Creator Style Content is for Everyone, Even You

Let’s get into one of the biggest hang-ups I see with business owners on social media: the belief that if you’re not a creator, you don’t need to make creator-level content. After a recent conference, I realized just how big this disconnect still is. So today, I’m breaking down why your content needs to have that human, personal touch (just like creators and even big name brands do). I’ll walk you through real life examples from my explore page, showing you how businesses of any size can easily add more personality to their posts, because let’s face it you are a creator, whether you like it or not, and your voice deserves to be heard.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• How to create personal, human-focused content that drives sales and engagement on social media.
• Why business owners need to embrace the creator mindset, even if they don't identify as content creators.
• The shift away from corporate-style content toward storytelling and relatability.
• Examples of viral Reels and posts from travel agents, restaurants, and brands using creator-style content
• Adding personality and relatability to business content for higher audience resonance
• Strategies for creating shareable social media content that feels helpful, funny, or emotionally engaging.
• Breaking down misconceptions about "creator" content and explaining how big brands are using it successfully.

Featured content in this episode:

• Pinch of Yum: A week of Trader Joes meal ideas (https://www.instagram.com/p/DMkwu3hxGmq/)
• emilyjtattoos: Tattoos I don’t have on myself (https://www.instagram.com/p/DMlNiE8NqJE/)
• Usemotionapp: AI assistant (https://www.instagram.com/p/C2QF3m1tqm2/)
• Thenitrobar_: Blueberry watermelon lemonade (https://www.instagram.com/p/DMLXBBRsi6b/)

Recommended episodes:

• Episode 044: Become Their Favorite Comfort Creator with Everyday Moments
• Episode 063: Was That an Ad? Even the Big Brands are Making it Personal
• Episode 070: Instagram Growth Hacks That Actually Work and Give Your Account Personality

