
Loading summary
A
Foreign. I am your host, Shannon McKinstry. Welcome to Good Content, the podcast where I remove the never ending content creation, guesswork and overwhelm so that you can actually enjoy being on social media again and growing your business with what has always worked Good Content. Well. Hello and greetings. If you're watching on YouTube, this is my daughter's bedroom. We are actually doing a full makeover over of the podcast room. We're getting built ins. It's. It's already looking amazing. My friend Terrace is doing it. I can't wait to share it with you guys. But for the next week or so, I'll be going different places around the house to record this podcast. So first I just want to say I. I have to say thank you so much. Couple weeks ago, my podcast manager, Steph, who is amazing, let me know that we surpassed 400,000 downloads of this podcast. And that's in just over a year, I believe. We started April 2024. May 2024. And I just want to thank you so much for being here. I again did not think the world needed another marketing podcast, but the fact that you guys love it just makes me so happy. So. And I think what, every time someone tells me how much they love the podcast, they basically say how it's digestible. They feel like they know me. And yes, we do know each other. You're my friend. I promise if I saw you in real life, I would give you the biggest hug. Like, I just love what I do so much and I want you to win. And that comes to the last one, which is a quick win. This is what this podcast is. Yes. Marketing is a lot. You gotta think like a marketer, you gotta learn copy, you gotta learn messaging. You gotta constantly be on top of what your target audience wants and what resonates. And that's why I love this podcast because it really does help you. All those quick wins lead up to you really starting to think like a marketer. So I just thought it'd be fun to kind of talk about what does it mean to think like a marketer? And if I were to say what it's like to think like a marketer, I would say you gotta be in your audience's head. You have to be literally so obsessed with connecting with people, your people that, like, you know them almost more than you know yourself. And again, you know, someone just asked me, cause I love to get all those hooks on Instagram, right? And she goes, you know what? I've been talking a lot about identifiers. And someone goes, I. My person is a busy mom. She's like, but that's so vague and boring. I'm like, yeah, it is. So is me saying small business owners, it's like, they're like, right? That's so generic. What mom isn't busy? What corporate person isn't? Whatever. Like it, it gets really vague. But that's why you got to get into the psychology of it all. This is why I talk scenarios. So, so, so much. So again, when she said tired mom, I'm like, well, why are they tired? And you gotta get down to that. Meaning the dreaded four to seven window when you still have to entertain your kids. Dupe dinner time, bath, bedtime. And then it's like, do you get any time for you? That's what I mean. So instead of like, you're a busy mom. Okay, yeah. Or you're a tired mom. Yeah. Why? So again, even if someone goes, oh, I sell here. I'm in my daughter's room. Of course, it's like Sephora Central. If someone goes, oh, well, I just sell lip gloss, right? Well, why do they want the lip gloss? And I get a lot of people saying that, like, oh, I just sell candles. Oh, I just sell whatever it is. I mean, think about it. Back in the day, what did a lot of people do? They went door to door to sell Tupperware, knives. Obviously we gotta need the product, right? But let me tell you, this is not my daughter's only lip gloss, okay? Why does she have so many social media? Why Summer Fridays in her room? Social media? It's not because she walked into Sephora and said, oh, let's try this. She knows that this is everywhere. This is what all the girlies in the school are rocking. This is what I see everywhere on TikTok. Right? So a lot of that product, a lot of products or services or whatever it is are. Because oftentimes it is popular and it is trending. That's true. But then what about your product? It's not something that the influencers are talking about. That's why you're listening to this podcast, right? Summer Fridays does not need my help. Or they might eventually call me. But this is where the belongings comes from, right? What is it about your core values that they see themselves in? Let's say your candles are non toxic. Well, again, there's a lot of non toxic candles. Why did you create the candle? Maybe you're a cancer survivor. We need the storytelling. And this is what I mean when you say. When I say think like a marketer. What are the scenarios they're going to find themselves in? They're going to want their house to smell good, but what smell like what? A boutique hotel? These are the things you got to dig into when you think like a marketer. It goes beyond why do they want the product, what do they want it priced at, why do they need it, what does it do for them? It goes beyond that to the point that you have to become so obsessed with knowing why every single person buys your product or service. And I get people that buy the Rails Lab and who listen to my podcast for different reasons. Like I said, some people want a quick win, some