Social media has found another way to make you feel like you’re doing it wrong.

The newest format you’re supposed to feel behind on

This time, it’s “yap videos.”

You prop your phone against something, talk directly to the camera and keep the editing minimal. It’s supposed to feel like you started telling a friend what you really think.

And you know this format. We used to call them “talking-head” videos. Then we called them “car talks”. If you sounded annoyed, it was a “rant.” Now they’re “yap” videos, and people are already teaching courses on how to make them look spontaneous.

For the love of God, please don’t let this make you feel behind.

Why you’re tired of posting on social media for 200 views

There’ll always be something new on social media because the platforms depend on it. They need you to keep opening the app, studying what’s working and creating more things for other people to watch.

Most platforms don’t pay users to make content. But they pass judgment on all that free work by handing you 200 views.

Then, when you get tired of doing all that work for nothing, someone explains that you used the wrong hook, missed the latest trend or failed to make the right kind of video. Convenient.

This is how business owners end up creating for the platform instead of marketing their business. The platform needs more content. You need customers. Those aren’t automatically the same goal.

The old sales formula under every yap video

The funny part is that the formula underneath a “yap video” isn’t new either.

First, name the problem. Then agitate it by showing the viewer why it’s frustrating, expensive or likely to get worse if she ignores it. Present the solution and finish with the call to action.

Problem. Agitate. Solution. CTA.

That formula existed long before social media. You’ve seen it in sales letters, infomercials, landing pages, emails and ads. The only difference is that someone’s now delivering it from the driver’s seat of her car and pretending the thought occurred to her at a red light.

“Yap” is the delivery style. The selling structure underneath it is one of the oldest in the book.

Give the video a job before you make it

None of this means you shouldn’t make one. If talking to the camera is an easy way for you to explain something useful, do it. You don’t need fancy editing, and you certainly don’t need to wait until you feel polished.

But make it because the format helps you communicate, not because a platform that doesn’t pay you has made you feel guilty for failing to keep its feed full.

Before you chase the next format, ask what the content should do for your business.

• Will it help the right person understand the problem?
• Does it show her how you think?
• Can it move her toward something you own?
• Or will it simply give the platform another free video?

Make the video. Call it whatever you want. Just make sure it has a job beyond keeping someone else’s platform full.

Social media isn’t your boss. It doesn’t get to assign your workload, change your priorities and give you a performance review based on 200 views.

Your content works for your business. At least, it should.