On Social Media: Don't share content that isn't yours (without getting permission)
Seems pretty simple: On social media platforms, don't share content that isn't yours (without getting permission).
Right?!
Well, I guess it isn't that obvious. Especially when you have famous people activity doing it AND promoting stealing content as a way to “grow on Instagram” at big social media conferences.
Recently, I was scrolling through my Twitter feed and came across a video that had been tweeted by a popular celebrity. The video was hilarious, and I wanted to share it with my followers. Normally, I would have just retweeted it, but this time I decided to take a closer look at the account that originally posted the video. To my surprise, the account only had about 125 followers.
I thought to myself, "How is this possible? This video has been viewed over 2 million times and shared by some of the biggest names in social media."
The reason is simple: content theft. The original poster had stolen the video from another account without giving credit or obtaining permission first. Unfortunately, this happens all too often on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
While it may be tempting to steal or "borrow" someone else's content in order to grow your own following quickly, it's important to remember that not only is this practice unethical, but it could also lead to serious legal consequences.
Social Media: So much content!
Social Media is one of the best ways to discover new and amazing content. Whether it's an inspiring quote, a recipe for a new and interesting dish, or a cute animal photo, the interwebs is a one-stop shop for all things entertaining & educational.
When it comes to social media, one of the cardinal rules is not to share content that isn't yours. This includes things like photos, videos, and quotes. Not only is it plagiarism, but it can also be a violation of copyright law. If you're sharing someone else's content without asking them first, you can get into a lot of trouble and have to pay fines or even have your account taken away for violating social media community guidelines.
A screenshot of what NOT to do to grow on Instagram:
This screenshot is from a session I attended at #SMMW22 all about Growth on Instagram. The already famous mother/son duo literally told hundreds of marketers to share viral content from other people, that they would be "honored" to have you share their content.
I left shortly after that because I knew that:
A. It’s against community guidelines to share content that you haven’t received written permission to share.
B. Content creators are not honored when you steal their content (share without asking) just to boost your page. Even if you give them credit for taking the picture/video. Most of the time it does nothing for their brand when you share that content on your page.
.... Note: reshares to stories or remixes of Instagram Reels is a whole different story. That content directly goes back to the original content creator and this is okay to do without asking.
If you want people to follow you on social media, or even just take you seriously, it's important that you stick to this rule - Share your own original content or stuff that you have been given explicit permission to share.
Otherwise, you may be called out - or worse - have to pay a fine or have your account taken away for not adhering to community guidelines.
Here is a longer post I wrote about using user generated content without asking for the North Bay Business Journal. (Ignore the title. I didn’t do that)
I have ALWAYS said: If you are a brand - even a brick & mortar brand, simply ask people who share pictures or videos of your products/location if you can share. Here, I will give you my go-to request (save it and use it again and again):
"Thank you so much for coming by. I love this photo! Could we please share it on social media and give you credit?"
It's pretty simple, and it also creates a relationship with that person and they usually feel pretty damn good about your brand because you complimented them.
When it comes to sharing content on social media:
Ask and wait for them to answer. When in doubt, don't share it! It's better to err on the side of caution than risk violating someone's copyright or breaking social media etiquette.
Note: this post was inspired by Your Social Team (they have some damn good Canva Pro templates you can customize with your own branding to create social media content for Instagram).
