Joe Granitto

Let's Be Real...

January 26, 2024

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I've been seeing a few videos from creators I've never seen and some I follow daily talk about this "paradigm shift" that is happening across the social media landscape.

What's this shift? People want more genuine videos to come back, like the old YouTube vlogging days. If you've been around on TikTok recently you may have come across Sam Sulek, a fitness influencer who posts raw videos of his daily routines and workouts.

Dude's massive, by the way.

Not just massive in regards to his physique, but also his following. Why do people follow a guy like Sam? It's because he's himself...

He's real...

I don't follow Sam personally and now if I try and follow him I feel like I'm just following another fan page that reposts his content (kinda rude, by the way). I think that his personality showing in his videos is exactly why people follow him, though. He doesn't do flashy hooks, stupid amounts of editing that requires special effects. He just makes raw content.

I had a person comment on one of my videos one time saying I was the Sam Sulek of photography. Didn't know if I should have been flattered or worried because I sounded very out of breathe in that video (if you've seen Sam's content, you'd know what I'm talking about).

A lot of content creators have been coming out of the woodwork talking about these shifts. Some big creators are even being referenced in changing their own behaviors of their videos to a more vlogging type. One of which I follow, Ali Abdaal.
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It makes me feel more validated in the type of content I create. I keep seeing metrics suffer, reach drop 60% month over month and I keep thinking that I'm being kicked in the gut because I'm not creating the right hook, making retention my top priority, etc.
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But that's not the type of content I WANT to create. I want to go out and film my POV and just talk about whatever comes to mind. Could it be about some random, off the cuff subject? Yeah. Could it be me venturing into an abandoned factory that is potentially a drug den? Yeah... That was interesting. But I did it for the shot (photo, not the other kind of shot).
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When I edit my videos I chop them up and cut out mistakes, gaps in me talking, the 'uhs, ums' but I don't color grade my videos. I use simple captions and the only asset I use that are graphics is a pack I bought from Peter McKinnon 3 years ago. That's the extent of my edits outside of showcasing the photos on screen, which are all simple Premiere Pro effects.

I don't think this shift is going to be an overnight thing, but I do think that it's coming because I get more and more messages or comments from people that say they enjoy my content for who I am. And that's a validating thing for me.

If you watch my content daily, thank you. I strive to continue to be real with you and everyone else. I love doing this and I don't want to quit. I have my goals and aspirations for my content journey which includes me not losing sight of the core reason why I do it.

I love photography
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What are your thoughts on this "shift" in the social media world? Reply back if you'd like, I'd love to hear what you think.

By the way, our newsletter has hit it's first milestone! 100 subscribers​
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See you next week!
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Joe Granitto