Social media first principles: What it takes to go beyond the algorithm

The formula for success on social platforms changes regularly, much to the frustration of emerging creators and marketers alike. This is a natural consequence of content saturation. The moment the code gets cracked and everyone follows the same rulebook, that rulebook stops delivering anything that stands out, and new rules emerge. 

However, beneath the ebb and flow of format tweaks and algorithmic shifts, the core principles stay consistent. Whether you’re a musician, gamer, travel enthusiast, or archaeologist, the guiding principles for success are far older than social media itself, and have stood the test of time and format: 

1. Make good stuff 

Pixellated screen grabs that become perennial memes are ‘good content’, yet this feels strange to put in a category alongside Mozart’s ‘Requiem’. ‘Good’ just means something resonates emotionally (or practically, in the case of most products) with a shared experience. The definition of what that looks, sounds, or feels like may not be fixed, but the fact remains that if what you’re promoting on social media isn’t good, it’s not going very far, no matter how much effort you pour into promoting it. 

2. Be memorable

Good content or a product can speak for itself, but if no one knows who created it, its creator can never reap the benefits of its success. Finding mass reach often means playing to existing trends and formats – be they memes, carousels, or text posts. To avoid being subverted into that trend requires putting an extra branded spin on it that ensures audiences can easily recall one account out of the crowd. 

3. Learn by doing 

What works for one creator will not always work for another. In line with the 10,000 hours theory, becoming good at social media requires being bad at it first: just look at the most successful YouTubers – many started in their early teens and got better from there. Experimenting, practicing, and learning on the go, if nothing else, comes across as authentic. 

4. Adapt quickly

In the ever-changing social media space, adapting to new formats, trends, and fan habits is critical. Carousels on Instagram have gone in and out of fashion several times, but the use of storytelling, text, and sounds in them have changed. Just because a strategy worked once does not mean that same thing will keep working in the same way. 

5. Stay consistent

While the how requires constant adaptation, the what needs to be consistent. Regular posting with narrative touchpoints rooted in who the creator is and what they are making is critical to trigger the algorithm and gain trust from audiences. 

6. Be a member of the community you are trying to create

Behind the alienating buzzwords of “engage with your fans” and “choosing the right platform” is the simple fact that to become successful in a scene means being part of that scene first. This means commenting on other, similar creators’ posts (which tips off the algorithm on who to promote your content to), responding to messages, sharing values and vulnerabilities with others in the space, and ‘speaking the language’ of fans as a native. 

7. Give fans what they (don’t know they) want

Henry Ford allegedly once said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses". Listening to fans is important – but sometimes you need to go beneath the surface. Forget the horses: the people wanted to go faster. Asking fans what they want to see more of can be helpful in figuring out what merchandise to build, events to host, or creative direction to take next. As an original creator, however, the challenge is to go deeper than the immediate ask and figure out why they want it, and how those needs can be met in a way that will surprise and delight them. 

Social performance metrics can often distract from the fact that marketing was able to create huge mainstream success stories long before the internet even existed. Staying true to the fundamentals will steer you true no matter the format or data available. Have a strong core proposition, make sure it’s clear who made it, adapt quickly, be consistent, know your audience (because you are a member of that audience), and push creative boundaries to give people what they sometimes didn’t even know they wanted.