Why Slow Summer Vibes and 90’s Nostalgia are Stopping the Scroll This Summer

Let’s unpack what’s really working on social media right now, it’s all about feeling and nostalgia. In this episode I’m diving into why people are craving content that’s emotional, specific, and makes them feel something. I share real examples of trending content, including two major summer trends that I’m loving, plus actionable ways you can apply these trends to your own business, whether you’re in real estate, education, hospitality, or any other industry. We’ll discuss how specificity and a little nostalgia can turn even the most standard tip or post into something people want to save, share, and return to, because let’s be honest, boring hooks are out. Tune in and let’s create content that makes people reflect, laugh, or just pause and exhale!

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• How important emotion-driven content is and why it works so well. 
• Quick recap of the 4H Method (Heard, Helpful, Humor, and Happenings) and how it fits into this summer’s hottest trending content. 
• Real examples of viral reels with an emphasis on nostalgia, like having a 90s summer.
• Adding specificity to your hooks to take it from bland and boring to evoking emotions and feelings, no matter what industry you’re in.
• Leveraging ChatGPT to help generate specific, emotion evoking content ideas.

Links to content in this episode:

• Carousel: I want to be that house
• Reel: Reminder to frame your momentos
• Reel: Top five mornings
• Reel: Blood Tests
• Reel: Don’t ask me for advice

Other episodes you might have missed:

• Episode 042: Your Simple B-Roll Can Become Easy Reels That Actually Convert
• Episode 053: Use Customer Insights to Create Reels That Attract and Convert
• Episode 061: Use The Relatable Expert Hook to Create Your Next Helpful Reel
• Episode 064: POV: They’re hitting follow… Immediately

Join me in the Reels Lab!

