Social Media Management

I just read a crisis PR plan that someone paid $12,000 for. Journalists got 14 mentions. Reddit got zero. This plan was written in 2025, not 2015. Most are still museum pieces. They go deep on traditional media (which is still important) but miss the platforms where your reputation can be shredded much faster. Here's what I would've added to this strategy (ecommerce, founder-led brand big on socials): 1. LLM audit → Does your brand show up in ChatGPT responses? Citations? What's the framing like? You need a pre-crisis benchmark so you can track recovery. 2. Reddit watch list → Map your brand and category subreddits. Save them in the plan. Reddit conversations move fast and can amplify quickly - you can't afford to discover this during a crisis. 3. TikTok strategy → If your plan just says "monitor socials" it's useless. Who's watching your TikTok? Who drafts DM responses? Does your official statement go up as a video or text post? These aren't nice-to-haves anymore. 4. Influencer protocol → If you work with creators regularly, they belong in your stakeholder matrix. I've seen too many founders scramble when their usual influencer partners suddenly go quiet during a PR storm. The media landscape has REALLY shifted. Your crisis planning needs to catch up.

We now live under the influence of the Tyranny of the Minority. A small fraction of online actors now exerts outsized influence over what the public sees, believes, and argues about. In a new short review paper, we trace how social media influencers can turn fringe claims into viral narratives—often by exploiting a feedback loop between influencers, algorithms, and crowds. As such, the modern information environment enables a tyranny of the minority: extreme and coordinated voices dominate attention, distort perceived social norms, and create a “funhouse mirror” version of public opinion that makes fringe positions look common and conflict look inevitable. We synthesize emerging evidence that a tiny number of highly active users drives a disproportionate share of misinformation and toxicity, and explain how platform incentives reward moralized, identity-salient, and emotionally charged content. We conclude by outlining pragmatic responses—individual, institutional, and policy-level—and by highlighting how generative AI could either accelerate bespoke realities or help rebuild shared understanding, depending on how these systems are designed and governed. https://lnkd.in/e2sH3pij We (Raunak Pillai, Steve Rathje and I) reviewed Renee DiResta's fantastic book "INVISIBLE RULERS" and connected it to the research we have been doing on this topic for the past decade.

If you are a brand or creator planning to grow your own community, save this post for your next brand strategy session – Follower counts are overrated. What truly matters for your brand is a community that talks back. In the last 5+ years of building my personal brand along with Like Mind Tribe, I’ve learned this the hard (and beautiful) way. We often chase vanity metrics, namely likes, views, followers. But the brands that actually grow focus on: + trust + conversations + creating spaces that people want to return to My top 3 learnings about community building that most people ignore are👇 1/ Stop broadcasting. Start involving. Don’t just talk to your audience, co-create with them. Ask for their input. Let them choose the next product, workshop, or event theme. Your content should feel like a conversation, not a monologue. 2/ Trust builds in silence. Show up even when it’s quiet. The real connection begins when no one’s clapping. Be consistent with your presence. Show your progress, not just your polished wins. 3/ Give them a space beyond social media. DMs, Zoom rooms, meetups, or even a close friend's story list; These micro-interactions are where loyalty is built. If you want retention, give them a room where they feel seen. ———— I’ve met: → strangers who are now collaborators → community members who became accountability partners → even businesses that were born from casual coffee chats at our meetups That’s what happens when you value: Impact >>>>> Followers Whether you're building a brand or just starting out as a creator – Don’t just aim for attention. Create belonging. What’s the biggest challenge you face in building your community? Let’s tackle it together! #drishtiispeaks #community #branding #strategy #growth #socialmedia #content

ZARA reportedly analyzes more than 3 million social media images every day using AI to identify emerging trends and inform product decisions. While many brands are still relying on historical sales data, intuition, seasonal buys, and trend forecasts, Zara is ingesting millions of real-time signals directly from consumers. The company is effectively turning social media into a global focus group that never sleeps. This is not just about faster trend identification. It is about reducing guesswork, improving product-market fit, shortening development cycles, and allocating inventory with greater precision. The implication for the fashion industry is significant. The competitive advantage is no longer just design, sourcing, or distribution. Increasingly, it is the ability to capture, interpret, and act on consumer data faster than everyone else. The brands that win over the next decade may not be the ones with the best forecasts. They may be the ones with the best algorithms.

