Of course it’s subjective, but even so, there are do’s and don’ts and general best practices we’d like to highlight for the uninitiated, curious, forgetful, or those of you who need a little handholding. It’s ok; we got you—because here’s the thing is: Common tricks and tools won’t work if the subject matter is lacking. I.e, you can use all the hashtags in the world, but if the post isn’t interesting, whoever stumbled onto your post isn’t going to be inclined to follow, engage, or come back. So here we go, let’s talk about what makes great content:

1) It Starts With You:

When you get up in the morning and get dressed, we’re hoping you put some thought into what you wear and how you wear it. Even if your vibe is “I WOKE UP LIKE THIS”—that’s a choice you made and every choice you make, from the shirt you put on to how you wear your hair exemplifies it. Your content is not different. It’s an extension of who you are and who you are is great. So let’s celebrate that! In order to do so, you need to think about what makes you you, and make sure the content you’re posting is reflective of that.

2) Variety Is A Spice of Life:

We go through a myriad of emotions every day. So let’s not limit it to just one look. We see this quite often with influencers both burgeoning and established. Show us something more than your sexy pout! Show us when you’re happy, sad, frustrated, disappointed, or looking good! Give us more than selfies with the same expression. If you’re niche is “badass bitch,” spice it up with a candid/unguarded moment; a different angle; a new perspective. People can and will look to you for strength and inspiration, but they’ll feel connected if they see that there’s a human behind the façade—one who is just like them and capable of doing more than just offering up a tough scowl.

3) Create a Dialogue:

The best content does more than give the audience something to look at for a second; it incites the desire to engage. With that in mind, it’s not a bad idea to double-down and encourage that with a caption that has a call to action. Maybe the caption is the punch line to the joke served in the picture, which inspires people to chime in with they’re own snare roll; or it’s a simple question for your followers to answer; or maybe it asks them to tag someone who might sympathize with the sentiment. It doesn’t have to be long or poetic. It doesn’t even have to be “punny”—an emoji might suffice! Look, we can’t write it for you, but we can tell you that it all stems from the content. Use your imagination and take advantage of the ability to caption.

4) Accuracy, Dagnamit!

Twitter doesn’t let you edit a post that’s already been sent off into the universe. We get it. That sucks—but you can come back and edit a typo or mislabeled post, everywhere else. By all means, dot your i’s and cross your t’s before posting! Get the possessive and contractions right: your, you’re; their, they’re, there, etc. But fix it if you miss it! It’s a sign of professionalism you need to exhibit. More to the point, you don’t want to give anyone a reason to dismiss your hard work.

5) Keep an Open Line of Communication:

Respond, respond, respond! Not all the time. Not to everything. But if a fan, passerby, what have you, asks a question, don’t be too cool for school. Let them know you’re there. Let them know you’re watching. Favorite a comment if it’s deserving; answer questions, if it’s worthwhile. It reinforces the connection and in turn, the loyalty—which means they’ll be back for more. You’re not having them over for dinner, or introducing them to your parents. There’s still an obvious barrier between you, the sanctity of your private life, and them—whomever or wherever they might be. But the advent of social media helped bridge the gap, so give a little love and you’ll get some in return.

6) Less Might Not Always Be More:

Remember that scene in Swingers where they’re arguing about how long you should wait to call a girl who has just given you her number? “Two days is like industry standard.” “…I think three days is kind of money…” They couldn’t agree on a number and that’s because everyone had an opinion—and nobody is 100% right. This is kind of like that. Do I post once a day? Every other day? Not going to lie, I’ve been known to post three times a day. It wasn’t because I was starved for attention. (Brief tangent: Don’t post when you’re blue. Call your grandma, if you need validation.) I posted several times that day because I had good, timely content that were both reflective of who I am and of interest to those fortunate enough to follow me. All that aside, a good rule of thumb is in fact: Less is more. Be creative. Be selective—enough so that when you do post, people are excited to see it and not wondering where you’ve been!