What Creating in a “Weird” Niche Taught Me About Social Media

If any of this info is valuable to you, please let me know in the comments! All of this is based on my personal experience only. If you have other tips to share, you can put those the comments as well.

I think we’ve all been in the same place at some point—the unpredictability of social media and the ever-mysterious “algorithm” that seems to be working against us. Do any of these sound familiar?

• “I used to do really well on social media, but now I can’t seem to reach my current or new audience.”

• “I’m posting similar content to someone who’s very successful, but mine isn’t gaining traction.”

• “My content works on one platform, but not another, and I don’t understand why.”

Believe me, I get it. My thought process used to be: “good content is good content—so why does it matter who makes it or where it’s posted? If something works for someone else, shouldn’t it work for me too?”

And honestly, that’s not a bad way to think. But there are a few things worth considering before jumping on that runaway thought train:

• Do you already have an established audience that’s interested in what you’re doing?

• Have you actually adapted to changes on each platform (like the shift from photos to video)? Did you try for a week and give up, or have you experimented consistently, sometimes for months?

• Are you paying attention to what platforms are literally telling you to do and keeping up with updates? For example, Instagram regularly pushes features like Trial Reels, and TikTok has recently been favoring photo carousels.

• Are you providing any value beyond “look at this pretty photo or video”? And more importantly, are you actually providing value, or do you just think you are?

Before going further, I’ll say that yes, some of it is luck. Sometimes content gets pushed or buried for no obvious reason. But I don’t think that’s the case most of the time.

If your content isn’t performing, it’s usually not because the algorithm is against you. It’s because it’s not compelling enough yet.

You might think it’s interesting, but other people aren’t you. They don’t have your perspective, your context, or your background knowledge. This goes back to the idea of adding value.

For example, you might think sharing a beautifully composed photo with your camera settings is valuable, and to another photographer, it is. But if you want to reach a broader audience, you need to go further. Why did you choose those settings? What do they actually do? How did you figure that out in the first place?

Let’s take a mermaid example. I love watching high-quality, well-shot videos of mermaids swimming because I understand what’s happening and have context. A stranger doesn’t.

And I know it feels self-explanatory. But for most people, it’s not!

Instead of just posting a pretty video, explain where you are, what you’re doing, and how someone else could experience it too. That’s where the value is and that’s what creates connection.

Here’s a simple way to think about it:

When you post, ask yourself:

• Does this teach something?

• Does it entertain someone?

• Does it inspire or make someone feel something?

If it’s not doing at least one of these clearly, it’s probably not going to perform the way you want it to.

Here’s what that can look like in practice:

Low-value post:
“Mermaid swim with my friends 🧜‍♀️ #mermaidfriends #mermaidlife”

Higher-value post:
“Swimming in 72° Florida spring water 🥶 Here’s why I do it and what you need to know before trying it yourself: (insert explanation here) #mermaidlife #underwateradventure #fantasycreator #mermaidadventure #floridasprings”

Same content, completely different impact. Once I started focusing on context and value, my content began reaching people outside my niche and not just within it. I personally put a lot of my valuable text in the caption as opposed to the video itself - for whatever reason, that tends to keep people’s attention longer, and it’s easier to read.

A lot of niches are saturated. The mermaid niche definitely included. Which means you have to find a way to stand out.

I can already hear the groooans.

But standing out doesn’t mean being completely different! It means being clearer, more intentional, and more valuable than the next post someone scrolls past.

Social media is very much “adapt or die.” So the real question is, which one are you going to choose?

Before you post next, don’t just ask “is this good?”

Ask: why would someone who doesn’t know me care about this?