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. You don't have to call yourself a creator, you don't have to consider yourself a creator, but you need to create like a creator. Welcome to another episode of Good Content. You are going to want to lock in. I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:36]:
I was just at a conference in Austin and excuse my nasally voice, I've been sick. But one of the major questions I got, one of the questions that stopped me dead in my presentation, like, this is where the disconnect is with so many people right now. A lot of the reels I was showing the travel agents, it was for travel agents. It was called the Biz Huddle. Shout out to Courtney for having me. It was absolutely amazing. Such incredible people, an incredible mastermind. I just had the best time meeting everyone and I talked about, you know, how to help travel agents create content that brings in not just followers, but sales.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:05]:
Right? And I've worked with so many travel agents over the years. I've helped so many people get clients through Instagram, brand through Instagram. And again, like, we don't want to see a content that looks like it's from a travel magazine. That's what a magazine's for. We're here to follow humans. I want to know where you're going. I want to know what, why you chose that destination. I want to know what spa treatments you're booking at the resort.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:25]:
I want to know everything. Probably you're going, yeah, yeah, that's what a creator would post, guys. So as much as I know people cringe at the word creator because you're like, I'm a business owner, I'm not a creator. You're a creator. You are a creator whether you like it or not. And this is not me being harsh. This is a conversation I had to have with myself a couple years ago as well. Kind of when we stopped using the term influencer and more.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:47]:
So creators, right? You saw this big influx. And the reason I think a lot of us business owners and people who run corporations and things like that, we're like, we're not creators. Okay? You don't want to call yourself a creator, that's fine. But if your content doesn't look and feel creator level ish, we're going to scroll past. And that's why you're listening today. I've got you. Okay. It doesn't mean you're unprofessional if you're an influencer.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:10]:
I think a lot of you know that huge influencer wave so long ago, you know, meant like trendy, silly things or pushing little products here and there. No, creators is storytelling. Being a creator means you understand how social media works. It doesn't mean you have to completely change your strategy and all this time commitment stuff. No, it doesn't mean you, you are a full time creator. It just means your content is going to exude that vibe and feeling. And again, we, like I always say we create content. I want you to create content based on feeling, right? You want to make people feel and that's creator.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:41]:
That's what the creator label kind of means. That's like the underlying what it means to have creator content. Okay. And really being a creator and creating creator type content really just means speaking their language. It's marketing. So I want you to, I know the word creator feels to you or it might feel like, but I'm not a creator, Shannon. I don't know how to edit. I don't know how to do.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:02]:
It doesn't mean any of that. It just means that you are creating from a place of intention and a message that delivers and resonates. And that's all that really does mean at the end of the day. So I got this question right. I'm showing reels that have gone bonkers for travel agents and what was wild. And this is actually, I got this feedback at social media marketing world as well. They were like, but this content is. These are creators.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:27]:
Like, no, they're. They're actually not. And that is the point. Content. And I've said it again and again in recent episodes. Content from Diet Coke looks like a creator. Content for American Eagle looks like it's from a creator. Content for Scrub Daddy looks like they're from creators.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:43]:
The big brands with tons of money to throw at social media strategy are doing this. So you should too. Right? So with that said, it's more. It's like what I've been saying forever on this podcast since I started. Your content needs to have a personal touch. I said it back in 2023. I was calling it then. I was like, guys, we're going away from the how to and the three ways.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:04]:
This and the hiding behind the screen, hiding your face. We're going to personal touch with less of a corporate feel. Right? Just like I've said in previous episodes too, like the Wendy's Twitter account has its own personality. The Beyond Meat has its own personality. Even though they barely talk about the product, they are cultivating a community where people feel. No, they're going to laugh, feel seen, have a giggle, have something that they want to share with people, connect with the brand. Not the product, the actual brand. And then you go buy the product because you're now obsessed, right? They live rent free in your head.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:34]:
That's how it works. So again, I think instead of thinking creator, just replace it with personality. Let's do that to start. Okay, so how can you add personality into your content? And that's what I talk about on this podcast every single week. Instead of how to X, Y, Z, you want content that says, here's how I here's what I bought this week, here's what I made this week, here's how I romanticize my day. It's personal when it comes to the educational content. When it comes to the funny, humorous heard things like I nominate you. I talked about this reel the other day on Instagram is really cute.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:08]:
50,000 likes. Crazy, crazy engagement. I think around 50,000. It just says I nominate you to be my sushi date. And it was a sushi restaurant and it went viral and that was it. So instead of it feeling like it's from a restaurant or a business owner or a yoga studio or whatever it is, or a hair salon, it feels like it's from a person. You're creating content for people to share with other people. You're creating content that makes people want to go, this is so funny.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:33]:
This is so me. This made me feel seen. This was really helpful that they're going to want to share with their friends. That is valuable. It doesn't always mean education. It doesn't always mean it's anything that makes them feel something. And that is creator style content. That's all it is.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:47]:
So I want to reassure you. So with the travel agent who asked that amazing question, I'm so glad she did because it was the same thing that kind of came up back in March in California when I spoke was that. But the Shannon, these aren't businesses. Yes, they are. And that's crazy. And that's why it's, that's why their content does so well. Because it feels like I'm following a person, a friend, not a corporation with a bunch of people in suits. Right? So with that said, let's do a little classic good content podcast style where I just go through and find a few reels to show you examples.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:20]:
I have not Saved these. I'm just literally going right down the line of my explore page. Okay, here it goes. This is a perfect one. This is a personal brand. So again, if you are this small mom and pop grocery store, you would want to create like this because this is a creator, but your content needs to look like this. And her hook says, a week of Trader Joe's meals for $102.44 Brilliant hook, brilliant.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:43]:
We love numbers and whatever. And then out of her verbal, her script says, last week I did all my shopping at Trader Joe's. So it's personal. 31,000 likes you guys. Again, how could a grocery store do this? How could a, I mean a dietitian could do this? A grocery store could do this. A private chef could do this. Right? Well, here's another one. Tattoos I did lately that I'm low key mad I don't have on myself.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:05]:
She's a tattoo artist. Do you see what I mean? So even though she is a business owner, she is creating from a place of personal personality. And personal, it doesn't mean you have to have a huge personality. What I mean by personality is like make it feel human. Okay, all right. Ready for this one? This is brilliant. This is a software company. It's Motion app, actually.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:23]:
Let's see what Motion app is. AI creates your perfect schedule. It's an AI assistant. Even their content is personal and creator style looking. It says how come? Over her head, how come you're as productive as three people? And it pauses and she shows her computer screen and then she goes, I have an AI assistant. So she's answering as a human, a person. It prioritizes tasks for me based on deadlines and importance, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And by the way, I've had some people say they struggle finding the, the, the links.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:51]:
I think if you listen on Spotify, the links are actually hyperlinked, powerful a hundred, I mean it's an ad too. So that just shows that like again the brands know if it looks like a creator, a freaking human creating the content, it's going to get more attention and it's going to build trust. That's what we are following. So if you are a travel agent, if you are an educator who sells templates, if you are a coffee bar, let's take Nitro Bar for instance. So let's, let's cover one more Nitro bar. I've talked about them on the podcast several times. The Nitro Bar, their content. How lucky are we to be alive at the same time as Blueberry watermelon, lemonade.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:27]:
It creates conversation. That is creator style content. And if you are a brick and mortar, please go look at all their content. It's absolutely brilliant. So that's what I mean by creator. Do not cringe at the term. Do not think you have to be out here doing transitions and trends and dancing and whatever. It just means creating content from the heart.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:46]:
Creating content through storytelling. Creating content that makes people feel. And if you listen to this podcast, you. You're already 10 steps ahead of everybody, so do not worry. So when I say things like, you need to create like a creator, you need to think like a creator, you're a creator whether you like it or not. That's not me being harsh. It's me trying to desperately help you, because that's why so many people are stuck. They're like, Shannon, my content's not going anywhere.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:06]:
I go, look, I go, it looks like 2020 content. That's fine. We gotta mix it up and we gotta bring the human back to social media just like we did back in the day before all the gurus came out and gave you horrible advice. And I'll end on that. I love you guys. I'll be back next week with another episode. Take these ideas, run with them. Study the reels that I just shared.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:26]:
You've so got this. And you, my friend, are a creator and your voice deserves to be heard. Love you.