Being an independent media person can be a strange place to be. You spend your time trying to help everyone—sports clubs, musicians, charities, community groups, local businesses and anyone with a story worth telling. You turn up because you enjoy it, not because anyone asks you to.
As organisations grow, many quite rightly invest in their own social media. They employ media managers, photographers and videographers whose job is to promote what they do. That's exactly as it should be.
But social media doesn't work quite as simply as many people think.
If a football club posts on Facebook, the majority of people seeing that post already follow the club. If a charity posts an update, most of the engagement comes from people who already support that charity. The same applies to bands, venues and community groups. You're often talking to an audience that has already chosen to listen.
Independent media reaches different people.
Someone might follow me because of football but end up discovering a local band. Another person might be interested in live music and suddenly find themselves reading about a charity fundraiser. Others come for community stories and leave knowing more about local sport. That's where independent media has real value. It connects audiences that official channels often can't.
Over the years, my pages have generated a great following and getting well over two million views a month. Those views didn't happen because I was competing with organisations. They happened because I was sharing their stories with people who may never have seen them otherwise.
Of course, it doesn't always work like that.
I've turned up at events where I've been actively discouraged from taking photographs. On one occasion, I wasn't allowed in with my camera, yet afterwards there was no problem using pictures I'd taken on my phone. To me, that misses the point completely.
Independent media isn't there to make anyone look bad. It's there to help tell their story.
It has to be a two-way street.
Social media is constantly changing. Every week I receive updates explaining how the different platforms now work, what content they are rewarding and how audiences are changing. What performs well on Facebook won't necessarily work on Instagram. TikTok has different priorities again. YouTube has its own algorithms. Because of that, I constantly adapt my own strategy, changing the way I create and publish content to give every story the best possible chance of reaching new audiences.
That's why I've never seen independent media as being in opposition to official media. The two should work together. Official media speaks to the loyal supporters. Independent media introduces new people to the story.
Sadly, only a handful of organisations, businesses and charities really use independent media to its full potential. Many assume that having their own social media manager is enough. In reality, the biggest opportunity is often reaching the people who don't already follow you. That's where independent media comes in.
I've never wanted to replace anyone's media team. I've always wanted to complement it.
So, if you've got an event, a gig, a charity fundraiser, a sporting fixture or anything else you want to shout about, and you want maximum exposure before, during and after the event, just send us a message.
Everyone thinks they can do social media. Some can. Some can't. But if people are still saying, "I didn't know that was on," then maybe there's room for another voice.