How to Stand Out When Everyone Is Posting the Same Thing
Remember the good old days, when you could post a video on TikTok and it would reach thousands of people in minutes? Or drop a photo on Instagram and know that everyone you cared about would actually see it in their feed? Now there is so. Much. Content. More people are creating and posting online than ever before, which makes it incredibly hard to stand out and move the needle for your brand or business.
Here's what's happening.
Every time you post, your content is competing with thousands of nearly identical posts for the same attention. Algorithms aren't primed to show your content to your followers anymore, instead they're showing each user a handful of posts most likely to keep them on the app for longer. That means a lot of what you publish never even reaches the people who already chose to follow you, let alone new audiences.
That doesn't mean it's impossible to get results. It just means we have to be smarter — hacking the system and doing everything we can to give every post a fighting chance. Here’s how.
1. Your text on screen has to be offbeat.
If you're saying things like "morning routine in my life as a 25-year-old who works from home" — it's just not going to cut it anymore. There are so many people making content like that, which is not to say this style is WRONG by any means. But your overlay text needs to be novel. It needs to be something we don't hear often, or, alternatively, it needs to be said in the way your viewer actually thinks and talks about it.
Here are three examples of what that looks like in practice:
Instead of "my morning routine," try "the 6am ritual that is rocking “my world
Instead of "work from home day in my life," try "what I actually do all day"
Instead of "how I stay productive," try "I stopped doing the thing everyone told me to do and here's what happened"
2. Sound effects. Sound effects. Sound effect.
A pop sound when your video starts. A typewriter click. Think about how to create surprise and intrigue using the power of sound. It's even more powerful when your sound connects to what we're seeing on screen — the typing of a keyboard while you're actually at your computer, or a swoosh sound when you send a text message. See how you can incorporate more of that.
Some examples to work with:
Open your video with a cash register cha-ching if you're talking about money or business, it's unexpected and instantly sets the tone
Use a "notification ping" sound when a new tip appears on screen, like your phone is alerting your viewer to pay attention
If you're cooking, sync a sizzle sound effect to the moment food hits the pan, even if the audio is already there, layering it makes it pop
3. Color matters.
Wear bright colors — red, yellow, anything that's going to pop. Neutrals are beautiful, but if you want to give your content a little more edge and a little more of a head start, you need to play with color.
Some examples of how to do that:
Swap your usual neutral outfit for one bold statement piece — a red blazer, a cobalt blue top — and notice how differently your thumbnail reads
Use a bright solid-color background behind you instead of your natural room setting
Add a colored border or text highlight in your editing app that matches your brand color — it makes your video instantly recognizable in a sea of content
4. Try pattern interrupts.
Do something unexpected in the first 2 seconds — pause mid-sentence, whisper suddenly, or cut to a completely different scene. Our brains are wired to pay attention when something breaks the expected pattern.
Here are three ways to pull it off:
Talk to the camera like you're venting to your best friend, then snap into "okay here's what you actually need to do" mode
Say something that feels like the middle of a conversation, like you're already three sentences in — "...and that's exactly why it doesn't work" — then back up and explain
Turn away from the camera for a beat, then turn back, it resets the viewer's attention instantly
5. Get specific.
The more precise your details, the more believable and compelling your content is, and the more your viewer trusts that you actually know what you're talking about.
Here are three ways to do it:
Instead of "I was struggling in my business," try "I lost 4 clients in one week"
Instead of "this changed my morning," try "I added one 7-minute habit at 6am and my entire day got “so much better
Instead of "I grew my audience," try "I went from 200 followers to 11,000 in 90 days doing one thing differently"
Even though it's hard to stand out online right now, it is not impossible. It's something you can absolutely do if you put your mind to it and really pay attention to how you're making content — or better yet, how you're editing and framing it.
Don't let the creative, artistic, spontaneous side of you get too caught up in the details. Make sure you're reserving time to be creative and try new things, and then separate time to put your strategy hat on — to refine, hone your skills, and improve your content. And always analyze your content a few days after publishing, so you can see where you can improve and make mental notes for next time.
If you want more help with this, it's exactly what we focus on inside Personal Brand Accelerator, a course and community that will help you post with more confidence, get results, and finally get noticed on social media. And it's completely free to start. Sign up with a free trial and join us.
