Blake Lively is an Insta Game-Changer
It’s been a big week for Blake Lively. In addition to nailing her Met Gala look on Monday, she has also been in the center of a social media storm that has generated a ton of attention for her and her new movie, Simple Favor. In short, Blake took to deleting all of her photos and unfollowing everyone, including her husband Ryan Reynolds, save for a handful of accounts named Emily Nelson.
Curious, right? But also genius—and here’s why.
What can public relations professionals learn from Blake Lively’s Instagram stunt?
- Any good caper is one that doesn’t need to be explained. Blake let her audience ruminate on the meaning of her social media shenanigans, refusing to budge when questioned. This is a valuable lesson to PR pros: know your audience and trust that they’re smart enough to follow the clues. Plus, the buildup is what makes it fun!
- She also supplemented her Instagram posts by turning to Twitter and leaving more hints for her followers. Not only did this keep the mystery alive, it drew her audience to one of her other channels. While I’m a big believer that each platform should be used for different things, it still should be specific and representative of yours or your client’s brand. Blake executed this perfectly.
Not only did I love the mystery that surrounded this charade, I loved that it exposed yet another creative way brands can engage their audience. One of the most rewarding things about working in the public relations industry is the creative license under which we’re often given to operate.
And when it comes to those clients who may be more reticent to adventure outside of the box, it’s up to us to convince them otherwise. In my opinion, that’s what makes our job so enjoyable.
While on the topic of Instagram, be sure to check out this enlightening PR Daily article on how this platform is also changing the way PR pros pitch.
