Have you ever wondered what drove engagement for overnight social media success stories? Overnight success on X, Facebook or LinkedIn may be seen as the holy grail of customer acquisition, for founders and CMOs, but before you copy someone else’s viral success there’s something you should know: people lie.
They lie a LOT.
Understanding how people communicate and why, has consumed much of my professional career. I can tell you with 100% certainty the chasm between what social media superstars say and what is true couldn’t be wider.
Much of the advice on how to grow on social media or build a brand is from people who fit three categories: Those who are full of 💩, those who don’t know 💩, or those who are the 💩.
Some lie because the truth conflicts with their brand.
Some lie because they don’t know the truth.
Some lie because they’re selfish.
Some lie because they cheat.
Why people lie about success
Those sharing stories of social media success are either lying to you to polish their own self image, completely ignorant, or are willing to share the levers they pulled to achieve success.
They’re full of 💩
Some folks lie about their social media success because they want to deceive you. They realize the actual way they achieved social media virality conflicts with the public image they’ve built. So they lie. These folks likely have built a brand, and think the truth will destroy that brand. Ironically, they’re correct—eventually that truth catches up.
They don’t know 💩
Some folks are ignorant of how they achieved virality for their brand. They often have advocates promoting their brand they either aren’t aware of. Many times they don’t understand the weight of the help they receive. They’re not intentionally lying to you—they just don’t know better.
They are the 💩
Some folks did the hard work and know exactly how they achieved viral success and can give you the playbook. These people can spell it out exactly in a way where it just “clicks” for you. They don’t fear you copying them because they know real success is hard work.
So… what social media tactics actually work?
How do you determine if you’re talking to someone who is full of 💩, doesn’t know 💩, or is the 💩? If most folks are lying to you, how do you know who to trust?
Yourself.
When listening to any marketing, communications, or public relations advice, even from experts, it’s important to tell yourself “that may be true for them, universally true, or not true at all” then test it, trusting your own data.
Write down SMART goals, (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) and gauge results for yourself. If the test yields poor results, their advice is only true for them, or they’re full of 💩.
The most important aspect of marketing and communications, by far, is understand how unique your audience is. For example, even though TikTok and Facebook reach over 4 Billion users collectively, you could spend millions on ad campaigns in one month and never reach me or many of my friends—we don’t use those platforms.
Stop hitting your head against a wall when stuff doesn’t work. Find what works and double down on it. Stop what doesn’t work.
Don’t be blown away with someone else’s house of cards.