🚨You want a job? ❌You keep getting rejected over and over? Here’s the hard truth: 👇 ✅(1) Clarity Open your portfolio for one second. Can you immediately tell, with 100% certainty, what role you’re aiming for? Put yourself in the shoes of a recruiter who looks at hundreds of portfolios per day. For example, if you want to be hired as a Character Artist,⬇️ ➡️ ONLY post characters. ➡️NOTHING else. No props. No environments. No concept art. ✅(2) Presentation Imagine spending weeks, or even months, on a project, only to rush the renders in a single night.🤯 How much time do you spend on your renders? How many iterations before you land on something strong? 👉The answer is probably not enough. ➡️Sleep on it. ➡️Come back later. ➡️Get feedback. ➡️Study how your favorite artists render their work. ➡️What software do they use? ➡️ How do they frame and light their shots? 🚨The truth is: presentation can make a project look 100x better. 🔔 If you look closely, I added the same characters in both examples, but the twist is, in the first images, the renders were rapidly made and rushed. ✅(3) Background & Profile Picture ➡️If possible, give your portfolio a theme🎨 ➡️Something consistent. Something that catches attention. ❌ Not just random colors thrown together. ➡️The same goes for profile pictures: ➡️Use something professional or visually striking. ➡️Avoid random selfies, it looks unprofessional and can work against you. ✅(4) Less Is More You might be tempted to include every school or personal project. But often, that’s exactly what’s holding you back. ➡️Go through your portfolio and ask yourself: ❓If this was the ONLY piece in my portfolio, would I get hired? ➡️If the answer is no, cut it.  🚩Weak projects are like giant red flags. They pull attention away from your stronger work. ➡️Most artists need to remove 50–80% of what’s in their portfolio. ✅(5) Treat Your Portfolio Like a Job If your last project was posted 6–12 months ago⏳ your chances of getting hired are close to zero. ➡️Work on your craft like it’s a full-time job: ➡️Minimum of 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. ➡️Be willing to sacrifice. Many others already are, and they’re the ones taking the jobs. ➡️Post a major new project every 1–2 months. ➡️Share every step of your progress openly on LinkedIn. 🚨I can’t count how many times recruiters and lead artists reached out just because they saw how consistently I was producing. ✅(6) Connections, Connections, Connections The more people who see your work, the more opportunities you get. 👉Extreme example: ➡️Person A has 100,000 connections. ➡️Person B has 200 connections. ➡️They both post the exact same project. 🚨Person "A" has 500x more chances to get seen by a recruiter. So: send invitations. Comment. Talk to people. Do it daily. The snowball effect is real. 👉 That’s the difference between hoping and actually getting hired.

"When brands fund bombs or silence voices, they’re not neutral, they’re complicit." What’s happening in Gaza isn’t just a humanitarian crisis. It’s a mirror being held up to the global business world and the reflection isn’t pretty. While Gaza was under fire, Microsoft was deepening its partnership with the Israeli military. Leaked documents (The Guardian, Jan 2025) confirm millions in deals to provide cloud computing and AI to enhance battlefield operations. This isn’t “tech for good.” This is digital militarisation in real time. McDonald’s Israel gave free meals to Israeli soldiers, triggering global backlash. An exposé by Mondoweiss reveals that employees at Apple were silenced for expressing support for Palestine. Statements removed. Slack channels shut down. How can a brand built on “thinking different” censor its people when they stand for human rights? According to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, only 26% of 104 tech firms responded when asked about their human rights due diligence in occupied Palestine. The other 74%? Silent. And silence is not neutrality... it’s permission. #Gaza #Palestine #CorporateAccountability #TechEthics #Boycott #BusinessForJustice #Advertising #BrandResponsibility #FreePalestine

