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As a social agency there’s nothing worse than pouring your heart and soul into a piece of content for clients and it absolutely flopping. But that 5 minute meme you put together - well, of course, that was the one that went viral! 

There’s a tendency for clients to lean towards the negative when something doesn’t work and naturally we’ll feel deflated. In those moments, it’s important to remember it’s all trial and error and if something doesn’t work, there’s always learning to take away!

We wanted to share 3 posts that have surprised us, good and bad, and the learnings that are helping us (and you!) to enhance social content.

We recently tried a new style of content for a Library business, showcasing print outs of the different artwork ahead of the special editions launching. This was a different style of content for the brand, showing prints of Dust Jackets and Hard Covers. Our expectations weren’t very high as we weren’t sure how much this would resonate with the audience, but the post surprised us with a massive 50K views!

And why? Well, we pin it down to people loving a sneak peak prior to a launch, as well as that exclusive look behind the scenes into how something is created. So, something we thought might under-perform, has become a useful tip into how to capture our audience’s interest.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIMIwmdNytp/?igsh =eHNudzRqeXpiMHAw

After working with a client for a while, you start to get a feel for what content resonates best with the audience and what doesn't. But sometimes, a small tweak can really impact performance.

Posting for a jewellery brand, we created a video of an order being packaged, with a voiceover about a couple’s experience picking rings and what they offer. However, this didn’t drive as many likes as it did the previous time despite it being the same style.

This likely comes down to a slight change in messaging from what the audience really wants to see, both from the content and the pain points covered. We later did more research on TikTok and saw oval rings were in the top searches, so if the content featured an oval ring specifically it may have performed better. We’d also covered the sustainability of their rings in previous posts, showing that addressing a key concern for customers was just as important as the content format itself.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8E-oIXIxfh/?igsh=ZXZoZmw5a3czbG1p

When a collab post was no longer possible for our charity client, the brand agreed to re-share our feed post to their stories. And after expecting this to under-perform, the post got 4K views and roughly double their average likes.

As much as a collab was preferable, it served as a reminder that working with brands in other ways can still have a great impact on results! By the brand reposting the story, it gave the charity credibility and helped to reach a wider audience, and perhaps even felt slightly less ‘manufactured’ and more authentic.

www.instagram.com/reel/DI1PSSFI3Cz/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

These examples are a great reminder that content success isn’t always predictable and that’s okay. Whether a post exceeds expectations or falls flat, there’s always insight to be gained. By staying curious, analysing results and being open to testing new ideas, we can keep refining our approach and creating content that truly connects.

And if your 5 minute content goes viral, take the win!! 

3 Social Media Posts That Surprised Us- The Good And The Bad!

If your colleagues would rather paint their whole house with nail polish than show their face on camera, try any of these 10 content ideas 👇

Come to work with me (shot from a first-person perspective)

5 quick-fire tips from…(interview them over a cuppa and turn their answers into typographic assets)

The [name] edit (a curation of their favourite products from your range)

Berlin’s public transport system has them

Creative team challenges (latte art, pumpkin carving, pottery—the uglier the result, the better)

[Name] narrates (they do the voiceover for someone else’s video. 

Like this dad who narrated his daughter’s hair routine

Like the puppet idea? Here’s where you can get one made

Aesthetic quote templates for your typographic content

The Nutter Butter account is face-free and totally weird

In the pool with…Malika Favre from I Can’t Afford This But Maybe She Can

 is a French Artist and the co-curator of 

—“the long distance shopping list of a wannabe millionaire and a would-be millionaire.”

It started 3 years ago as a passion project with her close friend and fellow colour-lover, 

. Through daily posts, they open a dialogue about beauty in all shapes and forms, from everyday objects to fashion, architecture, interior design and anything in between.

How did the idea for ‘I Can’t Afford This But Maybe She Can’ come around?

The idea for the account came a decade ago when George and I were both living in London. It first started as a private joke turned public by George posting random things on Insta for me to buy. It literally was an account for an audience of one.

Years later, during the lockdown, we decided to revive it together and start curating objects we each coveted but couldn’t afford. It started growing, first slowly, then suddenly very rapidly and eventually became what it is today. Our aesthetic was somewhat niche and pretty different to other blogs out there at the time: a mix of graphic, bonkers and often colourful things.

Despite every marketing expert telling us that video and talking-to-camera is the only way to succeed on social, you’ve grown ‘I Can’t Afford This But Maybe She Can’ to 240K+ followers with just images—none of which feature either of you. Why do you think the content has landed so well?

