Autopilot's Social Media Strategy: Twitter vs. Instagram vs. TikTok

Autopilot's social media strategy proves that copy-pasting content across platforms is a recipe for failure.

Most creators film once and edit once. Then they blast that same video across Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. They think they are being efficient.

But efficient does not mean effective.

Chris Josephs, the co-founder of Autopilot, grew his app to millions of users by recognizing that user psychology shifts the moment they switch apps. If you treat every feed the same then you lose.

Here is how they tailor their distribution by respecting the psychology of each platform.

Twitter is the merciless news desk

Twitter (now X) is a stream of consciousness. It is text-heavy and cynical. It moves fast.

The biggest mistake creators make here is trying to run big marketing launches.

On Twitter, everything is news. If you try to sell a product or hype a launch you will hear crickets. The feed moves too fast for a promotional campaign to stick. Users are in "Hunt Mode" where they want dopamine from information rather than products.

You need to operate like a media outlet to succeed here:

• Speed beats polish because the news cycle lasts minutes rather than days.

• Inform rather than sell by giving updates and hot takes instead of ads.

• Pivot to cold DMs to drive sales because the feed itself rarely converts.

You can see this in action on the Pelosi Tracker X account. It is purely informational. It is stripped of fluff. It moves at the speed of the market.

Instagram is the curated showroom

If Twitter is where you read the news then Instagram is where you go window shopping.

This is your highest converting platform for sales. But there is a high barrier to entry known as "polish."

Users on Instagram are conditioned to look at beautiful things. They want the highlight reel. They want the aesthetic. Chris notes that you have to "earn the right to stop the scroll" with high production value.

To convert on this platform you have to respect the visual standard:

• Lean into aspiration because users are in "Envy Mode" and want to see what is possible.

• Focus on storytelling to create a narrative arc that keeps people watching.

• Use Stories as a conversion engine because they feel like peer recommendations.

Check out how they polish their visuals on the Autopilot Instagram or their specific Politician Trade Tracker.

The content is identical in subject matter to Twitter but the presentation is designed specifically for a showroom.

TikTok is the chaotic living room

TikTok is the inverse of Instagram.

On Instagram, a low-budget video makes people scroll past. On TikTok, a high-budget video makes people scroll past.

It is the "uncanny valley" of marketing.

When users open TikTok they are looking for raw authenticity. They want to feel like they are hanging out in a living room. If your lighting is too perfect or your audio is too crisp their brain flags it as an "ad" and they disengage immediately.

You have to drop the corporate veil to win here:

• Follow the 3-Second Rule to educate or entertain immediately.

• Prioritize raw over edited because a video in a car often outperforms a studio production.

• Shift to unserious content because brands that try to be corporate die here.

Chris Josephs' TikTok is a masterclass in this. It does not look like a company account. It looks like a person.

The execution gap nobody talks about

"It's so easy to see. It's so hard to execute," Chris says about content creation.

Everyone watches successful brands and thinks they can do the same thing. Then they realize they have no idea how to find the right creator or maintain consistency.

The difference between $10 million and $100 million in revenue is not more content. It is finding creators who can execute without hand-holding.

Chris identifies two types of creators.

1. The Executor needs exact instructions. You tell them what to post and when to post it. They will crush it but you have to be prescriptive.

2. The Strategist thinks one level up. They scroll TikTok constantly. They know trends before they hit. They write scripts and iterate without being told. They are rare. When you find one you should pay them well and let them build.

Most companies try to scale by hiring more executors. That works for going from zero to a million. But to hit $10 million you need strategists who can build systems.

Why context beats consistency

Most marketers obsess over brand consistency. They want their font and tone to be identical across all channels.

But users open different apps to satisfy different chemical cravings in their brains.

When you copy-paste a polished Instagram Reel to TikTok you are trying to force "Aspiration" onto a user who is in "Comfort Mode." It creates friction. When you try to sell a product on Twitter you are interrupting a user in "Hunt Mode" who just wants information.

Autopilot's social media strategy wins because it does not fight the current. It tailors the bait to the water.

Don't build one asset for 3 platforms. Build one core message and translate it into 3 different languages.

Credits to Chris Joseph and Playkit for the insight.

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