​

​

Hello Reader,

Stop Chasing Social Media Hacks: When What Works is Content Creation

If you’ve ever found yourself Googling “best Instagram strategies for 2025” or scrolling endlessly through videos promising “the one secret to growing your audience overnight,” this is for you.

Also, this post may hurt, because the magic isn’t in hacks, trends, or quick fixes. It’s in the work you do day after day, showing up for your audience and improving over time. One step, one post, one lesson at a time.

Let’s cut through the noise and talk about what actually works when it comes to content creation and no, it doesn’t involve buying yet another course or following the latest viral trend.

As a matter of fact... if you want to learn the basics the upcoming Signature Style Challenge is all you need!

Why Hacks and Trends Won’t Build a Sustainable Strategy

Hacks and trends promise quick results, but they rarely deliver long-term growth. Why? Because they’re often built around gaming a system that’s constantly changing. Just a heads up the algorithm and those people that work at places like Instagram, they know what you are doing before you know what you are doing. So a successful hack one day is a failed account the next. Then add in all the variables that exist on your account and nobody elses. Stop trying to beat the system and do the work needed to work with the system.

Content creation isn’t about outsmarting Instagram or TikTok—it’s about connecting with your audience, building trust, and providing value. That takes time and consistency, not shortcuts. So, what should you focus on instead? This week and then again next week I will break down the 4 key aspects.

Create Content Regularly (Even If It’s Not Perfect)

Consistency beats perfection every time. Why? Because every piece of content you create is a chance to learn, connect, and grow your audience. Every piece of content should have a goal and no matter how it performs it reveals something about your audience.

Here’s how to make consistency manageable:

• Choose What You Want to Create Start with 2-3 types of content. One should be the content that you love to create the most (think of it as a reward for actually doing the thing) and the other needs to be the type of content that your audience loves to consume
• Set a realistic schedule. You don’t need to post daily—3 times a week is enough to build momentum. Commit to your consistency and have your audience hold you accountable.
• Repurpose like a pro. Turn a blog post into a carousel. Chop up a live session into Reels. A single idea can fuel multiple posts.

Remember: Your audience isn’t looking for perfect—they’re looking for helpful, relatable, and consistent.

Want help with this... The Signature Style Challenge is the perfect jumping off point and it is just five dollars, read more about it here.

Experiment With Formats, Styles, and Messaging

The best way to figure out what works for your audience? Test, test, and test some more. Think of yourself as a content scientist, running experiments to see what resonates. If you haven't tested it for yourself you have no idea if it is a good strategy for you. I recommend up to 20% of your content at any given time should be experimental.

Inside my Signature Membership I teach the Rule of 3 when it comes to experimenting with content creation, and it is a bit more complex than it sounds but what you want to remember is that you want to always iterate off a proven success. Here are some things you can do when experimenting

• Mix up your formats. Post a mix of videos, text-based posts, carousels, and infographics to see what grabs attention. Try to always post at least one video a week.
• Try different tones. Alternate between storytelling, educational, and conversational posts.
• Play with CTAs. Ask for comments, saves, shares—see what drives engagement.

And don’t forget to review the results! Your analytics will tell you what’s working, so you can do more of that and less of what’s not.

Next week, I will touch on the next two key things how to learn from experience not just numbers and how to focus on building trust.

Keep Creating,

Jonathan