Though we don’t create content as such, there is an element of art directing in the way we curate, which helped getting visual traction. We are both from the design world so we are very picky about what images we post and what feels pleasing to the eye, but other than that I think the strength of our content is the curation itself. Taste is a mystery and I feel that most people feel self conscious and shy about publicly embracing all the facets of their own taste. We definitely don’t, and I think it is that spontaneity and carefree approach to curating that has helped us grow. We don’t post content that can be found anywhere else and we don't put any limits to what we post, nor do we ask for each other’s approval before posting. Also, we are not a business and as such, we don’t have to push sales, to please anybody but ourselves or make concessions.

We post stuff we genuinely love and without asking for anything in exchange from makers and designers. Social platforms have become so commodified these days, so that kind of generosity is a rare occurrence and is what helped us build a great community of like minded people over time.

Would you ever do face-to-camera content on ‘I Can’t Afford This But Maybe She Can’?

We are not against it but this was never our strategy. First because we live in different countries but also because we don’t need to be the face of the content we post. At the end of the day, this account is not what we look like at all, it is about our eye and taste. We simply want to showcase other people doing great things and not getting the traffic they deserve.

That being said, there might come a point where we would show our faces but only if the content justifies it aka doing podcasts, interviews or studio visits for example…we just haven’t found the formula yet and are not in any hurry.

What are 3 of your top tips for content curation?

Be genuine and spontaneous, in tone and choices.

Be coherent but do not constrain yourself to your safe zone. It’s a mysterious balance.

newspaper idea from Paris boutique, Maison Guava

, is a great way to make company announcements (that could easily be faceless).

10 fun and faceless content ideas for camera-shy teams

The digital world is noisy and we’re all fighting for the same people to stop scrolling and pay attention! So, how do you make sure your image and video ads don’t get lost in the chaos?

First impressions matter, especially when your ad has about 1.7 seconds to grab attention. Whether it’s an image or a video, the key is bold, clear, and high-quality visuals that pop. Here’s how to do it:

: These stand out against busy social media feeds.

 don’t love text-heavy images. Keep it clean and to the point.

: We’re wired to connect with people. A smiling face or a dramatic expression works wonders.

: Even subtle motion (like animated text or a quick zoom) keeps viewers engaged.

For video ads, the first three seconds are everything. You need to make your audience pause and think, “Oh, what’s this?”

 – No long intros! Jump straight into something 

 – Something that sparks curiosity, like “What if you never had to meal prep again?”

 – Many people watch without sound, so make sure your message is clear even when muted.

People aren’t here to watch a feature film (unless you’re advertising one). The best-performing video ads are often under 15 seconds. For images, keep the message concise. Ask yourself: If someone only looks at this for two seconds, will they get the point? If not, simplify it!

Your audience should know exactly what you’re offering at a glance. Avoid vague messaging.

Instead of:  “Transform your skin today!”

Try: “Get glowing skin in 7 days – try our Vitamin C serum now!”

A strong call-to-action (CTA) is non-negotiable

Never assume people will just know what to do next. Tell them! Whether it’s “Shop Now” or “Sign Up Today” make it clear and compelling.

Even the best marketers don’t get it right the first time. A/B test different visuals, text, and formats to see what works best for your audience. What grabs attention? What gets clicks? Keep tweaking until you find the perfect combination for your audience.

Mastering image and video ads isn’t about throwing money at something and hoping for the best. It’s about understanding what makes people stop scrolling, pay attention, and take action.

person mastering image and video ads on a laptop and mobile phone

Mastering Image and Video Ads

Meta’s new rules mean that if your website falls into a “restricted” category then certain website actions are now off-limits for ad optimisation. Some actions which have been effected include: donations, lead generation, or purchases. A lot of charities fall under the “health and wellness” category, so they’ve been hit hard by this change.

Meta says it’s all about protecting user privacy but the lack of transparency around how sites are classified makes this extra tricky.

: Without conversion tracking, Meta’s algorithms can’t target your ideal supporters as accurately.

 Say goodbye to custom audiences based on website actions.

: Awareness campaigns are still fair game, as are any campaigns with conversion goals which take place on Metabut direct-response fundraising is taking the biggest hit.

