How to Humanize Your Account When You Feel Stuck in Business Mode

I’ve been seeing and preaching this major shift on Instagram and across social platforms for a while. Yes, I’m talking about the move away from cold, expert-only content back to building authentic, human connection, so let’s get into why it matters, how it can make your business thrive, and what it really looks like in action. I’m sharing real examples, honest client stories, and practical advice to help you start blending your expertise with personality so your audience can actually relate to your content. Whether you love sharing life updates or prefer keeping things tip-focused, I’ll show you why letting us into your world, even just a little, can supercharge your growth without losing your authority.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• The big shift back to human connection on all social media platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
• How to start showing more personality online, weaving personal stories into expert content.
• Moving away from strictly educational “how to” content to more relatable “how I” and personal experience sharing.
• Strategies for blending your expertise with humor and relatability as a business owner, without sacrificing credibility or authority.
• How to start using your Instagram Stories to build deeper relationships with your community.

Featured content in this episode:

• Guided.cosmos: Four years of therapy in one minute (https://www.instagram.com/p/DIhCwQkTc0E/)
• Designclassicshomes: Let’s make your house more magical (https://www.instagram.com/p/DMvZfoaA0xm/) 
• Erinondemand: Millionaire year (https://www.instagram.com/p/DK-N-nOxCH6/)
• Erinondemand: Having a husband who is your cheat code to life (https://www.instagram.com/p/DMY_1NmxbBn/)

Recommended episodes:

• Episode 054: Is There Enough “You” In Your Content?
• Episode 067: The Importance of Belonging on Social Media
• Episode 072: Creator Style Content is for Everyone, Even You
• Episode 073: Staying Top of Mind with Instagram Stories

