Pin-Worthy Instagram Posts That Make Your Audience Feel Right at Home

It’s time to wrap up our deep dive into the power of belonging in your social media marketing. In this episode, we’ll discuss creating “heard” content, evergreen strategies like the “you’re not alone” messaging and why pinning empathetic, relatable posts or reintroducing yourself can establish a welcoming vibe for new and returning visitors. With an emphasis on storytelling, we’ll talk about using customer wins, founder stories, and everyday relatable moments to spark a “that’s me!” reaction, inviting your audience to participate and trust your brand.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• The power of belonging in social media marketing and how it drives audience engagement.
• Creating content that helps your followers feel seen and heard.
• Strategies for crafting “you are not alone” messaging to build a strong online community.
• Tips for creating evergreen, relatable content that resonates with your audience and boosts loyalty, including a reintroduction post or a founder’s story.
• Encouragement to use authentic stories, humor, and personality to nurture a sense of community and connection.

Links to reels in this episode:

• Reel: Elizabeth’s Reintroduction

Other episodes you might have missed:

• Episode 019: Convert Viewers to Followers with the “That’s Me” Reel
• Episode 040: Build More Connections with Everyday Moments
• Episode 049: Relatable Humor That Says “They Get Me!”
• Episode 067: The Importance of Belonging on Social Media

Join me in the Reels Lab!

Love this conversation? Make sure to follow and subscribe so you never miss an episode.

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Transcript

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:00]:
I am your host, Shannon McKinstrie. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked. Good content. All right, we're going to wrap everything up when it comes to belonging and the power of belonging in social media marketing. Buckle up, get ready. I'm giving you a ton of content ideas today, okay? And what's cool about these content ideas is they're also really good ones to maybe pin at least one of them. Because again, when someone lands on your account, you wanna make sure they feel like they belong.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:42]:
You get them. And again, I, I used to actually call this type of content empathy content or empathetic content. And then when I came up with the four H's, like almost two years ago, I was like, okay, I want all of the content pillars of like, education, entertaining, empathetic, behind the scenes, all that. I was like, I want them to all have the same letter. So I started with H for humor. Because I was like, that's. I just felt like that was. It had.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:07]:
Humor had to be the word. So I was like, okay, well, then it's got to be H. So then when I came up with. And then I went through each thing of education, empathy, and I was like, oh, education, easy, helpful. And then when it came to empathetic, I was like. And I was like, heard. That's why we're on. I sit talk about it a lot, right? We like to follow accounts that make us feel heard.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:25]:
And what heard really says is it's a sense of belonging. Like, I feel seen. I feel like I belong in this community, right? And again, when it comes to those four H's, I always tell people we need to create content off of feelings because we buy feelings, right? We buy also better versions of ourselves. But that's a feeling that we were like, oh, this makeup's gonna make me feel better. This, this sticker is gonna really express who I am on my computer and my mugs. We are literally buying expression. We're buying better versions, right? When we buy a house, right? We're leveling up our lifestyle. So with that said, if you can make them feel heard and like, you are the person who understands them.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:04]:
And yeah, they're gonna buy your brand, they're gonna buy your product, they're gonna hire you as the realtor, you as the plumber, right? I always joke like my cousin, he does H vac work in the outer Banks. And cooler runnings, by the way. And I told him, I was like. Cause he's such an approachable guy and so chill. And that's why, like his logo has like literally a little H vac on a surfboard. It's so him. He's so chill. He will never.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:28]:
He doesn't talk to you like over your head. And even with him, it's like you want to be his customer. If you love that like beachy, laid back vibe and you know he's going to hop off the beach and come to you, right? It's like we love whether it's a one person service provider or a whole big huge company. If you make us feel comfortable in your space, we feel like we belong there. Okay, so there's a lot of ways to say it again. It's. This doesn't just go for products, this doesn't just go for service providers. It goes for everybody.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:59]:
So I obviously have some reels to show you, but I just want to say, like, basically the you are not alone messaging is key for this belonging and that falls under the heard category. Now a lot of the heard content, especially in the Reels Lab that I give people is a lot of that. Like pov, you're tired of spending money on courses, or you're tired of this. You're. You're over your child having tantrum. You know, you're tired of doing the walk of shame with your kid having a meltdown in the restaurant. You've forgotten how to style yourself. Now that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:26]:
But like whatever the issue is, right, they see themselves in that. So you want to use that you're not alone messaging, as in like, I get you, I see you. This is exactly what you're struggling with. Whether you're literally calling someone out by a millennial or a 2026 bride or a certain community of people, right? Identifiers. Or you're just saying the pain point desire. They have that pov. You. What is it? What's going to grab them? And they're going to go, oh my gosh, they're talking to me.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:52]:
I call it the. That's me reel, right? And you go and you find my account. Or. And. And nothing seems to da, da, da. And you, here I am. Hi, here I am. You belong here.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:02]:
I got you. That content does so well. It is evergreen. It goes and goes and goes. I want you to make sure you have one of those that's pinned to your account. Now, another example of this, which I'm obsessed with, is this one. Because I want every single One of you. And I want to hear back.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:18]:
Of course. Right. Let me know how it goes. But like something pinned that says who you are. Your founder story. I have one pinned. I have a new one coming out soon. I'm so excited because that one's pretty outdated at this point.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:28]:
That's like three years ago. So I love this, this creator, she actually sells a product. So this is a perfect example of all of you who are like, well, I sell candles or I sell T shirts. Okay? I know exactly who the girl is that creates these T shirts. And that's why her account is so fun. Because I know the person. I know her story. I know what