There are a few things you can try to overcome these changes…

Think Meta made a mistake? Hit that appeal button and see if you can get your website reclassified. This does mean going around the houses with Meta Support, which we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy but you might get somewhere!

: Focus on campaigns that don’t rely on website conversions. Utilise Meta for prospecting and awareness and convert that interest elsewhere.

Keep all your conversion goals within Meta

: Eg. run a Meta Lead Gen form synced to your CRM, rather than directing people to the forms on your website.

Track clicks through Meta, not conversions

: Use Google Analytics to measure ad performance.

Some charities are launching separate domains for fundraising campaigns to sidestep restrictions. By directing your ad traffic to a domain which isn’t flagged as “health and wellness” you can sidestep the restrictions.

Meta isn’t the only channel in town! Check out:

 – Great for awareness and video focused campaigns.

 – Alternative platforms with unique targeting options.

 (like My Thank You) to turn appreciation into action.

Yes, these changes are a curveball but you’ve got this! Adapt, experiment, and stay ahead of the game. Meta isn’t the only player in town and with the right strategy, your charity can keep making an impact.

Meta’s new ad restrictions: What charities need to know

Some people just don’t want to make content. And, contrary to popular belief, social media managers don’t want to make those people feel uncomfortable for the sake of a post.

Content creation would be so much more efficient if SMMs knew who was happy to get involved and which type of content they’d be happy making.

This is our call to People & Ops teams to include questions like these in the onboarding process and 1:1s.

Are you comfortable being filmed or having your photograph taken?

To what degree? Are you okay being directly in front of the camera, or would you prefer being in the background?

How do you feel about speaking on camera?

Would you be okay with doing voiceover content?  [Show examples]

Our marketing team often shoots fun content like this [show examples]. Is this something you’d be happy to get involved in?

Have a look on our social channels. What type of content would you 

We also have a blog and newsletter—would you be interested in providing comments and insights for those?

For you, how much notice would you like to be given before being asked to contribute to content?

Sometimes we use our content for promotional purposes—would you be comfortable being featured in this?

The main thing to note here is that not all content is the same. Someone who hates speaking on camera might not mind if they’re in the background of a shot. Other people are happy to contribute their insights in an article, but they’re not going to dress up as an elf for a festive skit. Everyone has their reasons.

While team content can impact company culture for the better, forcing people to contribute to content when they don’t want to can have quite the opposite effect

. But by asking your team their preferences, you show that you respect their privacy and personal autonomy.


An easy form-builder to ask those questions

Perks don’t make a strong company culture

Alex* has worked in marketing for over 15 years. In their early career, they were employed by a company that made a lot of fun, team content. And while this was great, there were a couple of things Alex wished they did differently to make it a better experience for everyone.

Let’s start on a positive—what did you like about working in a company that got the whole team involved in making content?

Involving everyone in content creation can be great for team building! It encourages the exchange of ideas, and everyone can share their input to produce something fun and engaging. I always enjoyed this aspect, and in many ways it made me (and my teammates) feel more connected to the business and often more valued.


For you, what were some of the problems with that company’s approach to team content?

It’s one thing to help make content, but to be in it too is a whole other thing entirely. If you’re having a difficult day, feeling low in confidence or feeling a bit stressed with workload, the last thing you feel like is having a camera on you! So it can create frustration with people, and be off-putting. Another issue is that people like to feel like they are being authentic, and when asked to participate in content that doesn’t feel like you’re being yourself can be hard— even when it is part of your job!


I also think timing is key, and you have to read someone’s mood. If featuring in content is your core role, I get that you’d need to be available to do it on the company’s terms. But if it’s not, and you have other tasks and deadlines to worry about, it’s easier when you have the time (and energy) to participate!


How do you think your employer could have approached team content better?

Better forward planning! Requests to feature in content often came up at the very last minute, meaning dropping other tasks already on deadline and putting additional pressure on the team. This could have been avoided if it was planned in advance so that the team could plan around it.


I think it’d also have been better if people felt they could say “no thanks I’d rather not” more easily and without fear of this being held against them. Not everyone feels comfortable being featured in a photo or video.


What advice would you give to businesses and social teams looking to create content with their wider team?

When it comes to asking your team to feature in content, be clear about where/when/how the content will be used so that you can ensure the person is comfortable with it.


Forward plan as much as you can! It means people know what to expect, and can plan it around their workload. If you’re able, also give them a brief—e.g. This is what we are creating and why, this is what you’ll be asked to do. Plus relevant details like what to wear, because people could be worrying about such things. Additional detail will put their mind at ease!


