Guide to Social Media with Rachel Antony
Photo via franklyray.com
Rachel Antony is a jack of all trades when it comes to digital media. This native Calgarian is known for her popular Instagram page, @almostffamous, as well as her podcast, Poolside Digital, fitness page, @almostffit, and YouTube channel. She also works with clients to manage their social media accounts, so, naturally, she is the first person we go to for advice on this subject!
How did you get started in social media?
I was late to the Instagram game, but once I got it – I was in love. I have always been into photography and taking photos with my friends, so having a platform to share photos was right up my ally. I started my blog in 2014 and used Instagram to help drive traffic towards it. Not long after, I had friends that were using social media to grow their business and I offered to help run their accounts. Simultaneously I learned how to use social media for myself for my blog and how to use it for businesses. I found (and still find) social media fascinating, so being able to do it for a living is amazing.
In the past years we’ve seen a big shift from blogging to instagram. What are the biggest changes you’ve seen in content creation since you started blogging?
There was a huge shift on the aesthetic of photos when Instagram became what it is today. It wasn’t just a driver of traffic to your blog, but its own entity with an opportunity to create content specifically for that platform. It’s slowly evolving back, but a few years ago it was more about what you (or your photos) looked like as opposed to what you were saying. That transitioned to short form as people used Instagram as a mini-blogging platform with longer captions but I would still say that it’s more about the photos than the words, the opposite of what a blog is used for.
“Influencers” are expected to be active on a number of apps. You are a great example of someone who has mastered all these forms of social media; from your YouTube fitness channel to hosting your own podcast. How do you split your time between these platforms?
I wish I was consistent on all the platforms and not just “have” all the platforms. Instagram is my one true love and the one I understand the most so I spend the most time on there. However, I think being creative, getting inspired and evolving your skills means trying out different platforms and content creation to learn how they work. I love learning the different platforms and improving my skills in not only photography but videography, video editing, sound engineering and distribution of all those different types of content. I am fortunate that my full time job as an agency owner means that using all of these platforms for myself is like research that I can pass along to my clients.
When TikTok came out, I jumped on that right away to learn how it works. I found the different way those videos are made and the process of making them was great to spark new creativity and motivation to make content.
To split my time, I try really hard to have specific deadlines for each platform, even if I don’t stick to them all the time. For example, I want to post on Instagram feed + stories every day, release a pod episode weekly and a new blog post weekly. If I have time, then I will add in a fitness video (although much harder now that most of my videos were at the gym and my home workouts have fizzles out) or extra blog. I would love to be more consistent on tiktok and relaunch my almostffit insta account again, but I have to make certain platforms a priority to not feel overwhelmed with the amount of content that is required for each platform.
What programs do you use to schedule your posts? How far in advance do you plan posts for yourself and your clients?
I don’t use any scheduling programs for my own content because I like it to be posted organically. I also don’t usually plan ahead my captions unless I have sponsored posts coming up. I use Planoly to see my grid layout and I continually will add photos as I take them so I can see how they will look. Usually I’ll take 3-4 photos from a shoot and put them in there knowing that I eventually want to post them all, but not in a row so they have to be organized into the rest of the photos. I can have anywhere from 4 to 25 photos drafted on Instagram but without captions usually.
For clients, I like to plan content out for the next month about a week before the month starts. This way we both know what’s coming and it relieves some of the work for the client on any back and forth editing that needs to happen. Just get it all done at one time and then don’t worry about it for the rest of the month. I use Facebook to schedule those posts for clients and Hootsuite for Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram (although for most clients I post IG organically too because the algorithm prefers that).
How do you structure your day? How many hours would you say that you spend on personal content creation?
I always start the day with client work because that is my main focus and income. I make sure that all of their posts that need to go out are posted or ready to post before I post my own content. If I need to take my own photos or video then I try to do that in the afternoon for good lighting and my brain usually has lost its juice for actual work by then. My blogs and Instagram captions are usually written at night for the next day when I know I’m done looking at my work email. Between spending time engaging on my own social media, finding inspo and actually creating content it probably averages to about 3-4 hours a day.
With the over saturation of influencers, what advice would you give to someone trying to build a following?
It’s going to sound cliché and overused, but be authentic to who you are. Your voice, opinion and experiences are different than anyone else and to stand out or grow a following you need to use that to your advantage. Finding inspiration from other influencers is great, but copying them will come off as inauthentic and people are good at seeing through fake people.
Find what works for you – you don’t have to grow a following on Instagram. You can start with TikTok or YouTube if you prefer video, or start blogging if you like writing. Pick one platform that really interests you and start with that and then spill over to the other platforms. Thinking you have to do it all can be overwhelming for anyone, especially when you’re just starting out.
Make sure you want to make the commitment. You have to REALLY LOVE content creation in whatever form that you choose. If taking photos every weekend seems like a hassle to you, than being able to post consistently on Instagram isn’t going to work out for you. You have to make the commitment out of passion and interest in content creation and not just to get free stuff.
On the same note, you have to be consistent when starting out. And not just for a week but for months and years for your following to grow. That’s why using your own voice and being authentic is so important because your personal brand needs to be consistent as well as posting consistently.
I find that it becomes a habit – posting on IG stories, thinking about the next video you want to make, organizing your day so that you can create some sort of content. I love doing it so having my life revolve around creating content is key for me and my friends, family and fiancé all know that so they all go along with it.