Converting my existing social media accounts into cause driven ones?
October 10, 2024 1:38 PM Subscribe
Hello. I find I have a very important message to get out to the world that is highly time sensitive and am unsure if I ought to start brand new accounts for this purpose or just convert my existing personal accounts into these more professional, purpose driven ones.
As far as choosing the route of converting my existing social media accounts into this more professional and purpose driven one, I am assuming that this is the best option since I already have a base of people who are following me to start with.
My main concern would be that people who I know might think that I am using them for my cause and then not only unfollow me but also speak ill of my accounts because of it.
On the other hand, I've seen this person Randy on Instagram go from being "just Randy a regular guy with an account" to "Randy Music", kind of announcing (he didn't make a formal announcement as far as the posts I've seen) to the world that you are now no longer just a "regular person" account but instead are someone who is more specifically cause driven; like telling all your friends one day that you are now deciding to go from being a normal citizen to being a superhero.
If I am to start new accounts, my strategy would be to message as many like-minded accounts that have a lot of followers and ask them to collaborate on posts with me or simply share my posts. Is this is a good strategy if I chose this route?
Anyway, ultimately, my goal is to get as many people to see the message I find is incredibly important to see as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your help.
As far as choosing the route of converting my existing social media accounts into this more professional and purpose driven one, I am assuming that this is the best option since I already have a base of people who are following me to start with.
My main concern would be that people who I know might think that I am using them for my cause and then not only unfollow me but also speak ill of my accounts because of it.
On the other hand, I've seen this person Randy on Instagram go from being "just Randy a regular guy with an account" to "Randy Music", kind of announcing (he didn't make a formal announcement as far as the posts I've seen) to the world that you are now no longer just a "regular person" account but instead are someone who is more specifically cause driven; like telling all your friends one day that you are now deciding to go from being a normal citizen to being a superhero.
If I am to start new accounts, my strategy would be to message as many like-minded accounts that have a lot of followers and ask them to collaborate on posts with me or simply share my posts. Is this is a good strategy if I chose this route?
Anyway, ultimately, my goal is to get as many people to see the message I find is incredibly important to see as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your help.
The one thing that immediately jumps out to me in your example is that the vast majority of people like music and so Randy isn't going to offend as many people with his new persona as he might if his new name was "Randy Loves Witches". That's a message I can get behind but obviously we live in a world where not everyone feels the same as me boo.
I can't tell if Randy is trying to enlighten or inform people about his Music. Some people just don't like it when you "spread the message" to them. It can feel like spreading the gospel. I'm one of those people sometimes. I don't really believe in the power of proselytizing. But plenty of folks feel it is absolutely crucial to spread the gospel despite these reactions from people so I guess you have to just ask yourself how important it is for you to spread your message and how important your online relationships are to you.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if your message is one that you can stand behind and you think it's crucial to spread it to others then who cares about the people who might unfollow you?
To be fair I don't use any social media so wtf do I know but my IRL experiences have taught me that you can't please everyone even if you don't share. Follow your heart and tell your story however is easiest for you.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 2:52 PM on October 10 [1 favorite]
I can't tell if Randy is trying to enlighten or inform people about his Music. Some people just don't like it when you "spread the message" to them. It can feel like spreading the gospel. I'm one of those people sometimes. I don't really believe in the power of proselytizing. But plenty of folks feel it is absolutely crucial to spread the gospel despite these reactions from people so I guess you have to just ask yourself how important it is for you to spread your message and how important your online relationships are to you.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that if your message is one that you can stand behind and you think it's crucial to spread it to others then who cares about the people who might unfollow you?
To be fair I don't use any social media so wtf do I know but my IRL experiences have taught me that you can't please everyone even if you don't share. Follow your heart and tell your story however is easiest for you.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 2:52 PM on October 10 [1 favorite]
Sacrificing your personal accounts seems like you would be destroying something valuable. Presumably you will continue to have a life outside your new message.
