“How many tripods should I have to make content?”

I was sitting at my favorite coffee shop, Golden Drops Cafe, with 5 strangers-turned-fast-friends for the third meetup of Social Media Club Atlanta.

The energy in the room was something you can’t replicate online. We were excited. We were chatty. We were vibin'.

So the questions flew:

• Does YouTube count as a social media platform or it something else?
• Do you guys use Reddit for work?
• How can I actually understand my audience?

But my favorite was what made the entire table nod:

“My boss doesn’t think TikTok is legitimate… so I can be creative without anyone looking over my shoulder.”

We've all been there, even though we all had very different backgrounds:

• A freelancer exploring her next full-time move.
• A spiritual healer building her business from the ground up.
• A volunteer for a dog rescue.
• A content creator balancing her passion with a 9–5 in tech.
• A few neurodivergent boutique agency owners sharing the full picture of what it means to work for yourself.

One of the questions, “What do I need to get started with strategy?”, sent me on a soapbox.

I shared my go-to framework that works for nearly every type of social media role I’ve been in (so much so, I built an entire email course around it). I'll share it here, too.

These are the content pillars I use for EVERY client:

• Industry: Where you talk about your place in the world.
• People: Who you are (or who you serve).
• Product/Service: What you do, and how you help.
• Community (optional): Who you surround yourself with (anything that doesn't fit squarely into the other categories).

How can you put this into play for different industries? I'll show you.

For a content creator, this framework could look really relatable and specific:

• Industry Norms = GRWMs, behind-the-scenes, “a day in the life”, how to get a brand deal.
• People = Personal brand content, side characters like friends or pets, or even "characters" in your universe.
• Product = Sponsored posts, affiliate links, digital offers, anything with (link in bio).
• Community = Comment replies, duets, favorite creators, partnerships with other creators, etc.

A more corporate brand like jewelry designer Taylor & Hart (where we got my engagement and our wedding rings) might use these pillars differently:

• Industry = luxury, jewelry, weddings
• People = the designers, the couples, the gem growers
• Product = the rings, the process, the sparkle
• Community = sourcing stories, vendor partnerships, nonprofit giving

This is just one of the topics we covered in a tight 2-hour yap-sesh. We were sharing our favorite accounts and swapping handles so we could stay plugged in between meetings.

Because we were genuinely curious enough to show up IRL, we made real connections and will end up helping each other achieve our goals.

If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, join us on July 11 for the next Social Media Club ATL meetup.​

Remember: You don’t need to be an expert. You just need to be interested.

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Showing up in person,