Behind the social handle: How to balance risk and trust - PR Daily

"Running a social account is a delicate balance between risk and trust. "I think it's almost like a double-edged sword ... don't overthink it, but also learn the muscle of putting out risky content and knowing the limitations of how risky you can go," said Jori Evans, director of social at Manscaped. Evans gained experience from working with boutique brands before moving onto Microsoft, Groupon and with agencies for brands like Slim Jim. She will speak on a panel at Ragan's Social Media Conference next month to discuss what it really takes to manage a brand's social account behind the scenes."

"Know your audience before taking risks: Evans calls this "the sweats," or the muscle of testing risky content. "When you study your audience's behavior and use that knowledge to take calculated risks, it can really pay off," she said. In practice, this means observing patterns, taking note of what resonates and experimenting over time. This won't happen overnight, but it should become easier to identify the more you sit in on content meetings, marketing calls or team chats, Evans said."

"Capitalize on what's happening in the world: Cultural moments can be especially beneficial to draw from. When Evans worked at Groupon, she took advantage of a "Real Housewives" moment after a star was criticized during a reunion episode for allegedly buying a promo off Groupon. Evans pulled the Groupon in question from the site, took a screenshot and posted it on the brand account. It sparked engagement from the Brav"

Running social accounts requires balancing risk and trust through calculated experimentation. Building the muscle for risky content comes from studying audience behavior, observing patterns, noting what resonates and iterating over time. Use past engagement data to gauge how far content can be pushed and tailor risks to audience tolerance. In some cases, choosing to ask forgiveness rather than permission enables timely, bold content, though conservative industries may not allow that approach. Leveraging cultural moments and acting quickly on relevant trends can spark engagement when executed within understood limits.

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