The real reason for social media burnout
You’ve lost your way on social media and it is no longer fun.
The first thing you need to hear is this: It’s ok, we all do! Even me, a social media strategist.
A lot of people come to me burnt out on posting and creating content. I could create a list of reasons why social media can be awesome and joyful, like finding a community that loves what you do and shows up for you, or making connections with people you end up being friends with in real life, yadda yadda... but none of that would matter if you haven’t found those things (which is okay, by the way).
I could make a pretty printable list for you to post on your computer or fridge to look at and remind yourself of why you should be on social media. You could look at this list every day and still find the process as exciting as doing the dishes or folding the laundry. This might drive you into guilt and shame, and those are awful creation motivators! No, thanks.
None of that would get to the heart of the issue.
Social media should be joyful. It should feel good to share your work and bring your mission into reality for others to understand. If you’re creative, you know this. You intuit this in your bones, but something isn’t connecting when you sit down to talk about yourself. This disconnect can happen whether you’ve been creating content for a long time, or it could be keeping you from even getting started.
So what’s the issue? You could very well have exactly what you need, and be doing all the right things on social media, but the burnout comes from matching your expectations to the reality of the outcomes. Is that hard to hear? I’m going to do the hard thing first, but then give you a framework for finding your way again, so stay with me…
Does any of the following resonate? -
Expectation: I’ll be consistent by posting 2-3x a week on social media
Reality: I am not going viral and I kind of wanted to
Expectation: I will post about what I’m doing and love my feed and everything in it
Reality: I am not making sales / streams / memberships / booking gigs - whatever - from these efforts
Expectation: I will post great content that I spent a lot of time making and love a lot
Reality: I am not my audience, my audience isn’t seeing this, so my metrics are staying the same, or ticking up momentarily but not really growing over time
The truth is that what you’re doing might already satisfy what you really want out of social media. It’s just the outcome isn’t what you expected. This is why you’ve got to have clarity on your social media goals, which starts with being aware of them. Everyone should have clarity, but especially creatives, because what we do - create - is inherent to the social media process - also a form of creation.
Here’s a framework for finding your way in all this - you really only need to ask yourself three questions.
For the neurospicies
1. What is your mission? Start here to avoid social media burnout.
Remember what you’re making, and who you’re making it for. You’re making music, art, sound, relationships, photos, media, software, delicious pizza, artisan cupcakes…whatever your output, state your mission and who it’s for. Write it down like this:
I am a _____
I make ____ (this is your output - product or service).
For ____ (this could be yourself, or your target audience).
Here’s the kicker - you kind of have to pick an audience…yourself, or other people.
2. Who are you making content for? Stop social media burnout in its tracks.
Now we’re in it. In the “for” section above, if you answered yourself, guess what?
You’re done. You can keep doing what you are doing, because you are not marketing. You can post whatever you want. Freedom.
If this feels like a letdown, it’s not! There is complete validity in making something just for the purpose of making it, and making something for yourself, and wanting to share it with others. By continuing to create content around what you do for yourself, you are objectively successful if you just post. It doesn’t matter what kind of content you share, in what order, whether it’s “good” (by whose measure?), as long as your social media content exists. Nothing else matters. Not post frequency, view counts, clicks, saves, or shares. Not followers or growth or sales. Completion is the metric, and if you show up and post, you’ve won! So celebrate!
If you’re making content for yourself, things that will serve you are:
Lists of post ideas
Feed inspiration
Ways to talk about what you’re doing
And that’s about it.
I still serve the people in this camp daily, because I think what they do matters. I will support and cheerlead them until my dying day, because it’s what I needed as a developing musician and didn't always get.
By the way, the accounts I most enjoy following are ones that are clearly in it to make cathartic, hilarious, relatable, or emotional content, not to sell something. Other people relating, laughing or feeling something is just a byproduct. Think hilarious meme accounts, curated content (“ opera trash,” or “90s throwback nostalgia” - two of my favs), etc. Maybe they’re monetizing things and there’s an invisible strategy, but we’ll never know unless we are that creator. So let go your anxiety of whether that account is “doing better” than you, and enjoy the stuff they’re making! That’s how you find joy again on social media, if you’re in the “creator lane.”
If you still feel letdown, that means there’s still a disconnect. Let’s explore the alternate option: making content for other people. Go back to your mission statement.
I am a _____
I make ____ (this is your output)
For ____ (your target audience).
For example:
I am a social media manager. I make strategies for creatives and mission-oriented entities.
I am a music teacher. I give lessons and mentoring to students that are on track to be music majors.
I am an artist. I make acrylic landscape paintings for people that need an escape.
I am a podcaster. I have conversations with creative professionals for other creatives that need inspiration in their own lives.
I am a baker. I make intricate and beautiful cakes for people that appreciate fine things and off-the-beaten-path flavors.
See how this could be anything? Get clear on what you do and who you’re serving. Got that down?
Now, ask yourself:
3. Why are you frustrated with social media? The heart of social media burnout.
Pick one:
It takes too much time.
It feels like a chore.
I’m not getting results.
Here’s how to fix those:
If it takes too much time, you need systems - templates for graphics and captions, repeatable workflows, and schedulers
If it feels like a chore, you need to rediscover creativity through design tutorials, post visuals, and feed arranging, and a lot of time
If you’re not achieving measurable success, you need a strategy - goals, measurable outcomes, and action steps. And advertising money, if you want to scale.
If you picked all three, guess what? You need to spend time in all three areas - setting up systems and cultivating creativity through the strategy. This is where overwhelm takes root and where most people give up. What’s the solution?
Pick one goal. Hone in on it for a set duration - a week, month, quarter, or half year.
Or, pick two areas and split your efforts cultivating the things needed in those areas.
If you're not a social media strategist by trade (and you're probably not), adjust your expectations, goals, and work. Doing all three at max capacity for max outcome is for the pros, and costs 1K a month or more (because they're your full-time marketing team of 1).
It’s like the old adage - you can only ever have two: good, fast, or easy.
So, pick two: systems, creativity, or strategy. Adjust your expectations. Focus your time and energy into the things that cultivate those areas and forget the rest.
Try this for a set period of time, and if you’re still not finding joy, revisit your goal and try again.
Understanding this framework means the difference between social media “success,” whatever that means or looks like to you, and social media burnout.
Them’s the breaks...
BUT the good news is that strategy-driven social media can be joyful and creative.
Creative-driven social media can be strategic and fast.
Easy, fast social media can be joyful and strategic.
You get to decide how the ratios balance, and what time or money you’re willing to invest for the outcome(s) you desire. All ratios are valid. All ratios matter.
Knowing your exact ratio is the key to social media happiness.
No matter where you are in your journey, I’ve got your back with free and low-cost tools & resources. You can get them in my social toolbox, Content Canvas.
Stay present, stay social.
-Robin Anderson
If you need training or just want to outsource all of it, I do that too. Book a call and let’s chat - it costs nothing, and you’ll have a new follower on Facebook or Instagram.
