Category: Social Media

SOCIAL MEDIA IS THE GIANT TEDDY BEAR AT THE CARNIVAL

Today I read two posts from people who understand the whole “social media is rigged” thing. The unwritten rules of “don’t include links,” or “post often,” or “make videos.”

These two posts buttered up the situation (“haha social media is horrible!”), but then they saw results – it’s a miracle!

No, friends. This is exactly how social media operates. It’s the giant teddy bear at the carnival gambit.

At every county fair, you’ll always spot some poor jerk carrying around a giant teddy-bear they “won” on the midway. But they didn’t win it – not by getting three balls in the peach-basket. Rather, the carny running the rigged game either chose not to operate the “scissor” that kicks balls out of the basket. Or, if the game is “honest” (that is, merely impossible to win, rather than gimmicked), the operator will make a too-good-to-refuse offer: “Get one ball in and I’ll give you this keychain. Win two keychains and I’ll let you trade them for this giant teddy bear.”

Carnies aren’t in the business of giving away giant teddy bears – rather, the gambit is an investment. Giving a mark a giant teddy bear to carry around the midway all day acts as a convincer, luring other marks to try to land three balls in the basket and win their own teddy bear.

These posts trick other folks back to filling up the feeds, engaging, and replying to DMs. So now instead of writing your next newsletter, or working on your website, you’re back to to throwing spaghetti at the walls of the social media platforms.

GROWING WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA

Just got off a call with Deanna Seymour, talking about my work with Social Media Escape Club.

When talking about “how I find new people” since I’m not on social media, I just said I meet new people all the time and do cool stuff with good people, like the podcast we were recording!

I then explained that a few of her listeners will hear my interview and go, hey! Seth seems cool, I’m gonna go check him out!

Deanna then hit the nail on the head, then, reminding everyone; “a few.”

Me being on one podcast won’t bring in 1000 new subscribers probably. But hey, maybe 3 or 5 or 10 people over a month, right?

Stop thinking of posting on social media and the infinite reach. Put value in showing up for 10 people.

BREAK UP WITH SOCIAL MEDIA DAY

Got 40+ registered for tomorrow’s BREAK UP 💔 WITH SOCIAL MEDIA Day Zoom call tomorrow at 12pm EST (Feb 14, of course, still time to register).

Three hours a day is… a lot. I’ll be deleting the YouTube app (too easy to get caught up in scrolling Shorts while making lunch, or reheating my coffee), and the Substack app. Now that I can schedule Live streams via the desktop, I can finally ditch the app, as that too is just way too easy to scroll scroll scroll a few times a day, which adds up.

I love doing live stream stuff, and I feel like I need to figure out how to do that via YouTube or something at some point.

POST EARLY, PLEASE

Chelsea Bradley from ‘Your Content is Killing Your Brand‘

“When should it be posted? If the event is tomorrow, the answer is not tonight. Most people won’t see it until two days from now – it’s too late. Like when restaurants post their daily specials at 6 pm – great, hope your dinner service was wonderful. I saw it at noon the next day, and it means nothing to me now, I wish I had known about it sooner so I could plan.”

WHERE TO NEXT?

I’ve been thinking about how we get away from social media, or spending less time on our phones, and I think it’s less about dumb phones or apps and more about people.

As Priya Parker has said recently it’s less about “self-help” and more about “group-help.”

Social media has isolated us so much that we thinking breaking free is a solo endeavor, when I think it’s more of a group effort, with the support of other people (I host three Zoom groups per week, ask me about ‘em).

Getting away from social media isn’t just quitting, it’s about starting something else, or a return what came before.

So, where to next?

EVIDENCE IS YOUR MARKETING

From my new post ‘YOUR EVIDENCE IS YOUR MARKETING‘ over at Social Media Escape Club:

“I saw someone marketing their music production services in text, outlining the discount, the expiration of the offer, and who might be interested.

No evidence, just details.

Their website showed the albums they worked, a display of musicians who trusted them with their art, their vision.

That’s evidence.”

From my time in the music industry, this was the foundation for so many bands in the metal and hardcore world. I didn’t find out about bands like Dillinger Escape Plan or Meshuggah from social media posts, I found out about them from friends who saw them and told me I need to hear them.

There was evidence; good sounding albums, word of mouth from their live shows. That was the marketing.

I know we’re in this always on / short form video world right now, but there are people out there making a living without being online 24/7 and without making short form videos.

I know a writer working on TV shows and they aren’t on social media. I know a musician with “just” 225 Patreon supporters and an email list and they’re making a living doing what they love.

Instead of trying to impress strangers, present your evidence to the right people in your own creative orbit.