How to Create Instagram Content Your Audience Wants to See

By Jake Adam Davey.

Are you struggling to identify the correct type of content for your audience? Do you often sit down, knowing that you've got to post something, but you're not sure about what that should be? Or maybe it's the type of content? Whats is going to be useful or valuable?

Maybe you're worried about what other people will say, or you're a bit self-conscious about what people might think. Is it good enough? Is what I'm talking about going to get likes, engagement and comments?

Straight away, if we just want to get likes and we're basing our entire actions on likes and comments, we're heading for a fail! That's not the right strategy. But I want to move past that for a moment, and I want to focus more on how we create the type of content that (a) people want to see, but also (b) that 'positions' us. 

Positioning

There's a reason that people want to listen to specific people, and it's the reason that people follow certain people online. 

They want to tap into the subject they're talking about. They want to learn - to get those golden nuggets from experts in their field. So, who are these experts? They're the 'influencers' or 'masters' who have positioned themselves as the authority in their niche. 

I do not doubt that you too can be positioned as an expert and an authority in your industry. The chances are that you already are an expert in your industry. But possibly, the way you're sharing your message (or not sharing it) doesn't showcase your expertise or authority.

So, here's the biggest mistake that most people make on social media (and if you've been following me for a while, there are no surprises here!) 

People share content predominantly about themselves. 

Content that isn't of value or isn't valuable for other people because they focus on one specific thing - themselves. As with most people, they focus on social media. We're all familiar with social media, and I bet you're thinking, OK, well, that's what it is - Social media. 

But is it?

Social MEdia - it's all about me, me, me.

Let's take a real example to explain it better: Here is a picture of my lunch. Here's my food, Look at what I'm eating. 

The number of people that jump on to social media, Instagram included, to share their food is insane! Did you know that Pizza is the most shared food on Instagram and one of the most shared hashtags online! #pizza 

If you're building a business, looking to succeed online and be regarded as an authority, then consistently showing pictures of our lunch isn't necessarily going to do that - well, unless you're a food critic or a major celebrity.

For most of us, showing pictures of what we eat isn't the best strategy to grow our brands. 

Here's another example that people do pretty regularly, the I made money post - that's a popular one. 

People jump on to social media to share their success - 'Look at me - I made money, I've done this', and once again it's all about me me me - social MEdia - Here's my lunch, I've made money...

Another example is It's been a tough week, or I'm tired - jumping onto socials to share the things that are not going particularly well. Again, this is all about 'me'. 

Now, just to be clear, this doesn't mean you shouldn't eat lunch - OK? It doesn't mean that you shouldn't make money, and it doesn't mean you can't feel sad or tired or exhausted or fed up. These are all pretty natural things. These emotions are normal, and of course, people want to share with their friends and family, relatives and colleagues. But to position yourself as an expert and as an authority, there is a way that you can still share these things but also make your shares useful, relevant and valuable so that people want to read them, engage with you, and learn from you.

The Simple Switch

A simple switch can turn all of that around, meaning your audience will see you as the expert, and they will want to follow along with your journey and story. We do it by repositioning our content so that it makes sense for other people. They get value from it. They want to see it.  

So, what exactly do people want from Social Media?

The truth is, people come onto social media thinking (if not saying) five magical words…

What's in it for me? (WIIFM for short)

Whether done consciously or subconsciously, we're looking for entertainment, education, or release of some kind. We're looking for something that will give us distraction, be it from work, family, partner, children or whatever else it might be. 

We're no longer talking about social MEdia; instead, we're looking at something slightly different, social YOUdia. 

How can we share the same content but reposition it in a slightly different way?

Let's go back and look at the first example I mentioned. Instead of here's my lunch, try something like five tips to prepare a healthy snack in five minutes or less Or maybe here's my favourite healthy lunch meal when I'm in a rush or here's what I eat with the children when I want to make sure they get more fruit and/vegetables in their diet. 

Suddenly, we've switched it around from look at ME or here's my lunch to here's something beneficial, or here's something I do in my life every day, and it's going to be quite valuable for people. 

Let's look at the second example of I made money. Again, a popular share on Instagram. People are always looking to make money online, and we like it when we do, but the truth is we don't like it when other people brag or boast about it. How can we turn this around and make it a valuable post to our followers so that it makes perfect sense to share? 

I made money could become; here are three ways to create a successful online business or here's how I made my first sale online in 30 days or less, and/you can follow the same steps. Suddenly, instead of I made money, aren't I great, look at me, it becomes Here's something I did, and actually, you can go and replicate it as well. 

In the above example, we repositioned ourselves from talking about me to talking about you - the audience. We became immediately insightful and positioned ourselves as the expert. 

Let's look at the final example. It's been a tough week, or I'm tired.

These are pretty natural things you might feel at any time, and everyone can have a tough week, right? So, how do we reposition that?

In this case, it could be something like here's my favourite self-care routine, which I do to wind down at the end of each day or here is my quick self-care routine with products that cost me less than $5 or here is my favourite self care routine if I'm feeling low on energy

Once again, we're able to still talk about the same subjects, just in a brand new and valuable format. Instead of stating how tired you are, try something like this; 

'You know, sometimes, at the end of a hard week, I feel pretty tired. Or if I'm no longer spending time with my colleagues and friends, sometimes it leaves me feeling a little bit down, and I need some of my me-time. So what do I do? I put into place my care routine. It worked a treat for me over the past three months, and it might be helpful for you too.'

We just flipped it around from social MEdia to be in social YOUdia

Remember that phrase? What's in it for me? The more we make it about them, the more we focus on them and adding value to other people, the more valuable it becomes for them - your audience.

What happens then? 

When we reposition in this way, we get more likes and more engagement. Instagram shows our content to more people, and our audience increases too. So not only do you have content that other people want to see, but you have content that drives more followers, clients, customers, and ultimately, more business. 

If you want any more suggestions about creating this type of content focused on social YOUdia than social MEdia, just let me know. Connect with me on Instagram. I'd love to chat further about how we can help you. 

 Jake Davey is the UK’s leading Instagram expert. Former high school French and Spanish teacher turned online entrepreneur, Jake shows business owners and entrepreneurs how to build an authentic audience on Instagram and be seen as the go-to authority in their industry.
 
His Flagship program, InstaGalactic follows the proven, 6-Step ROCKET system and shows people how to explode their brand on Instagram so they can impact on a global scale. 
He is passionate about helping business owners to scale by leveraging the power of Instagram via his online course, 1:1 and group coaching, hosting the INfluence podcast, and international speaking engagements.
 
Jake currently has an audience of over 65K followers on Instagram, and has helped hundreds of large and small businesses to influence more people, and build authentic, engaged audiences that convert.