These days it seems as though we all have that one friend that’s writing content for their blog, or trying their hand at becoming an Instagram influencer, or working their way through dance challenges on TikTok. Maybe you know someone who is doing all three of these things.
Hi, hello it me. *waves*
While some might do those things for fun, it’s very likely that your friend wants to grow and harness a career from their social media. After all, it’s not an unheard of career choice in this day and age. If you want to help them get there, let me be the first to tell you – it’s easier than you think to support your friend’s social media saga. Chances are you’re probably already doing most of these things anyway.
Here’s how you can support your friend on their content creating journey:
- Like and comment on their photos. Throw your favorite Instagram influencer friend some love with a double-tap on their post (extra points for comments). Give that TikTok dance video a like. I guarantee they worked hard to nail the choreo. Pin their pins and like their Facebook statuses if they’re relevant to you. Give your friend’s content some virtual love while you mindlessly scroll.
- Share their blog posts with your friends. If your content creating friend is a blogger and they write a post that resonates with you – share it. Why not? It’s literally two clicks of a button to share your friend’s work on your Facebook timeline. You’ll be sharing something that’s relevant to you and your friend will appreciate the extra exposure. Sharing is definitely caring in the world of social media.
- If your friend has a Facebook business page, invite your friends to like it. This is SUPER easy to do and I promise it’s not as intrusive to your Facebook friends list as you think. All you have to do is go to your friend’s Facebook business page, click “Community”, click “Invite Friends”, then “Select All”, and send away.
- Shop through their commissionable links. Follow your friend on liketoknow.it for direct access to purchase products they share. If you truly love an item they’re sharing, then buy it through their link. Commissions made on these sales are usually only a dollar or two for the influencer, but every little bit adds up.
- If you see a misspelling in their post or a wrong tag in their caption – LET THEM KNOW. It’s kind of like when your friend has lipstick on their teeth. Obviously it’s uncomfortable to point out, but someone needs to do it. Be the friend that POINTS IT OUT – privately of course. I’d rather have a friend tell me that there’s something wrong or misspelled in a post rather than discover it myself weeks later. At that point it’s just embarrassing and I’m stuck wondering why nobody told me.
- Share a content idea with your friend that you think would be helpful for them to use. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had friends or family say “hey, you should totally write a post about that“. I appreciate it because I keep a running list of ideas at all times, and one usually leads to another. Even if your friend doesn’t use your exact idea, it could spur into something else they hadn’t thought of before.
- The absolute easiest way to support your content creating friend is to just ask them how their chosen social media platform is going. I get so excited when friends ask me how things are going with my blog. Not just because I love talking about it, but because it’s nice to know that others genuinely care. In a way it helps ignite the passion a bit. Ask your friend how their content creation is going. Show interest if you’re actually interested. You never know when they could use the pick me up and I guarantee their eyes will light up while they give you the update.
Though sharing your entire life on the internet can seem like a foreign concept to some (most?), trust me when I say it’s not all for nothing. For me personally, it’s an outlet and a passion that I can pour myself into. For my audience, it serves as a resource, a laugh, and a distraction from whatever they might be currently going through. I’m lucky enough to have friends and family that support this online adventure of mine. Trust me when I say that having that support system only enhances this entire experience.
Make the effort to be that authentic support system for your content creating friend if you can. It truly makes a world of difference.