Mix It Up!

Sep 30

Recently, my colleague Rylee Breeding and I got together for a branding photo shoot. This is something I’ve learned about more since starting Westminster Communicates, and I knew it was time to get some standard images I could use in social posts, reels, and here on my website. So as an experiment, Rylee and I agreed to take photos for each other.

Naturally, I immediately posted my favorites on each of my social channels, with the Call to Action “tell me your favorites!” It wasn’t long before I realized these posts were a perfect example of two of my biggest content recommendations.

I wasn’t surprised at all that these were some of my highest engagement posts. I always ask my clients to send me anything “behind-the-scenes:” meetings, events, even just having lunch with another member of the board. Showing your face allows your audience to connect with your brand on a personal level, which makes them more likely to engage with you.
I was slightly more surprised to learn each social media channel had a different favorite. It really emphasizes another of my central tenets of content creation: differentiate across platforms! There are different audiences on each channel, and that’s going to make different images resonate.

Content creation is hard, and I absolutely understand the urge to put the same image with the same caption on all of your social channels. But each social cannel has a different audience, different “vibe,” and different expectations.

Below, I make my best guess at why each favorite performed well on its specific platform.

Twitter/X

My Twitter (no, I’m not calling it X, thanks) audience surprised me with their choice. Typically seen as a more “business-focused” platform, I mostly follow and am followed by other marketing/PR/freelancer accounts. I expected

Maybe because it’s been so bleak on the platform lately, people liked this photo of pure joy. I’m mostly kidding, but I do love this photo.

And I do make this face when I have a work victory!

Facebook

My Facebook audience chose two images: one from home and one from Birdie’s. My first impression is wow, Facebook loves my smile (*tosses hair*).

In all seriousness, Facebook does tend to be a more personal platform, despite every brand having a presence there. So making eye contact with a big smile is the winner here!

Instagram

Instagram is a very visual platform, so images with a specific aesthetic tend to do better. I like the soft lighting on these shots, and a slight blur in the background of the Instagram Story choice adds some artsy vibes.