Clarissa Han shares tips on how to create engaging content without being consumed by social media trends. 

Let’s be honest: social media is overstimulating. The amount of micro-trends that flood our feeds are daunting, accompanied by a plethora of advertisements for new businesses or strategies that are “sure” to attract viewership. It’s difficult to build a cohesive brand if we’re going to follow every little idea that pops up on our phones, and it’s hard to stay authentic to our idea if everyone else is doing it, too. As a digital storytelling coordinator intern at Hikma Strategies this summer, I can be the first to attest how difficult it is to wade through the infinite number of trending posts.

So, how can we incorporate ideas that work? Through the creation of Find Your Inner Founder’s course, I’ve learned that some of the best posts:

1. Offer your target audiences what they need.
2. Humanize the people behind the screen.

We live in a culture of self-commodification. On Instagram alone, 500 million users post daily, and there are over 200 million business profiles active. Yet, more and more people perceive these profiles as get-rich-quick schemes, rather than genuine, beneficial services. Instagram, a platform initially intended to create human connection, is now oversaturated with advertisements.

Does this mean it’s impossible to connect with others? No! Through promoting Find Your Inner Founder, I stumbled upon a new wave of smaller businesses or brands that gained traction through connection: small facts or introductions about the team, like a conversation starter. It was simple, unique, and a trend that promoted more than just the product. Rather, it gave viewers a reason to support not only the business, but the people behind it. 

Below are some of the references I’ve collected as I began creating the “Meet Your Facilitators” post. The post was intended to create similarities and overlaps, and to ease participants into the course, where we would foster real conversations and an environment where any idea was accepted. 

 So how was this post created? 

1. Pick a website where you want to build your base

I highly recommend Canva. If you’re newer and experimenting with posts, Canva offers templates and styles that you can adapt. Moreover, you can link your Canva account with Instagram and post directly from there!

2. Find what’s eye-catching 

You want something that will draw audiences to click on your post. Sometimes, it’ll be a large text  (e.g.  SALE or 40% OFF). Other times, it’ll be an image of a person, a book, or the product that’s being promoted. However it’s done, we want to draw attention through contrast.

If we take the image on the left below as an example, the background is busy and distracting. Viewers might be too focused on the interior of the bus, or the surrounding people, to notice anything else. It’s part of the reason why I decided to remove the background for this post, in order to have the text more accessible and focus more on the small, simple fun facts about myself. 

3. Simple yet effective fonts, varied in size 

If you love creating posts like me, then you definitely love experimenting with fonts. There’s an endless (and I mean endless) supply in Canva. It's a lot easier to have 2-3 texts that you’re going to establish as your main font, and then vary them throughout. It’s best to have a standard text, and a fun one. For this post I used POPPINS to write my name and DREAMING OUTLOUD SANS for my fun facts. This would keep the overall interface of your brand consistent as well, so that texts are not constantly changing in each post, making the home page cluttered and incohesive. 

With that being said, don’t feel too restricted! You can vary texts through CAPITALIZING THEM or leaving them lower case. As you can see on the left image below, my name is bolded, while the bottom–which describes my role–isn’t. All this adds variation to the image, and holds attention. 

Moreover, it’s best to vary fonts in sizes. The word “English major” on the right hand side is size 58, while “makes matcha every day” is size 36. These are just some of the ways you can make the post seem more interactive! 

4. Don’t overclutter your post with long texts

They say the average attention span is around 8 seconds. Because of that, you don’t want to write an essay (that’s for blog posts or long formats). Rather, you want to have a call to action that creates connections fast. 

Here are two examples below. The one on the left is a quick call to action. The text is large enough to peruse while also allowing for engagement. The image on the right has an overabundance of text. It’s much harder to sift through and engage with. Think about the audience or the viewer’s perspective: it would be much easier to spark a conversation with similarities and direction, rather than exposition and descriptors. 

5. And finally, post!

Here’s our finished product! 

Instagram’s best posting time is around 10 a.m - 3 p.m, but also think about the times when you hop on social media. Additionally, be consistent with your posts—if there’s anything the algorithm loves, it’s frequent engagement.

Don’t be disheartened or discouraged if making a post takes time or if there’s no instant traction. Gaining viewership—just like creating any long-lasting connections—takes time. The more you embrace your story and brand, the more ideas you’ll be able to generate. 

About the Author

Clarissa Han is a recent graduate at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in Creative Writing and East Asian Studies, with a minor in Cinema and Media Studies. Her work explores the intersections of history, media, and storytelling, with a focus on amplifying underrepresented voices. She is currently writing a young adult historical fantasy novel about Korea’s annexation by Japan, centering on themes of resistance and the complexities of colonial identity. Beyond her creative writing, Clarissa has interned at Spiegel & Grau, and also produced the short film Tunnel Vision here in the heart of the university. 

Clarrisa worked as the Digital Storytelling Coordinator at Hikma in 2025 with generous support from the University of Pennsylvania English Internship Program.