people just like my insights on things because they're actually marketing experts and they just like to hear the social media side of it. Most times there's gonna be many reasons people wanna follow you, buy from you. I have people who follow me that don't even post on Instagram. They just again either maybe they connect with the fact that I'm a girl mom that I live and carry and they like to watch my stories and see where my family and I are going. But at the end of the day, why are people following me and buying from me? Connection, community, belonging. That's thinking like a marketer. So I'm actually working with a client right now who does sell a product and her big thing is like, she's like, I know I just sell a product, but like, I really want more DMs. And I was. The way you get that is through that content that I talk all the time about, heard and humor. Because that's where they see themselves in your content. And when someone can see themselves in your content, they're going to follow, they're going to buy, they're going to at least be interested or send you to a friend. How do you get that? That is marketing. It's psychology, okay? It leads to emotions. So in addition to, you know, let's think standard marketing, like, okay, billboard ads, postcards, right? That's getting them to buy something, that's getting them to opt in, typically, right? Social media is a long game. It is a community. It is a, like I said, a belonging. And that's why I say it's so important for people to think like a marketer. You can't just. And as soon as you start thinking that way, what are the scenarios they found themselves in? Again, let's say you are the parent coach who says, busy moms, tired moms. Why did the mom hire you? Because she started dreading the four to seven window. Then that's what you say in a real pov. You find yourself dreading and you want to start absorbing the tiny moments. And you find my account or this is your sign to what is the tip you have so you stop hating the 4 to 7 window? Instead of saying you're a busy mom. Do you see what I mean? Let's say you're a Mexican restaurant. Clearly, I'm craving Mexican food. What am I not? It's you. You're going to want to go to the place where they know your name, right? You're going to want to go to the place where you're watching their Instagram and you feel like you already know them. Again, I talk about Nitro Bar a lot in this podcast. I cannot wait. If I'm ever in Rhode Island, I'm going. It's my first stop off the plane because it's a community. I already know their quirks, I already know the vibe. I know what it's gonna feel like when I walk in. That's what social media does. It's not just products and services. And that's where you gotta go with your content. It's less about pushing your offer, pushing your services, pushing your products, pushing what's for sale, pushing what you need to sell. Right? It's more about why they're scrolling social media in the first place. Connection. And again, it's about understanding their choices and why they follow who they follow, why they buy the lip gloss they buy. And like I said, a lot of it is because it's viral, it's trending. But a lot of the times it's the core values of the business. It's the fact they give to the same charity as you. It's the fact that it started in your hometown. Those connection points, right? Little things like that. Or it's because they use it, because they asked to borrow it, and now they're obsessed. The other day I was at a conference, I asked this girl, I go, what fragrance are you wearing? I like, want to put it everywhere now. Do I need perfume? No, I've got plenty of perfumes. But it smelled so good. It was, like, intoxicating. So what would that perfume do if they were running an ad or if I was their social media marketer manager, whatever you want to call us, if I was their content creator. Remember, social media managers call yourself content creators because you're probably doing a lot more than managing. Anyway, I digress. I would do the one, the classic one I love. Now, I am talking in reels format right now on this particular episode, okay, those simple B roll reels that I love, because those are the quickest win. And since we're talking quick wins today, the quickest way to get a quick win is, again, you got to nail the messaging first, which is what we're talking about now. And the second is to type it out and put it over some cute visuals. A cute little B roll. It would say something like, not to be dramatic. One of my favorite prompts, not to be dramatic. But if you wear this perfume, you'll get stopped everywhere you go. Another way you could do it, because that is the desire. That is the desire. Of course, they want to smell good, but I'm going to buy a perfume that literally, someone. I'm stopping the person and that she even said, she goes, yeah, I get stopped all the time. That's the perfume you want. Okay? So you take those in the moment, real life moments. Testimonials you've gotten. Watching what your kids buy, watching what your husband buys, watching what your friends buy, understand their behaviors. That's thinking like a marketer. When you go buy something, why'd you buy it? Obviously, sometimes again, right. There's all sorts of reasons we buy. I'm not going to go into it. This is not going to be a long, lengthy