We All Love Familiarity, Here's How to Create that Familiar Feeling in Your Content

The theme for today’s episode is familiarity. We all love familiarity, it’s comforting, it feels safe, and it gives us a sense of belonging, which has a huge impact on your online presence. We’ll look at real examples from creators that cultivate this sense of familiarity through scenarios, locations, and identifiers, making their audience instantly feel seen and at home. We’ll also discuss the viral 2016 Instagram trend and the psychology behind why we tend to gravitate towards scenarios we recognize. 

In this episode we’ll be covering:

• Making your content feel familiar to your audience and the impact it has on trust and engagement.
• The emotional safety and belonging that comes from familiar relationships, and how to evoke a similar feeling through your content.
• The role that nostalgia and simpler times plays in content right now, reminiscing about significant or everyday moments and the feelings that it creates.
• Why familiarity works in content, attracting and retaining viewers, offering connection and belonging.
• How to create familiarity in your content with trial reels, identifiers, and crafting scenarios that are relevant to everyday and lived experiences.

Featured content in this episode:

• Inside Edition Interview on YouTube
• Kay.harike: Stranger Things New Years Eve Party
• Smillagrundholm: One day closer…
• Everythingemili: New taco night fav
• Ashroedl: Road trip and 2016 playlist
• Everydaywithmandy: Mom to mom
• Shannonmckinstrie: 2016 Trend Post

Recommended episodes:

• Episode 081: Your Next Powerful Piece of Content is Already on Your Phone
• Episode 085: Start Thinking Like a Marketer So People See Themselves in Your Content
• Episode 087: How to Get New Followers on Instagram: Trial Reels, Bios, and More!
• Episode 091: Here’s What Good Content Will Look Like in 2026
• Episode 095: Building Real Community with Stories and Shared Moments