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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. Hi friend, we are. My family and I are back from a 10 day, going to a wedding, going to the beach. So let me just say I spent a lot of time over this past week basically feeling how people want to feel. Right now.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:40]:
We want to feel things. Okay, so first I just want to start with, you know, the four H's I talk about a lot when I help people create content. I know there's a lot. There's so many ways and there's no one way to do any of this right, which is why marketing is so cool. You know, a lot of people talk about like top of the funnel, content sales versus this type of content categories things are, you know, pillars. But really what it all comes down to personally for me is we buy off feelings, right? We start with the emotion and then we go into, okay, is this price right? Does this fit my life? Is this the right time to buy it? Right, but we typically start with a feeling and emotion. Same with your content. When you're scrolling, if something makes you feel, you're gonna stop.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:21]:
And right now with summer in full swing here in the States at least, and even if you're in Australia, right, There's other seasons that create these feelings, right? But right now with summer, we. We've seen it taken over Instagram and TikTok is like the 90s summer in the two early 2000 summer. And what that means is everyone wants to slow down right now and be. And that's what we just got to do for the past 10 days. Because every time we go to the Outer Banks, we're literally transported back to the 90s. Like it outer Banks kind of frozen in that time period even. It's so funny, I always tell people when you got to eat, if you listen to the music, it's literally like nineties. And everything is just a vibe, right? It's like the Outer Banks.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:56]:
My grandparents built their house in the 70s, but it really started getting on the map in the 90s. So it's almost like that is the decade. It kind of feels like, I don't know if you. If you know, you know, right? Especially we go to Kill Devil Hills, which I literally tell people, Kill Devil Hills, Kitty Hawk, Nag's Head. It like feels like you're in the 90s. Something about it, it's just nostalgic. So I basically just experienced the feeling for the past week plus of the feeling so many people are desiring right now. It's summer.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:21]:
We all wanna slow down in the summer. And also just with a lot in the news, very, very heavy when we're scrolling Instagram, we, you know, even if it's just a tiny little reel that gives us an idea of how to slow down or gives us a product that helps us enjoy our summer more, to help you understand what I mean, I'm gonna share some viral reels with you today. We're just gonna go old school, good content, podcast style, and talk about reels that are going viral right now and how you can take it and use it for your industry. Because I'm telling you, every single viral reel or carousel I see, we can. I've worked with dozens. I've managed like as when I was a social media manager, I still manage a few accounts, but I've managed accounts for dozens of different industries. We're talking brick and mortar, mortgage lenders, hair salons, photographers, home construction. So I got you.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:11]:
All right, here's one that really got me. It's a carousel post. In the first slide, it says, I want to be that house that is in italics. So then you swipe, it says the one with the stocked pantry, the comfy couches, extra pool towels and snacks for everyone. Scroll next. Not to impress, but to bless, not to strive, but to steward. I want to create a space that feels like an exhale, where kids linger, where friends know that da da da da right. She goes on and on and on.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:35]:
That post is from Our Winton Home. And they even give a shout out to Morgan Peitzman, who I guess they saw that original piece of content from and then they kind of repurposed it as their own, but also gave her a shout out. Well done. So do you see what I mean? Like, it's that it's it's. And I call that heard. So again, when I talk about the 4H's, just a quick little review. First h is heard.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:57]:
It's content that makes them go. I feel seen, I feel understood. I feel like I belong here. Right? And that is such powerful content. The next is helpful and obviously that's tips, tutorials, suggestions. Next is humor, right? We all know relatable, funny memes, funny reels, trends. And lastly is happenings, things behind the scenes. Your business, your founder story, your origin story, business wins, things like that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:18]:
But again, with any of those, you can make people feel you can make people feel with all four. And that's why I created those H's is because it's I help people create content based off a feeling and that's not what they're leading with and thinking. But those four H's work so well because it kind of forces you to create something that's going to provoke an emotion. So another example, I love this one. It says this is your reminder to frame your momentos. And all it is is just quick little clips of telegrams from her grandfather, an ad from a magazine that her grandma was published in, and it just evokes an emotion of wanting to freeze moments in time. And that is literally what we are feeling right now. That is the content I see going absolutely bonkers.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:02]:
So again, I just want to help you have one quick one today, right? This doesn't mean this is, oh, I got to change my strategy and only share nostalgic. No, no, no, no. What I'm saying is this is what's working right now. So let's go with a 90s summer theme. Oh, and the other one that's making people go, oh. Is the top five mornings trend. I did a version of it too, where her says, this creator is such a Sasha. And it says my top five mornings, the first morning of vacation, a birthday morning as a kid, a sunny but crisp September morning, et cetera, et cetera.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:32]:
Those evoke those emotions and feelings. So when I did it, and this is again, this is what I mean when I'm telling people to be specific. You guys hear me talk about it a lot. Be specific, simple and shareable or create content that is simple, shareable, specific. I did a version of my top five drinks and I said a crisp Pinot Grigio after a long day at the beach while getting ready. And dinner reservations are in an hour. That pre flight mimosa at the airport bar. Now, again, I could the reason I chose this category of drinks, I was like, I wanted to really drive it home.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:59]:
You know, I could do a version of this with coffee, with snacks, with whatever. I just thought it'd be fun because I saw mornings already taking over, right? So when I see a trend going crazy and it's already gone crazy on TikTok, I'm like, let me see what people on TikTok are doing. Because every time a trend starts going nuts, you'll notice they'll pivot to like something totally different. So now people are doing their favorite drinks, their favorite snacks, their favorite diet Cokes, right? And it's really funny, but I did this because I wanted to make sure that people saw how I didn't just say a crisp pinot Grigio or I wouldn't just say an iced oat milk latte. I'd say an iced oat milk latte on a Saturday morning while the kids are still sleeping. So this is what I mean when we're creating content, even if it's a tip. Okay, so let me share an example of a helpful type of content. And this is what you guys gotta do.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:44]:
And I know it seems like a lot, but you have ChatGPT these days to help. You can say add in some specificity. So, like, this is a perfect example. Oh my gosh. It says blood tests. This is Dr. Stephanie Dunlop. It says blood tests that catch problems.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:00]:
You ready for this before you waste three years googling your symptoms? That is what takes a helpful tip and pushes it into emotions. Because not just here's some blood tests. You should probably get in your 40s. Why? Because you're gonna spend three years in pain Googling. And it could have been done with one blood test. Do you guys. Do you. Do you feel the difference when I say it? And Again, this is 74,000 likes on this, 32,000 shares.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:27]:
So this is what we need to be doing right now on Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, all of it. We need to stop taking boring hooks. We need to make them scroll. Stopping right even. I'm right now trying to do it because I'm like in vacation mode. I'm just like, woohoo. I'm trying really hard to do it on my own content. So I'm right there with you, right? I'm like, I need to make sure this is making people not just stop the scroll, but feel so that they watch the next three seconds and the next 10 seconds, right? And they keep watching.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:53]:
And another example of evoking emotions with just a simple reel. It says, don't ask me for advice. You'll end up living in South Carolina, going to the beach whenever you want. Again, this could creator could have said, you'll end up living in South Carolina. And this is your view. No. It's like, no. What? Why? What's the point? Because now you get to go to the beach whenever you want.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:11]:
So I want you to really think about it again. If you're in real estate, that's a perfect way to evoke an emotion, is like, don't ask me for advice. You'll end up moving to New York City and being able to walk to get the best Bagel in the city, right? Like keep it going. Or let's say you're a design build company, right? Or you're home remodeled. Don't ask me for advice. You'll end up with a bathroom that feels like a spot. The Four Seasons. Let's say you're a teacher who helps other teachers make money in the summer.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:35]:
Don't ask me for advice. You'll end up making $10,000 this summer by selling your school. By selling your school lesson plans. So again, take that hook right there because that's a great place to start. Don't ask me for advice or you'll end up blank. And again, what I want to encourage you is put that, tell ChatGPT there's a trend going around and put that exact one about South Carolina. Say, I am a educator who helps teachers in the summer make extra money. Plumber who in Arkansas who specializes in blah blah blah blah blah.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:05]:
An artist who takes pictures of people's pets and makes them da da da da. What is it that you do for people? What is the emotion? Why do they want it? What makes them go, oh my gosh, I need this. I want it. And again, it could be if you teach karate, it could be whatever. What is it that they. The deep desire that they have and that's gonna evoke an emotion. Ask ChatGPT to come up with 10 ideas. Say, be specific, pick the best one or do it yourself.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:27]:
Cuz I trust you. I know you can do so with all that said, boring, unemotional hooks are out. You gotta tap into the emotions. You have to add some level of specificity and copy that will make them go, I need to do this. I need to save this. I need to share this. So like I said with the 90s summer, right? Let's say again, it's whatever you can do right now that helps people slow down and feel things. That's what 90s summer means.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:55]:
I think we felt a lot more cause we weren't on our phones. We were out there making adventures happen. So what's something that you can say that you know your audience will go, oh my gosh, I needed to hear that. Oh my gosh, I needed to know that. Let's say you're a food account. Let's remake this. My favorite 90s dessert, but with less sugar or whatever it is, right? You can find something that will make them feel nostalgic and feel like they've slowed down and feel like they've taken a breath. That's something I really want you to test this week, but I would start with that hook right there.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:24]:
Don't ask me for advice or and then Again, lean on ChatGPT to help you out. Everything's in the show notes. Make sure you check out those reels so you can see what they look like. I love you, friend. You've got this. I know it feels like a lot right now, and I Everyone is telling me engagement's down. It's not down for everyone. And for these types of reels and types of helpful content with an emotion attached, heard content, humor, content, happenings content with an emotion attached, it's gonna.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:48]:
It's gonna pop off. I love you, friend. Sam.