer, quantifying your financial goals, and critically analyzing the status of your business. It’s an accountability resource, and the perfect pairing to 4 hours of intimate conversations to get you thinking about your trajectory.
