WHY I BELIEVE EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A POD OF BADASS BOSS BABES / DUDES
For the last 6 ish months I have been a member of a few amazing Instagram pods ... if you're asking yourself 'wtf is a pod, Heather' ... here is my definition:
A group of Instagram addicts who love to support one another and believe that rising tides raise all ships ... and who never put their phone down ... even for one second ... therefore are available to be active members of the group ... AKA the pod
BASICALLY, A POD IS A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO AGREE TO 'CERTAIN TERMS OR RULES' AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER ON INSTAGRAM
... some examples are:
commenting with more than 4 words on each post the pod members share
allowing only a certain number of posts per day so the members don't actually go insane
liking each post before you comment
saving the posts to a 'collections file'
^^ sh*t like that
I am very lucky to be in 2 pods who are SUPER ACTIVE and amazing ... but lately Instagram has decided to be a total asshole about it! And why wouldn't they??? Hello, remember what FB (owners of IG) did to our beloved Facebook business pages back in the day?? Look, I get it ... social media is 'free' and it's also a business ... they will get their money even if it takes 500 algorithm changes to make us all see the light and open up our checkbooks.
My beloved pod members have been getting super irritated and the question of: should we even keep the pod?? has been bouncing in and out ... LUCKILY we all love each other oodles and oodles and decided we're staying together ... PHEW!!!! ... but if you are in a pod who is the same predicament and are trying to decide if keeping the pod is worth it ... here are my reasons to keep it going through the storms:
A pod seals relationships WITHIN the pod itself ... I've noticed that the members of my pod are working with each other all the time ... DUH!!! If you "talk" to someone each and every day who is a badass at what they do then that will naturally make you want to work with them or refer their services to other people you work with. A lot of my pod members have become my clients because they see my work and have gotten to know me as a person.
A pod is a constant stream of positivity ... and who doesn't need a positive voice in their head each day?? Running a business and dealing with this world right now can suck the big one ... so having pod friends be there to support you when you feel alone and powerless is so nice to have. I love my pod and I love lifting them up with comments and hitting that 'heart' icon on their feed.
A pod makes you feel less lonely on Instagram ... ever notice that these days you can post something and hear only crickets?? Depressing, no??? The new algorithm makes feeling the energy of 'my stuff doesn't suck' take longer to come in ... and when it does come in it's usually a trickle rather than a flood ... having awesome people to be there to make your phone light up is a nice thing to have and makes you feel that the hard work you are putting into social media is all worth the effort.
A pod acts as a sounding board ... not sure about you and your pods, but I have one pod that messages back and forth about REAL SH*T!! We discuss ... we bring up interesting topics ... we brainstorm ... we have each others backs when life happens ... we're like a therapy session in your pocket!!
All in all??? A pod is a support system, a networking group, and if your group kicks ass ... they become your friends. Not all pods are successful tho ... a lot of them fizzle out after just a few weeks and here's why:
Pods are a commitment: Nobody ever said that commenting on 2 posts per day for 10 ish people was gonna be easy!! No no no ... this is a commitment and it will take your time! Pods who have members who can't keep up or aren't on top of it enough will eventually stop working.
You're not going to truly 'heart' it all: A pod means liking and commenting on a post even if it's something you really don't love ... that can be hard for some people to do! Creating a genuine comment for something you feel 'meh' about is challenging and can start to suck the life out of you.
Members are busy with other stuff: Pods work best if people are 'somewhat' on top of it ... meaning that when you know a post is up for a member in the pod trying to get to it that day ish and sending your love ... if most of the members of the group are super busy then the pod will start to fall apart just based on 'zero action'.
People getting resentful: If some members are following the rules and staying active and some members are half assing it and barely participating then resentment within the pod can form. It's important to have a 'leader' of the pod that handles reminding people of the rules. Sometimes a quick 'hey, remember to do this ...' is all it takes to get people back at it ... or to let people know that maybe 'pod life' isn't for them.
WANT A POD FOR YOURSELF?
If all this sounds super awesome and you don't have a pod then you should definitely create one! I find it's most beneficial to create a pod with members who create work you TRULY admire and love ... best way to start one?? ASK! Send out an email to a few people and see if they are down ... once they say yes ask them to throw out the names of 2-3 people they recommend and then create your wish list of 10 ish business owners ... create some rules and get it going!
Remember: Instagram will continue to change their algorithm until people start to pay ... that is where this is going ... if Instagram feels lonely and sad and you want to stop (which is the last thing you should do!!!!) then maybe a pod is just the ticket to make you love it again.
XO~ Heather
