[Transcript starts at 1:32]
Hello, hello, hello, my podcast people, and thank you for joining me for yet another episode of my favorite podcast. If you're listening to, on the, wow, that was a lot. If you're listening to this on the day that it drops, it is Monday February 19th. The month is moving fast, even with this extra day that we're going to get.
It always moves fast, folks. Don't waste the start enjoying your life. So we're talking about, or today in the episode, we're talking about, or I'm just giving you the soft suggestion: do not pander, okay? I want to get this out before I give the little life updates, but do not pander, folks. Do not pander.
This is, you know, today's episode specifically in reference to the algorithm and Instagram, but just in life, do not pander.
We see how fast the months, the days, the years go by. Don't pander. We're only given it so much time. Don't pander. So let me calm down for a moment, give you a little updates on the life front, and then we'll hop into the episode.
Number one, I still didn't get that plant. And like maybe two or three episodes ago, I told you I was getting a fake plant. I didn't order it because it had the little live view thing and I was like, oh wait, let me go the little live view or the augmented reality kind of view. And they put it in the room and see how it looks.
And I didn't love the base and I was like, I need to be fuller. And I just haven't had time to do that. So I'll let you know when I get it. And if I like it, cause it's going to be fake. That's why I'm letting you know about it, folks, because it's hard to find good fake plants. So I'm going to drop the money, or Lex and I are going to drop it.
We'll split it, but. I'll let you know. Uh, the new neighbors have moved in and all seems good there. It's funny because I was definitely concerned. Lex was definitely concerned about them being noisy. They have three little kids. I said what I said. Kids are noisy. Um, the parking situation and then they've been amazing.
And I'm kind of like, are we the noisy ones? We have this fucking dog. Y'all know I love Moose, but also she loud as fuck. She's just heavy, right? She's running up and down the stairs and things and I was like, oh, are we the problem? So hopefully not.
Um, at the time of this recording, it'll be nine days after I hosted my Instagram business blueprint masterclass and it went fucking amazing.
If you were there, Live or if you caught the recording just thank you. This shit was just I love teaching things live and I got to really dive into so much material. It was supposed to be three hours long. It wound up going four hours. I hate running long because I know people allot a certain amount of time but the questions were so good and it really leaned towards the business side of of Instagram and and launching things and the timeframe leading up to actually launching those things.
It wasn't just about like, how do I make a reel or things like that? And I loved it. So if you were on it, thank you. I apologize for running long. Hopefully, you know, you didn't feel like you missed out on much or, you know, I sent the replay out, the recording out anyway, but just thank you. It was just phenomenal.
Which is a nice segue into the one announcement that I have, which is the waitlist for my Instagram Intensive is open. So the Instagram Intensive, that is my six week online group coaching program that teaches health and fitness professionals exactly how to use Instagram for online business. We dive into the minutiae in it of how to make Reels, how to make the actual posts.
And because it's over six weeks long, I'd spread across six weeks, you actually get to build a habit, right? This was three hours. So it's kind of that initial, that's kind of, it's like the, um, a little bit of maybe, fire hosing you with it, uh, the information, but this we get to implement over time. And so that allows people that kind of need a little bit more handholding.
They need a little bit more accountability. Um, this is where I push them towards. Okay. Um, we're going to start, I'm looking at the calendar now on March 19th. So waitlist will get priority registration and they also get a discount. So if you are interested in this, if you're interested in that, we will drop that, the link for the waitlist in the show notes.
All right. Last announcement, last update before we hop into the full episode is last night, Lex and I watched a little movie called Ready Player One, or I put the emphasis weird there, but it's called Ready Player One or Ready Player One. Soft suggestion to check it out. Right. Apple Vision Pro released, I don't know, last week, two weeks ago, which is likely why this movie is trending again right now because it's from 2018.
I had seen this movie in like the little like thumbnail for it before. I never checked it out, but I checked it out this week and or last night and I was like, this is good. I actually really, really enjoyed it. Um, and I think that one of the main reasons I enjoyed it, I'm working on a post about this or like a, I'm working on a, some sort of content around this is because the message and the outcome, the like overarching theme is one, it's positivity.
One of positivity. It's one of hope. It doesn't look to just hide from tech and be like, we're going to ignore, it's all about tech. And it doesn't look to be like, well, let's imagine a future without it, because that's where we're headed, folks. The future is here. It's now. And like, we're going, you know, there's no like, oh, well, maybe it's going to go away.
No, it's not going away. It also doesn't have this like doomsday approach. Y'all know that fucking movie. What was it? Leave the world behind? This is what I'm thinking about in terms of content, is like, that movie was terrible. And also, one of the things I hated was the negativity bias. Like this, it was terrible.
