Start Thinking Outside Your Niche

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:05]: I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked, good content. Hi friend, if you're watching on YouTube, ignore the mess behind us. You know, I am very Type B and we just got back from out of town, so suitcases aren't unpacked. You know the drill. Um, but anyway, we went to UVA and I'm just so excited. I'm recording this after this weekend because I just had a lot of epiphanies and I think it's a lot of stuff that's really gonna click for you and I'm excited. So we went to UVA for the weekend. Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:43]: I'm a Virginia Tech Hokie and my husband went to UVA. I went to Virginia Tech. If you don't know what that means, it basically means, um, we shouldn't be together. Our schools hate each other, like with a passion. Um, so when I met Ryan and he told me he went to UVA, I was like, ick, instant ick. Sorry, UVA. I have so many friends who went to UVA. It's, it's fine. Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:01]: I love you guys. But I was like, oh, this ain't gonna work. Like, I need right? But anyway, uh, we've made it work over the years. And then our daughter loves NC State. So NC State and UVA were playing and we went there and it was so much fun. And what's cool is, you know, Ryan was showing Cam around the campus and was just like telling her all the lore, of course. And, um, there's this part of the campus that I forget what it's called, but it's like this area where students can apply to live in these dorms that are basically on this field. So as you're walking, it's like you're not walking through a dorm, you're just walking the campus, but it's like dorm room, dorm room, dorm room. Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:32]: And it's really cool cuz it's like really sought after to get one of these rooms and you have to apply. Edgar Allan Poe has a room like preserved there and stuff. I don't know, lots of history. Very cool. On the doors though, and I found this fascinating, this is gonna be your little homework assignment. It's gonna be so fun. They had little signs where the students who come in, right? Cuz school just started it literally on the doors for, there was 2 roommates each and then they had one side and another. It was like a, like almost like a little chalkboard. Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:56]: I guess it was a chalkboard. And it said on the door, it said, ask me about, or things to ask me about. And it was a long list and there was like usually about 6 to 10 things and A lot of it was very politically heavy, like very like intellectual deep things to ask them about. And then there was some that was obviously like pickleball or whatever. And as you also walk through UVA, you see like all the societies and the clubs and whatever, and the signs for them, like join us for ice cream social on Saturday, right? And it just reminded me how in college you are so— well, I did at least. Yeah. I felt so seen and understood because it's such a special environment where one, you're obviously, if you go there, You have that in common with everyone already. Like you're fans of the school, you like going to the school, right? And then you can join these clubs and I was, or, you know, go to the club. Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:40]: That was me. The clubs downtown, that kind of club. Uh, me and my girlfriends loved to dance. Let me just say that. So you just feel like there was a space for you no matter what it is you were interested in. And guess what? We all have a lot of interests, right? We're not these, you're not people you can just put us all into a box. And I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. So. Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:03]: I thought it'd be fun for you to really start thinking about like, what if it was your first day of college or your first day at a new job or whatever, and you have a sign that goes, ask me about this, right? And even if for my introverts, what is something you'd love them to ask you about? It could be like a book series you love, the latest reality show that you adore. It could go deeper, right? What are those things? And I want you to encourage you after you write that list, make some content about it because let me tell you something. Gary Vee did a brilliant TikTok that went viral last year. And I've saved it because, and I've been sending it to people being like, listen, I've been saying it forever and he's saying it too. So hear me out. Right? Because so many people are scared to post outside their niche. And I'm like, what? Do you know how many followers I've gotten over the years from random comment? I have a trial reel that's still going. I've gotten almost 4,000 followers from, and it's about expensive things I think are worth it. Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:51]: And I just kept it on there as a trial because I, just a little side note for trials, when I have a trial, doing well, I just let it stay there and then I'll later put it to my feed. 'Cause why not? 2 birds, one stone, right? Again, there's no absolute, there's no absolutes in Instagram. That's just what I do. Another thing that I want you to know about trials, or it's just like a side note, um, it's looking for fresh content. So it's a great place to throw out the ideas first. And if they do well, cool, put it on your feed. But like I always say, if a trial does bad, don't let that make you think you can't put it to your feed because trials are just a totally different algorithm. All right. Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:21]: That's just a little side, little bonus tip for the day. But I will say I throw a lot of random stuff on trials for fun just to see if it hits. And it always does. It's always the random stuff, guys. It's always random. Sometimes I'll have some content tip go crazy over there. I'm like, cool. But like, it's, it's just fun. Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:36]: So Gary Vee does this TikTok about the monetization of random content. And this is why I'm like, I've been telling everyone, I'm like, stop only posting within your niche. Now, do I post 80, 90% in my niche? Yeah. Cause I'm passionate about it. Like if I have my list of things to ask me about, at the top is marketing hooks. Content psychology, right? And then I'd have things like all things Housewives, obviously, and Bravo. I'd talk about hot dogs, Taco Bell, the Outer Banks. And let me tell you guys something, I've had so many TikToks on obviously over on TikTok, um, go viral about Outer Banks. Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:11]: Like, I had one go crazy over on TikTok about, um, my favorite places to eat at the Outer Banks. And all these locals were like, as a local, this is a great list. And I was like, thanks, biggest flex of my life. But you know what I mean? It's like I loved it. I loved creating it, even though it was something I'm like, it's not my expertise. People see it, it goes viral and they follow me. It's not because they're following me because I'm now their Outer Banks go-to. They see, they go to my profile, they go to my bio and they're like, oh yeah. Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:35]: So with that said, Gary Vee starts talking about the monetization of random content. And he basically says that, I love the example he gives. The reel will be in the show notes if you wanna watch it where I talk about it. But he basically says, okay, you're a golf trainer. But maybe you're obsessed with porcupines for some reason. It's like your favorite pet animal, or you're on a journey and you're learning how to play chess, whatever the fudge, right? It goes viral, gets 3 million views. Of all those views, there's gonna be a big group of people that are like, ooh, I need golf lessons too. It happens all the time. Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:03]: Happens all the time. Someone goes viral for something random, they go to your page and they're like, oh, they're a realtor? Oh, they're a plumber? Oh, right. So when we can connect with you over something, that opens the floodgates. And I think Gary even said it's a gateway. And I was like, yeah, it's a gateway drug. I've always told everyone, I'm like, it's the gateway into conversations in the DMs. I can't tell you, I literally remember back in like 2017, 2018 when I started showing up on Instagram stories. That's really— I was mainly doing stories, and it was me and my husband's Halloween costume of Mommy and Daddy Shark. Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:35]: And this girl DM'd me and was like, oh my God, that's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Hey, by the way, do you do one-on-one, uh, consultations? And I didn't at the time, and I was like, yeah, now I do. Sure, here's a calendar link. So you know what I mean? But I do wanna preface this. Everything's nuanced, right? Let's say it's something you go viral for and you're like, I don't wanna be known for that though. Like, that's, that's fine, right? You start talking about some cool bird you found and it goes crazy, right? I don't know. And if you're like, all these bird companies are calling you being like, oh, will you promote? No, you don't have to. Hmm. Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:05]: No, no. But it's just fun. With that said, I love it. Gary Vee said he has so many people who over the years have invested in him, gone to his events, et cetera, because they are sad Or in his words, quote unquote, sad Jets fans like him, right? I get people all the time who are in my DMs like, oh, even yesterday or at the football game on Saturday, I'm sharing my love of hot dogs and people are like, I love hot dogs, just going crazy in the DMs. It was so fun. And then it just reminded me, like, ask me about what, what do I want people to ask me about? I need to start creating more content around that, not just what I do. People buy from you beyond what you're good at or what you sell. This is why when I worked with so many MLMers back when MLMs were like a big thing, like The Rodan Fields, the Beautycounter people, like all that. Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:50]: I would beg them, stop posting the products. Stop posting all the products. Same as I would say to the realtors. I'm like, stop posting your listings. We don't freaking care. I want to know who you are. Where do you love to go in your town? What's the best? Why did you move here? Why did the person choose you as their agent? I want to know the stories. I want to know you. Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:08]: And if it is your listing, give us the story of the house, not just This is a 5 bedroom. Same with the MLMers. It took a lot of convincing because it was such a big mindset shift because they were getting taught really, unfortunately, toxic. I was a Rodan and Fields girl back in 2010, not very long because it's just, it makes you feel, if you've been in one, you already know, it just makes you feel like you're a workhorse for this. Like, I digress. So with that said, if someone said to me right now, like, ooh, this is the way to make money on Instagram right now, it's selling this product, whatever, or this is the way, da da da da. I'd be like, scratch that, get out of my face. Because right now everyone's trying to say or thinks and feels that people growing on Instagram right now and making money on Instagram are people teaching Instagram. Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:47]: And I could not disagree more. I could not disagree more. Yes, I teach Instagram, but I teach Instagram not to teach other people how to teach Instagram. With the content I share makes the plumbers go viral, makes the hair salons go viral. It makes the artists, the teachers grow and sell their accounts. So whatever it is you're passionate about. You can sell and grow on Instagram. You don't have to sell something you don't care about. Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:11]: Just want to say that because I know that's a big conversation happening right now. I do want to say though, start posting random content. Stop feeling like you can only stay in your niche because whoever told you that is full of it. I've never stuck to my niche in the 10 years I've been posting. Am I an overnight success? No. Maybe if I niched all the way down in the beginning, I don't know, but I've had a lot of viral moments about teaching Instagram and I've also had viral moments about Hot dogs, Taco Bell, type B mom. So with that said, I want to tell you, I just looked, I had a hot dog, I had a reel about hot dogs go viral over the summer. We're not viral, but like 500,000 views, which for me isn't viral, right? And for anyone asking, well, what is viral? It's basically if you have like 10x views of what you normally get, that for you is viral. Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:53]: So that's awesome, right? If you normally get like 300 views and all of a sudden you get like 30,000, that's viral for you. That's huge. So anyway, I looked and it was funny because I was like, I still got like 500 followers off that hot dog reel. And it's just funny. And I did one about Taco Bell last Christmas about, I was like, we were at a Christmas party. I was like, the moment my husband asks if I want to Irish goodbye and get Taco Bell. And it was me like in a euphoric state. People were going crazy. Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:17]: They loved it. It had like 200,000 likes, 4 million views. I got, I forget how many followers I had to look, but you know, a good amount in the, in the high hundreds. Like they don't follow me because they're like, oh, a Taco Bell meme account. No, they go to my account. They see what I do and they go, oh. Cool. I need to learn Instagram, or I want to create content, or I just bonded with her over that and I want to follow her. Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:37]: We are in an interest and curiosity algorithm. And the moment I search something right now, if I went in there and I do this all the time, my content, and I'm begging you to like write this down and just everyone who says the opposite, I just want to like scream. If I create content around growing on Instagram, viral hooks, story ideas, it's going to go to people that are actively looking for that and following Accounts like that and actively engaging with Instagram and the creator account, it's going to push it to those people because the algorithm has noted that is an interest of theirs. If I start searching or commenting on content, let's say, um, Ryan and I are booking a trip to Italy, right? I'm searching Italy. I'm searching wineries in Italy. I'm searching whatever, villas. My algorithm is going to be full of content about Italy, but that's not going to affect where my content goes. But I promise you, if I start doing that, when I open my Explore page in 10 minutes after that, it's going to be obviously the stuff I normally is in my, is in my Explore page, like food, Bravo, uh, lots of North Carolina content, right? Because the algorithm knows what I'm interested in. Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:41]: The algorithm wants us to stay on the app. It's how Instagram works, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, all of it. They want to keep you on the app. So long story short, if you post something random, it's not going to eff up anything. And I think people think, oh, it's gonna— it's the algorithm's not gonna think I'm a hot dog account. It's gonna think now I'm a golfer. It's gonna think now I'm, um, I could do a reel right now. Actually, no, just yesterday on TikTok, I did a TikTok of my husband, us walking down the street in UVA, and he realizes his sandwich shop is gone, his beloved sandwich shop. Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:11]: And it is so sad watching it. He's like, where is it? And the comments are going crazy. It's half people that went to UVA and are like, I am devastated by this news. And the other half is people who have had similar experiences. They're like, oh my gosh, I went back to this place that I love to travel to and my favorite whatever is gone. And I've been devastated ever since. You guys, no matter what your content is, if it resonates and interests a group of people, think of the college, think of the chalkboard. What do people want to, you know, ask me about this? That's where you start with your content. Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:42]: Start thinking about stuff that you want people to ask you about beyond just what your niche is. And then think about all those clubs and groups at the college. What would they need to hear from you? And that's your content. And to help you out, I did a post the other day that said 7 out-of-the-box things to post this week. It'll be in the show notes too, because this was over a week ago and I was like, again, encouraging you guys, like, get out of your niche and post something random. What is the argument, quote unquote, like the light argument going on in your group chat? And basically hop on camera and be like, can you help me settle this debate? What's a rabbit hole you just went down that you're like, ooh, who else is watching this? I don't care if you are a dentist, a teacher, you own an independent bookstore. We wanna know more than just what you do or sell, right? So we wanna know the human behind the account. We wanna know your values. Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:30]: That's the other thing, that chalkboard outside those things, it was like you knew immediately what their political beliefs, their, and again, everything, like I said, from political beliefs to the major that they have to like as trivial as, again, like pickleball and things like that. So just know we gravitate to each other because we have common interests and curiosities. So do not be afraid to post outside your niche every once in a while. Like I said, I don't do it often, but I do it at least once or twice a month. I did one the other day about my daughter getting on the bus for kindergarten. I got 7 million views last summer about my public sub on the beach, and I got followers from that. So like, stop being so scared. Instagram should be fun. Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:09]: If you're not having fun, it's gonna be really, really hard. And like I said, you don't have to talk about something you're not interested in to grow. Just like I said, I think a lot of people are in this headspace of like, oh, well, if I'm gonna grow on Instagram, I have to talk about how I do this and my camera settings, and that's what's working. I see people going crazy viral with all sorts of stuff, all sorts of interests. What are you interested in right now that's outside of your niche? And talk about it and just see, just for fun, throw it in trials. Or just throw it out there. We love to see it. We're humans after all. Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:38]: Okay. We will have a part 2 of this. This was part 1. Over the next week, I'll be testing some things. I'll be having clients test some things so I can report back to you about what's worked, what's not worked. Um, and we'll talk more about trials because I know it's a big topic right now. Thank you for listening. I love you guys. Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:52]: Have the best week. Go test some random content and have some fricking fun.