And finally, don’t force it! Unless someone has taken a role that specifically requires featuring in content, people should have the ability to say no without any consequences. From personal or cultural reasons, to just personal preference, there could be many things that mean they don’t want to. It’s best not to force them into it even if you think it’s great for them or the business.

this idea from Dr Bronner that lists some of their employee benefits

. We love that it shows the real people bringing this product to life.

Employee content: What to ask your team and new hires

10 years ago, the role of a social media manager looked very different. It was a “behind the scenes” role, where now, social media managers are presenting on camera.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when this shift happened. But the meteoric rise of TikTok certainly had its part to play (

their user base grew 58% between 2019 and 2020

). Brands went all-in on video and SMMs became the unofficial faces of the brands that hired them.

So what happens to your brand’s social presence when that familiar face hands in their 4-week notice? Will people unfollow your account? Will it damage your brand if they become the face of another brand?

There are a couple of ways to approach it.

Mob is an online recipe platform. Earlier this year, one of their legacy content creators left the business to do his own thing.

But instead of hiding in the kitchen and drowning his sorrows in a big bowl of 

a beautiful post about Toby’s contribution to the brand

This not only let Mob’s community know why they wouldn’t be seeing Toby in future content, it was a picture-perfect example of a positive and uplifting company culture.

Especially if a social media manager or content creator has been the face of your brand for a long time, people will trust them. And so, it could be a good idea for them to introduce the next person who will be taking over their role. A couple of fun videos featuring the existing SMM and new SMM could make the transition a lot smoother.

Brands that feature many faces on their social channels prepare for the inevitable. When someone on their content team leaves, it isn’t such a drastic change.

 does a great job of this. You’ll see content 

. Their community is so used to seeing different faces pop up in Half Magic’s content, that only the super fans would clock a new SMM.

It’s very unlikely these days for someone to stay at one company for their entire career. And so, brands should be prepared for the face of their social accounts to change. It can be a lot of pressure to expect one person to represent a company that isn’t theirs—but if there’s a strategy in place for their eventual departure, your SMM will have a better experience with your business while they’re there (which might make them stick around for just a little longer).

Social media managers became the fashion frontline

Ryanair’s SMM resigned over toxic work culture

We love with Agustina is doing at Death to Stock

A best-in-class example of a founder who’s the face of their brand

In the pool with…Lottie Legget from Swyft

, looking after all things marketing with a background in digital marketing. She’s based just outside Portsmouth, but Swyft is fully remote with the team based all over the UK and a few overseas too.

What’s Swyft’s approach to featuring team members in social content?

There are a few reasons why we use our team members across social and ads. The most important being that at Swyft we have some of the most passionate team members I’ve ever worked with. Our team genuinely loves our brand and knows our products inside out.

Another reason we do this is that we want to show real relatable people. Our mission is to make sofa buying easy for everyone. Yes, we sell beautiful aspirational sofas with a big focus on style but we’re also solving a real issue when it comes to getting sofas into our homes. Therefore we don’t want to feel out of reach for people. Sometimes using glamorous models for everything can make products feel out of reach for everyday people and we feel using relatable down to earth team members in ads helps with this. As does talking to camera or doing voice overs as they make content feel more genuine.


Have you ever had a face of the Swyft brand leave? How did it impact your content?

We try not to have one face of the brand for exactly this reason. We invite different team members to each shoot to try and get a variety of faces out there and make sure we’re not relying on one person too much.

That being said, we also follow performance and have had one team member perform best, particularly when it comes to talking to camera, so it is tricky. We still tend to primarily use Erin when it comes to voiceovers/talking to camera but we try to make sure other content, where we don’t need a voice, features a variety of team members.

What advice would you give to brands that are thinking about featuring their team on social?

Make sure your team is comfortable doing this. It isn’t for everyone and it really shows when someone has been pushed into it.

Try not to rely on one face if you can. It puts pressure on them and can harm your brand if they leave.

Unfortunately the internet isn’t always the nicest place. So another one for me is to support your team if they’re getting negative comments on social comments. You do have to have thick skin sometimes when featuring in social content as some people weren’t taught that if you have nothing nice to say then don’t say anything at all. For us, this has resulted in some team members who were featured in ads deciding they no longer wanted to be. You have to be ok with that, it’s not ok to push someone into that situation just because they perform well for your brand.

