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What if TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube were actual people in a room together? Welcome to the Muthership Creator Strategy, and that is the idea that I'm gonna talk about today in terms of the different personalities of social media platforms. I'm gonna go with the top four and we'll just we'll just kind of go into that because there's a lot I have to say about each one. So let's go. Why does this matter in the first place?
Helen:Well, because every platform has a different vibe, and different audiences go to different platforms for different reasons. I know I do. If I'm gonna take a deep dive on how to fix something in my stove or my dishwasher, I'm going straight to YouTube. That's just that's just where it's at. If I need to see a family situation or, like, if I know someone in my family had something happen, somebody passed away, whatever, I'd go straight to Facebook.
Helen:That's just what I would do. That's where I'm headed. If I'm looking for something a little more aesthetic, maybe I'm looking for design in my house. I mean, granted, I would probably go to Pinterest for that, but I'm leaving Pinterest off the table for now. But that one, I'd be more likely to go to Instagram.
Helen:Now if I was looking for something that is, I don't know, the newest restaurant in my neighborhood or like, cool things to do in New York City or, let me just think more, the newest music that's being released, whatever. I would go to TikTok for that. So I wanna just talk about what those differences are in a more tangible way. So let's start with TikTok, and I'm calling it the energetic trendsetter, the wild, like, unpredictable trendsetter. But now I have to say because of the new ownership, I'm changing that slightly.
Helen:It's almost as if now TikTok has its own PR team. And so it was the cool trendsetter, but now they have a lot of people in the boardroom that are telling them what to do. So it went from a little bit more the wild child to a more predictable wild child or a more controlled wild child. But go with that, the people comparison is more along the lines of bold, funny, a little chaotic. So it's your chaotic friend, and you never know what you're gonna expect from the platform.
Helen:And so it's looking for more of that person who just starts talking before they even introduce the topic. Like, they sit down and they're immediately in it instead of easing you into it. Okay? So it's that fast storytelling. It's a surprise.
Helen:It's hot takes. It's trends with a twist and relatable moments, and it's all things that are a little bit more off the top of off the top of your head. That's that's the personality of TikTok. It's like the person that is more off the top of their head all the time. Okay?
Helen:And it wants you to grab people, like and I don't like the word hook as you know, but it like immediately wants people to engage in the beginning. There's no introduction. There's no lead in. It's just like power in. Now Instagram is the stylish image conscious friend.
Helen:And I love this because even still, I noticed people are worried about their feed and what the feed looks like. And you can immediately know someone who's on TikTok that was more Instagram savvy cause they're worried about what their thumbnails look like and I could care less what my thumbnails look like. As long as they're labeled and there's somebody who knows where to find a tutorial, I just like pick the best thumbnail. I'm not really worried about it. But a lot of people who come from Instagram are programmed for that aesthetic.
Helen:And that's that polished, creative, expressive friend who cares how things are presented. They want to make sure they're completely made up or ready to go with their hair before they record a video. So the the personality of the platform is like the personality of the people who are successful on it. So that makes sense. And that's not to say that the platform doesn't want substance.
Helen:And there is definitely a a kind of a sweep, a pivot that it went in from being this aesthetic with the photos to more video taking the lead from TikTok and trying to be a little bit more, off the cuff. But what happens that I find is Instagram, there is something that happens so much on Instagram, and people immediately try and do it when they move over to TikTok, and it just doesn't work in the same way. But it's the old read the captions. They put, like, a little engaging hook line on their video and then read the caption for more. I mean, nobody on TikTok would care about reading a caption.
Helen:Nobody wants to read the caption. I mean, you barely can get people to look at the caption anyway. So if you're an Instagram savvy person and you think that's gonna work on over on TikTok, it's not. So that's a different mindset. And it's also physically more diff more difficult to read the captions when you make them when you open them on TikTok.
Helen:Instagram kinda grays out the background so it makes the caption more readable if you pull it open, but TikTok doesn't have that. So, of course, the platform doesn't even support this style that you're pulling from Instagram. Okay? So you've gotta realize that Instagram is that they like the make it cute, keep it cute, like, aesthetic. The content style is more carousels, photos, very much text heavy a lot of times where it's like the text on screen leads you to more text down below.
