The Best Comms Advice I've Ever Been Given

Want to hear one of the best bits of comms advice I’ve been given?

On social media, there aren’t really any rules.

A former colleague said this (she’s a genius) and at the time I rolled my eyes.

But she was right.

Take a few of the social media accounts I most respect.

A recipe account that started out making £5 meals that now makes millions. A wine reviewer who films himself in an ice bath. An airline that insults its customers and gets millions of views.

Here's why it all works.

These aren't random success stories - they're blueprints for modern communications.

Mob Kitchen began in 2016 with recipes under a fiver. Now it's a multi-million pound business with 3 million followers. Their secret? Fast-paced content that drills down into smart niches. Former staff are now reshaping the UK food scene through restaurants and brand collaborations. That's scalable influence.

Fred Again manages his audience through WhatsApp groups for fans, guest DJ slots for fans at gigs, and last-minute pop-up sets in small photographic venues perfect for high-energy footage. He's not just making music - he's curating a community.

Tom Gilbey Wine is proving wine doesn't have to be boring by blind-tasting his way around marathons and sitting in ice baths. His content is entertaining first, educational second, promotional third - but half a million followers keep his online shop thriving.

Led by Donkeys mastered the visual stunt to create an effective online movement that regularly scores political points in ways most politicians can only dream of. Elon Musk, Nigel Farage, and Baroness Michelle Mone have all taken hits from this creative collective.

Ryanair breaks every rule in the book by regularly insulting their customers and earning millions of views doing it. If you can build grudging respect while slagging off customers, you're doing something fundamentally right.

The pattern? They all work with the grain of the trends reshaping our information environment.

What trends? Time to take a look at my website…