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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. The theme of this week's podcast is familiarity. And I want you to hold onto that word during this whole episode because there's a lot of ways that you can create familiarity and your content to make people feel familiar with you even when they don't know you. But we're going to talk about the psychology around it first and why if you don't think of content in this way now, hopefully you will going forward and you will see a huge impact for sales, for growth, for everything. So couple things.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:00:48]:
One of my best friends, I've known her for 25 plus years, came in town this weekend, right? We had the best weekend. It was Chloe's birthday. We had family in town, friends in town. We just had the best time. Second, she got off that plane. I mean, I was so excited to pick her up at the airport because what is it with a friend that you've had forever, that's seen all the phases of your life that you already know is not going to judge you, you know, it's going to hold your hand, is going to laugh with you, whatever, right? It's a familiar feeling. It's that feeling of safety, it's that feeling of belonging, right? And I talk about that a lot with social media is those are the feelings your content has to put out into the world. Like you've got to make people feel.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:21]:
So when you're with a friend of that many years or you're with someone or family or whatever, you know that feeling instantly when you've reunited with that person. That was the vibe of my entire weekend, just feeling so happy, so safe. So right when you're with those people, that's how you feel. So just to make sure you connect with that feeling, then what happened on Saturday morning was crazy. So Friday, this is Friday morning. I never check my emails on Friday. I open my computer, Carly and I are just sitting here and I see this email from Inside Edition and I go, okay, this is obviously a scam, right? So I open it just out of curiosity and I'm like studying it. And I'm like, is this for real? They're like the 2016 trend on Instagram.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:01:55]:
We want to interview you about it for a segment. Can you do it before 2pm? I'm like, this is a joke. I look at the email address, I'm like, oh my gosh, it's an actual email address, right? I could tell it was like inside Edition. Com. So I'm like, this is legit. I emailed them back and they're like, hey, can you do it at noon? And I'm like, this is crazy. I'm like, this is not real. So in this segment, and it aired on Friday, it was very, very fun.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:17]:
I'll put the link to the YouTube in the show notes if you want to watch it. And mind you, I almost didn't participate in the 2016 trend because again, I'd already posted that day. And I was like, well, who cares, right? It's like, it's those things that make your brain go, does anyone care? I. I deal with it too. But as I'm going through my photos in 2016 on Instagram, on my personal Instagram, I'm seeing all these moments that I'm like, wow. This was before we worried about an algorithm. This is before we hesitated, really. Suppose this is when we slapped an ugly filter on.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:02:50]:
This is when we just literally would take a picture of a latte, put Valencia, filter it, post it with a cheeky caption, go about our day. It was a great time. But it was also that time where we were on last apps. I mean, TikTok didn't even exist yet. It was Snapchat, it was Instagram. So when they interviewed me, I told them, I said, I don't think they use this sound bite. They use a few of my sound bites. But one thing I did say is it's so fun to go back and look at a era like that because it's familiar to our brains.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:15]:
We've experienced it, and for a lot of people, 2016 was a year that shaped you. For me, it was. Right? I know it's only a decade ago, but that was the year I started teaching Instagram classes in front of five people in D.C. and I would leave with one client and I'd be like, woohoo. It's the year I really dove into my business and I was like, I'm doing this. So looking back on that time felt so warm and fuzzy and, like, happy. And then it was the year we bought our first house as a married couple. And that basically that little tiny 835 square foot townhouse outside of D.C.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:03:49]:
is what helped us buy this house in North Carolina. So it's just, it was really cool to go back and look at those pictures and then create a post, right? So I threw the Post up. And I went to bed. And Inside Edition, as they're looking for an, you know, someone to talk about this on Inside Edition, the girl said she was just scrolling and found me and then saw that I had taken part in the trend and that, you know, so she was like, oh, this will be great. So just to tell you, don't hesitate on post. Cause that if I hadn't posted that, they might have been like, well, this girl isn't even talking about it. So post your content. But it was crazy and they were so kind and they used a few of my sound bites and that was so fun.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:04:19]:
And what I talked about again in that segment was that it feels way more comfortable to go look at things where we feel safe, where it feels familiar. Okay, so again, hold on to that word familiar. That feeling of being with a long term, you know, your bestie reunited with a friend, going somewhere, right? We always say, like, that's why people, you know, whether it's your church, your local watering hole, a shop you love, or they know your name, the coffee shop, the barista knows your name, right? That is that feeling of familiarity. It all comes together. Familiarity, community, safe belonging. So what does familiarity look like in your content? So when you think about something like trial reels, trial reels get pushed out on Instagram. After you're editing your reel, you scroll down and it literally says trial reel. And you can turn that on, you can toggle that on and it will get pushed out as a trial.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:07]:
What that does is it pushes out to people who are not following you yet. So when you think about it, a trial reel is going out to fresh eyes, meaning they are not familiar with you, meaning you are a stranger, they don't know you. And that's a lot of social media. So a lot of people, when I look at their content, I'm like, if I did not know you from Adam and I see this, it's so unfamiliar with my brain, I'm going to scroll past. What is going to stop a lot of us if we do not know you is references to things we're familiar with. This is where this all comes back around. So for instance, if I see a dietitian, something like five, my five favorite grab and go protein snacks as a dietitian, okay? So right there I'm like, oh, wow. So they know what they're talking about because they're a dietitian, okay? Then it says Target Edition or Trader Joe's Edition, Aldi Edition.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:05:55]:
And I'm like, now I'm locked in Because I shop there. Let me watch it. That's how that works, right? So let's say it's a real estate agent's content. My five favorite neighborhoods, or my five favorite indoor play places. Toddler friendly in Cary, North Carolina. I'm obviously going to stop. Cause that's where I live. Let's say it's a restaurant that's like, we have the best pov.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:16]:
You find the best dirty martini in Boston. I'm sharing it with my brother. Cuz my brother lives in Boston. I am familiar with that city. If it was a city I don't know anyone in or whatever, I would probably be like, okay, whatever, right? Or maybe I'll add it like somewhere we should visit. But I hope that makes sense with your hooks. I call them identifiers. I've.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:06:34]:
I have a ton of podcasts on it. But like, if you say millennial, if you say type B, if you say girl, mom, if you say North Carolina, if you say, you know, whatever it is, those words I'm going to attach to. This is what else this looks like. Let's say you're a fitness coach. I need to see myself in your content because I'm not a fitness girly. Right? If you're trying to get people who don't enjoy working out, you need to paint that scenario that they are familiar with. So this is. I always tell people, and I tell my fitness people this, I am very intimidated by gyms, Extremely intimidated by gyms.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:08]:
Because I walk in and go, I don't know what to do with any of this stuff. I know what to do on a treadmill other than that. And I'm very intimidated by your classes. So I ended up joining this very small, tiny Pilates studio because I felt comfortable walking in because I could see their content on Instagram, I could see what it looked like. So by time I walked into that Pilates studio for the first time, I was familiar with the people that work there, with what the environment looks like. I knew where to put my stuff. I knew what to do. I didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward or shy.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:07:39]:
I felt immediately like, well, I belong here. Because I already understand the vibe, the people. And again, where to put my stuff, where the water is. This is why brick and mortars, when I see brick and mortar content, go crazy. Like for boutiques, coffee shops, restaurants, med spas, doctor's offices, right? It's when I get to see the staff and the doctors and the baristas, et cetera. There's a dentist that goes crazy viral all the time. And they do like the funny trends and stuff like that. But it's with the dentist and it's with the front desk staff so you feel familiar.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:10]:
It changes everything, guys. So if you are brick and mortar, introduce the team, talk about what new coffee you're experimenting with and have people vote in the comments or whatever. It's as simple as that. I even saw a tech company's reel going viral this week. And it was basically someone going around the office interviewing them, saying, hey, what year were you born? And someone would say 2001. They're like, okay, what year were you born? 19. And as soon as they say 19, it like cuts to like this dinosaur image. It was hilarious, right? But that's fun and that's like in a desk like cubicle environment.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:08:40]:
And everyone over complicates this stuff so much. What can you do to make it feel familiar? And why did that feel familiar to me? Because I was born in the 1900s, so I'm instantly drawn to this content because I'm like, oh my gosh. Called out and it was funny. Okay, so what does that mean? It means adding locations, adding identifiers, adding scenarios that they feel seen. Sorry. So back to the fitness thing. My brain went somewhere else. So the fitness, if you're a fitness person, you're trying to help someone like me, you could say pov, you want to tone up or you want to move your body or whatever it is, whatever that desire is, but feel intimidated walking into gyms and you find this yoga studio in blank or you found your new favorite YouTube fitness, blah blah, blah.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:09:22]:
And maybe it's the video of someone like working out at home and your YouTube exercise video is on the screen on the TV. That's what I mean. Familiarity with scenarios that they see themselves in. You're a chef, you're a cook, you're a food blogger, right? Pov, you're craving something savory but don't feel like cooking and you show something that's like a no prep your go to whatever those situations we're familiar with. So locations, situations, scenarios, brands, TV shows, right? If someone's watching heated rivalry and you mentioned heated rivalry or you're talking about why heated rivalry is going nuts right now and you're talking about that and someone's watching it, they're going to stop and watch. If you're talking about Dancing with the Stars or Traitors, I'm obsessed with Traitors. I'm gonna stop and watch. I wanna know your take on Traitors right now.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:05]:
But if you're talking about a show I don't watch. I'm not, I'm not familiar. If someone is having a conversation out in the wild and you overhear them talking about it, it's, it's those moments you wanna get in there and be like, oh, and did you ever. Da da da. Right? It's why people on Facebook go, hey everyone, I'm in the market for a new couch who loves their couch. And you will see 1000 frickin comments because they feel comfortable to weigh in. So when you're familiar with something, you weigh in. When you're familiar with something and feel seen and like you belong, you're going to be devoted and a loyal fan and follower of that brand.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:10:38]:
You're going to watch the content, you're going to share it, et cetera. So familiarity is key. And familiarity is why the 2016 trend took off the way it did and why everyone was talking about it. And we're yearning for something familiar. We're yearning to feel safe. We're yearning for simpler times. We, we would slap a Valencia filter on a latte and get on with our day. And guess what? You can still do that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:01]:
I just put a video up of Chloe decorating a cake for her birthday. Cause I told her she could totally decorate it herself. And it's completely viral on TikTok, completely viral on Instagram. Documenting your life, letting people into your world, making it feel familiar, making it feel like they are in your kitchen with you, that they are sitting in your coffee shop with you, that we are sitting in your salon chair, is going to make us trust you, love you and follow you. And that's what your content needs to do. We need to get back to documenting, having fun, and creating content that feels familiar so that people love it. And another thing people are familiar with, let's say someone is wearing a shirt and it's your favorite basketball team, right? Things like that.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:11:41]:
We will love this. Now again, am I saying every piece of content has to build, has to be surrounded by familiarity? No, there's no absolutes. I'm just saying this is a great way to get your engagement up. And let me just show you a couple examples and they'll be in the show notes. All right, here we go. Stranger Things, New Year's Eve party. So if it was just New Year's Eve party theme to try. Well, if it showed Stranger Things, that would help.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:01]:
But like the fact that Stranger things is on the hook, obviously it went crazy. So there's that one. Oh, this is hysterical. This one says, Today might be boring, but at least you're one day closer to UV. 10 clear water, bikini, salty hair, tan lines, cocktails, zero deadlines. So that's gonna obviously work on people like me who, like, that's my ideal day. Cause I'm familiar with that feeling. It.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:22]:
It literally puts me right in the outer Banks when I read that. Okay, I love this. This just says my new taco night fave. Sorry, I get a lot of food reels because that's what I engage with. I love that if you have a taco night weekly with your family, you're gonna watch it. Oh, and here we go again. I'm not saying a road trip in a 2016 playlist is the answer, but I'm also not not saying that that is a hook. I have shared here on the podcast and it's gone viral for so many of you.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:12:44]:
So if you are new to the podcast, that is a hook template. That is fire. It's just saying. I'm not saying blank. I'm not saying we should blank, but I'm not not saying that. Like, I know one of our listeners, she did it with like. I'm not saying we should skip work and go antiquing all day, but I'm not, not saying that. Right.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:00]:
Really cute. So that again, if we love road trips, if we also. The 2016 trend. When you see something trending and everyone talking about it, lean in on that. So there's just a few ways to do it. And here we go. Mom to mom. Remember to include yourself in the list of things you need to take care of today.

Shannon McKinstrie [00:13:14]:
Why did. Why am I seeing that? Because algorithm knows I'll be familiar with that and stick around because I am a mom. If you're a realtor, make sure you're mentioning the location. If you're travel agents too, right? So whether it's locations, it's an identifier. It's a show, a brand, whatever that is going to add that extra oomph so that we feel familiar and want to stick around and engage. You have got this. Love you, friend. Talk to you next week.