Let’s Talk About Being Professionally Nosey

Listen…I get it.

Most social media strategies are built around content calendars, post frequency, caption tone, and which hashtag might finally summon the algorithm gods.

You spend hours creating gorgeous, strategic posts. You schedule them. You report on them.

And then you sit there, puzzled, wondering why your beautifully designed “Happy National Wrench Day” graphic didn’t exactly break the internet.

Meanwhile… the actual “social” part of social media? Completely ghosted.

But here’s what I think most social media peeps are ignoring:

 You’re pouring your energy into broadcasting, not connecting.
You’re posting... and peace-ing out.

And listen, I’m not talking about replying to DMs and dropping a heart emoji in the comments.

I mean actual outbound engagement.

The bold, slightly nosey, boots-on-the-ground behavior of going out and finding people. Commenting on their posts. Starting conversations. Getting in their feed on purpose.

💡 How to Make Outbound Engagement Work (Without Losing Your Mind or Your Profit Margin)

Now, I know I’m not a mind reader, but I’ve been in this business long enough for me to know that right now, you’re thinking:
"How do I add this without tacking on 5 hours of unpaid work?”

Same. Which is why I’ve figured out how to bake it in without scope creep, burnout, or resentment. (full transparency, I struggled with this FOR YEARS.)

✅ Replace quantity with quality

Ditch the 20-post-a-month hustle and shift to 12–15 impactful posts plus structured engagement time.

Same hours, better reach. More real people.

✅ Create an engagement playbook

Set up a simple doc for each client with:

• Target accounts

• Conversation starters

• “Say this, not that” examples
  Bonus: This becomes a deliverable. Not a forever task.

PRO TIP: I started building this into my onboarding questionnaire so the client can do a little digging for me from the eyes of the business owner or the person in charge of the account.

✅ Train the client (but not forever)

If your client has someone in-house who can handle it, offer a 30-min training on how to engage like a human.

I’ll be honest, I have three clients that do this because they’re really social media savvy and VERY coachable. I recorded how to do it…I did NOT set up a call to show them - ALWAYS use a LOOM recording so they can always go back to it! AND you can use it for more than one person.

Basically, record it once. Reuse it forever.

✅ Batch it like a boss

Three 10-minute engagement blocks a week. That’s it.

I literally have this on my calendar as a to-do. 

If the client is doing it, I add a calendar invite for them to hold them accountable to getting it done.

Is it enabling them? Babying them?

No, it’s setting them up for success.

📈 Real Results from Real People

Just updated a service-based client’s strategy to actually include this…and with the same retainer, here’s what happened:

• Reduced post count after a “just posting to post” intervention

• Built a rotation list of 10 local accounts to engage with weekly

• Dug back into their onboarding doc to revisit competitors and lowkey steal their audience (ethically, of course)

• Created a stash of 15+ conversation starters in the notes app on my phone so I’m never typing “love this!” ever again

Result?
In two months, reach is up. Engagement is up.
And best of all, I’m not working a minute more than I was before.

Here’s the proof in the pudding…or whatever they call it.
Is the “engagement” a high number? No.

But those “interactions” were new users checking out their pages and hitting that “follow” button. All because I was being “nosey”, lol

🚫 But Make It Scalable, Not Soul-Crushing

Here’s how to make this work for you without you wanting to throw your phone into a nearby body of water:

• Make it measurable: Define what a win looks like.

  • 10 meaningful engagements per week, 3 new connections, etc.
    

• Build systems: Use templates, Google Docs, Asana boards, the Notes app…whatever helps you rinse & repeat.
  

• Start small: I only do 10 minutes of outbound engagement per client, 3x a week. And it works. Use a timer or it will eat your day.
  

• Document the process: SOPs, checklists, and templates make it easy to hand off when you grow. Loom video…the templates…you get the picture. We talked about that above.
  

• Package it as premium: Position it as your “connection strategy”, that’s what I have it labeled as. It’s something that sets you apart from “post and pray” agencies. Add it to a higher-tier retainer, and suddenly it’s a value-add instead of extra work.

🎯 Final Thought: This Is Algorithm-Proof

While everyone else is panicking about the latest update or figuring out how to jump on the next trend before it dies, you’re building actual relationships that drive growth.

Swap out two “inspirational quote” posts for structured engagement.
Watch what happens.

Your client won’t miss the Monday “you got this!” post.
But they will love the new followers, comments, and actual human connection.