Helen:More even the educational content, it's not like off the cuff. It's more clean and curated. Okay? So Instagram likes your personality, but she also wants you to brush your hair first and look good. Alright?
Helen:So a little personality but look good. Now for Facebook. We have the familiar, chatty neighbor. I mean, I would also venture to say older older family member, but I'm not gonna go into you know, I don't like to talk ageism, but in fact, Facebook is very, very heavy in an older demographic. So therefore, it's more of like the neighbor who knows everybody, the busybody that checks in often.
Helen:There your it's comparison a little bit. And I can know this from growing up. My mother was always oh, what are the neighbors going to think? Or what's the neighbors going to say? Or, well, you know, the neighbors next door are doing it that way.
Helen:Always comparing. And that is very, very Facebook. Very. And that's why I think a lot of people didn't like being on Facebook because they feel like, oh, everybody's life looks great on Facebook. And you know, they're showing off on Facebook.
Helen:So that's the personality of Facebook. But it's definitely more familiarity, personal updates, family shares, tragic things that happen, or looking for support for people that are going through health things. So that is, way more personal update type of a platform. And how I would describe it is that it's the person who pulls up a chair and wants to talk. So it often is based a lot on connection and opinions.
Helen:Okay? The content that makes people want to engage in a more direct way with, like, the opinionated. You'll find people even though it's like that on all platforms, people are very divided, opinions were way more in the forefront on Facebook first. And the best content style that works on Facebook is the stories from real life, more encouraging posts, more community updates, more and and always more context in the captions. Mean, do you ever go to a Facebook post and it's like a page long?
Helen:Oh my god. Don't make me read. But sometimes I find myself sucked in and I'm reading the whole thing. Okay? So Facebook definitely doesn't care about performance as much.
Helen:It cares more about connection. So Facebook is less about performing and more about connecting. And it's also a lot about people you already know in real life. And that is the one platform I'd say maybe your relationships in real life lead the charge even the most. It was like that on Instagram in the beginning, but then Instagram took off.
Helen:But Facebook is still, you know, based it's like the family member. Okay. Carrying on. YouTube. YouTube is the thoughtful teacher or trusted expert.
Helen:And I love this because it's like it's that smart friend who's happy to sit down and show you how your phone works or show you where to find things on your phone or show you how to fix something in your kitchen. And I lean on it for that. So in the world of YouTube, the platform itself is looking for more value, depth, trust, searchability things. So it wants strong thumbnails. It wants clarity on what you're getting when you land on a video.
Helen:That's why a lot of times I will say no matter what clarity on YouTube is so important because it will help you be landing at the top of the search bar. And then when people are going through your other videos, they can clearly see what they're getting. So on my recipe videos, it is crystal I use my own recipe, playlist when I'm looking at my recipes. They're so neatly organized. Julie made all the thumbnails for me.
Helen:They have a picture of the of what I've baked and the thing. I mean, I really should care more about my thumbnails now than I do on my tutorials. I really should. I should lean into it more. Maybe I will after this episode.
Helen:Maybe I will pay more attention. But it does make a difference on Facebook if you have clear clarity on the YouTube, strong title, strong captions. The way to describe YouTube's personality is it's the person who's saying in the media, you know, in the group, let me really show you how this works. It's a longer conversation. The platform itself rewards longer content, teachers who can explain, creators who can entertain for longer.
Helen:Longer amounts of trust over time is what is built there. And you need things content that supports that because you wanna be able to have the watch hours so that you can eventually monetize. So you need longer content, and you need to keep people interested. So it's okay if it's not cut, cut, cut, fast, fast, but it's like deep dives, tutorials, thoughtful content, evergreen content works really well. I have a towel rolling video, how to roll your towels.
Helen:Literally still getting views on YouTube from five years ago. So evergreen content is rewarded. Longer storytelling, longer content, podcast style content, of course. And the thing is that here's the key line, that YouTube doesn't mind if you take your time as long as what you're saying is worth say staying for. Okay?
Helen:So you've gotta be valuable enough to your viewer that they'll stay for the whole video. And so that so there's a balance in the editing. And it's not because you have to edit with quick cuts and make everything so condensed, but it has to because usually a person's committed when they're watching that video. So you don't have to be that crazy with the editing. You just have to keep the value coming, and you have to keep it coming in an engaging enough way so someone will stay on the video for a longer amount of time.