Which piece of content did you and the team have the most fun making?

Personally for me this would be our model 06 launch shoot. This is our big squishy fully modular sofa and so the content showed us building the sofa and changing the configurations. This meant lots of pillow fights, jumping on the sofas and generally having a lot of fun. I also loved when we turned the sofa into a big square configuration and snuggled down to watch a film. It’s a hard life on shoot sometimes haha!

Sadly the fabric this was filmed in has now been discontinued so the content has been archived. Hopefully that means another shoot just like this in the near future as it performed really well.


Ask your team to sign a printed version of their team headshot and film their reactions. 

This version from the Los Angeles Chargers is hilarious

What the team wore to our social media agency

What do you do when the face of your brand leaves?

 found that nearly half of a company’s reputation and market value are attributable to the CEO’s reputation.


 say CEOs who have social profiles are better representatives for their companies than those who don’t.


 prefer working for a CEO who uses social media.


Undeniably, it’s beneficial for CEOs to be active on social, but what are some benefits of them creating 

People like people with a sense of humour

While “CEO” is a serious role, the person behind it doesn’t have to be serious all the time. Take Luxury Realtor, Mike Hege from 

Earlier this year, he posted a video captioned “

I asked my Gen Z employee to edit a video for me and she sent this back to me

That short video—a compilation of Mike’s “millennial pauses” and mid-sentence breathing—got 50 million views and 5 million likes in 

 followed shortly after—exposure any business would dream of!

And all of this came from a social media manager with a great idea and a CEO who wasn’t afraid to be the butt of the joke.

You can show the fun, human side of your business

If someone wants the inside scoop of a business, who better than the CEO to let them in?

 are experts on this type of content. Best friends, Leah and Yasaman, left their jobs to start a snack company and launch their “Hot Girl Pickles”. Here’s some of their content we think is super fun:

Instagram followers if any of them were in a pickle, and offered advice

reaction to a storm washing away their entire cucumber supply

deep-dive on their beloved illustrated characters—GiGi and Pick

We love that Leah and Yasaman are building in public and letting their best-friends-to-co-founders dynamic shine.

How Mike followed on from his viral “gen z edit” success

Wait, CEOs pay this musician to make fun of them?

How to get your CEO on a podcast (so they can show their personality)

Do people care more about the Founder than the brand?

In the pool with…Olivia Morris from Caroline Hirons

Olivia is a Social Media Manager who specialises in the beauty industry living in London. She previously worked with one of the biggest beauty retailers in the UK and now does incredible work for 

From your experience, how important is it for a CEO to have a personal brand?

In my experience, people crave human connection and want an authentic voice. We’ve seen many examples of companies that use their staff as the face of the brand and how well their community engages with it. It comes down to the passion a CEO has for the brand they’ve built, it radiates through the camera whether they have a personality that belongs in front of the camera or not.

Caroline’s voice and authority in the skin care industry are among the many reasons we can vouch for Skin Rocks. Her straight-talking tone, combined with the warmth of her personality, makes every discussion conversational. A very common comment from Caroline’s community is that they say, “It’s like talking to a friend” when listening to her. Caroline already had a community to speak to which made our job a little easier!


We wanted to have a new way to speak to, communicate, engage and educate Caroline’s community. As I mentioned, Caroline already had a very engaged audience, affectionately called “The Freaks” (self-titled). They already knew her personality, but this allowed them to see Caroline in a new avenue. Interacting with someone else, there is a bit of back-and-forth, Caroline is so quick on her feet, so it’s entertaining for both of us, and it’s a really fun way to give information.

Caroline loves a brew and her followers know that. Also, the pop culture reference to “tea” to spill the tea influenced the name. Everything Caroline tells us in Tea with C isn’t brand new information, her approach is refreshing and it can come across as she’s giving “insider info”.


Which piece of content did you have the most fun making?

 when we asked Caroline’s community to comment on what they’d ask Caroline if they got to do Tea with C. When we came up with the idea, both C and I had a glistening in our eyes because we knew what would happen in the community. The comments were so entertaining to read.


What’s your process for collaborating on ideas with Caroline?

Caroline is easily accessible. I only sit a few desks away from C in the office so it’s as easy as walking over to her or in our case just shouting at one another. Otherwise, we’re always on WhatsApp sending one another ideas and trends and planning to film when we’re next together.


What advice would you give to social teams with CEOs who are reluctant to go in front of the camera?

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