Let’s talk about cursing on Instagram. Should you do it?
I’ll give you a few reasons why you should and a few reasons why you shouldn’t. Then you can decide for yourself.
Reasons why you should curse
I do it. A well-timed, perfectly-placed curse word can enhance what you’re saying. I use them to provide shock value and extra humor to a meme or Reel. It provides edge and shows you are willing to risk offense, which is not easy in this climate.
I mean, you can’t even say “balls” without being canceled, right?
Anyway, cursing as a real estate agent on Instagram, I would say, is generally acceptable. Gary Vaynerchuk basically gave his godly stamp of approval by dropping f-bombs every other word.
So, if it’s authentic to you and adds to the content, go ahead and curse.
Reasons why you shouldn’t
Just as I respect people who curse, I respect those who don’t curse and don’t like hearing cursing. You need to consider that you might alienate and offend some of your audience and potential clients if you do.
But if you don’t give a shit about that (see what I did there), who cares? If a bunch of people get upset because you say the word “ass” all the time, that is their problem.
Cursing can hurt your content’s reach
Let’s look at it strictly from an engagement perspective. Cursing can definitely hurt the shareability of your posts. People are more likely to comment on your posts than share them because they don’t want their audience to hear the curse words.
Cursing can also hurt your ability to appear on the Explore feeds of TikTok and Instagram. The algorithm might promote the video to a larger audience if the video is clean.
Think about it. Instagram won’t promote you saying the f-word a bunch of times to a bunch of 15-year-olds.
Closed captions
If you want to use closed captions on your Reel or Story or wherever you’re dropping a bunch of curse words, it will block that word out, and you’ll hear this loud, audible beep while you talk.
You can edit that out in the captions and get rid of it, but it is one extra step to consider.
Chris Smith’s take
From a sales perspective, Chris Smith dug into research on cursing. If the salesperson and the buyer both curse, there’s an 8% better chance of closing that deal.
@conversioncodechris Do you trust a salesperson more if they curse with you on a call? #salestiktok ♬ original sound – Chris Smith
Chris also said you should always be aware of the audience you’re communicating with. If most of your clients are comfortable cursing with you, then your marketing videos won’t offend anyone if there are a couple of f-bombs thrown in.
Ultimately, it’s your call
Anyway, I hope this helps. Cursing can help emphasize a point or joke and make you seem a bit more authentic and relatable. But it can also alienate some potential clients and hurt the shareability and engagement of that post.
The choice is yours.
