I toyed with doing an article series of How To posts earlier this year, but I think social has moved way beyond magic formulas for writing and constructing posts. There might be something in using the Hook/Meat/CTA model but it doesn’t need a whole article, it’s basically just this sentence.

So rather than just throwing up links to content I watch while sat on the toilet, instead I’m going to try a bit harder to also break them down into formats you could start using.

Let’s go.

Content of this week

• Landscapers vs Builders. A format as old as time: the rivalry. Like curators and marketing. Or curators and conservators. Or curators and other curators. Damn curators, they ruined museums. You might not be able to get away with swearing, but this is a relatively easy format for pitching staff against each other while showing a bit of Behind The Scenes.

• What are you listening to? This is a nice subversion of the format, where the person is listening to something incredibly niche. Also reminds me of one of my favourite posts, me forcing my date to listen to a historic analysis of the Shropshire Union Canal.

• The unintentionally dirty reference. This format is basically just for archives and libraries, but I’ve often had to double-take while walking the stacks - usually when I spotted something in the ‘Make X pay’ series.

• Asking our staff how much X costs. People don’t understand how fucking expensive basically everything is, especially when entry is free. This format is both funny but could also work as a bit of advocacy, though if you’re a local authority institution run by Reform it might be opening the door for cutting ‘wasteful’ spending? Use at your discretion.

• The tension between museum staff and the Viking boat they can’t sit in. This is a pretty easy cut-n-paste format - what’s the thing you can’t touch or sit in? And how much do you really want to touch or sit in it?

• Imperial War Museums got in on this format where you’re breaking up with someone, but they’re distracted by something else (i.e. the dress-up area in the museum). Get it while it’s hot.

The bullet point bit

• Gabriella Zutrau worked on Mayor of New York City Zorhan’s social media election campaign, and makes a very good point here: the social media helped, but it would have been pointless if his policies and authenticity didn’t ring true. Anyone can do the same tactics, but if it’s just the polishing of a turd then it’s not going to help.

• Rachel Karten of Link In Bio describes three approaches to the feed here:

  • More Shots on Goal: now the feed is algorithmic you don’t have to worry about cluttering up people’s feeds. Post a ton of stuff and some of it will hit the mark.

  • Focused: you rely on users within your algorithmic niche and avoid posting wildly different content, because if people liked your first video and the second one they see isn’t similar they’ll drop off.

  • The Wave: you post evergreen content for your committed audience, then rely on big campaign moments to break out and find new people.

• Ofcom have released their latest Adults’ Media Use and Attitudes Report. Essentially people are posting less, proof that social media use is becoming much more passive. We watch, we scroll, we may comment and like, but we’re not sharing so much of ourselves any more.

Personal stuff I do for me and you can just skip this if you like

🎮📖 what I’m consuming as a consumer

I saw Project Hail Mary and it was Good - when the alien appears in the book it was a genuine shock so I was unsure why they basically give it away in the marketing, but that’s because 80% of the film is a Ryan Gosling bromance with a little rock guy and it works.

🐕 Keith

Here he is