Letter from Gary ‘Vee’ Vaynerchuck
Hey everybody,
Today's message is for my content creators, my influencers, or anyone creating content on a regular basis... I hear from a lot of you in DMs and in real life that you're burning out. Many of you know by now that I'm huge on posting social media content at scale, but when it comes to the question of creative burnout, my actual stance might surprise you…
“If you’re experiencing creative burnout, you should stop. ”
Image copyright Gary Vaynerchuck https://garyvaynerchuk.com/
Let me explain..
All the advice I give about creating and posting content works.. but it only works if you're happy while you do it. If you're posting at a pace that's stressing you out, if you're posting for fame, if you're posting for likes or followers or money.. of course you're gonna burn out!! If you're reading this right now and you're really feeling burnt out, take a week off! Sure, consistency works, but not at the expense of your mental health or your happiness.
“Take a month off if you need to.. a 30 day reset isn’t gonna hurt you as much as you think!”
Please.. I want all of you to understand why you're making content. When you start doing it because you enjoy it and you want to make the people on the other side of the screen happy, then you're way less likely to stress yourself out.
So, if this sounds like you.. give yourself permission to take a break. Figure out your "why," take a week off.. or two or three.. and come back and hit it harder when you can. Stop worrying about fucking up the algorithm.. worry about fucking up your happiness!
I hope this perspective helps someone today
~ Gary Vee
P.S. I’m always thinking of how I can provide even more value to everybody here in my newsletter community.
Before we dive in to the first piece of content, let’s break down what “PAC” means:
Platforms - The core features, tools and content formats that work on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
Culture - The brands, artists, music, food, and popular culture of society.
In order to make good content, you need both! First, understand the best practices for the platform you’re posting on, and second, learn how to take part in relevant social conversations going on in culture.
For today’s example, let’s check out cookware brand, HexClad, who's really PAC-ing a punch on their TikTok! This TikTok from HexClad really PACs a punch for a few reasons:
The video duration was nice and short, optimizing for watch time. TikTok does allow longer-form video content now, however many users still prefer quick and easily digestible videos that they can watch without getting bored. The perfect loop at the end of the video also brings viewers back to the beginning and encourages rewatches!
The use of ASMR was a smart play for both platform and culture! Not only does it make a simple recipe video more engaging, but it likely helped HexClad reach a different audience segmentation of non-food followers.. hitting two birds with one stone!
HexClad nailed the TikTok formatting, using the full real estate of the screen without much to distract or steal attention. Vertical video as opposed to square or horizontal was the perfect choice for this platform, and demonstrates an understanding of TikTok's best practices!
The copy was clever and informative, making this piece of creative both entertaining and shareable! The relationship-based pun was playful in tone, demonstrating HexClad's understanding of culture and the nuances of TikTok's core demographic.
Finally, the well-executed hook with the finished dish at the beginning of the video is a clear hallmark of understanding the TikTok platform. Those first few seconds of the video are crucial for grabbing attention and stopping viewers from scrolling, and the finished spinach dip was the perfect way to catch people’s eyes!
Ultimately, this was a strong play byHexCladthat definitely "PACs a Punch!" Stay tuned for more content analysis in this series!
Follow Gary ‘Vee’ Vaynerchuk
Bold speaker, CEO, social media advocate!
