5 Things to Stop Doing on Social Media in 2026 (So Your Marketing Actually Works)
Social media has changed. Again. Between lower reach, more AI-generated content, and audiences craving something real, what used to “work” can now feel like shouting into a crowded room.
In this guest episode of The Offer Mojo Show, Lori Young sits down with social media manager and Showit designer Madelyn Furlong to unpack five things to stop doing on social media in 2026 plus what to do instead, so your content builds trust and momentum without draining your energy.
Key Takeaways
Stop copying and pasting AI captions. Use AI like an assistant (ideas, outlines, themes), not your voice, because people can tell when content is pasted and generic.
The bar is shifting from “Can you create?” to “Can you create something only you could create?” Your lived experience, stories, and opinions are the advantage AI cannot replicate.
Stop treating posting frequency as the main success metric. Consistent quality beats daily low-intention content. “Slow down before you speed up” creates better results.
Repurpose your long-form content to move faster with integrity. Turn a blog or email into carousel ideas, then edit it to sound like you.
Use keywords naturally on social now. Bios and captions benefit from keyword-friendly language because search behavior is changing across platforms.
Stop talking at your audience. Shift from broad, generic tips to specific story-driven angles that invite people into your world.
Stop chasing the algorithm. Hacks and trends fade. Connection wins: respond to comments, reply to stories, ask better questions, and make the audience feel seen.
Keep your videos human and dynamic without complicated editing. Add movement while filming, use captions, and cut silences to hold attention.
Stop waiting for a “less busy season” to fix your marketing. That season rarely arrives. Marketing is what creates momentum.
Do not rely on social alone for visibility. Social is one arm of marketing, not the whole plan, and it works best when it supports an offer that converts.
Notable Quotes
“The bar is shifting from like, can you create to can you make something that only you could create?” Madelyn Furlong
“AI can’t replicate your life and your experiences and your stories.” Madelyn Furlong
“Posting really good stuff twice a week is way better than sharing, you know, like bad stuff every day.” Madelyn Furlong
“If we can like slow down before we speed up a little bit and just think about our intention before we post, I find that that gets a lot better results.” Madelyn Furlong
“Stop chasing the algorithm. Stop trying to outsmart it. Stop looking for a hack to beat it.” Madelyn Furlong
“A slower time is not coming. Like, there’s never going to be the perfect time to invest in your marketing.” Madelyn Furlong
“Visibility may look different in different seasons, but by no means should we ever put our marketing on the back burner.” Lori Young
Guest Bio (Madelyn Furlong)
Madelyn Furlong is a social media manager and Showit designer who helps service providers stand out online with a people-first strategy. She believes your marketing should fuel growth, not drain your energy, through strategic social media content and high-converting websites. She’s helped entrepreneurs get visible, build trust with their audience, and increase revenue by consistently attracting the right clients. Based in Wetumpka, Alabama, she’s an Enneagram One who loves hiking, reading, listening to 80s music, and spending time with family.
Website: https://madelynvictoriaco.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madelynvictoriaco/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madelyn-furlong-51b30b231/
Turn One Idea into 20+ Pieces of Content: https://madelynvictoriaco.com/content-kit
Host Bio (Lori Young)
Lori Young is an offer strategist and authority partner for ambitious coaches, subject matter experts, and thought leaders. With a background in marketing, operations, and online business management, she has spent years behind the scenes cleaning up scattered offers, messy business models, and strategies that lean too hard on someone’s nervous system.
Now she helps her clients build clear offers, simple offer ecosystems, and honest messaging that actually sounds like them. Through her OfferMojo Studio, and AI powered OfferMojo Squad, Lori blends human insight with smart tools so clients stop winging it and start leading with real authority. Her work is calm, precise, and deeply human, and her clients walk away with businesses they can finally live in, not just keep up with.
Recap of 5 Things to Stop Doing on Social Media in 2026
Social media in 2026 is not the same landscape it was a few years ago. Lori opens the conversation with what many business owners feel but rarely say out loud: the platform shifts are real, the “rules” keep changing, and what used to be reliable can feel oddly loaded now. The goal is not to abandon social media, but to evolve how we use it.
Madelyn shares how she built her business organically, starting with social media work in college and growing through word-of-mouth referrals. That foundation matters because it points to something timeless: trust travels. And the more crowded online spaces become, the more trust becomes the differentiator.
The first stop-doing-it-now point is simple and sharp: stop copying and pasting AI-generated captions. Madelyn is clear that AI can be useful, but it cannot be the voice of your business. People recognize when something is pasted, polished, and generic, and they scroll right past it. The real advantage is content that sounds like a real person with real opinions.
From there, the conversation gets more nuanced. Lori asks about custom GPTs and brand-trained assistants, and Madelyn agrees they are a better option than raw, untrained AI output. Still, she encourages business owners to edit for humanity. Even when you use smart tools, your job is to make sure your content still feels like you, not like a template.
Next comes a relief for anyone who has been measuring success by how often they post: stop treating posting frequency as the main metric. Madelyn points to what the platform is signaling, which is that consistent quality matters more than constant output. It is better to post less often with strong intention than to post daily content that is watered down, rushed, or disconnected from your audience.
That ties into one of the most practical shifts for 2026: stop talking at your audience. Instead of generic advice, bring people into a story, a point of view, a lived moment, or a specific example. Lori reinforces this with her own content filter: if anyone could write the post, it is not ready. The content that lands now is the content that could only come from you.
Then Madelyn addresses a common trap: chasing the algorithm. Hacks do not last. Trends fade. When you focus on outsmarting the platform, you stop listening to your people. The work that holds is human connection: responding, starting conversations, asking better questions, and making your audience feel seen.
They also touch on what “human” looks like in video content. Madelyn suggests simple upgrades that do not require fancy editing. Add movement while filming, use captions, and cut silences. Small changes help viewers stay engaged without turning your content process into a full production job.
The final stop-doing-this point is one Lori strongly agrees with: stop waiting for a less busy season to get your marketing in order. Momentum does not come from perfection. It comes from showing up consistently and building trust over time.
Before closing, Lori adds her own trio of shifts: stop relying only on social media for visibility, stop watering down your voice, and stop hiding behind purely informational content. Being human is the differentiator now. And that is exactly why the most important strategy is not just “post better” but make sure what you are posting is pointing to an offer that can convert.
Audit Your Offer First
Before you go full-speed on social media or any visibility strategy, make sure your offer is ready to convert.
OfferMojo™ 6-Pillar Offer Audit is Lori’s signature diagnostic for coaches, consultants, and subject matter experts who have an offer (launched or not) and know something is off, but can’t pinpoint what. You get a structured review across six pillars: Offer Strategy, Offer Structure, Offer Ecosystem, Offer Messaging, Offer Visibility, and Offer Sales, so you stop guessing and start making confident, aligned decisions.
What’s included:
60-minute strategic assessment session on Zoom
Custom written audit + scorecard delivered within 3–5 days
Prioritized action plan with 3–5 next steps
Session recording + transcript for reference
This audit also credits toward deeper support: the full $247 investment credits toward OfferMojo™ Studio if you continue into one-on-one work, and it includes $100 off any OfferMojo™ Sprint and $50 off the OfferMojo™ Squad.
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