I would split the difference and create new accounts but use my existing ones to push my existing followers onto them. Not ideal, but I think better than repackaging your personal life for a cause.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:19 PM on October 10 [7 favorites]
I would split the difference and create new accounts but use my existing ones to push my existing followers onto them. Not ideal, but I think better than repackaging your personal life for a cause.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:19 PM on October 10 [7 favorites]
If your situation is pretty stable and self-sufficient and you have friends to spare, you could maybe risk losing a few friends or followers if you just start talking about your cause on your usual channels and see where it goes.
On the other hand, if your situation is at all precarious, or you depend financially on people who may not agree, or if your posts could cost you your job, housing, income, support, safety, etc, then maybe tread more carefully and do it with burner accounts!
To grow your Insta reach, here are some good strategies:
Post several times a week
Post stories several times a week
Use the carousel feature on grid posts - meaning, post 2-3 photos in the same post so the user can scroll through them. The Insta algorithm will show those posts to people multiple times, once for each photo, which will boost your account.
Click the options to allow your posts and stories to be shared
Click the option to allow your posts to be discovered on the "for you" page
Use relevant hashtags
Make sure your bio is clear about what you're posting, with useful keywords
Final thought - there is a level of urgency and anxiety in your post that makes me want to know more about your mental health... It's kind of unusual to (1) suddenly have a big important idea that you (2) urgently (3) need to spread (4) to the world and (5) you worry your peers might not approve of it. Some of these thoughts and feelings show some overlap with symptoms of grandiosity and paranoia. I have one friend who sometimes has this kind of sudden grand purpose when she's experiencing mania. I don't know you at all, so this isn't a diagnosis or judgement.
But I strongly encourage you to run your idea past some sensible pals who know you well in real life, and tell them a bit about what led to the idea. From them, you'll likely get some better perspective than you'll get from strangers on the internet! And if you find yourself reluctant to tell friends, but you sill want to tell the whole world... well that's significant information to ponder.
Wishing you well!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 3:36 PM on October 10 [26 favorites]
On the other hand, if your situation is at all precarious, or you depend financially on people who may not agree, or if your posts could cost you your job, housing, income, support, safety, etc, then maybe tread more carefully and do it with burner accounts!
To grow your Insta reach, here are some good strategies:
Post several times a week
Post stories several times a week
Use the carousel feature on grid posts - meaning, post 2-3 photos in the same post so the user can scroll through them. The Insta algorithm will show those posts to people multiple times, once for each photo, which will boost your account.
Click the options to allow your posts and stories to be shared
Click the option to allow your posts to be discovered on the "for you" page
Use relevant hashtags
Make sure your bio is clear about what you're posting, with useful keywords
Final thought - there is a level of urgency and anxiety in your post that makes me want to know more about your mental health... It's kind of unusual to (1) suddenly have a big important idea that you (2) urgently (3) need to spread (4) to the world and (5) you worry your peers might not approve of it. Some of these thoughts and feelings show some overlap with symptoms of grandiosity and paranoia. I have one friend who sometimes has this kind of sudden grand purpose when she's experiencing mania. I don't know you at all, so this isn't a diagnosis or judgement.
But I strongly encourage you to run your idea past some sensible pals who know you well in real life, and tell them a bit about what led to the idea. From them, you'll likely get some better perspective than you'll get from strangers on the internet! And if you find yourself reluctant to tell friends, but you sill want to tell the whole world... well that's significant information to ponder.
Wishing you well!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 3:36 PM on October 10 [26 favorites]
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All that said, IF this message you are getting out is highly sticky and important - like you have discovered hidden sex tapes of a well known person, or are sharing a way to convert straw into gold, you could grow your audience quickly. And that's only maybe, depending on how the message interacts with your social platforms.
But since you mentioned like-minded accounts, I have to think you are stepping into an existing conversation, and any new accounts are going to take some time to grow.
If this message is going to be shared for a good while, then you could do both concurrently - build new accounts while using your larger, personal one right now.
posted by RajahKing at 2:37 PM on October 10 [2 favorites]