Stop Posting Just Room Photos on Socials! Here’s What Guests Actually Want to See. Be honest with yourself, how many times has your hotel’s socials posted a perfectly polished room photo with a caption like: "A cozy escape awaits. Book now. ✨" And how many times did that post actually drive engagement… or, better yet, a booking? The truth? Guests don’t book because of a bed and four walls. They book for the experience. Yet, so many hotels (and restaurants) flood their feeds with soulless, salesy photos that look just like every other property. If your social media feels more like an online catalog than a destination, you’re missing the point. And here’s the real game-changer: With AI improving at an insane pace, software will soon generate better images of our hotel rooms than we ever could anyway! Perfect lighting, flawless composition, AI will do it all. Just like the image in those post. So, what will actually make a difference? The stories and experiences we share. What Should You Post Instead? 📍 The Destination : Guests aren’t just staying at your hotel; they’re visiting your city. We’re focusing on highlighting local gems, hidden spots, and experiences they won’t find on TripAdvisor. 👩🍳 Behind-the-Scenes Stories : Meet the chef behind your restaurant. Show how your cocktails are crafted. Introduce the team that makes the magic happen. People connect with people, not just places. 🎥 Guest-Generated Content : A guest’s TikTok or Instagram Story will always feel more authentic than a corporate post. That’s why we’re actively encouraging and sharing real experiences from real people. 🐶 Unique Experiences – Is your hotel pet-friendly? Show a guest’s dog getting VIP treatment. Do you have a rooftop with an insane sunset view? Capture it in the moment. We’re prioritising content that makes guests feel something. 😂 Relatable Moments – The WiFi struggle at check-in. The joy of room service at midnight. The feeling of slipping into a fresh hotel robe. We’re leaning into humour, nostalgia, and moments guests actually remember. The Bottom Line? Our guests don’t just want a room. They want a story to tell and a memory to take home. That’s exactly why our hotel group has shifted the focus of our social media strategy. Less staged perfection, more real experiences with the teams on the ground diving right in to get on board! AI will generate the polished images, but it won’t replace human connection. What’s the best-performing post you’ve seen from a hotel or restaurant? Drop a link, I’d love to check it out! 👇🏼

Netflix’s Adolescence just pulled back the curtain on something every parent, educator, and mentor needs to know—the hidden language of emojis. Online, young people are communicating in ways that most adults completely miss. What looks innocent could have a much darker meaning. Here are some of the codes being used: 🔴 Red Pill – “I see the truth.” Used in toxic male spaces to mean waking up to supposed hidden ‘truths’ about women and society, often linked to misogynistic ideologies. 🔵 Blue Pill – Represents those who are “blind to the truth” or still believe in mainstream views about relationships and gender dynamics. 💥 Dynamite Emoji – An “exploding red pill,” meaning someone is a radicalised incel. 🫘 Kidney Bean – A symbol linked to incel culture, sometimes mocking women. 💯 100 Emoji – Tied to the “80/20 rule,” the belief that 80% of women are only attracted to 20% of men. ❤️ 💜 💛 💗 🧡 Heart Colours – Not just about love! ❤️ = Love 💜 = Lust 💛 = “Are you interested?” 💗 = Interested but not in sex 🧡 = “You’ll be okay” So what should parents do? 1️⃣ Get Curious, Not Combative – Ask open-ended questions: “I saw something about emojis meaning different things. Have you heard of this?” Keep the conversation light. 2️⃣ Create a Judgment-Free Zone – If your child feels like they’ll be punished for opening up, they won’t. Make it clear you’re there to listen, not just lecture. 3️⃣ Decode Together – Ask them to explain their digital world. What do different symbols mean? Who are the influencers they follow? Don’t assume—ask. 4️⃣ Teach Critical Thinking – Help them question online content. “Why do you think some groups push this idea? Who benefits?” Arm them with questions, not just rules. 5️⃣ Monitor Without Spying – Open conversations work better than secret surveillance. Make checking in on their online spaces a normal part of parenting, not a crisis move. 6️⃣ Be Real About Manipulation – Explain how toxic online groups groom young people by making them feel special, included, or like they have ‘insider knowledge.’ 7️⃣ Build Their Offline Confidence – The more they feel valued and confident in the real world, the less they’ll seek validation in dangerous online spaces. At Manhood Academy Global, we don’t just talk about the dangers—we equip young people and parents to navigate them. 🔥 Start with You Made A Promise – A powerful call to action for parents with children in crisis, reminding them that raising a child is more than survival—it’s a promise that must be kept. 🔥 Then read 22+1 Laws of the Master Teacher – A must-read for anyone mentoring, teaching, or guiding young people. Learn the principles that shape powerful leaders and educators. 📖 Explore more: www.aisle23.etsy.com Because if we do not initiate the child into the village, he will burn it down just to feel the warmth.