Those things don't enact change. People have already forgotten about that movie. I'm still salty about it, but like, no one's like, taking the message from that movie and changing their actions now. They're just like, well, that was doomsday and now I'm on to my regular day to day. Whereas I think when we have things that have hope and positivity, people are like, you know what, maybe I could change an action.
I could do this and, and make things better. And that's what this movie, Ready Player One, that's what I got from it. I actually really, really enjoyed it. It's fun. It's enjoy, it's, I want to say I enjoyed it and it's enjoyable, but it's just kind of like, I don't know, there's some lightheartedness to it. And the music, actually the soundtrack kind of makes it feel a little bit like kid, childlike.
I don't know. Either way, it's soft suggestion, go check it out. Okay. All right. Let's jump into today's episode. The main topic for today's episode, which is do not pander. This is true for all things in life, but specifically if we're going to put it to a specific example for today's episode, it's in relation to social media.
So the definition or one of the definitions of pandering is to please others, to please other people by doing or saying what you think they want you to do or say. Translation, people pleasing. As it specifically relates to today's episode, algorithm pleasing. I could really look to dissect this and make this some super long ass episode.
Or I could just say, like I said in the intro, We only get but so much time here on this planet, in this life. Do you really want to spend that time catering to the whims of a company that doesn't give two shits about you? Meta doesn't give a fuck about you. They don't give a fuck about your business. And people are here just stalking the insights and the numbers and thinking that it's actually their people that are talking.
No, it's literally the company deciding this. And you're fucking pandering to this. I was inspired to record this episode because two big accounts that I follow, they're in two very different niches. That was like a weird combination. Two very different niches or niches, however you want to say it. And both of them have just recently done a post where they're speaking about how trying to keep up with the algorithm nearly led them to leave Instagram altogether.
One is a men's fashion account. I think it's called What Your Boyfriend Wore or something like that. I probably should have checked before I started recording this, but either way, we can link them in the show notes. And the other one is I'll call it a life quote account, but it's through drawings. The account is just forget about it, but it's frog, @justfrogetaboutit.
And it's this frog drawing and like these like life sayings and, and, and advice. And both of the creators hopped on and they were just like, I have been trying to create for the algorithm and it's exhausting and it's not why I got started. And it's definitely not going to allow me to keep going. And I was like.
Yes. And thank you for saying this. Yes, there is something to be said about niching down, right? Because it's important for traction. It's important for familiarity, right? And it's important for creating that certainty for customers and consumers. And that's what I mean by traction. I don't mean that, oh, you're going to get traction with the algorithm.
You're using this to run a business, right? So people need to say, need to see the same thing, right? That creates that, that certainty, that familiarity, and that, that helps with you gaining that kind of traction. But how you convey this information, how you convey, you know, how you use social media, how you present the content, you deliver the content, and how you keep delivering the content is up to you.
100 percent up to you. For both of these accounts, and ideally for everyone, how they started the account was 100 percent for them. They're like, I want to share this, I want to share it in this way, I'm interested in this, I'm excited about this, it just feels good for me. I think the hard part with social media, and perhaps what should be the ultimate goal with using social media, is to keep up that same energy.
Keep up that same energy, Playboy, keep bringing it. That energy that you brought when you started it, and this is why I started it, this is how I'm doing things, keep it going. Because that energy is honestly why you had that initial success, because you were like, I have the courage to do it in this way.
It's typically different than what else is out there. Not necessarily intentionally different. It's just like, this is me, this is what I like, and I'm going to lean into it. As soon as we start pandering, and we're like, oh, well, the algorithm rewards when I say it in this way. It's a slippery slope, man.
It's a real slippery slope. This episode, right, it's giving, it's giving Rachel Strickland. Right, big Rachel Strickland vibes. We'll link those episodes. I think I only had her on for one, but we'll link her account and we'll link that episode and just, I'm not mad about it. I'm not mad that it's giving Rachel Strickland. I think that many folks, they might approach things differently if they viewed themselves as creatives, instead of just as online business owners. And we started thinking about, kind of like likening it to art. I don't think that a lot of people do, and maybe if they did, that would change things because to me, I, you know, I feel that art comes from a different, a different place, right? We used to feel rather, I used to feel that art.
I'm gathering my thoughts here. I used to feel that art came from some other place, but then like what you would use to create social media stuff, but then you start to sit and you're like creation is creation, and creation comes from that creation space and when we force it or when we attempt to have the algorithm be our muse.
How gross does that sound? The algorithm is our muse? Ew. Immediately. It's a recipe for burnout. Which, by the way, folks, I think that, you know, burnout is largely not doing enough of what you love. I think people tend to focus on, like, you're doing too much of something. But I think it's, the byproduct of doing too much of something is that you're not doing enough of what you love.
