Brand expert Camille Moore recently put out an Instagram carousel breaking down why lo-fi, episodic content is outperforming polished, high-production video across every major platform right now.
The short version: social media has stopped functioning like a feed and started functioning like a television network.
The algorithm rewards return viewership and completion rates the same way Netflix does.
The social media audience of 2026 wants a show worth following. Here’s how to build one.
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Your Audience Wants a Show Worth Following
Dave Portnoy is the founder of Barstool Sports and one of the most instinctive media operators alive. His current content series, Tea by the Sea, is filmed on a beach chair with no studio and no production team. He wears a hat that says Tea by the Sea and breaks down internet drama daily.
Lo-fi content means video recorded on your phone, with no professional lighting and no editing team. The audience reads it as real, which is exactly the point.
Moore’s carousel lays out what makes a format like this work:
- A recurring format your audience can recognize
- A consistent character that’s distinctly yours (with opinions to match)
- A reason to come back for the next episode
Portnoy keeps showing up even when individual videos don’t perform because he understands you have to do the reps before the audience finds you.
Pick a format you can repeat every week and own it.
Why Your Phone Beats a Production Crew
Audiences have gotten good at recognizing content that was built to perform. Polished, high-production video can look great and still feel hollow.
What cuts through right now is something that feels like a real person talking to you.
Moore’s point is that lo-fi video shot on a smartphone doesn’t just lower the barrier to entry. It actually works better in many cases because viewers read it as content made by a fellow human being.
Not an AI script read by an AI clone against an AI-generated background.
It only takes one instance of an AI clone mispronouncing a word, or using a robotic (or wildly inappropriate) tone, for viewers to catch on and associate your brand with automated AI slop.
No human, no connection.
Consistency Alone Won’t Build Your Audience
Posting regularly gets you in the game. Building an audience requires something more: a recognizable perspective that people feel compelled to respond to.
Moore points to this as the mechanism behind Portnoy’s growth. Comment section engagement (especially debates) and shares from people who disagree are how content travels. Playing it safe keeps you invisible.
Here’s what that looks like in practice for agents:
- Pick a position on your local market or housing-related headlines and state it clearly
- Share your actual read on where prices, etc., are heading in your area
- Post your take on whether now is a good time to buy or sell in your market
Then make it easier for your audience to stay tuned by doing this on a schedule they can count on.
If you want to build a recognizable local brand right now, say something worth responding to. Safe and polished content reads more like AI than like someone with an actual pulse.
Unpolished and provocative gets people typing.
For the wrap-up: pick your format this week and film it on your phone. Then post it before you think it’s ready. Your audience will find you after you’ve done the reps.
