Thursday Press #146: Let's talk about s*x baby 😏

[22 AUG 2024] and no, I don't mean six

“I don’t wanna seem desperate”

^^ That was the common refrain my anxiety brain used to tell me any time I even thought about reaching out to a new friend or connection.

I don’t know what our society has against “looking desperate” but it is a super real fear for so many people!

And for what? To be cool?

Nah. I’m calling it quits on playing it cool.

Because although desperation might not be sexy, there’s no denying that it gets sexy results.

Monday was my 27th birthday.

Two weeks before that I met up with online clients turned IRL friends for the first time.

And the weekend prior I’d spent several days hanging out with one of my besties who was about to move across the country.

It's safe to say I’m feeling a little extra loved and grateful this month.

But 23-year-old Sarah could never have comprehended where I am now.

4 years ago, the idea that I would have a flourishing business and vibrant social life full of the most incredible, supportive, loving people ever seemed downright laughable.

We were smack dab in the middle of 2020, my travel ghostwriting job was drying up, and I lived over an hour away from my college friends in a town populated by equal parts young military families and retirees. In other words, not my people.

Between you and me bestie, I was desperate.

Or at least I was well on my way there.

I was desperate to take charge of my sporadic freelancing pastime and turn it into a business. Check.

2 years later, I was desperate to finally make some in-person friends and get out of the house, so I agreed to meet up with some strangers I met in an Instagram comments section. Jackpot!

If I had been content where I was, I probably wouldn’t have done either of those things.

The level of desperation and, if you’ll let me be SUPER vulnerable, loneliness I was at made me the closest thing I could be to fearless.

I was going to make this work, gosh darn it!!!

Now, granted, there were a lot of other factors both within and outside of my control that lined up to get me where I am today.

And I don’t wish that kind of desperation or loneliness on anyone. Ever.

But there’s something to be said for turning the limes life gives you into margaritas. 

So raise yours with me and let's cheers to the sexy side effects of being desperate enough to try!

And speaking of sexy… 

Let's Talk About 💦 Baby: User Intent & Desire

*Alexa, play Let's Talk About Sex by Salt-N-Peppa*

Yep, you read that right. We're talking about the birds and the bees.

More specifically, we’re talking about spontaneous vs. responsive desire and how it mirrors different user intent on Pinterest and Instagram

But I’m getting ahead of myself…

If you haven’t heard of the concept of these two different desire types before, here’s a simple breakdown:

• Spontaneous desire is fairly self-explanatory; you might think of it as the stereotypical “spark” in a relationship, where an individual experiences desire spontaneously

• Responsive desire is less frequently known, but is generally described as experiencing desire as a result of some external stimulus

Sex educator Emily Nagoski talks about the concept in this article as well as in her books.

We can chart these two different desire types to user behavior on Instagram and Pinterest pretty neatly —

The way Instagram users interact with the app is more indicative of responsive desire.

A typical Instagram user is opening the app to browse. It’s a mindless habit to tap and scroll.

You might not be in the “mood” for anything in particular, but during your scroll, you might see something that sparks your interest and causes you to take action.

On the other hand, Pinterest is more representative of spontaneous desire, although spontaneous is a bit of a confusing word in this context.

For our purposes, you could also think of it as “intrinsic desire.”

Pinterest users typically go to Pinterest with a specific intent in mind, whether that’s looking for a dinner recipe, outfit inspo for the new top they just got, or tips on how to start an online business.

Opening the app is second to the “desire”, whereas on IG, users are typically opening the app and then experiencing the desire.

So… what does this mean for the way you market on these platforms?

A LOT.

Because users are engaging with content differently, you have to have different ways of catching their attention.

On Instagram, you’re going to need a juiiiiicy hook to break the doomscroll. Often a purely educational “how to” isn’t going to cut it

Pinterest is almost completely the opposite.

Your Pinterest audience wants to know that you’re giving them the solution to whatever problem sent them to the app in the first place.

That promise of value and “how to” absolutely kills it on Pinterest, whereas that cutesy analogy or shock-value hook is going to leave you up a creek without a paddle

I’m no Instagram expert, but I do know a thing or two (or 50) about Pinterest, so let’s focus in on that…

If Pinterest users are experiencing more spontaneous or intrinsic desire — specific motivation leading them to intentionally seek a specific solution — you need to know what that desire is to adequately market to it

Not only do you need to know what content to create to respond to your audience’s desire, but you also need to know what words and phrases they’re using to look for it on Pinterest.

That’s keyword research, bb.

Knowing your Pinterest audience and having a solid understanding of Pinterest SEO are the two most important components of a successful Pinterest content strategy.

If you want to know the others, and how to apply this to your own content, it’s time to turn the page…

Creating a Pinterest Content Strategy

How to Connect With Your Pinterest Audience

Thanks for holding on through the roller coaster of cheeky analogies and maybe-too-vulnerable admissions.

As I'm plunging back into the deep end of Instagram marketing for my own business after quite a substantial break, it's got me thinking all kinds of things about the state of online business in 2024 — and what's to come in 2025!

And TBH? I'm pumped.

In case I haven't said it enough lately, I'm ridiculously grateful for you. For all the birthday wishes, support, and companionship, THANK YOU!!! 🫶