Tagged: content creation
Raw & Unpolished: When to Go Low-Fi With Your Social Media
- by Luke Thiessen
Forget everything you thought you knew about creating content for social media...
Just kidding! This idea isnât new, and isnât meant to make you stop putting in effort into your social media content. But increasingly, we are seeing situations and cases where more raw and unpolished content can be very effective for brands wanting to get attention.
Broader trends across social media, including the shift toward more video and amateur-creator-driven content, have ushered in an age of low-fi, longer-form video content. These types of posts get some of the best engagement across most platforms, and for the right pieces of content, can significantly boost views and reach.
Letâs look at some potential cases where your company should (or shouldnât) break from your usual standards and consider a simpler, unpolished type of post or digital ad.
When it works
Assuming your company has strong brand standards, a robust social media strategy, and is generally following best practices, it can be daunting and hard to know when to break the rules.
One of the best and most natural entry points to low-fi brand posts is when responding to something negative, critical, or even just timely. If you have received a negative-but-unwarranted comment on a previous post, or a bad review that isnât legitimate, it can be a chance to grab attention by posting a screenshot and then having your CEO (or other spokesperson) respond with humour and helpful education.
In this case, the context â responding to something negative, incorrect and timely â makes the unpolished nature of the post make sense. Your followers will understand that this is a break from your regularly scheduled programming, and the post becomes all the more interesting for it, without detracting from your overall brand and professionalism.
Now, what Iâve been describing is a response to comments, reviews or other criticism which is off-base and warrants a correction or a joke, but this format also works for legitimate apologies. If your brand finds itself having to admit to a mistake, address real concerns, or something else challenging, a raw and straightforward video of your spokesperson talking to the camera is often the best way to go.
Another use case for a less-polished post is when jumping on trends. Being quick and timely is a huge part of a successful trend-chasing post, and your followers will again understand the raw nature of a post that clearly had to be made quickly in order to capture the moment. The recent set of fast food burger-tasting videos, starting with the CEO of McDonalds, is an example of this; brands that got on it quickly did well, and those who waited too long and made anything too polished did not.
Why it works
In addition to (generally) being more timely, these raw and unpolished posts are an opportunity to humanize your brand, showing the real people behind the company. The content also looks more like what a user is seeing from their friends and favourite influencers rather than from other brands, which helps draw people in from the start.
To capitalize on these natural benefits, itâs best to involve senior leadership (like your CEO) and show real people from your company wherever possible. And when itâs not possible or doesnât make sense, consider using a format that feels casual and familiar to your followers, like a screenshot from a notes app with no fancy design elements added.
Rules of engagement
While there are no established rules in this space, experts suggest keeping these types of posts below 20% of your total social media content. Even if they become your best-performing post format, resist the temptation to go back to that well too often.
For ads, itâs a different story. Raw and unpolished content â video or otherwise â can make for effective digital ads using some of the same principles as feed posts, and donât necessarily have to be balanced by other types of ads. However, you still want to avoid ad fatigue, so if you are running a campaign using this style of content, consider making a few versions or altering the creative in some way every week or two.
In all cases, something to remember is that ârawâ doesnât mean low-quality. You still want your followers and viewers to be able to understand your message and take whatever action you are hoping for. Good-quality audio for any voices, working links and good copy are all still important.
As with many things, itâs important to know the rules and why they exist before trying to break them. Best practices exist for a reason, and you can think outside the box without leaving them behind entirely.
We can help
Social media strategy and content creation are our bread and butter. It can be daunting to do this work on your own, and time-consuming to create new types of content.
At Starling Social, we help brands and nonprofits of all sizes develop social media strategies and run accounts day-to-day using a combination of solid best practices and sharp creativity. Get in touch today to book a free discovery call â we would love to help you navigate this world and get more out of your social media and digital marketing.
What Viral Dance Videos Can Teach You About Building a Signature Series That Sticks
- by Hayley Dobson
There is no one-size-fits-all formula for creating scroll-stopping content. Anyone peddling you a playbook for success is just repackaging their own luck. We donât know what will go viral or become the next content zeitgeist, but there are a few patterns worth paying attention to, especially when it comes to the content that sticks.
Take, for example, viral dance videos. Some creators hit on something so good, so recognizable, that it becomes more than just a one-off post. It becomes a signature series.
A signature series is a go-to content format or theme you become known for. Itâs something your audience can count on seeing again and again. Think of it as your content identity within your larger brand. Itâs consistent, recognizable, and uniquely you. Whether itâs weekly dance videos, a recurring segment, or a signature edit style, a strong series builds connection, brand affinity, and staying power. Although finding content that resonates enough for a signature series can sometimes feel like a happy accident, it is usually a strategic piece of content designed to meet your goals.
