This social app doesn't care about your your followers
This edition of The Hungry is in Partnership with ConvertKit
The Future is Long-Form
In the laundry list of announcements from Instagram lately about what they deem as best practices, this week’s announcement about views is the most important metric they use to determine whether your content gets views (Thanks, Mosseri).
The gist is that likes and follower counts are no longer as essential as engagement with your audience. The more engaged your audience is, the more views you get, bringing in more engagement, and around the virality wheel goes.
It sounds great in theory, but the subtext of what Instagram shared is that your account isn’t as important as how much you help keep people on the platform.
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If people are relying more on the system showing them what they want to see in the app, then you need to appeal to the algorithm to maximize reach. - Andrew Hutchinson
This means we will continue to see more people creating short-form content for the sake of views to satisfy the algorithm, and if your content isn’t delivering based on Instagram’s needs, you won’t get seen.
The bigger problem is that viewers are drained of their energy to stick to content that isn’t a constant dopamine hit. Although many users complain about the mind-numbing memes and trends, watch hours are still up.
The Anti-Beast
People are growing tired of the memes, trends, and the Beastification of content has declined for a while. Viewers are trending toward content that takes a breath and isn’t driven by constant overstimulation.
An emerging trend that’s growing in popularity is more thoughtful authenticity, where people share in a way that’s meaningful, honest, and built for viewers to take a moment to pause and think about what they watched, heard, or read.
Last week, I talked about Blake of Today’s colorful stories wrapped around benign imagery almost perfectly relatable to most people’s lives. Blake’s Instagram is now my favorite account.
Bodybuilder Sam Sulek regularly posts barely edited 30-60 minute videos on YouTube that most viewers might find boring AF, but Sulek’s 3.6 million subscribers eat it up.
Lenny Ratchisky sold a company and started a Substack newsletter about building SaaS businesses. After only a few years, he’s writing weekly to nearly 800,000 subscribers who love him because of the casual and honest nature of his writing.
7-Second Videos Don’t Attract Collectors
Instagram’s short-form dopamine orgy helps them bring in more advertisers, but it’s not helping you find more buyers. The person looking to spend thousands of dollars on art and craft might be on Instagram, but they're not laying down a credit card because you spun a canvas around slowly.
Most creative goods are luxury items. Those luxury purchases require trust from your customers, but building trust with a 1-second infinite loop of you blinking is very difficult.
Memes and trends are fun, and if you want to play around with them, by all means, but if you’re trying to build loyalty and trust with your audience, they are looking for something meatier.
Press Publish
I don’t know if you know this, but I’m a big fan of newsletters. I recommend them to everyone, and I will continue to recommend them because they are the only publishing platform where you are guaranteed the ability to reach out to all of your subscribers.
Newsletters are a hot buzzword right now, and some believe we’re in a newsletter bubble, but the trending patterns are not slowing down, and in fact, you’re still early to the game even if you start today.
Videos, podcasts, and even blogging are all gaining momentum again because people are tired of finding valuable content in a series of 15-second Reels.
Instead, if you tell great stories, the world will beat a path to your door or at least a consistent disturbance of the grasses outside your door.
And though starting a newsletter, YouTube channel, or podcast will take a reasonable amount of time and energy, the reward for putting in that effort can have compound effects on your audience because while most of your Instagram posts seem to drop in relevance days after you’ve shared them, the long-form content lives on and has the capacity to stick.
And if you’re concerned about not having the time, maybe divert some from all that IG doomscrolling that seems to consume us all.
Want to be a Partner?
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Get The In the Door
One of the most difficult tasks for artists and other creatives who sell goods is getting people to leave social media and spend time in their shops. We often discuss lead magnets here on The Hungry, but the trick is to find the right thing that attracts the type of customers you're looking for. Here are some ideas for inspiration and use to bring in more eyeballs.
Art Style Quiz: A fun and interactive quiz that helps users discover their art style preferences. After completing the quiz, users receive personalized recommendations for art pieces or products that match their style.
Art Display Guide: A downloadable guide on how to display art in different rooms of the house. This can include tips on framing, lighting, and positioning for maximum impact.
Home Decor Lookbook: A PDF showcasing various home decor styles with featured art pieces. It’s a visual inspiration guide that shows how art can transform living spaces.
Exclusive Discounts for Subscribers: Offer a one-time discount code or a bundle discount for those who sign up for the newsletter. This is an easy way to convert interest into a purchase.
Behind-the-Scenes Access: Create a short video or photo series that gives potential buyers a peek into the creative process. It could be a studio tour or a day in the life of the artist.
Seasonal Art Curation: A downloadable calendar or mood board featuring curated art for each season. It helps customers visualize how they can change their decor throughout the year.
Art Matching Service: Offer a free, personalized service where potential buyers can upload a photo of their room, and the business owner suggests art pieces that would complement their existing decor.
Choose the Perfect Gift” Guide: A guide that helps non-artists choose the right art piece as a gift. It could include questions to consider and tips for selecting art based on the recipient’s tastes.
Art / Design Trends Report: A downloadable report or infographic highlighting current trends in art and/or design. It could include popular color schemes, themes, and how to incorporate art into home decor. This keeps potential buyers informed and inspired to update their spaces with new art.
Access to New Collections: Offer early access to new collections or products for those who sign up. This could include sneak peeks, exclusive buying opportunities, or limited-edition pieces.
Small Bites
💰 - Start a newsletter with ConvertKit and get up to 10,000 subscribers and a website for free! [Partner]
💻 - Skillshare announced this week they are adding the ability for creators to sell digital products alongside the courses they make. It's like that one philosophy professor who makes their book required reading (true story).
🤡 - It's time to embrace the absurd. Weird content is back, and it's making some people very popular.
📸 - Instagram expands carousels to twenty frames. I can already see the potential and, at the same time, the horror.
🔨 - New Resource! If you're hurting for content ideas, Answer Socrates is a search tool that helps identify dozens of possible ideas in a click.
👕 - Super comfy shirts and one of the greatest marketing campaigns in recent history? Where do I sign up?
🪧 - You would look amazing right here. Advertise with The Hungry for the rest of August for only $25!
If you’re a creative pro tired of running the rat race of social media but getting no customers, clients, or sales, Join the Hungry, where we discuss marketing strategy, content, and customer relationships that last.
