Feeling Excited About Content Creation Changes Everything

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. Hello. Okay, first, friend, apologies for my voice. I'm a little raspy. I've been fighting a sinus infection all week. The second the seasons change here in North Carolina, I am a wreck. I don't know if it's- yeah, well, I know what it is. Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:36]: I'm allergic to everything outside, but definitely the trees. And oh my gosh, I've just been a wreck. But I'm glad to be doing this podcast because something very cool is happening right now. Now, I literally a few weeks ago, as you guys know, helped someone go viral with a trial reel and she got over 30,000 followers. And she right away was like, I never thought it'd be me, blah, blah, blah. Right. It has happened again. I got a DM 2 days ago from, let me just say, the first creator was, she does like home design. Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:03]: The second creator, they were at 500 followers, a sister duo, 2 of 'em. They talk audiobooks. Their whole thing is audiobooks, books, and motherhood. They have over 30,000 followers from the same hook. 30,000. Each creator, 6-ish second reel. Trending audio that matched the vibe of their account and this hook. One video clip, that hook, that's it. Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:30]: Both of them, 30,000 followers. Insane, right? Life-changing stuff. Now I have a podcast on it, which I'll be sure to have in the comments because like I said, now this stuff happens all the time when people listen to this podcast and follow me on Instagram. It happens all the time. My biggest thing though is be prepared. You wanna make sure you've got an email list for them to sign up on or, you know, to to get in your orbit, right? That's why I love ManyChat so much. They can comment guide and get your guide, and then it takes them to, right? And the way it says, just so you guys know how like products work like this online and an email list in case you're brand new, especially if you're a brand new creator, this next like 30 seconds will be really important. Like I know when I first started, I had no idea what the heck I was doing. Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:09]: I was literally saying, hey, you guys want this? This was like 2018. And I was literally in the DMs gathering each email. They would DM me their email address. I would type, or I guess I would copy and paste like a Notes app. That's what I was doing in 2018. Now we have this beautiful thing called ManyChat where they can comment, guide, shop, whatever, right? Whatever trigger word you give ManyChat, you do this on the backend and it will shoot them over a DM and they can click on the link, which is what I do with this podcast. They could just go right to the podcast, or if you're using it to collect their information, which is great because you own your email list, right? They can then say, you're like, hey, here's the link, enter your email address. You do it right in ManyChat and now you have that email. Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:51]: So now you can start writing emails to people, to your group. I do my emails through Kit. Used to be called ConvertKit, now it's Kit. I have about 30,000 people on my email list, which is actually a lot for me because I really didn't start building it until a couple of years ago. Um, and I use ManyChat to do so. I more so use ManyChat to build my email list and not really, I don't really use ManyChat to sell in the captions a lot. I mainly use it to go, oh, Oh, you want my podcast? Comment this, I'll send you the link. Oh, you're interested? I've got this guide on sale, or here's my free trainings, et cetera. Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:23]: Rarely do I do something that costs money. The only time I usually do is when it's that Gram guide, which is like, you know, a low-cost offer. With that to say, if you're new to content and you're like, but Shannon, what if I go from 500 followers to just like these women did? You want to make sure you have things in line. And I have a whole episode about that, but just make sure at the very least, maybe you're using ManyChat. So you're at least collecting their information and They're able to drop a word, right? And get more information in the DMs about the thing. That way you're right. Because when they find you, that's the most exciting time. They're like, they start following you. Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:56]: They want to get to know you and then you're inundated. So at least now you've got some DMs to go back and forth. So I just wanted to say that another thing, make sure, you know, in your bio, you've got information, you've got an email address, possibly things like that, just so that like, if people need to get in touch with you, they can, because you're going to get flooded with DMs. It's what happens. So just be prepared. With all that said, that was the patiently waiting for all the blank to find my account. Every- I've helped so many people go viral with it. It's silly. Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:22]: I've talked about it before. But again, if you want to take it and run with it, I have a reel all about it. It will be in the show notes if you want to try it. But again, one of them, I forget which creator it was, but said they tried it several times and then finally went, right? You got to test this stuff out. You got to be willing to test. It's like playing the lottery sometimes with this stuff. So what I do, and I will say for the first creator, it was a trial reel. For the second group of, um, those, the sister duo, theirs was just on their page. Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:48]: So I know people ask me all the time, well, should this be a trial? I'm like, dude, every, almost every single reel I share, guys, one goes out as a trial. It, uh, sorry, I make 2 versions. I make it in edits, so it lives in edits. I share it as a trial about an hour later, or maybe right away. I then share it to my feed and I let them live in trials. I let them do their thing. That's what I do. Um, why not? 2 birds, one stone, right? You know that saying. Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:10]: Okay. So something really cool is happening right now. So I'm glad I'm recording today. I have not- it's so funny. I always tell everyone, I'm like, I have helped people gain an insane amount of followers on just one piece of simple content. Well, I finally have one going for me. I'm so excited. I'll get a couple thousand followers sometimes off a reel, or maybe I have one right now that is going absolutely crazy. Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:32]: Um, not, I mean, it's almost at 200,000 views right now. It's got 11,000 likes. I have gained 3,500 followers so far. And this was just posted not even 2 days ago. And what it is is a new series I came up with. Now I have done different series for years that like some did well, some fell flat, whatever. And I'm sitting there and I just want to encourage you, right? I feel like my best ideas come to me when I'm not looking at my phone. I'm not even watching TV. Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:01]: I'm just in the zone of just thinking. And for my, you know, for people that try to do it when you're in a bad mood, I was in a great, I was having a great day. Like, you know, whatever. This was the other day before my sinus infection kicked in. And I'm like, you know, I tell everyone this should be the fun part. I've been saying that concentration should be the fun part for over a decade. That's always been my thing. I also, people tell me what they love when they meet with me in person is I go, give me your phone. Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:25]: They love it. They're like, Take it, create something. And I create it and I go, there, that was a 5-second video on your camera. Now watch it, right? It happens all the time. People are like, that was so simple. I'm like, I know. Obviously, yes, I want you to talk on camera. Obviously, yes, I want you to experiment with carousels. Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:37]: But oftentimes it's the simplest dumbest, in case there's kids listening, content that just goes crazy. And it's like not that deep. So, and the best thing you can do when you're experimenting is getting to know your person's language. So again, these, these women figured out that Let me read you exactly what they said, and I'll tell you what I think the secret to what I'm creating now doing so well for me. Theirs said, patiently waiting, and don't, and let me tell you something, let me not find out you guys are stealing this. Do not copy. We do not copy on here, right? Okay. Um, 'cause what they, they nailed it. Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:10]: Here it is. It says patiently waiting for all the moms. So right away a mom's like, okay, is this me? Who bought a Yoto thinking it was just a cute little audiobook player and are slowly realizing nobody told them half the stuff it can do to find our page. So it almost creates that little doubt, like they're missing out on something and then they're- and I've looked at all their content. Yeah. They're like giving all this awesome information. So what is something, a life stage your person is currently in? Did they just move to the city that you're a realtor in? Did they just send their kids off to college and now they don't know what to do with their life? Right. Think, really tap in. Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:40]: And this is what I mean. I have not had the overnight success that you see online from a lot of people. Now, I also want you to know that is like a 1% situation. Overnight success on Instagram is not as common as you think about it. Think about how many users are on Instagram. Actually, let me look. We're at 3 billion users. Okay. Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:58]: Now, if it was that easy, we'd all have millions of followers right now. I have been posting. I opened my Instagram account in 2016. I started posting consistently in 2018, but even back then I was only posting about 3 times a week and, um, blah, blah, blah. I could go on and on. Now, when I see other people in my field going balls to the wall and all of a sudden hitting like millions and 2 million, I'm like, What am I doing wrong? Of course I'm gonna have those feelings. Of course I'm a human. But also I'm so glad I grew slowly because I know my people so freaking well. Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:29]: And because of that, I think that's why this series is going bonkers right now, because it's everything I've gathered for 10 years. Now again, no, it should not take 10 years, but also can I say something? My youngest Chloe has been home with me all these years. Yeah. If any other moms listening, you know how hard it is. I also work with friends that are, you know, and clients who are single. Either way, we have responsibilities other than content. For me, it's raising the kids, being a wife, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Got my clients, I got the Reels Lab. Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:59]: That stuff takes up a lot of my time, right? And then actually one of my friends, we were just talking about it, right? She's single. She's, she's like, never stops. She never has a moment. She's constantly working, but getting pulled to this, to that, right? It's like. We are all busy humans. And I just wanna say that 'cause I wanna make sure you guys know I'm not saying, oh, 'cause I have a kid, right? I just wanted to preface that, but we are all crazy busy. My whole thing is right now I seem to have this magical space right now of I have a little bit more brain space because I have more help on my team now. And Chloe is officially in kindergarten. Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:32]: I feel like I'm getting in my groove after 10 years, right? And even my friend Brenda wrote me the other day. She's like, why do I feel like you're in this new era? And I was like, I am. I feel like all these ideas I've had, I finally have the time to like execute and Really tap into what, how I want to be creating content. And I, I say it all the time. I do not look at my competitors. A lot of times, just know, just know a lot of you don't realize this because you'll send me and be like, well, I just saw this reel and it said this, and you'll send it to me and I will literally be like, because I can't, it just stresses me out because one, I hate seeing the bad advice out there. And two, it makes me think, what am I doing wrong? This is just me, whatever. So like I said, I realized the other day, I was like, you know what? This should be the fun part. Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:11]: I'm a mom. What does my kid love more than anything? A playdate. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna start doing videos where it feels like you're coming over to my house, giving me your phone, and I'm creating your content for you. Because in real life, that's what I wish I could do all day long for you guys. I wish you guys could just come over. Christina Aguilera style. Come on over, baby. And I would just create your content. Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:30]: It's what I do when I'm in person at events. I just go, give me your phone. We're creating it right now. Um, and as a little plug, we will be planning something here in North Carolina in the early spring. I can't say too much yet, but yes. And it's taking off. It's taking off. People are loving it. Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:47]: And I'm like, oh my gosh, I finally found my signature series. And let me also say, I'm so busy creating content for everyone else all week long. I'm actually surprised I'm able to get as much as I am, but that's also because I've created so much content over the past 10 years. So when you see people blowing up overnight, please know there's also people like me who've been doing this for 10 years and are finally about to hit 400,000 followers. And I'm like, what is happening? This is crazy. Like, I am so grateful. But I'm also so grateful I grew slower because, I mean, growing slower hasn't hurt my pockets at all. And I've gotten to know you guys and like you guys have been able to celebrate wins with me. Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:20]: I've been able to celebrate wins with you. And it's just, it's just a whole fricking lot of fun over here. And then the people who blow up overnight, I'm like, good for them. That's fricking awesome. Everyone's story is going to be different. Your goals are going to be different. And I know all you hear right now, cause I've been talking a lot about it. I know all people seem to feel right now is that Unless you are talking about how much money you're making or how you've grown on Instagram, there's no way to grow. Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:40]: I hear it all day long because yes, there's a lot of people having overnight success. And then when they have that, they then switch and start talking about here's how we did it because people are asking them. I also want to encourage you, I have people that have blown up, these women, my clients themselves. They've never gotten on camera and been like, well, here's how I did it because that doesn't excite them. Now, if you're in the content creation game and you're like, I actually really am obsessed with this and growing and testing and having fun. Word. Talk about it. You do not have to be— the days of having to be like a marketer teaching marketing, like, it's like, those are— that's over, right? Marketing, all it is on Instagram and social and TikTok and LinkedIn, it's making people feel seen. Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:17]: It's inviting them into the world. Like, a lot of people are blowing up because people just like them. They don't even— they're not even educating. They're just talking about random subjects that- think about this girl, Chelsea Explains It All. And there's another creator, let me tell him, because I bring him up because I know a lot of people are like, well, Shannon, I can't just talk random stuff. That only works for people that already have a niche. No, those days are over. You are allowed, like I've been saying for the past 2 podcasts, like you can post random content. Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:43]: This guy, his name is Bitter Builds and he's, his bio is helping Gen Z realize their brain's potential, productivity, mindset, tech. Um, he like picks fun subjects and just kind of talks about them. So please, please know this new world of creating content, of content creation, of showing up online. is completely different than it was when I started 10 years ago. But I will say, if I was starting out, I would be very intimidated. And I say that very honestly. I don't- I think I'd be very intimidated to show up right now, only because I've been in it. I also wonder, okay, Shannon, if you were just starting, you hadn't posted ever, how would you feel? Like, it might be a little different. Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:19]: But now I'm like, I'm in my niche and I know that's what people want from me and that's what excites me. So this is what I continue to talk about. And now I'm in my zone of how I really want to show up and create and really help you guys. And I'm just really, really excited. And I think people can tell I'm excited. Which is why now I'm seeing a little bit more of an uptick. Now, while I've, you know, I've usually gained about 10,000 or so new followers every month, like by the end of this week, we probably will have like 10,000 new followers in just this week. So it's just, you find this groove and it's always going to go back to what you're passionate about and what you enjoy showing up for. Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:50]: I promise you. And if you want to test that out and talk, do like this Clarissa girl or not Clarissa, what did I say? It was Clarissa Explains It All. Her name is Chelsea Explains It All. Or, um, Chelsea Explains is her handle, or this guy Bitter Builds. And then there's another person who I'm so excited to have connected with, who I'll tell you guys more about soon, who is blowing up and just basically talking about different personalities and why certain personalities are attracted. It's just, we just love getting on here and connecting with people and learning with one another and all that. Anyway, that was a very random, I kind of went all over the place, but I just kind of want to bring you back down to earth. Some of us are going to grow overnight. Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:26]: Some of us are going to grow slow. Some of us are going to grow. Only talking about one thing the rest of our lives. Some are going to grow talking 100 subjects. There is no one way to grow. The barrier to entry is so fricking low, you guys. Post your content. And as always, test things out, get to know your people, just like the, the women who just exploded with that one reel. Shannon McKinstrie [00:14:46]: They tapped into exactly what their person wants and needs. Yes, that's very niche, but then there's people growing that aren't talking and sticking to one specific niche. What do you wanna be known for? What impact do you wanna have? How, whose lives do you wanna change? 'Cause you can. I just wanted to kind of remind you, it's just a bunch of humans behind these screens. And again, we just wanna connect. And I just think it's so cool what's happening. The people that are blowing up, the people that are growing 5 new followers a week, whatever it is, that's your journey and own it. And it's fricking awesome. Shannon McKinstrie [00:15:17]: I love you, friend.