Helen:I think the whole thing here is that when you think about the personality of the platforms and then if you want to be on all these platforms and what content are you putting on them, be aware of the person in that platform that you're serving. So think about that. I don't think you have to become a different person for every platform. It's like you need to understand the room you're walking into more so. So if you're going into the YouTube realm, I would a lot of times not even edit my YouTube my tutorials down.
Helen:Like, things I would take out when I put them on TikTok or Instagram, I would leave in and I'd have the long version over on YouTube because I think people are more invested and they're gonna sit and they're gonna watch the whole thing. Whereas I think I would lose the audience if I went into too much granular detail on TikTok. What's funny about this, I have to add, is that I have taken almost my YouTube mindset and now on my TikTok on my Instagram, I don't care if it's long. I I'm like, you know what? I'm almost deciding that for my tutorial content, if people don't wanna stay for it, I don't mind.
Helen:Let them leave. Because my lesson is gonna be thorough for the people who do stay. So I have kind of weirdly changed my mindset on TikTok where I was always trying to keep it tight, keep it tight, keep it fast, keep it moving. And also the platform first was fifteen seconds, then it was thirty, then it was a minute, then it was three minutes, then it was ten minutes. And every time it allowed me more time, I just used it.
Helen:And a lot of people still think short, short, short. I just go, hell. I don't care. I'm putting if the video takes me ten minutes to explain how to do it, I'm putting all ten minutes on TikTok now, and I didn't used to do that. I used to I used to filter it down.
Helen:So the but the idea is still at the top of the food chain is that you can have the same message, but sometimes you want to think about different delivery if you care. If you care. And I add that because I should think about different delivery for TikTok because if I was maybe trying to work a little smarter, I would wanna keep people engaged more and take out some information. But I am serving a higher purpose. So in my mind, I'm sacrificing the potential views to make sure that the audience I'm curating is getting what they need from me.
Helen:So you have to decide what's your give and take. And this is where I say smart creators are going to adapt, but also not just conform. There's a difference between adapting to a situation and conforming to a situation because you feel like you have to. Alright? So you can completely do something in the opposite of what the platform wants and just say, I'm a nonconformist.
Helen:I don't care. Boom. I'm putting it out there anyway. And that is a lot of times that will find you success because in the beginning, it was conform, conform, and we get niche down on TikTok, and I refused to conform, and that has served me well over time, actually. And because now people are saying you don't have to niche down necessarily to grow.
Helen:Okay? So you really kind of I'm all over the place. But you want to think about it like how would you show up to a different networking event depending on what it was. If you were going to a dinner party versus, an office party or versus a backyard barbecue versus a classroom. So you would you you could still be you in each setting, but you would adjust slightly how you speak, how you walk in, what you lead with, I don't know, how much depth you give maybe.
Helen:And so social media works in the same way, but you also have to decide how much you want to adapt to that situation. Because you could, if you were crazy in real life, you could walk into a classroom and be the crazy person at the barbecue. And that's not to say you wouldn't be successful in the classroom because of it. You could be the unique one that stands out in the classroom because of it. So I I serve you like these ideas, but I also don't want you to think, okay, now she said people on Facebook, it's only gonna be community.
Helen:No. You can do whatever you wanna do. I'm just sharing where the way I see it from a standpoint of what the platforms are looking for and how people are responding to them. But I often think standing out is not a bad strategy, you know? So don't get too don't hear the things I'm saying and think, I've to change everything now.
Helen:No. That's not that's not it at all. The fact that the platforms are not looking the same for the same thing is actually good news because then it means you have different ways you could approach it, different ways you can win, and you don't have to necessarily force the same content everywhere. But if you want to and you wanna see how it performs, I know plenty of people that say, oh, my content does really terrible on TikTok, and that's what I shoot it for. But when I put it on Instagram, like, it does much better.
Helen:So maybe that's a strategy in and of itself. You post your TikToks everywhere and see where it hits the best. Post your Instagram videos, you know, if you're thinking for Instagram first and then throw it over on TikTok. You might be surprised. So even with all of this information, you can still choose to be you and show up as you and let it just ride.