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. So some people have been a fan of what I've been preaching on Instagram for a year plus now. Some people have been pushing back and I'll tell you exactly why. I had an audit with a client recently, she is a dog trainer. And she said to me on the call, she said, I used to love Instagram.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:39]:
She's like, I loved it. I shared tips, my life, my dogs, whatever. And, and then again during 2020, like I've been saying for a while, all these experts, quote unquote, came out of the woodwork. And, and I, I'm not saying that to be mean. I'm saying that because a lot of people were growing in 2020 and 2021, but that didn't mean they could help other people grow. But I digress. A lot of people are just naturally really good at social media, right? And content creation. And again, there is no one way to do it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:03]:
But they were preaching like this is how to do it, period. I'm like, no, it's not, there's not. That's not true. Maybe like a fitness coach saying there's only one way to... right. Okay, so you know, she took the I have to be an authority and I have to be an expert and she dove right in. And of course it worked for a little bit and now it's not working anymore. And this is why, because we have literally gone back because the gurus, the experts sucked the fun out of social media. And at the time, again, we were all home baking sourdough.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:28]:
We were bored. So we were kind of like in that educate, educate, educate expert. Cuz we were glued to our front. We had nothing else to do except like go outside and wave to our neighbors from afar. Right. During the pandemic. So things have changed. We are so back to connection and human connection.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:41]:
Thank God, right? And we're craving it. Cause there was a loneliness epidemic during the pandemic. So the hooks, the boring hooks are done. I've been saying it for year plus now. I've been watching all the big brands completely make the pivot too. But the problem is, is that it is a huge rewiring in our brains as business owners and creators. And well, the creators have kind of gotten it, but the business owners and the entrepreneurs, it's a big shift. Now, I said something on Instagram the other day about it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:07]:
I said, the reason, you know, Instagram is human again and you got to get with the program, right? And I told people exactly what to do to do that to get there. A lot of people took it, okay, so now. But I'm not a lifestyle account. I'm like, I'm not saying we're lifestyle accounts now. Don't. And that's the thing. Everything is so nuanced, right? And it's hard for me to get everything out in a real. That's why I love this podcast.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:25]:
What I mean by that, and I've talked about it a lot in this podcast. It's going from. Let's say you are sharing a tip or a tutorial instead of how to X. It's how I X. Or I love this brilliant reel I saw. I'll make sure it's in the show notes. She said something like, here's what I want would put in your home if you would let me as an interior designer. Brilliant.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:44]:
Instead of here's five home trends, right? It's boring. It's boring. So again, it's going from that to that. That still positions her as an expert. And again, right now we're talking educational, helpful, like, I call it content. Not to be confused with like all the other content out there. This is how you come off as an expert and authority with also being a human and making it fun for us to enjoy and watch and share. But also it's personable.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:09]:
You feel like you're on a phone call with a friend. You feel like you're talking to a friend. That right there is the ticket. And it's been really hard for me to really drill home. And I would love to hear back from you guys because I'm hoping this podcast makes it make sense. Because my job is to make Instagram make sense, make marketing make sense, make sales make sense, make whatever platform you want to grow on make sense. And right now, what makes sense is why. Why they started social media in the first place.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:34]:
Connection, keeping up with people. And now our content, what we love as users is feeling seen, feeling heard, feeling validated, laughing, entertainment, et cetera. So this dog trainer, right, she's amazing. And I told her I think when something that she needs to lean into because she has stopped having fun. I said was humorous content, right? You don't have to do. You don't have to become a dog humor account. But maybe once a week or once every two weeks when there's a funny trend, work in some Sort of relatable situation dog parents find themselves in. Right.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:03]:
Maybe it's like you think you're finally. You think you finally got the dog to calm down for the night, and they're getting the zoomies, right? And you take whatever that trend is and you take the wording and you tailor it to that. I saw a brilliant one. And again, I'll put it in the show notes. You know when the guy is, like, trying to, like, get the dog to come in and the dog's doing the, you know, the. The typical pose. We're like, oh, we're playing. And he's like, no, we're trying to go inside.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:22]:
So I was saying, like, make that the humor. And then in the caption, you educate. So she's still the expert, even though she's relating to the dog owner. So with all that said, let me tell you a couple other reels that I saw that really drive this home. Because if you want a brilliant marketing strategy in 2025, it is humanizing your account. That does not mean ripping authority and expert away. It means leaving room for the human, which is you. Even a lawyer account I saw earlier, like, the someone at the law office is like, putting.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:50]:
Is like printing stuff, and everyone's around her clapping, going, yay. And they're like, rooting on Brenda, so she brings us banana bread. Just hilarious. Does that mean we don't think they're experts anymore? No. I mean, if there's someone who's really tightened up and, like, offended that a lawyer team would make a funny reel, well, you probably don't want them anyway. Right? And they probably are representing people that would appreciate the humor. If humor is not your thing, don't do it.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:13]:
It's totally okay if you only want to share tips and be an expert all the time. Awesome. Because that's you. I'm not gonna take that away from you. What I'm not gonna do is a. So as your social media strategist and. And mentor, whatever you want to call me, I'm not going to make you do anything that is not you. And that is the point, because someone else said, well, I actually really prefer, you know, following people who are experts.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:33]:
I'm like, yes. But there's probably something about their personality that draws you to them, and maybe it is because you really like that bulldog type personality that really. Right. Or they're just the really classy type of expert, like, whatever it is, but their personality is weaved into their content. You know what they're like as a business owner And. And a human. That's what I mean. I don't want you to think I'm trying to say you're a full time creator.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:55]:
Now. I would never call myself a full time creator. I'm a social media expert. But you guys know my personality. You know my coffee orders, you know my quirks, you know, like random things that Chloe does, things that Cam's into, you know, my husband, that he's into golf, you know, where we go, you know, where we vacation, you know, do you know what I mean? And I'm telling you right now, that is why I have continued to build a seven figure business. Because a lot of people hire me, follow me especially, et cetera, for my expertise. But then they get to know me and they're like, yes. And I'm like, well, good.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:25]:
And a lot of people don't like me. Fair. Hey, you know, we're not tacos. Not everyone's gonna like us, whatever that quote is. So let me grab a couple reels to share with you, just real quick. Cause this is the other thing I wanted to go to. If you want to blow your content out of the water and I'm talking crazy bananas, you are still an expert with a personality. You're an expert.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:44]:
But again, I think personality, we straight up go, are you entertained? Like jazz hands? It's like, no, you don't need to be like, it's what is your personality? So I use that word lightly. Human expert. Right, you're an expert who's not chatgpt. And again, we've seen the realtors doing the funny home tours. We've seen. That's educational too. That's helpful with humor. So you can mix them all.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:05]:
Again, it comes down to your personality. If you're a very more serious type, that's fine. So here is a therapist. So one that you're going to see in the show notes is from a therapist. Her Instagram is guided Cosmos. And her reel, literally, it's her walking down the street and she says, four years of therapy in one minute. And she just breaks it down again. It makes her feel approachable, but she's still an expert rather than just some stuffy therapy content.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:28]:
So here's another perfect example. This creator named Erin, she's a business coach. In addition to sharing her tips and her journey on her way to being a millionaire, she'll do simple B roll with her husband, saying, you know, this is what it looks like to have a husband who's your cheat code of life, who lets you shine, who doesn't have too much pride, et cetera, et cetera. This is what I mean by you can still an expert and show your personal life. You can still be an expert and let people in. And that's what we want. We want to be invited into your world, period. Because once we feel like we belong in your world, we feel like we belong in your world.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:58]:
And what a huge, amazing gift to give someone. Invite us into your world. We want to be a part of something. We want to root for you. So if you don't let us in on who you are besides what you do, how can we really do that? So with that said, I hope that clears everything up. Again. It's not how to, it's how I. It's not five ways.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:17]:
It's five things. I, et cetera. Right? Or five ways. I. I just got a text from my friend. I can see my text right here. She just goes, miss you again. It's like, that's what Instagram should feel like.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:28]:
We're not just businesses. I don't know how to say it. Sorry, I'm getting like, like, I just want to hammer this into your all's heads in a very kind, loving way with a big hug wrapped around it. It's why all the content on LinkedIn I see going Fire Crazy is about people's journeys and like, or a retreat they went on and sharing their journey. It's not just expertise and authority. Yes, we know you're an expert. We know. Look at Gary Vee.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:50]:
I mean, he's exactly who he is. I'm sure he's. If you meet him, he's probably exactly who he is in person as he is on Instagram. I know he is because I've heard that from people. And the best way to do this. Here's your. Here is your goal for the week. Okay? If you're just still like, well, Shannon, I took.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:04]:
I did. I took all the human out of my content and now my people don't know anymore. Reintroduce them. And this is what I told my client. I said, start with stories. Right now, one we're doing, we're going to create a series for her, which is going to be really good to help her. Not a series, but like a repetitive thing that she can. And again, I want you guys to know series are just something you repeat like once a week.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:21]:
Where she's going to. It's going to help give her sense of humor mixed in with it. So again, it's like. And it's going to be relatable. To dog owners, but also so that she's like, but it's okay, guys, I'm over here to help. Right? That's what we want. So we're really excited. So your homework.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:33]:
And this is what I told her. Lean on stories. Stories are an incredible way to start. Kind of because I tell everyone. The reason I didn't get so caught up in all the riff raff craziness. The gurus were spitting. And while I did, I really did focus mainly on educational content during that era. But I still, like, once a week would do a hi, I'm Shannon.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:51]:
I was pregnant during the time I shared my pregnancy journey. I shared the gender announcement. I did all that. So I kept showing me my daughter would be in the videos with me sometimes my oldest, we would do skits, right? But, like, I tried really hard not to get caught up in it. I did a little bit for a second, but I always made sure that I was in my content and that my humor was in my captions, right? My love of Real Housewives and margaritas and this and that. But my stories, my stories. I showed up, hot mess, talking about what I'm watching, what I'm doing, what happened on a client call. I kept people in my world.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:21]:
Everyone knew about the whole process of us moving to North Carolina. You guys helped me pick out what rug to put in my living room. I mean, y' all were in on the journey with me. Stories is a great place to do that. If you have lost your way. That is how to grow on Instagram. And I'm telling, I'm begging you, this is not going to change from what I can tell for a long, long time. This is the pivot you need to make.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:40]:
This is the new way to Gram, to LinkedIn, to TikTok, to everything. So if you find yourself in the Instagram expert echo chamber and everything I'm saying, you're like, no, no, no. You got two choices. Follow their lead because I'm sure whatever they're doing is working for them, or come back, enjoy Instagram again and don't get burnt out and actually have fun and focus on the reason you're here. And yeah, that will lead to virality and views. It just does. Love you, friend. Talk to you next week.