Podcast Summary: Good Content with Shannon McKinstrie

Episode Title: We Love B-Roll Because Simple, Shareable Content Never Goes Out of Style
Release Date: April 1, 2025
Host: Shannon McKinstrie

Introduction: Shannon’s Journey to Content Creation

In this episode, Shannon McKinstrie delves into her personal journey and passion for content creation, emphasizing her long-standing relationship with media and storytelling. Beginning with her early days in television production during high school, Shannon shares how her fascination with cameras and documentation naturally transitioned into a career focused on social media marketing.

"I was always the girl with the camcorder. I would beg my dad to hold it when I was eight years old... This was definitely what I was meant to do." [00:00]

Shannon reflects on her time at CNN and other broadcasting roles, highlighting how these experiences shaped her understanding of visual storytelling and the importance of B-roll in conveying narratives.

The Power and Perception of B-Roll

Shannon passionately defends the use of B-roll in social media content, countering the notion that B-roll is outdated or ineffective. She defines B-roll as secondary footage that complements the main content, enhancing the storytelling without being the focal point.

"B Roll's been around forever. It's not Instagram that invented it. Social media didn't invent it either." [09:30]

She explains that B-roll is simply cutaway footage used to provide context and depth to the primary narrative. By pairing B-roll with trending audio and engaging text, creators can produce compelling and shareable content without the need for elaborate edits.

Experimenting with Daily Posting: A Month of B-Roll

Shannon recounts her recent experiment of posting daily on Instagram for an entire month, a first in her career. This initiative was part of her "Reels Lab" series, designed to help her community harness the power of simple B-roll combined with effective hooks and trending audio.

"All 30 of these reels, all 30 of these hooks can be used by any industry. And all it is is the simplest, simplest prompt." [14:15]

Despite the exhaustion that came with daily postings, Shannon emphasizes the positive feedback received, including increased engagement and follower growth among her audience.

Successful B-Roll Hooks and Prompts

Shannon shares several successful hooks and prompts from her Reels Lab series, illustrating how simple, relatable statements paired with B-roll can resonate widely with audiences.

1. "Google My Symptoms. Turns Out..."

   • Example: "Turns out I just needed more farm animals."
     Impact: Achieved over 60,000 likes and 17,000 shares.
     Insight: Relatable and humorous content paired with relevant B-roll (e.g., farm animals) can drive significant engagement.

   "Everyone's saying B roll's dead... but every single viral reel I see are literally B roll, trending audio and simple text." [20:45]

2. "I Wish More People Knew..."

   • Example: "I wish more people knew you could make your own non-toxic laundry detergent."
     Impact: High engagement through practical tips and demonstrations in B-roll.

   "I wish more people knew there was a blank in Raleigh that serves XYZ and has a whatever for kids. You guys. I wish I knew." [26:10]

3. "Did You Know?"

   • Example: "Did you know there's a blank in DC that da da da?"
     Impact: Educational and informative content that encourages sharing and saves.

   "Did you know if you add whatever to your hook that you can double your views?" [28:30]

These examples demonstrate that with the right hooks and complementary B-roll, content can achieve high levels of engagement without overcomplicating the production process.

Selecting Trending Audio: Enhancing B-Roll Content

Shannon outlines her strategy for selecting trending audio to pair with B-roll, ensuring that her content remains relevant and engaging. She advises using Instagram's professional dashboard to find trending tracks with fewer than 10,000 uses but showing strong initial performance.

"I try to find ones with less than 10,000 uses at the moment. And then when I look at that, I look to see if the first few videos are like in the millions or at least over 500,000. That to me signals this is going to be a good audio." [19:00]

By incorporating popular but not overly saturated audio, Shannon ensures her content stands out while riding the wave of current trends. She cites using specific songs like Selena Gomez's "Benny Blanco" as examples of timely and effective choices.

The Timelessness of Simple, Shareable Content

Shannon reinforces the idea that simplicity and shareability are key to enduring social media success. She draws parallels between her B-roll strategies and classic storytelling techniques used in broadcasting, underscoring that the fundamentals of good content remain unchanged despite evolving platforms.

"All of this is timeless marketing. Simple, specific, shareable is what I always say. Make sure it's helpful or humorous, makes them feel heard or it's some sort of happening in your life and you cannot go wrong." [33:00]

Her emphasis on emotional connection — making audiences feel seen, heard, and entertained — aligns with her "4H method," focusing on eliciting feelings through content.

Closing Thoughts: Encouragement and Community Engagement

In her concluding remarks, Shannon expresses gratitude towards her listeners and the community she's built. She encourages creators to embrace simplicity, leverage B-roll effectively, and focus on creating content that resonates emotionally with their audience.

"I love you, friend. Watch those reels. Have some fun. Hopefully by the time this airs, I have now taken a breath because I spoke in front of hundreds of people on the main stage." [35:45]

Shannon underscores the importance of authenticity and passion in content creation, reminding her audience to disregard the noise and stay true to what works.

Key Takeaways:

1. B-Roll is Timeless: Far from being obsolete, B-roll remains a powerful tool for enhancing storytelling and engagement on social media.

2. Quality Over Quantity: While daily posting yielded positive results for Shannon, she emphasizes that high-quality, engaging content is more crucial than sheer volume.

3. Effective Hooks Drive Engagement: Simple, relatable prompts like "Google My Symptoms. Turns Out..." can significantly boost content visibility and sharing.

4. Trending Audio Enhances Reach: Selecting the right trending audio can complement B-roll effectively, increasing the likelihood of content going viral.

5. Emotional Connection is Key: Creating content that makes the audience feel seen, heard, or entertained ensures long-term engagement and loyalty.

Notable Quotes:

• "B roll's been around forever. It's not Instagram that invented it. Social media didn't invent it either." [09:30]

• "All of this is timeless marketing. Simple, specific, shareable is what I always say." [33:00]

• "I was always the girl with the camcorder. I would beg my dad to hold it when I was eight years old." [00:00]

Resources Mentioned:

• Instagram Professional Dashboard: For accessing trending audio tracks.

• Reels Lab Series: Shannon's initiative to help creators develop effective B-roll and hook strategies.

Final Thoughts:

Shannon McKinstrie’s episode serves as a testament to the enduring power of simple, well-executed content. By leveraging B-roll, trending audio, and relatable hooks, creators can craft compelling narratives that resonate with audiences and withstand the ever-changing landscape of social media. Shannon’s authentic passion and practical strategies offer valuable insights for anyone looking to elevate their social media presence with good content.