There are some social platforms worth your time, while there are others… not so much.

Newsletters were big years ago and then they died off and now they are back with a vengeance. And for good reason.

Controlling how and when you push your content out to your intended audience — and knowing your intended audience will actually see what you are sending them — is core to your success.

Clear thought and strategy around where your audience lives, and how to find them, is first and foremost. It’s good to experiment, to see what draws out a reaction. It’s equally important to understand all of the tools you have at your fingertips. The content you create, where you promote that content, and how frequently you post are only the first steps in maximizing your return on investment.

I had the opportunity to help significantly grow follower count and social engagement for Animal Planet. Being the first to truly optimize the type of content created for each individual social platform, I transformed the way our channels were viewed. The strategy used to grow the Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages was a huge success resulting in the following growth:

Followers on all platforms grew a combined 37% to hit 38 Million

Facebook video grew 623% to reach 743 million annual views

Engagement on all platforms grew a combined 270%

Innovate

New products are constantly being launched — either by existing platforms or by players new on the scene. Jumping on them early, if you have the bandwidth, can be beneficial. It’s easier to build an audience for yourself when a platform is trying to grow itself and its users. Is Bluesky worth your time? Maybe. But at the very least, securing your name on their platform is a good idea!

This social effort, executed to launch a new linear series on Animal Planet, was the first time a marathon Facebook Live had ever taken place on the Facebook platform.

10-Hour Facebook Live

To help launch The Zoo, a new show on Animal Planet, we hosted a 10-hour live interactive zoo experience on Facebook. Broadcasting from 17 different AZA zoos and aquariums around the country, viewers got to see their favorite animals and ask questions of the handlers in real-time via #InsideTheZoo

Engage & Experiment

Newsletters allow you to speak directly to your audience. It’s worth considering the many different applications for which they can be used; you aren’t restricted to “traditional” newsletters.

While at Healthline we created a newsletter in the form of a micro guide for those recently diagnosed with diabetes. And another for those with irritable bowel syndrome.