Viral dance videos can teach us valuable lessons about creating a powerful signature series. They are lessons that apply whether youâre a creator, a business, or someone trying to figure out what to post next.
Letâs dig into the key takeaways:
1. Find What Works — Then Lean In
When Brian Jordan Alvarez set out to create his TV show English Teacher, he was already an internet personality made famous via comedy videos on TikTok. He had a following who knew his characters - the marketing for his new show was separate from that.
But one day, he made a dance video to a trending audio, and everything changed. The internet loved it. So he made more. Consistently, week over week, his audience came to expect his dance videos. Then, comments started appearing, users saying things like âI watched your new show because of these videos,â and âI didnât know about your show until I saw you on my feed, and I binged it all.â
He realized that his dance videos were marketing the show for him, and were doing better than any traditional campaign had done. He started adding captions that said âBinge the English Teacherâ and âStream the English Teacher on Hulu.â And it kept working. He was interviewed by the New York Times, his show took off, and no matter how many dance videos he made, his audience could not get enough.
Now, almost 9 months later, heâs filming season 2, and guess what? The dance videos are his primary marketing strategy, and his audience isnât tired of them.
Alvarez stumbled upon a viral marketing campaign, embraced it, and saw success. His videos are the perfect example of being open and agile to what your audience wants to see and running with it. He found what works for him and stuck with it, following his audience's lead.
The trend has died, but his success hasnât.
The lesson? Let your audience tell you what they want more of — then give it to them.
2. Commit to the Bit
The most memorable series are often the most committed. Take @lemurbrainâs affinity for âthrowing it backâ in his viral dance videos, which feature the same dance move in different places and different background characters. Or @babydaddysull, who amassed 150 million views in 90 days by doing his signature dance in a variety of increasingly unhinged places, including the countertop at lululemon, on top of a baggage claim carousel, and at countless Chipotles.
No matter how weird it gets, these creators have committed. Every video builds on the last, and the audience knows exactly what to expect, even if they have no idea whatâs coming. Thatâs the magic. Consistency builds trust, repetition builds recognition, and committing to the bit (even when itâs niche, silly, or offbeat) creates the kind of content people keep coming back for.
Itâs not about chasing every trend or constantly reinventing yourself. Itâs about finding your lane and absolutely flooring it.
3. Structure Breeds Creativity
Every great series has its own recognizable structure, whether thatâs a hook, a visual cue, or a naming convention. It makes the content feel cohesive and builds anticipation. Just as a dance has repeatable moves, your content should have a rhythm that people recognize.
Take @sydwingold, whose videos start with âoutfits I would wear based on our date.â It begins innocently enough, until she shows up in hilarious costumes for absurd date ideas. Followers see the hook and instantly know theyâre in for something good.
The structure you choose should be one that works for you (and doesnât have to involve cosplay). Start by identifying what your audience needs and how your business, expertise, or niche can deliver that value in a repeatable way. Are you a fitness coach? Try a myth-busting carousel series. A makeup artist? Put your own spin on the GRWM format. Find a structure that works, and let your creativity live inside that framework.
4. Authenticity Always Wins
We speak to the value of authenticity a lot on our blogs, because itâs true. People donât follow perfection — they follow honesty and personality. Signature series feel authentic when they reflect the creatorâs voice, sense of humour, or worldview. For generations that have grown up online, itâs so easy to see when content feels canned, inauthentic, or like it's pandering to the wrong audience. Authenticity matters, and in the age of AI-generated everything, a real human moment stands out more than ever.
Sometimes creators just get it, like @moandmarofficial, whose chaotic cocktail-making videos struck a chord immediately. Make-a-drink-with-me videos arenât new, but their style of including bloopers and unplanned moments in the finished product is fresh, feels authentic, and brings a ton of laughs. It feels like youâre hanging out with two besties, and the internet loves it.
A signature series isnât about being ultra slick or overly polished. Itâs about being you. If you do that, your people will find you.
So, how do you get started?
Creating a signature series doesnât have to be complicated, but it should be intentional. Start by defining your goal: are you trying to educate, entertain, or give your audience a peek behind the scenes? From there, identify your audienceâs needs. What questions do they ask most? What content already performs best for you?
From there, build a series that aligns with your brand, feels fun to create, and offers value to your audience. Ensure your series is branded with a recognizable hook or visual style and stick with it. Get creative, be authentic, and stay consistent.
Need help figuring out what that looks like for your brand?
Book a discovery call with Starling Social and letâs create a signature series thatâs unmistakably you.