Helen:Okay? But with this information, you could say, oh, I was working really hard to make my message so concise, but maybe I should just record the longer version and put that one over on YouTube and then before I edit it. This might just change your mindset a little bit about how to approach it. Okay? I don't want you to make more work.
Helen:That is one thing I don't. We all have way too much as content creators, we're busy. We don't need extra work. But it might be helpful if you're trying to record for different platforms and you wanna lean on YouTube more, maybe just rethink how you're starting your videos because maybe you can just almost make the longer version before you edit the cut down version. So you can allow yourself freedom to speak a little bit longer if that's what you're looking to do.
Helen:Alright? I don't I really, really don't want people to, like, panic about this and think now I gotta rethink everything. I think it's always enlightening to acknowledge the personality of a brand or the different needs that the platforms want. It doesn't mean you have to change how you're approaching it. Okay.
Helen:So don't be everything to everybody just like in real life. Just do you. Understand the vibe of the room. Bring your message in the right way and let each platform meet you where you're at and see how that works for you. But just be aware of what you're dealing with.
Helen:Be aware of the house you're walking into and the different rooms it has. Everything's an analogy with me. Oh my god. Alright. Listen.
Helen:I hope this was somewhat helpful to understanding how to think about it, but I at this point, I'm finding out by using repurpose how to get these get my TikToks to all the platforms and just kinda see what happens. And it is very interesting to see something I would never have maybe put on YouTube shorts is doing really well over there. And so I'm glad I'm using this repurpose thing. Oh, one thing before I go. This is super important for anybody who's using repurpose because I had to do a deep dive to figure something out and I have cracked the code and now I want to share.
Helen:When you use that platform and you per go from TikTok to Instagram, if you had your Instagram set up to go directly to Facebook, it's not going to do that anymore. Instagram, when you go from use repurpose and you go to Instagram, just it's going to Instagram. It's not going to Facebook. So you have to set up a separate automation, but here's the glitch. Here's the big glitch, and it's a big pain in the ass if I'm being straight.
Helen:It won't post to a personal Facebook page. On repurpose, it will only post to a business page. So this is a headache for me because sometimes I want it to go to my personal page, but then when it's a tutorial, I want it to go to my business page. What a headache. Right?
Helen:So I can't and I went I tried all the workarounds. I'm like, what if I post and I just let it go directly from ins either way I have to do a separate posting somewhere. I either have to go I'm gonna post on Instagram and let it go to Facebook on both of my Instagram accounts, my business one and my personal. But if I use the automation on repurpose, it's only going to go to my business account. So when I have a personal video that I don't necessarily want to go to my business Facebook, I have to turn off the automation for that one and then turn it back on.
Helen:Little detail for those of you who might be considering the repurpose.io to repurpose your content. It's a little bonus ending for you. Everybody have a great weekend. I hope you enjoyed the personality story of the brands. I really enjoy thinking about a lot of social media things as real life.
Helen:And now flipping that around, thinking of social media as a person, which is fun. So I had a good time make with this exercise and I like being creative. Okay. Before I leave you, I need to say this, which is the UGC lesson that I have put in the studio this week is so valuable and it's so frustrating to me because I don't know how to reach more people with it. When I see UGC creators and I see the type of content they're making and I'm like, oh my god, I can help these people.
Helen:And it's not a lot of money. I'm not selling a $500 course. Literally, it's 36 normally and 26 right now with the code to go in and, like, learn the lesson, learn how to make the content. And what we're doing next after learning how to make the intro video is learning how to make really good branded content. I'm literally gonna focus the month of April on that.
Helen:Because there's so many people trying to make content, they don't even know how to do it. They don't and so frustrating to watch. So I wanna help, and I wanna use my professional skills to help. I really think that I can make a difference. So help me do that.
Helen:If you know somebody who needs help with user generated content or wants to know how to make branded content, please please offer them the gift. Say, this is the studio you need. These are the lessons you need. It's gonna help you level up. Please pass it on.
Helen:Okay? You know where to find it. Link is in the show notes, and it could really, really help someone. Alright. See you next week.
Helen:Have a nice weekend.