The Nicholberry Dispatch

The Nicholberry Dispatch

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The Nicholberry Dispatch
The Nicholberry Dispatch
The Surprising Key to Social Media: FUN

The Surprising Key to Social Media: FUN

At least, that's been my experience (plus, join me in the next Puppy Brain book club!)

Kerry Nichols's avatar
Kerry Nichols
Sep 20, 2024
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The Nicholberry Dispatch
The Nicholberry Dispatch
The Surprising Key to Social Media: FUN
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I love it when something completely random has legs and shows potential for becoming a “thing.” That’s what happened with Gameshow Saturday and Pick Your Fav. Both of those were just random posts that I thought would be fun and if you follow on Instagram, you know that through organic growth, they became a permanent fixture on my page.

It looks like the Puppy Brain Book Club might have the same potential. Not only was I wowed by the number of registrations, but I was impressed by the quality of the questions. I love that so many people are as fascinated by puppies as am I! But more than anything, I love that we had fun. My friend Aly joined me as my co-host and did a super job fielding questions.

For now, I have decided not to share the recordings of these book clubs. The conversation is raw and authentic and I fear that if I knew it was going to live somewhere permanently, I might censor myself. I’ve picked a middle of the day time slot that I’m hoping works for most people (register here for future dates!).

As for social media, a friend recently asked about a loss in her follower count and what she could do to grow. My counsel was “don’t worry about it.” While we do need to swim in the same direction as the platform, the platform’s current should only provide the structure, not the content.

An example: Instagram is very transparent about its new tools and what it is making available to content creators. I figure if Instagram is promoting it, it’s probably something I should use (like Reels or new fonts). That’s the Instagram river and I’ll swim with that current. But my messaging is all me. I don’t try to create content that will go viral — I use the tools that Instagram provides, but never change my content to achieve numbers. I think that’s the fastest way to kill a social media channel, as all of us can sniff out a lack of authenticity.

Bottom line? The only way a social media presence can thrive is if the creator is having fun. I love games, so you see a lot of games-based content on my account. And I love science, so there’s plenty of that, too. Every creator should simply bring themselves to their page and allow whoever they are to shine through. Not only does that keep an account fresh, but it helps the creator to stay focused on the content and not the metrics.

Which brings us back to book club. Again, this arose out of something I love. I love book clubs! And apparently, I’m not alone in that. After posting a random comment in a story, I received several hundred emails to join what was then a theoretical book club.

I’m so hoping it becomes a thing.

If you missed it, I set up the zoom so that regular participants could only watch and not join on screen (they could ask questions in the chat). Then a few paid Substack subscribers joined via a special link that I sent, enabling us to have an organic and authentic conversation. I think it was an excellent format and I'll be repeating it next week.

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