Catch the rivers! How to take social media content to the next level in 2021

Instagram

Shoot more videos

Although Instagram started as a platform for photos, it is already impossible to imagine it without a variety of video content. It is not for nothing that the main wave of popularity of the Vine format hit this particular social network. We are not calling for filming vines in 2021, but you shouldn't ignore video content. Moreover, the Instagram network itself is constantly introducing new features for this format. For example, in 2021, the vertical video service Reels appeared here, and the tool for long videos - IGTV - has been around for several years. Video content can be about anything - it all depends on the nature and direction of your feed. But the main thing is to take care of the quality of the videos. Nobody will watch a grainy picture with bad sound.

Diversify your story

Stories have long overtaken the main Instagram feed in popularity. Remember yourself: when you open Instagram, the first thing you do is scroll through them. Therefore, ignoring the format is a direct path to audience loss. But do not torment your followers with monotonous pictures of flowers and food or incoherent videos from a club or from a concert. Show your imagination, since Instagram has all the possibilities for this. Use different designs: stickers, labels, questions, quizzes, and even music. Thus, a full-fledged recognizable visual story can be created in a story. It's also important that stories appear regularly. The best option is to add two or three pieces at a time. So the total coverage will be higher than that of a single publication. But be careful: bombarding your subscribers with a thousand stories from life, as some bloggers do, of course, is not worth it.

Broadcast live

Live broadcasts are the fastest way to gain audience attention. The main thing is to think about what you will talk to people about. Again, it all depends on your feed. If you have a regular account for friends, you can just chat with them online. If you have a business account, then through live broadcasts you can talk about products and services, talk with influencers, and answer questions from the audience. Instagram live broadcasts tend to have a bad picture, so think extra about the quality of the stream: if there is no smartphone with a powerful front camera, then try to improve the image with an additional Sveta.

Experiment with new formats

For example, try creating travel guides. Some devices call this feature Tips. It is a special business tool designed to promote goods and services. Travel guides are, in fact, longreads in which you can combine thematic publications. Even ordinary users can use the tool: create checklists, collect all publications from vacations or pictures on a specific topic into single albums. A travel guide like this will earn more reach than a regular post.

Create a custom visual

Back in 2019, top bloggers designed the Instagram feed in the same style: posts in a checkerboard pattern, pastel colors and fonts like from a chalk board in a coffee shop. Now this approach is no longer in vogue. Instead, look for your style. Customize your own highlights, ribbons, and profile headers. The main thing is that there should be no "Actress, model, happy mother of two angels" in the hat. If you have a regular lifestyle blog, then there may not be a single style - many top bloggers in this area do without it. But if you have headings, categories, you regularly talk about a topic, then it makes sense to think about the design. This will help subscribers navigate your feed and easily find old, relevant posts.

Youtube

Find the basic channel format

Every famous blogger has a basic channel format that subscribers love him for. Some are watched because of interesting interviews, others because of funny challenges. Find your format. There is no universal advice here. But there are clear clues: understand what your strength is (you are an expert in the physics of black holes, or you can joke sparklingly), study those who already work in this niche, find like-minded people, make a plan and act. Quality is also important on YouTube, especially sound. With the advent of podcasts, lengthy interviews and educational lectures on the site, users began to listen to content in the background. Therefore, if you are a beginner blogger, buy good sound equipment, and you can shoot with a regular smartphone. Moreover, modern devices, even from the economy segment, are capable of providing 4K quality.

Shoot short videos with dynamic editing

It is difficult to keep a person on the Internet, because the concentration of attention inevitably decreases. If you are a beginner YouTube blogger, then you don't need to rush to large formats. It is expensive, time consuming and risky. Start small - 10 minutes long videos. And don't forget that people shouldn't be bored watching you, so the video should have a quick edit.

Add subtitles

In 2020, 70% of users watched YouTube on mobile. As a rule, on the go: somewhere in transport, at breakfast or lunch. In such conditions, it is not always possible to watch a video with sound, so provide it with subtitles.

Stream

In 2021, not only gamers are streaming. YouTubers comment live on Eurovision, football, old Star Factory issues, movie trailers and a whole bunch of other things. Moreover, now you can run live broadcasts in HDR ‑ format - that is, in very high quality. Select the subject of discussion and adjust the technique - few people want to like a blurry image and a fuzzy sound.

TikTok

@ almlh5#home pet♬ I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE - Måneskin

Consider layout and navigation

The battle for attention on TikTok is even more fierce than on YouTube, so at first glance at your account it should be clear to a person who you are and why your page is useful. Design a profile header (write about yourself as briefly as possible) and put covers with catchy titles on your videos (TikTok itself has such a function).

Shoot useful content

Only those who have never seen TikTok with their own eyes continue to believe that they dance there and open their mouths to other people's songs. This social network has a lot of useful content on a variety of topics: history, biology, languages, art, and more. If you are the owner of special knowledge in a certain area, then tell others about it in a short TikTok-format - and you will surely find your audience. Moreover, the platform itself meets such users halfway: for example, the maximum duration of videos this year has been increased to three minutes - you can accommodate a lot of interesting things.

Enter characters

The TikTok audience loves artistic people. If you are one of them, then do not hesitate and introduce an invented character into your feed. So people will definitely return to you. But even if you lack artistry, you can use some of the tricks of the popular TikTokers: the series, when in one video only part of the general (they will come to you for a continuation), and the drama inside the very video. Your main goal is to have your tiktoks watched to the end - this is the only way they will be noticed by the algorithms of the social network. This means that you need to build the plot of the video in a special way: in the beginning there is something catchy, in the end - the main one.

Don't overuse challenges

TikTok began with challenges and trends, but in 2021 it is difficult to earn popularity only on them. Only top millionaire Tiktokers can get a million views with a simple movement of their hands. Trends can only work if you are an incredible dancer or super charismatic actor. The main problem with trends is that in a short time a bunch of videos of the same type appear and the audience gets tired of them quickly. You need to somehow stand out from this mass. Try to twist the idea of ​​the trend, bring it to the point of absurdity, put the opposite meaning in it. Or, use challenges in line with the nature of your main content. For example, if you are talking about the rules of the English language, then the dance can explain the order of using the articles (yes, you can find this on TikTok).