There is no better activity to grow your business than a properly executed organic social media plan.

If you’re a founder, CEO or marketer - this is your call. The game has changed, the time is now, figure it out or miss out.  

This episode is about an under-leveraged tactic to drive growth and a broader review of the changing social media environment for brands in the fast-moving-consumer-goods space. I’m calling it…

This edition of supergoods is proudly brought to you by Stickybeak 

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A complete reversal of social media and what it means for brands

Do you know who Emma Chamberlain is? Because I’m a grocery nerd, I found out about Emma Chamberlain backwards. Most people know her from YouTube - she hit the scene with general vlog-style chit chat in 2012 and has amassed billions of views with 12M followers.

I first came across her when she launched her coffee brand - Chamberlain Coffee. She started it as a DTC play to leverage her giant audience and passion for great coffee. It quickly expanded into RTD’s and now she’s ranged in retail with rapid growth.

The old model of social media selling

It used to go something like this

Step one: create content (rinse & repeat)

Slowly but surely, if you created content and spent enough time engaging with people on the platform, you’d gain some traction.

Step two: grow your followers.

Social media was like email marketing - you had a list, you pressed publish, you would reach the people that followed you. Your goal was to grow your followers.

Step three: sell a product (eventually)

If you hit it big time, you could eventually transition to selling a product and shifting your personal brand into a product brand - just like Emma.

In the past two years, social media has changed completely - the ‘interest’ graph vs. the ‘social’ graph

If you’ve been paying a little bit of attention, you may have noticed the shift to video. That’s not what I’m talking about here. Although you could still call it the ‘TikTokification’ of social media.

The Social Graph: A Relic of the Past

Remember when Facebook and Instagram ruled with their "social graph" model? Back then, your feed was a mirror of your connections - friends, family, the randoms you followed. Follower count was everything, and reach was a popularity contest. If your audience was small, your voice was even smaller. Your feed was up to you, who you followed was who you saw. That’s changed.

The Interest Graph: All Killer, No Filler

TikTok flipped the script with the "interest graph." It doesn’t care about your friends or your follower count. It tracks what you like - what you watch, re-watch, or engage with - and serves up more of it. Every pause, scroll, and comment fine-tunes your content buffet. It's about what grabs your attention, not who you know. Every social media platform is following this ‘interest graph’ model now.

It’s your time to shine

The reality here is that you don’t need millions of followers anymore. One killer post can rack up insane reach because it resonates, not because it’s backed by a big network. This is content democracy in action. And it is your opportunity.

Don’t stop and ‘be seen’

The best example of this in today’s environment is the lifestyle nutrition brand Ghost.

Ghost wasn’t built on the back of millions of pre-existing followers or a legacy of fame. Instead, they leveraged the ‘interest graph’ to become a cultural phenomenon in the sports nutrition space. The founders understood that in the world of YouTube, it’s not about who you know but how your content connects.

They’ve documented their entire journey on YouTube. They publish regular episodes - usually around 10 minutes in length with content consisting of business meetings and behind-the-scenes glimpses into the lives of running a brand. This approach has absolutely crushed at building a deeper connection with their audience.

The Ghost brand started in 2016, focused on YouTube content for discoverability and just sold a 60% stake for almost a billion dollars.

Their brand mantra ‘be seen’ encourages their audience to stand out, live unapologetically and be visible in the world. Safe to say they’ve been seen.

What this means for you?

Consider this an inflection point. The world is changing. You need to, too.

Here’s what you need to do

1. Get involved and take ownership

Figure it out. Master social media. If you are responsible for growth in your business, becoming a master of organic social media is easily the best way to spend your time and resources. I’ve seen first hand the impact of clever CEO’s taking responsibility for social and it is truly game-changing.

2. Drop your ego and get in front of camera

It feels cringey, you probably hate it but you know that people relate to people and ultimately, you’re going to have to build your personal brand alongside your company brand.

3. 100 shots on goal

Expect to suck at it when you start. You’re going to. But the purpose is not to become a master overnight, but to figure it out. So set yourself a target of improvement. Aim to do it 100 times and get better every time and I guarantee you will not fail.

4. Build the habit, be consistent

You can’t halfass this. Make time for it, build it into your routine and do not flex on it. This is the only way to win.

Make this a focus for 2025 and you won’t regret it.

I honestly believe that the opportunity across Instagram, TikTok, Linkedin, YouTube and Twitter is big enough to completely transform your entire business. It has for me, and I’m only just getting started.

What do you think?

I’d love to hear your take on organic social - are you putting time into it? are you avoiding it? let’s chat.

Final thank you to Stickybeak

The first ever sponsor of supergoods. Not only is the platform epic but the team is too. Check it out and get sharper insights today.