We All Love Familiarity, Here's How to Create that Familiar Feeling in Your Content

Jan 20, 2026

Familiarity fosters trust and engagement. The host shares personal stories that evoke warmth and belonging. Listeners explore how nostalgia from the 2016 Instagram trend shapes connections. Practical tips include using relatable identifiers and scenarios to resonate with niche audiences. From showcasing local shops to drawing on shared experiences, creators are urged to document everyday moments. The discussion reveals how the comfort of familiarity drives audience loyalty and keeps viewers coming back for more.

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ANECDOTE

Reunion Feeling Demonstrates Familiarity

Shannon describes a reunion weekend with a lifelong friend that felt safe, familiar, and joyful.
She connects that personal feeling to the emotional goal your content should create for viewers.

ANECDOTE

Inside Edition & The 2016 Trend

Shannon recounts being contacted by Inside Edition about the 2016 Instagram trend and almost ignoring the trend.
Posting anyway led to a media interview and validated leaning into familiar trends.

INSIGHT

Familiarity Drives Trust And Attention

Familiarity creates feelings of safety, belonging, and trust that keep people engaged with content.
Audiences stop for content that references places, brands, or situations they already recognize.

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The theme for today’s episode is familiarity. We all love familiarity, it’s comforting, it feels safe, and it gives us a sense of belonging, which has a huge impact on your online presence. We’ll look at real examples from creators that cultivate this sense of familiarity through scenarios, locations, and identifiers, making their audience instantly feel seen and at home. We’ll also discuss the viral 2016 Instagram trend and the psychology behind why we tend to gravitate towards scenarios we recognize.

In this episode we’ll be covering:

Making your content feel familiar to your audience and the impact it has on trust and engagement.
The emotional safety and belonging that comes from familiar relationships, and how to evoke a similar feeling through your content.
The role that nostalgia and simpler times plays in content right now, reminiscing about significant or everyday moments and the feelings that it creates.
Why familiarity works in content, attracting and retaining viewers, offering connection and belonging.
How to create familiarity in your content with trial reels, identifiers, and crafting scenarios that are relevant to everyday and lived experiences.

Featured content in this episode:

Inside Edition Interview on YouTube
Kay.harike: Stranger Things New Years Eve Party
Smillagrundholm: One day closer…
Everythingemili: New taco night fav
Ashroedl: Road trip and 2016 playlist
Everydaywithmandy: Mom to mom
Shannonmckinstrie: 2016 Trend Post

Recommended episodes:

Episode 081: Your Next Powerful Piece of Content is Already on Your Phone
Episode 085: Start Thinking Like a Marketer So People See Themselves in Your Content
Episode 087: How to Get New Followers on Instagram: Trial Reels, Bios, and More!
Episode 091: Here’s What Good Content Will Look Like in 2026
Episode 095: Building Real Community with Stories and Shared Moments

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