Not that long ago… in the good ol’ days… social media was exactly what it said on the tin.
You followed people you liked, admired, wanted to see more of, and in return, their content would show up regularly in your feed.
The rules were simple.
But that’s no longer the world we’re marketing in. And if you want to keep up, you need to shift the way you think about social media.
Today, platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and even LinkedIn are actively moving away from being about who you follow to being far more focused on what you’re interested in. Or, to use a phrase popularised by Gary Vaynerchuk – we’ve moved from social media to interest media.
And while it might take some getting used to if you haven’t adapted the way you show up online, there is a silver lining.
For small brands, this shift is a MASSIVE opportunity… read on to find out why.
You’re not competing with followers anymore
Here’s the biggest change that can revolutionise how you market in today’s online world: your content is no longer only shown to your followers.
“And that’s good news, Piece of Cake!?” You may cry at us.
But rest assured, it absolutely is – especially if you’re an account with a smaller following.
Because platforms are now using behaviour signals, like what people watch, like, comment on, and search for, to decide what appears in their feed. Which means someone who has never heard of you can still see your content… if it matches their interests.
In fact, platforms like TikTok actively prioritise this with their famous (and now widely replicated in varying degrees across other social channels), For You Page. TikTok’s main For You feed is literally built around user interactions and content relevance, not follower count.
And what does that mean for a smaller account?
Well, someone with 200 followers can now create content that outperforms someone with 20,000.
Yes, that’s right. Let it sink in.
Understanding the shift: “You are the algorithm”
One of the simplest (and most useful) ways to understand this shift comes from the guru of social media, Gary Vee himself, who regularly shares that, “You are the algorithm.”
What this means in real terms is that platforms are now simply reflecting back at people what they actually want to watch – based on what they like, share, and engage with on their social channels.
If they spend more time watching and engaging with niche posts around a positive mindset, for example, more of this will show up in their feed. Conversely, the same holds true for more negative aspects of content.
Ultimately, it’s no longer about what brands want to post, what looks polished, or what ticks a corporate box, but purely what holds attention.
Which is a big mindset shift for marketing teams, because success now doesn’t come from posting more, but posting better.
What this means for small marketing teams
If you’re a small brand or marketing team, this is good news.
Because you don’t need a huge audience to get results anymore, you just need:
- The right idea
- The right framing
- And the right signals to help platforms understand your content
Things like captions, keywords, hashtags and even the first few seconds of your video all help platforms decide who should see your content.
And it’s crucial to capture their attention in the first 2 seconds if you want them to send the right signals to the algorithm.
So consider a shift from asking, “Will our followers like this?” to “Would someone searching for this stop scrolling?”
How to create interest media-based content
The way you plan campaigns will need to change, so use the following 3 steps as a guide.
- Think search-first, not follower-first
Social platforms have been shifting towards becoming search engines for a while now.
People (driven by Gen Z – but the rest of us are catching up!) are now using social media to actively look for:
- ‘How to…’ answers
- Quick tips
- Entertainment that matches their interests
- Relatable, real-life moments
And the algorithm is always listening.
This is where you, as a small brand, can punch above your weight.
If your content aligns with what someone is already interested in and uses relevant SEO keywords across captions, on-screen text, and sound to tell the algorithm exactly what it’s about and who it should be shown to, it can be surfaced – regardless of your following.
Just ensure you have a strong hook to keep your audience watching, and a compelling Call to Action (CTA) if you want them to do something as a result.
- Educate or entertain (ideally both)
In today’s light-speed world, attention most certainly is no longer a given; it has to be earned. And it can be tough with so much competition.
We regularly bang the drum that content that works tends to do one (or both) of these:
- Educates: By teaching something useful, answering a question, or solving a problem
- Entertains: By making someone laugh, telling a story, or is relatable.
Because the goal is no longer really about reach, but about capturing someone’s already-shortened attention span.
Consider how your content can stand out from the crowd – what you can do to approach the topic in a different, more interesting way.
- Stop thinking like a brand (just for a second, trust us)
We still see A LOT of businesses who want to create content like this:
- “Here’s our service”
- “Here’s what we do”
- “Here’s why we’re great”
But unfortunately, interest media just doesn’t reward that. No one is opening TikTok thinking,
I hope I see a local marketing agency post today.
Instead, they’re thinking:
- “I want to learn something”
- “I want to be entertained”
- “I want to scroll something interesting”
So, flip your approach on its head and ask the better question instead: what does your audience actually want to watch – even if they don’t know you yet?
Before you hit publish on your next post, consider: What would someone search to find this? Why would they stop scrolling? Does this educate, entertain, or both?
And most importantly of all: Would I watch this if it wasn’t mine? Because if the answer is not really… it probably needs to be reworked.
The opportunity is now endless
Shifting from social media to interest media absolutely levels the playing field.
It means that small brands can go viral, niche content can find the right audience, and creativity can finally beat budget.
And perhaps most importantly, it rewards marketers who really understand people, rather than those who simply know how to game the platforms.
If you can tap into what your audience genuinely cares about, you no longer need a big following to make a big impact.
All you need is to be worth watching – so how are you going to make that happen?
If you need support with the shift to interest-based media, Piece of Cake Marketing can help! Get in touch with us here to find out more and chat through your options.