Hello, Future Socialists… that joke never works, does it. Oh well, I guess this newsletter won’t have one of those ~communities~ that gets their name from the title (also do we really need one? Let’s just be marketers, yeah?)
ANYWAY, I’ve had social fundamentals on my mind recently, so I getting into one of the most common (and undefined) phrases in our industry felt like a good use of a Thursday. Today we’ll talk about: |
What is “social-first” marketing How Social Media Listening tools might be missing key data How to use “social-first” to sell better work
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—Jack Appleby |
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This social listening tool can read video?! |
So most social media listening tools have a prettyyy glaring flaw with TikTok and Instagram Reels. They’ll index around the video with captions, hashtags, @ mentions, but often can’t notice what’s actually in the video—like when a creator holds up your product, or says your brand’s catch phrase. That means you’re missing all kinds of brand mentions in videos… and uh, all social is video now. |
But I found a tool that’s got you covered. |
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Syncly analyzes the actual video (every frame, word, & sound), plus the comments underneath. You see the untagged mentions, the real sentiment, and the creators already talking about you (or your competitors) that no metadata search would ever surface. They gave me a demo & it’s pretty damn cool—was quite happy to partner with ‘em. |
Even better, they’re offering a FREE social media audit for any brands that book a demo with them (which is honestly super high value)—click right here to check out their tool & get your brand audit! |
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How to make “social-first” marketing |
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Brands say they want to make great social media content… but do they? Do most brands actually put their money where their mouth is? Or do they keep doing the same thing, then wonder aloud why their Instagram isn’t performing? |
It’s 2026. If we want our marketing assets to perform, they’ve got to be social-first. Let’s talk about: |
What social-first actually means Why it’s really a slick sales phrase (a good thing!) How to make social-first content
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What does “social-first” mean? |
It’s pretty simple, really. “Social-first” marketing is content that’s created with social in mind. It’s when social isn’t just a distribution channel, but a strategic consideration when crafting your marketing campaigns. |
That probably reads like a no brainer. We all say we understand the importance of social! Of course we want to create content that’s optimized for social! But your marketing director still emails the social media manager a dropbox link with assets in a “hey, can you post this,” then wonders why it flopped with 42 likes. |
“Social first” is an organizational mindset, and it’s one worth pursuing. |
Why is being social-first important? |
Your brand won’t stand out on social unless you’re thinking social-first. Think about the competition you’re facing: |
1.3 billion images are posted on Instagram per day. 34 million TikToks are posted every day. 500 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube videos every minute.
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Your brand's content has to earn the eyeballs away from not just other brands, but content creators, and musicians, and artists, and our actual IRL friends posting engagement photos and baby announcements. All of those folks’s content is naturally social-first because they’re authentically sharing their lives. If your brand’s social content looks like a TV commercial, I’m scrolling right past to another CapCut template of Bill Hader dancing. |
How to make social-first content |
Okay, back to the premise. If you want to make social-first content, invite your social team to the room where it happens. Your social pros shouldn’t be on a need-to-know basis list—their strategic thoughts are just as vital to campaign construction as brand, PR, and media teams. |
The easiest way to know if your content is social-first? Ask yourself two of the original social strategy questions: “why would I care, and why would I share?” If you don’t have an immediate answer, your content isn’t social-first. You’re the marketer inside the machine—if you don’t immediately get it, I promise your followers won’t either. |
Throw a little more money towards overall content creation, too. I watch too many brands spend small fortunes on hyper-polished TV spots… but without having TV media budgets… then dropping that “TV spot” on social with a bunch of paid media behind it. Instead, be honest with yourself about where your brand message is shared most often (cough, social) and spend your marketing budgets to optimize assets for those channels. |
Isn’t “social-first” just… basic social strategy? |
It’s easy to talk social strategy on paper, but half the battle is how you sell social, both internally and externally. Some of the brightest social minds I know have no idea how to sell their own ideas, and it’s heartbreaking. If you can’t sell social, you can’t make great social. |
That’s one reason I like throwing “social-first” into my decks & emails—it’s as much a strategy as a sales tool & challenge to my clients. |
When I write “if we want to succeed, we must become social-first” in size 50 font on Google Slides, it sells better than “here’s how we’ll make a social strategy!” I’m not saying anything revolutionary—just using emotional sales language and a branded approach to build authority in the room. Because let’s be honest, here—”social-first” really is just slick branding. But that’s okay! |
You see how I use the phrasing and statistics about content creation to form an argument to make great social? I want you to steal that. Use it as an upfront for your own decks. It’ll help you get great content made. |
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