For anyone who is any tiny bit of serious about their social media, be it for a blog, for work, for interest’s sake, you will have undoubtedly heard about having a theme for your social media. Does every single one of your Instagram pictures feature the same filter, with the same colours, with the same subject? Well, you don’t have a theme, and if you want to be any sort of successful, you need a theme. Do all of your pins have one of three to four layouts within a specific image size, with a set number of keywords in your description? You don’t have a theme, either. Good luck getting any traffic… or so that is what we are told.
I suppose it all starts at what you want to get out of your social media, but I would guess most of us more or less want the same thing- more traffic. If you are in any large scale blogging groups or have read blogging posts pinned on Pinterest, you will have read a thousand times and more that you have to have a brand across all social media and that someone should be able to look at any one of your accounts and instantly recognise you (and your brand). Which is all well and good, until you slowly realise that there tens and tens of thousands of lifestyle blogger who use overexposed, light pink images across all of their social media that looks identical even though they are different people with different blogs. And when you look at one of these Instagram or Pinterest accounts, you start to question if they even all get their images from the same place and just reuse them throughout their feed.
As human beings, we aren’t one specific thing. You aren’t always freshly cut peonies, you aren’t always an artful latte with a handwritten message from the barista, and you aren’t always an $8,000 luxury handbag resting just so in the crook of your arm. You are hopefully a complex individual with diverse and varied interests in any number of topics, areas, hobbies, and passions that can’t be summed up into a single colour scheme and a subject. Maybe I’m wrong on that one and I’m bizarrely spread across far too many interests, but I don’t think I’m too unique in this. I actually prefer to follow people’s social media when it looks like they are real person and not just a curated pile of photos.
My theme-less Instagram account!
On Pinterest, I have a specific layout I use for my pins. That is less for my Pinterest and more for the fact that I like consistency on my blog, and that image is the first in every blog post. I have seen raging debates on whether or not you should delete every pin on your Pinterest- yours or someone else’s- that doesn’t fit a specific size and layout. Again, it may just be me but if every pin on Pinterest looked identical, it would be fairly boring for all of us, and would defeat the purpose- why search amongst a sea of the same? And if you feel compelled to delete every underperforming or “less than perfect” pin on your account, remember that we all aspects and parts of ourselves that might not be what we want them to be but they are still a valid and wonderful part of us.
A typical Pin for one of my posts- straightforward, and easy to figure out!
In regards to blogging specifically, I like to follow bloggers that appear to be real people! I would rather see a plain ol’ iPhone photo where your hair is perhaps a little messy but you are genuinely having a wonderful time with your friends even though you can’t get the picture “quite right”. If I wanted to follow a perfectly curated account, I would just follow a clothing company or a magazine. If you want people to follow your personal brand, you have to be a person. That seems to be the part that is missing is the person.
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So, my questions to you are: am I way off base? Do you prefer to see themed or varied social media accounts? Do you unfollow people if they stray from a theme? Have you found more success on your accounts with a theme or without? Do you want to follow bloggers who might not be perfect but seem like someone you could find in your life, or would you rather follow an icon/idol that you aspire to emulate?
Until tomorrow,
The Historian!
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this was very interesting comments and something I have never thought about before, very cool insight!
I am obsessed with this topic – ha. It honestly baffles me that a strictly-themed Instagram account is encouraged and has a higher success rate than non-themed accounts. When the same filter is applied to every image, or every flatlay is just a book (book blogger here) with maybe two other items, I find it too repetitive because after looking at nine or eighteen images they all blur together. If it’s a more grid-oriented theme – flatlays thrown in with colorful imagery, closeups, video, etc. – then I find it much more appealing because the images have more depth, and look to have more meaning to the poster. I experimented with this in April on my blog’s Instagram account by planning out all 30 days, and while it was exhausting, I do like how it looks. As far as how successful that is in getting someone to click “follow,” I’m not sure. I usually notice an uptick in followers if I’ve been engaging (commenting and following) with other accounts.
Consistent profile pictures [and when applicable, header images] are something I appreciate – that’s really the only thing I look for across all social media sites. I’ve been getting better at tweeting more bookish thoughts and random ideas on my blog’s Twitter, rather than just posting blog posts or links. I like bloggers [and authors, writers] to revel in their humanity, so I should too. And I don’t use Pinterest personally or for my blog, but deleting pins just because they don’t fit a layout?! I think proponents of that ideology need to reevaluate why they’re on Pinterest in the first place…
Of course, we all have our own motivations for blogging and participating in social media – luckily there’s something for just about everyone out there. (is that a neutral-enough conclusion?) 😛
I follow people because I like what they have to say. I prefer blogs that have real life, self taken photos. I want to see the real person behind the writing. I do understand having a little more professional look if you are selling something or promoting a product, but that is rarely of any interest to me.
I like people to be real and multifaceted. I don’t follow anyone who just talks about one topic, like “organization,” even if they’re brill at it. I want the dirt. I want to know it’s not a cardboard cut out on the other side of the computer world.
That said, I know many people have found substantial readership with themed blogs, especially photography ones.
A themed blog does make sense to me, because it’s very possible that you may only want to write/shoot in one niche area. What I don’t understand are the accompanying social media accounts! An Instagram account for a book blog sharing only books? Makes sense! That same account only sharing flatlays of blue toned books with a coffee cup? Repetitive and boring!
ROFL
I think there is room in the world for both, I guess like you say it really comes down to the followers you want. I’ve no doubt those with a beautifully themed grid we do very well and benefit from it, but like you I also like blogs and feeds that show someone’s personality, and we can’t be the only ones. I couldn’t theme my feed if I wanted to – I am a fickle, colourful person who changes her style with her mood and my feed is exactly that. I know I probably should put more thought into my social media if I want to grow my blog, but I kinda like that currently it’s, well, social!
That’s what surprises me- there is no advice out there saying, “make sure your social media reflects YOU, theme or no”, it is only “theme, theme, theme”. I also change my mind far too often to carry any sort of theme for more than about 2 days haha- my biggest question is- what if you’ve decided blue skied- landscapes is your theme and then it’s gloomy and rainy for a week? The theme is gone anyways! I suppose my theme is “things I see” haha!
Ha ha, I’ve definitely got a bit of a dogs/gin/dresses theme going on, but it’s not intentional ?
I have no theme and personally I don’t think they’re necessary. It feels like they alienate you as a person and mask reality!
Interesting debate. I’ve read and bowed down to the wisdom of a single identity, a brand, turning yourself into a commodity in this age which elevates image over content. If you blog to sell yourself it probably does make sense to create a more attractive, cooler, more easily relatable self. Only when I read this, I knew I wouldn’t manage it. I also get bored pretty quickly with hard sell on blogs. Could it be that social media will eventually undermine the gloss and make us more discerning about what we see.
Exactly what I feel! It’s become like an untold tradition or more like a trend that many bloggers seem to have caught up on. And yes, even I’m one of few people who’d rather follow a genuine account than have a number of patterned posts appearing in my feeds. Loved your post, thanks!