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:45]:
She looks like I know her vibe. Right? Her name is Elizabeth and she is the creators of the OG Ultra flattering side slit tees. She created T shirts for people that were a little more mid size plus size. And she puts even her measurements in her bio that she is a size. You know, she puts her bra size, her size 10 jeans, blah, blah, blah, right? So even though she's selling clothes, she is the brand and it's brilliant. And she's got almost 500,000 followers so hyped for her. So here's her reel. It's her just kind of dancing again.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:18]:
If that's not your vibe, then sit at the computer then be packaging your candles or open your computer to have a coaching call. Opening the door. Cuz you're a realtor. Whatever. Walking through Home Depot because you're a carpenter. Right? Like whatever. I think it's time to reintroduce myself. Okay, I'm going to do one of these too.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:34]:
I'm so excited. And this says name and she puts her name and then she puts AKA So right away you feel like you belong because now you know her nickname. Do you see what I mean? It's so simple and so subtle. Ugh. I geek out over this stuff. I know, I'm a nerd. Occupation designing form flattering fits for mid sized baddies, right? Or mid sized babes. Right away I go, that's me, right? I'm like a size 10 / 12.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:57]:
So right away I'm like, hi, what's up? You. You're me. I get it. Serves. Are you ready? Millennial Cringe. I love it. I love it. Again, honesty, transparency, it's what we're all about.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:08]:
And I actually have a reel. I'm probably sharing this weekend showing how if you guys look way outside where I'm shooting my podcast, it is mayhem. We've got a rower, an old desk that Cam doesn't want anymore more of these wood panels that we still haven't hung up yet. And I get DMS all the time of people saying, Shannon, I love that you show up on stories, looking a hot mess. I love that you show us that you're eating McDonald's or Domino's because you've had a stressed out day. Like we love this stuff. And again, if that's not you, don't you know, I'm just saying be you okay Serving millennial cringe. I mean it's so, it's so good.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:39]:
Confidence, twerking, awkward dancing, hot mom. And let me tell you when, when I was reading through this because I've been following her a couple years now dead on exactly who she is and who she's always been. So again, if you are more of the you're the surfer dude or you're the bulldog lawyer or whatever it is like say it. Okay. All right. Lastly, refuses. This is where you go to the core values. I'm obsessed.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:01]:
Refuses negative self talk, feeling ashamed of your body. Simple accessorizing. And she's like her. Her accessory game is so strong. Lastly, follow along if you can relate of these. It is a classic heard and a classic belonging reel. Take her idea and run with it. Give her credit, obviously.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:20]:
It's brilliant. It's brilliant. Now another version of this and you can do this too. You could do a photo dump. The first slide. Hi, I'm Alan and I used to weigh da da da. Let's say you're a health coach or hi, we're blah blah blah salon and we believe in da da da da swipe right. Like maybe you specialize in curly hair.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:38]:
You specialize in sustainability. Whatever it is. You're a coffee shop. You're so again, I want to challenge you to do that. Any sort of introduction. You can do other types of heard content, getting on the camera or doing a voiceover or anything and saying my customer, my client, my whatever had been da da da da for six months and hadn't found a solution. You know, the other day a girl walked into our boutique looking for a blah blah blah and she had looked everywhere or I got a call the other day, you know, again, my cousin could use this for his H Vac. I got a call the other day that, you know, these, these renters, the AC went out and they're miserable and so I rush over and da da da.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:12]:
That's another way to make people feel heard is just telling a story other ways to make because again it makes them go oh my gosh I trust them. I know that they've got my back. They're going to see themselves in the story you tell. But we're, We're. Our brains are a little selfish, right? Like, if I'm telling a story, you're typically going to picture yourself in that story of how you would react and what it would feel like for you, right? I would tell travel agents all the time, like, tell me the story of, like, how you save the day or what your clients just walked into in their honeymoon suite or what things you set up. I'm going to be picturing me and my husband or me and my kids, right? Because we're like, ooh, we want. We want that. Right? So again, stories like that is another great way because you're not necessarily educating.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:48]:
You're just telling a story of how you work and what your core values are and all that. I know my mentor, Sarah Wilds, does this all the time. She'll, like, recap, like, news articles and debunk things and. And that's another way that making people feel heard. And also, it's also helpful to them too, right? So there's, there's kind of a two for one there. Don't ever think you can't overlap these four H's I teach. And another way, and lastly is just, I wish more blank knew. And I love this one.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:12]:
I even saw one. I can't remember the creator's name. I'm so sorry. If you're out there, let me know. She did. Like, I wish more moms knew that. Oh, gosh. What was it? It was something about, like, taking your kids.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:22]:
Doesn't have to shoot now. I can't remember what it said. I'll try to find it and talk about it next week. But basically just like a. You've got this mom, you've got this, right? Like, if people are staring at you that blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Or it could be something you observed, right? You could say, the other day, I was in a grocery store and I noticed this person, da, da, da. And then the. The cashier said this, and I couldn't.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:41]:
You know, it was the most heartfelt. You can tell these stories, those are heard. So anything that makes them go, oh, my gosh, this person has the very same heart as me, energy as me, bulldogness as me. You know, I always joke, like, we are going to buy from, purchase, follow, etc. From sometimes simply just the vibe of an account. There's even a law, a law firm that I see all the time because I think I engaged with their account one time and now I see their content all the time because that's how the algorithm works. And it's like the lawyer, like hyping everyone up, like, singing like T Pain or like. Or maybe it was flow rider before a meeting and I was like, this is fricking awesome.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:17]:
That also is humorous, right? It's. But humor and heard kind of go hand in hand anyway. I don't want to lose sight, but again, I never want you to think Shannon's four H's are the only way to go. It all is just based off feeling, right? You can call your pillars whatever you want. You don't even need to have pillars. You can just post what you want to post. There's no freaking rules. Especially in 2025, we've thrown the rules out.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:40]:
Any rules that all these gurus quote, unquote made up. It's. It's proven that they're all outdated and don't work anymore. So test things out. But at the end of the day, we're on social to feel heard, validated, seen. I talk a lot about it. I know next week I promise I will switch the subject up and we will about some other things. But I wanted to drive this home.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:58]:
It's why brands like Airbnb push the power of belonging in their advertisements. It's why Nike does it too. They all create this sense of belonging. And whether it's your core values, your mission, who you serve, you can make your people feel heard today just by a simple post with an empathetic type message, a quick story, something relatable and humorous that you just maybe went through as a mom. You know, that sort of stuff I do all the time, right? And people DM me like crazy in stories. If I say, oh, I'm a bad mom today because of this, or, oh, I, you know, like, joking people are like, oh, my gosh, I do that all the time, right? Anything that makes them feel hurt helps them feel like they belong. And that is so powerful. I love you, friend.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:40]:
Until next week.