unpopular opinions: Instagram edition

If you're here for a sugarcoated, beat-around-the-bush blog post, click out now sis because it's time for *drum roll please* UNPOPULAR OPINIONS: Instagram edition.

My excitement is sky-high right now.

A bit too high for a post like this where you'll likely see me CRUCIFIED in the comments (or on Instagram where I'm posting a snippet of these musings later), but I'll take the heat for the greater good here.

Oh, Instagram.

There's a lot going on on Instagram — your friend from high school celebrating her 4th pregnancy, your college roommate bringing her new pup to a winery, a life coach selling her latest course that's "only for a limited time I promise," a social media pro telling you to do this and do that to increase engagement and get that follower count up.

It's exhausting.

So, here's the thing. People are ALWAYS going to be on Instagram telling you what to do, how to act, who to be, what to say, and how to say it.

My advice? Listen to what resonates and leave the rest.

It may seem obvious, but if you find you're resonating less and less with some people, unfollow them. You don't need to surround yourself with people or accounts that don't make you happy or feel good.

That's what happened to me when I first began freelancing. I got excited and went straight into "consume" mode.

And by that, I mean I consumed, consumed, consumed content. I wanted advice, I wanted tips, I wanted someone else's suggestions for questions I had.

The thing about that...

I lost myself. I spent so much time focusing on other people, I didn't know what I was all about.

It was a miserable time. But the good news is... I'm out of "consume" mode now. And I'm here to help you avoid it.

Want to know how to avoid "consume" mode?

Have an unpopular opinion.

Think differently about a problem everyone is having.

Look into your own life and experiences to find the answers (and then share them with us!).

To sum it up in 3 words:

Get. A. Life.

It can be SO hard to think for yourself when it seems everyone around you (especially on social) is doing the same thing. You think, "That must be the right way then!"

Not true.

It's the way that worked for them. It's your job to find what works for you.

Then share it with us.

And we decide what resonates with us... and leave the rest.

Are you seeing the pattern here? Good.

Now, since I got out of "consume" mode and decided to finally get a life (took my own advice here), you get a treat — my very own, very unpopular opinions: Instagram edition.

National Holiday posts are a waste of time and your audience isn't into it

Called. Out.

About half of you are probably going to exit this tab and get mad at me. To that I say, 👋

The other half are probably curious. I shall explain.

It's generic content.

Do you think your audience is going to get value from a post that says "I do-nut think I could live without you! Happy National Donut Day!"?

If you're a donut shop, yes.

If you're a freelancer, no.

Your lack of effort is showing. And you're better than that.

You don’t need complex onboarding and content creation systems or processes to be considered a professional

THIS ONE.

This tripped me up for a long time. That's why this one is here. So, say it with me:

Your clients don't think it's unprofessional that they have to email you instead of "Book a Discovery Call!"

Your clients don't think it's unprofessional if you use Google Sheets instead of a tool like Airtable to plan out content calendars!

These things don't define your professionalism.

Your business is what you make of it. Don't let what other people are doing sway you. If you want clients to email you and that's it... that's it.

If you want them to fill out a form, book through your Calendly, and then you can hop on the phone with them... that's good too.

Do what feels right for you and your clients. Don't make it harder than it has to me just because you saw someone else doing it... That's weird.

You don't have to know exactly what your brand and your niche and your pillars are before you start posting.

You'll figure it out.

And you'll get more clear the more you live your life (and tune out what others are doing).

Easier said than done, but a quite unpopular opinion nonetheless.

Posting every day is the quickest way to burn out.

I don't recommend it.

WAIT WHAT DO YOU MEAN? IT GETS YOUR FEED OUT THERE IN FRONT OF MORE PEOPLE. THE ALGORITHM LIKES PEOPLE THAT ARE ACTIVE ON THE APP.

I know. But you know what?

The algorithm isn't using Instagram. HUMANS are using Instagram. And likely, they want a healthy, happy person showing up for them online in whatever way works best for them.

For instance, there's one person I follow who posts on her feed maybe 3x a month, but she's always on Stories. I expect that from her.

There's someone else that posts 1x a day. If I don't see a post from her, I get kind of annoyed. She's set that expectation.

Expectations can stifle you and your creativity. Do what feels best. Not what the "algorithm" wants.

And that's all, folks! That wraps up this edition of UNPOPULAR OPINIONS: Instagram edition.