So you can shift that into doing more of what you love. In the way you love it, and why you love it, and the reasons you love it. And that burnout goes away.
So back to that original question. We only get but so much time here. Do you really want to spend your time on this planet? Catering to the whims of a company that doesn't give two shits about you.
I often talk about, and I talked about it in the webinar, the masterclass. I talk about not looking at the metrics. I don't look at them at all. I don't look at the metrics. I don't look at the insights. I don't give a fuck. And it blows people's minds. And in the same breath, they're like, It's so hard not to do it.
And I'm just kind of like Why? Like, you know if it's doing quote unquote well, you know if your people are liking it. How? Because they fucking tell you, like, why are we looking at this external, so much external validation, right? I think that there's a level of separation there of looking at these metrics that the, that a corporation is giving you and just having a conversation with somebody and asking them, was this helpful for you?
They're seemingly both kind of external validation, but one is actually actual confirmation, and I think the other, the insights, is just speculation. I understand that this likely comes from the fact that, like, if you're in this society, then you are taught from a very young age to look outside for validation and confirmation, like, did you get an A on that test?
If so, then you're good and you know stuff and, like, whatever. I get it. That shit's gonna happen. I think my goal with these episodes and how I show up and what I put, you know, put out into the, the ether is to help folks just move through it quicker. If it's gonna happen, let's let it happen and let's move through that quicker.
Again, I could sit here and dissect all of this and why and, you know, dissect it a little bit, but go so deep with this and turn this into some super, super long episode, but I think it comes down to the fact that, yes, we are a social species, but that social group is made up of individuals and we cannot forget that, right?
Each individual is a whole ass person. And when I think about that, as well as myself, it's not that I don't care about the opinions of the other people, the other whole ass people, it's that I care about mine more. Did I like it? Did I enjoy it? Do I enjoy this thing? Do I think it's good? And do I feel this way because I actually feel this way?
Not because other people gave me validation and I'm like, yeah, I like it because they liked it. And because if I like it and then they like it, then they like me and that's good. I understand that they're like, so like intertwined. I get it. And it can be very difficult to separate the two, but I think the more we practice doing it, the easier it becomes because we do, we have gut feelings about things, it's just that we quiet it and we quiet it and suppress it and suppress it and suppress it.
Alright, but we can increase the sensitivity to things, right, we talk about it all the time in terms of, you know, physiology and such, we can improve that, do it more. Yes, if we're going to play devil's advocate, because whenever I write episodes or just write any arguments or anything, I play devil's advocate, I switch it and I'm like, what's the counter argument to this?
And the counter argument that some might make is that we go from, putting everyone else's needs first, then if we put our, if we are always putting our own needs before the needs of the group, what does that look like? And I'm like, okay, but that's not, that's not the logical, logical, that's not a logical, reasonable, or reasonable, in my opinion, place to go.
You've just literally gone from completely opposite ends of the spectrum, which is kind of like a fear mongering way to keep bullshit going. But what about the complete opposite? Well, it doesn't have to go to the complete opposite. How about we land in the middle and more importantly, as it relates to this episode, with this spectrum of only considering, you know, everything else.
And then only considering what we want. How about we make this spectrum about humans? Cause that's completely different right now. This spectrum is about the fucking algorithm, right? On one end, it's only considering what the algorithm wants. And on the other end, it's only considering what you want. The algorithm is not based on human feedback.
It's based on what computers and big corporations have calculated is best for their profits. Period. If you want to know if your content is helping someone, go fucking ask them. Don't base it off of like, went into the insights and only got, only three people liked it. How many posts do you like? You may love something.
It's so funny and you don't tap that shit. You just scroll right on by, right? The algorithm is not telling you what your people want. It's telling you what it wants from you. Do not. We only get put so much time here on this planet. Do you really want to spend all of that time catering to the whims of a company that doesn't give two shits about you?
That's all I'm going to say. I'm fired up. I'm going to go out for a walk, but don't forget the waitlist is open for around 15 of my Instagram intensive. If you want to learn how to use Instagram for online business in a way that has nothing to do with pandering and everything to do with relating and creating long term, viable, sustainable, honorable business success.
I got you. All the stuff will be in the show notes. And that's it. As always, just so, so, so endlessly appreciative for every single one of you. Until next time, friends. Maestro, out.
Watch this episode on YouTube!
Get on the Waitlist for the Instagram Intensive
MOTM #393: The Psychology of Creating with Rachel Strickland
@whatmyboyfriendwears @justfrogetaboutit
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