marketing class. Obviously, you know, if we're in a wedding, we got to buy the bridesmaids dress, right? We got to buy what the bride wants. But then there's things like what you and I typically sell. Why are they buying it? So after you get down to the psychology of why they want your product and why you're the one they're going to choose, you build those stories around it. And like I said, storytelling is not that deep. Not to be dramatic, but if you put this perfume on, everyone's gonna stop you. That's a story. That is storytelling. And guess what? We can. Our brains are selfish. It goes right to, like, we are picturing ourselves getting stopped at the mall, stopped at the party, stopped at whatever. Okay? So with that said, that's a quick win for you today. I want you to go through your testimonials. If you don't have any yet, go to your competitors testimonials. See why people are buying and what they're getting out of it. And honestly, go to Amazon reviews. That's like one of my favorite things to do when I'm buying something is go to the Amazon reviews. What am I doing? I'm looking to find pictures of people with my body type to see if I want to Buy the product. Right. And I'll read the reviews. I'm going to trust that over what you say as the fashion designer, as the candle maker. Right. And once you know what scenarios they dread, things they desire, you keep them around for a journey. Because now you have made them feel a part of your world through Instagram stories, through your TikToks, through your LinkedIn posts, whatever it is. And what's fun about quick wins is that those quick wins turn into one big one. They turn into the breakthrough. And here this is actually a perfect segue to wrap this up. There's a video of a moment and she's it'll again. It'll be in the show notes. Now, did she say you're a tired mom who dreads dinner time? No, she said when you make a home cooked meal for your kids that no one complains about and she's like, puts her hat on backwards like she's the bomb. Right? It's an emotion, it's storytelling all wrapped into one. Now, of course there's hundreds of different types of hooks. Like I talk about the four H's. There's also curiosity hooks, there's storytelling hooks. Right. But none of that matters until we know your messaging and until you start thinking like a marketer. That is not to say you need a PhD in marketing. I don't have one. Of course I think like a marketer. Cause I am one. I've been doing this a long time. But that's why I love this podcast so much. Cause I'm hoping this helps you start thinking like a marketer and less vague of your client and customers and more, what is the reason they follow you and buy from you. And the more you bring them on a journey, the better your progress and success will be friendly. So your assignment this week is think of a scenario that your people find themselves in instead of saying something vague like busy corporate person. Right? You're tired of sitting in an office where every meeting could be an email and you want to start your whatever, but you don't know where to start. Welcome that type of content. Don't just make them feel it, make them feel emotion. Tell a story with your content. That's when your social media is going to take off. And again, if they can see themselves in your content, game over until next week. My podcast room for this week is now being infiltrated. I love you, friend. I hope this was helpful and that I gave you one quick one to run with this weekend.
Podcast: Good Content with Shannon McKinstrie
Host: Shannon McKinstrie
Episode: Start Thinking Like a Marketer So People See Themselves in Your Content
Date: October 28, 2025
In this episode, Shannon McKinstrie digs into the mindset shift needed to create compelling social media: truly thinking like a marketer. She helps listeners move beyond generic messaging (“busy moms” or “small business owners”) toward understanding the real scenarios, emotions, and desires of their target audience. Shannon shares actionable advice and relatable stories, all aimed at making your content more resonant and effective—so your ideal customers see themselves reflected in what you post.
On Knowing Your Audience:
“You have to be literally so obsessed with connecting with people, your people, that like, you know them almost more than you know yourself.” (05:13)
On Moving Past Generic Messaging:
“You gotta get into the psychology ... What are the scenarios they're going to find themselves in?” (07:45)
On Content That Connects:
“If they can see themselves in your content, game over.” (28:30)
On Storytelling in Marketing:
“Storytelling is not that deep. Not to be dramatic, but if you put this perfume on, everyone's gonna stop you. That's a story.” (19:20)
On Social Media as Community:
“It's less about pushing your offer ... It's more about why they're scrolling social media in the first place. Connection.” (15:22)
On Using Testimonials and Reviews:
“I'm going to trust that [review] over what you say as the fashion designer, as the candle maker.” (23:30)
Assignment:
Think of a specific scenario your audience is facing, and use that in your next social media post. Tell a story that helps them see themselves in your content—because that’s what makes content “good.”
For more from Shannon, catch future episodes or connect on her social profiles.