HEY, KITTY CAT—welcome to Middle Finger Fridays!
I’m featuring a new creator every Friday who’s out there SMOKIN’ it—and I'm highlighting one thing I think they’re doing really, really right. (You know, so you can replicate that magic. ??)
To kick things off, I’m starting with someone who’s slaughtering on both IG and TikTok—so much so, she recently quit her job as a nurse to pursue the creator life full-time. ?
Meet: @biabeible
What She Does
Gig: Content creator & pose coach helping you not look like an awkward asshole in photos—my words. ? (Also, great example of a profession that definitely didn't exist before…and great inspo for you to think about what new problems people are having as the result of emerging trends & technology, and how you can pivot your expertise to solve them.)
Fav quote: “Your body is not ugly—you just don’t know how to pose!”
IG Followers: 761,000 (damn, son!)
TikTok Followers: 1.4M
Digital Products: She's currently selling photography presets she uses to make her photos look ?. Though, she's got a ton of room for growth. If I were her Chief Revenue Officer, I'd be producing a posing guide and posing course YESTERDAY—which is why people follow her, not necessarily for her presets. Both of these are high margin products with demonstrated demand that can be systematized and sold, allowing Bia to continue doing what she does best: producing content. (I'd skip straight over any 1:1 coaching.)
What She’s Doing Right: She made her accounts ALLLLLL about showcasing before/after—and that's what I want to talk about today!
Examples of Her Work
Why It Works
People looooove a good before/after.
It’s predictable. It’s a pattern. The brain likes patterns. YUP, FUN, FOLLOW.
Patterns work exceptionally well on social media, so the more you can make your account ALL ABOUT A THING, the more followers you’re going to get.
Moreover, you can clearly see her value right away, right? The before/after format makes it drop-dead easy to quickly identify what you do and why someone needs you in their feed. Most Instagram accounts have random photos all over the place, making the user do the work of figuring out what you’re all about: your genius probably doesn’t jump out at them. But, if you think of your Instagram and TikTok as a 3-second ad, how can you make it obvious what you’re GREAT at?
The before/after format is a kill-ah way to do it.
How to Replicate
This works especially well if you help your clients achieve any kind of transformation—especially if it’s visual. But, it doesn’t need to be visual, and you don’t need to be a photographer or an interior designer to take advantage of this super yummy, lovable format! ?
Some ways to translate this into your industry? Let’s start off with the people who have it easy. (Jerks!)
- Copywriters: Before/After Copy
Here’s how it read before I rubbed it with the spit of an 8-winged angel, and here’s how it reads now. (Don’t worry, I wiped it off.) Note: a GREAT tool to do that is this browser extension, which lets you “change” the copy on any website—then, just take a screenshot! - Photographers: Before/After Transformations
Here’s what your dumb face will look like if you seriously even think about putting the light source behind you. Behold: here’s what it looks like now that you have learned today’s SECRET. (P.S. Don’t really write “dumb face.”) - Marketers & Business Consultants: Before/After Results
Here’s how we started. [Inserts # of subscribers, followers, revenue, etc.] Here’s how it’s going, 6 months later! (And how we did it.) [Inserts # of subscribers, followers, revenue, etc.] - Interior Designers: Before/After Reveals
I mean, we all know this one. I LIVE FOR THIS ONE. - Wardrobe Consultants: Before/After Hell Yeahs
Similar to what Bia’s doing, I would looooooove an entire account dedicated to making my football player shoulders, boobs, and stomach look like a dainty little waif of a cinched-waist siren—using clothes. “Don’t wear it like this….wear it like that.” - Artists: Before/After Process
People looooove seeing these. Especially cool if you’re a digital artist and can record a time lapse video on your iPad. (Procreate has this capability.) But don’t let that stop you: Veronica Dearly has a great example showing her process where she just filmed herself in real life and then sped it up! - Ghostwriters: Before/After Passages of Text
It’s legit super cool seeing a paragraph of text that just laid there like a wet, floppy piece of cardboard….and how you transformed it into a piece of lively, effervescent prose. (In fact, I have some things in the works on this myself. Muahahaha.)
But don’t get down on yourself if you’re like, “BUT I DON’T HAVE A ‘BEFORE,’ ASH!” That’s okay, sugar sweats! It’s not just before/after. Sometimes there isn’t a “before.” And sometimes there isn’t tangible evidence, like if you’re a travel consultant. However, you can still take advantage of this very likable format by keeping the concept—but altering it to fit your needs.
Try these two on for size!
No/Yes, Good/Better ?
- Food Blogger: No/Yes
Here’s how this dish would have looked if I didn’t know this (super weird) cooking secret. But here’s how it turned out because I did. - Realtors: No/Yes
Here’s what could happen if you’ve never bought a house before. But, here’s the outcome you’ll get when you try this negotiation tip instead. - Travel Consultants: Good/Better
You could have an okay time in Mexico if you go to Cancun…but you’ll have THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE in Mexico if you try Tulum—here’s why! - Mom Blogger: Good/Better
Having trouble getting your child to eat their veggies? Here’s how I used to try to feed ‘em the broc (hint: didn’t work). Here’s a brand-new way I discovered. - Wine Expert: No/Yes
Pairing your dessert with dry wine to “balance it?” NOPE. Here’s the surprising wine you should actually drink with your dessert. - Mindset Coaches: Good/Better
Here’s one way to think about this. But, here’s a helpful reframe if that way hasn’t worked for you.
But, what about product-based businesses? Can they use this, too?
SURE—WHO’S GONNA STOP US?! Let’s get creative. ? You know which formats I like a lot?
If you liked X, then you’ll love Y.
If you want X, then do Y.
If you’re struggling with X, then try Y.
- Bookshop Owners
If you liked this book, then you’ll love THIS book. (Imagine how useful & cool this entire Instagram grid would be?!) - Jewelry Makers
If you’re going for a coffee date and want to look cute without looking overdone, you need this necklace. If you’re going to meet your in-laws for the first time and want to look sweet as hell, you need these earrings. If you’ve got a lacy dress that needs roughing up, you need this cocktail ring. - Coffee Roasters
If you like the taste of an orangutan smoking a cigar, you’ll love this coffee. If you like the taste of fluffy little clouds dipped in a vanilla milkshake, you’ll love this coffee. If you like the taste of rich, creamy milk from the teat of a goat, you’ll love this coffee. (Okay, now I’m just having too much fun.)
Ya feel me? This is a fun strategy for your socials if you’ve been struggling to figure out what to post. ?
A Few Helpful Tips
- Use emojis like @biabeible does to easily signify ❌ NO versus ✅ YES.
- Keep it short & snappy like lightning. You want people to instantly get what you’re all about. If you record 20-minute-long videos showing a detailed before and after, that might work well as a part of a formal pitch to a client, but for the purposes of social media…in the age of rapid-fire scrolling? Keep it quick and light.
- Make sure you get the “before” snapshot from your clients, if applicable. If you’re a marketer, this might mean benchmarking your clients’ starting number of subscribers, followers, revenue, profits so you have a meaningful way to compare.
- Anytime you get a question, mark it down. This is the best way to make your content!
- Definitely keep a list. You won’t remember it later. ? And now you will feel like you have an organized plan. IMAGINE?
- Don’t overthink it! Just have fun.
Know any other great before/after accounts? Hit me up with them!
Hope this got those wheels turning. ⚙️ You never know what might give you the AH-HA spark that'll change everything.