Think Before You Share: The Hidden Cybersecurity Risks of Social Media 🚨🔐 In an era where data is the new currency, every post, check-in, or status update can serve as an intelligence goldmine for cybercriminals. What seems like harmless sharing—your vacation photos, workplace updates, or even a "fun fact" about your first pet—can be weaponized against you. 🔥 How Oversharing Exposes You to Cyber Threats 🔹 Geo-Tagging & Real-Time Location Leaks Sharing your location makes you an easy target. Cybercriminals use this data to track routines, monitor absences, or even launch physical security threats such as home burglaries. 🔹 Social Engineering & Credential Harvesting Those "what’s your mother’s maiden name?" or "which city were you born in?" quiz posts are a hacker’s playground. Attackers scrape these responses to guess password security questions or craft highly convincing phishing emails. 🔹 Metadata & Digital Fingerprinting Every photo you upload contains EXIF metadata (including GPS coordinates and device details). Attackers can extract this information, identify locations, and even map out behavior patterns for targeted cyberattacks. 🔹 OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) Reconnaissance Threat actors don’t need sophisticated hacking tools when your social media profile provides a full dossier on your life. They correlate job roles, connections, and public interactions to execute whaling attacks, corporate espionage, or deepfake impersonations. 🔹 Dark Web Data Correlation Your exposed social media details can be cross-referenced with breached databases. If your credentials have been compromised in past data leaks, attackers can launch credential stuffing attacks to hijack your accounts. 🔐 Cyber-Hygiene: Best Practices for Social Media Security ✅ Restrict Profile Visibility – Limit exposure by setting profiles to private and segmenting audiences for sensitive updates. ✅ Sanitize Metadata Before Uploading – Use tools to strip EXIF data from images before posting. ✅ Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Enforce adaptive authentication to prevent unauthorized account access. ✅ Zero-Trust Mindset – Assume any publicly shared data can be aggregated, exploited, or weaponized against you. ✅ Monitor for Breach Exposure – Regularly check if your credentials are compromised using breach notification services like Have I Been Pwned. 🔎 The Internet doesn’t forget. Every post contributes to your digital footprint—control it before someone else does. 💬 Have you ever reconsidered a social media post due to security concerns? Drop your thoughts below! 👇 #CyberSecurity #SocialMediaThreats #Infosec #PrivacyMatters #DataProtection #Phishing #CyberSecurity #ThreatIntelligence #ZeroTrust #CyberThreats #infosec #cybersecuritytips #cybersecurityawareness #informationsecurity #networking #networksecurity #cyberattacks #CyberRisk #CyberHygiene #CyberThreats #ITSecurity #InsiderThreats #informationtechnology #technicalsupport

My first communications hot take of 2025! 🔥 Traditional PR metrics are dead. Stop counting press releases. Stop tracking AVE. Stop chasing meaningless numbers that don't tell you anything or move the needle. These metrics are a relic of the past. If you're still using them, your strategy is falling behind. (And if your agency is serving up these metrics as proof of their impact, then it's time for a hard conversation.) 🤨 Here's what needs to go: ❌ "Number of press releases" is just vanity. Nope, press releases aren't a strategy—they're a tactic. Publishing isn't the same as reaching. ❌ "Volume of coverage" tells you nothing. A hundred mentions in low-tier outlets don’t compare to one strategic feature that influences decision-makers. ❌ AVE (Advertising Value Equivalency) is meaningless. This was never a meaningful metric. Did you spend that budget on ads? No? Then why measure it like one? It doesn’t capture influence or impact. ❌ "Total impressions" lacks context. Reaching the wrong audience 1M times = wasted effort. Context is important here. If it’s 1M impressions with your target audience that drives some meaningful outcomes—that’s your metric. ❌ "Social follower count" is shallow. Having 50K silent followers is cool and all, but give me 5K engaged people any day. Social is shifting from brand followers to people, making follower count even less relevant. . Here's what (I think) actually matters in 2025: ✴️ Narrative Share (think thought leadership, elevated) → Are you shaping how people think about key issues? → What percentage of relevant conversations include your POV? → Are you leading the narrative—or playing catch-up? ✴️ Share of Voice *Quality* (not just mentions) Focus on: → Authority & Impact: Topic leadership and decision-maker credibility → Message Effectiveness: Perception shifts and resonance → Business Value: Lead quality and customer story impact → Stakeholder Engagement: How key audiences interact and respond ✴️ Audience Journey → What happens *after* someone sees your message? → Do your efforts drive real behavior change? → How are stakeholders engaging, retaining messages, changing behavior, or taking action? ✴️ Community-Driven Influence (beyond basic engagement) → Are you building advocates or just awareness? → What's happening organically in your networks? → Is your community telling your story for you? 🤔 I'll be the first to admit that measuring these isn't "easy" or as simple as open rates. Measuring the metrics that actually matter in PR requires a *mix* of qualitative and quantitative approaches, and it means leaning into tools, methodologies, and frameworks that go beyond surface-level data. 🗣️ Bottom line (and something I've been saying for years): PR isn’t just about getting your name out there. It’s about influencing how people think, feel, and act—to drive business OUTCOMES. If your metrics don’t reflect that, it’s time to rethink them. 📈 What PR metrics are you focusing on in 2025?