say it smart, then say it with a social media trend
Social media for thought leaders who want to turn books and long-form content into social assets that follow trends and inspire growth.
my story
It came together over 5 years of working as the Head of Social for New York Times Bestselling Author, Mark Manson.
When I joined, he had brilliant bestselling ideas but no social infrastructure—so I designed the whole ecosystem: strategy, assets and workflows. I constructed the entire social-media operation from the ground up. Content creation driving the heart of it all.
And together—with a fabulous team—we built his modest online presence out from a couple of hundred thousand, to millions of engaged and loyal fans hungry for a variety of smart, bite-sized content.
Over the years, Jess helped me with everything from Instagram Reels to YouTube thumbnails, to viral Twitter threads. Jess is tenacious, hard-working and always up for a creative challenge.
Working on thought-leader content is about understanding what topics from a creator’s IP is going to perform on each platform, developing those topics into content that talks to curiosities and pain points, and adopting formats that the platforms’ audiences recognize. In other words, follow trends and adapt your content to suit.
This means looking at both what people in your niche and out of your niche are doing to win engagement. With a bit of creativity, we can adapt any smart idea into formats that feed audience expectations.
Pillars & Posting Cadence
Getting locked into pillars will direct the mining process, and hitting a healthy posting cadence will train the algorithms on content and audience quickly.
Authenticity
Keeping things authentic, and let’s say, mature, when it comes to platforms like Instagram or TikTok, can feel like a challenge. But on social, it really just comes down to keeping topics tight, staying true to tone of voice, and staying consistent with brand look and feel. And packaging.
And I need to add this: growth on social in 2025 is for the creators willing to step outside their comfort zones, and experiment and try different things to figure out what works. Being willing to adapt and change when things stop working is also key.
Philosophy: Winning the 2025 Feed Wars
Social media is noisy now—brilliant minds in the thought-leadership space are competing with content creators who have little IP, but have a razor-sharp feel for every trend.
These are some principles I follow:
Audience‑First Everything – Algorithms reward user delight, not creator ego. Start by mapping who you’re serving and why they swipe. Every asset answers that itch.
Surf the Wave – Don’t chase trends for vanity; ride them as delivery vehicles for big ideas. The format could be a meme, but the prize is relatable insight.
Pillar Discipline – Pick 2‑3 topic lanes and stay there. Scattered feeds confuse both humans and machines.
Native Format Fluency – It’s not just about reels on IG and threads on Twitter. It’s about using visual and verbal language that the audience on each platform expects.
Iterate Ruthlessly – Hits are awesome but misses are tuition. Watch retention, saves, and share‑rate, then double‑down on the bangers.
Authenticity Guardrails – Voice, tone, values stay locked. If the trend compromises brand integrity, you can skip it, but first try bending it.
Growth ≈ Comfort‑Zone Edges – Thought leaders must sometimes swap the lectern for the selfie cam. I can coach that leap so it feels on‑brand, not cringe.
