30-Day Social Media Challenge: What I Learned About Short-Form Video and Niching Down

Over the past 30 days, I took on a social media challenge to see what content my audience engages with most and what I discovered completely transformed my social media strategy.

As a social media consultant, I love experimenting with content to find what works. For this challenge, I focused on short-form video content. My goal was simple: post consistently for 30 days and track what resonated with my audience.

Why I Did a 30-Day Social Media Challenge

I started the challenge posting two to three times per day. More content meant more chances to reach people, right? Well, I quickly realized that posting too much without a clear focus can actually hurt engagement.

My content included:

• Social media tips and strategies

• Video creation advice

• User-generated content (UGC) insights

• Personal updates, like wedding planning and lifestyle content

  
  

The issue? Social media algorithms now evaluate your entire page, not just individual posts. A scattered focus makes it hard for algorithms (and your audience) to know what to show or engage with.

The Importance of Niching Down

Social media experts always emphasize niching down your content, and this challenge proved why. Niching down means focusing your content on a specific topic or audience.

For example:

• Cooking channels = food content

• Parenting vlogs = parenting content

• Booktube channels = reading and books

  
  

I couldn’t describe my content in one word because it was all over the place. As a result, I was burning out, creating too much content, and unsure of what to post.

The solution: I separated my content into two distinct channels:

1. Heartland Content Co – Business-focused content: social media tips, video creation, and UGC strategies

   
   

2. Heartland Hailey – Personal brand content: Jewish lifestyle, wedding planning, and personal updates

   
   

This separation gave me clarity, better boundaries, and a sustainable content creation workflow.

My Updated Posting Strategy

After the 30-day challenge, my posting schedule now looks like this:

• Business page (Heartland Content Co): Monday–Friday, once a day

• Personal brand page (Heartland Hailey): Sunday–Friday, primarily video content, with occasional carousels or graphics

• Saturdays off – because everyone needs a day to recharge!

  
  

This strategy keeps me consistent without burning out and helps my audience know exactly what to expect from each page.

Key Takeaways from My Social Media Experiment

1. Niching down increases engagement. Focused content is easier for algorithms to categorize and for audiences to enjoy.

2. Clarity improves consistency. Knowing what I enjoy creating makes posting feel exciting instead of a chore.

3. Boundaries are essential. Separating personal and business content ensures long-term sustainability.

   
   

Final Thoughts

This 30-day short-form video challenge taught me more about my audience, myself, and the type of content I truly enjoy creating. The results confirmed that strategic, focused content wins over random, scattered posts.

If you’re curious about niching down your content, improving engagement, or creating short-form videos, leave a comment, I’d love to help! And make sure to subscribe for weekly insights about social media, video creation, and UGC strategies.

Thanks for following along and supporting my journey!

— Hailey