The Introvert’s Guide to Winning at Social Media

If you ask anyone on The Wildest team if they’re introverted, it’ll be a resounding “no” all around. However, many of us do consider ourselves to be ambiverts. Basically, we’re extroverts with some hardcore introverted tendencies, so we can definitely relate to the struggle of being an introvert on social media. And figuring out how to use social media as an introvert? It’s something we’ve coached many clients about, so you’re definitely not alone. 

Let’s be real, social media is hard enough as it is, right? Putting yourself out there, coming up with content, and sticking with it on the regular can feel like a freaking full-time job. Truthfully, it’s understandable that some people (introverts and extroverts alike) struggle online. But, if you’re looking for a way to navigate the waters of social media as an introvert with a little bit of help, here are our best tips for you. 

1. Don’t be afraid to try things out.

As an introvert (but also as a human being), it can be tempting to stay in our comfort zones. After all, they’re comfortable! But there are some crazy amazing things that happen just outside your comfort zone, and the same thing is true for introverts. 

Don’t be afraid to test out new strategies and platforms on social media, because those trial and error sessions aren’t about turning you into an overnight social media sensation. Instead, they’re about helping you figure out what you enjoy online and where you get the most results. Do you really want to keep forcing yourself to log in to Twitter every single day when you might be able to get much better blog traffic by using something that requires less effort like Pinterest?

2. Stick with what feels right for you.

That said, there’s nothing wrong with staying where you feel comfortable. In fact, this is the #1 piece of advice we tell all of our clients. When it comes to social media, the only platform that you absolutely *must* be using is the one that you actually enjoy using (or at least don’t hate.)

Trust us, if you hate it, you won’t stick with it.

3. Consistency is way more important than you might think.

If you don’t stick with it, all of the time and energy you’re pouring into social media won’t actually be worth it. If you take a look at the current Instagram algorithm, there’s a super high priority on the relationships between users. This means that if you leave a lot of comments on your friend’s posts, DM them, tag them, etc…Instagram is going to prioritize their posts in your feed. Pretty useful, right? (Reason #2849 you should always comment on your friends’ IG posts.)

The same is true for your followers. The people who are engaging with your posts the most are going to keep seeing them, but what happens if you aren’t posting regularly? What if you disappear for a few weeks then come back? You’re losing that engagement, which means you might be losing that “boost” in Instagram’s algorithm.

We’ve seen this happen with our own social media accounts over and over again. If you take a hiatus — planned or otherwise — it’s always a struggle to get engagement up again afterward. Now, if you know that you’re not able to post for a while, try to plan content in advance so there aren’t any lengthy gaps *and* so you can get the social media break you might need.

This doesn’t mean you need to post every single day, but it does mean that you should find a schedule that works for you and stick to it. Start on the conservative side of things and go from there. It’s way easier to start with two Instagram posts per week then bump it up to more posts than it is to start with daily posts, freak out when you run out of content, potentially burn out, and then disappear from the platform entirely for a month. (Because we’ve done that.) 

4. Turn to your IRL friends for help.

If the idea of engaging on social media isn’t your cup of tea, try starting with the people you already know. You don’t need to strike up a conversation with a stranger, but chatting with your friends on social media can help boost your engagement (especially if you ask them to comment on your posts) *and* shows other people (and platforms like Instagram) that your content is oh-so-amazing. 

Plus, the people you know in real life are probably the most likely to support you in any and all endeavors, which is freaking awesome. You don’t have to ask them to do anything, but you do need to make sure that they know you’re even on social media. (Seriously, we once had a client who felt too guilty to share their author Facebook page on their personal page, but once the share happened? A *bunch* of people came over to smash that “like” button and show their support.) 

5. Study other people’s strategies and learn from them.

If you’re a little more reserved online or unsure of where to begin, one of our favorite tips for social media is to scroll through what other people are doing. Take inspiration (don’t steal!) and learn what you can from what’s working for them. This requires zero interaction (yay!) and can yield some amazing results.

Maybe someone is using certain hashtags that you didn’t even know existed, or they’re sharing some awesome DIY graphics made with Canva. It could be that they participate in #1LineWed or simply share blog posts on their profiles, but that’s information that you can gather simply by using your introvert superpowers of observation. From there? Refer back to #1 and start trying things out! 

6. Keep it simple.

When in doubt, don’t be afraid to streamline. There’s a lot of meh advice on how to manage social media as a personal brand. Some people claim you need to be on every single platform, and some people say that a high follower count matters more than anything else, but — realistically — the most important thing you can do is what works for YOU and your audience.

That’s right. Unless someone (like our amazing TWC team!) tells you otherwise, consider this your permission to focus your energy on where it counts. That could be Twitter, but it could also be Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or another social media network. Founder Jandra Sutton actually gets more traction on TikTok than any other social media platform combined, which means she could focus all her energy there and probably still do a decent job overall.

The most important part about figuring out how to use social media as an introvert is to do what works for you. Every individual, every business, and every audience is unique — which means every social media strategy will be unique too.