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

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.

1. An unexpected 50K views

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

2. The same format, different results

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

3.  Boosting views with brand stories

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!!