What good social content looks like in 2026

After a full year at The Content Emporium, our Creative Social Lead, Kayed Mohamed - Mason has some thoughts on the realities of working in social media. 

From mentoring our Content Creators to shaping cross-centre strategies, he’s built a reputation for fearless ideas, unbound energy and a deep understanding of what audiences actually care about. We catch up with him to find out his biggest lessons from his first year, why brands still get social so wrong and why EGC may be eclipsing the influencer era.

Congrats on your one year anniversary here at TCE. Any important learnings from your first year?

What a year right?! Since working at TCE I've learned the importance of efficiency. There's so many moving parts here and projects that span across so many different people that it's really important to make sure you’re using your time wisely and seeing the big picture. Our clients move fast so we have to be as efficient as possible. 

What do most brands get wrong when they approach social media? 

I think brands focus too hard on getting their message across too literally and seriously. There's so much promotion and branding across social media and it's just not the platform for it. And it never has been, unless you're doing paid ads (but that’s a whole other topic).

Ultimately, your social audience doesn't care about your business goals, so it's about pushing those brand messages in a much more subtle way that actually engages people.

Is the influencer era fading?

I feel “the influencer era” is always evolving. Instead of typical influencer content I think it’s moving to more EGC [employee generated content] and real people featured in content. We are experiencing such an AI-heavy shift now that people are desperate for real voices and faces. Anything that they perceive as fake or as an ad is an instant turn off. 

At TCE we're seeing this with our clients and are taking more requests for authentic voices to represent brands. We are always focusing on content creators and employees showing a genuine experience and a real point of view, rather than mimicking pretend scenarios.

What's the most important thing a social team needs in order to succeed at scale? 

Team work makes the dream work: you need a united team. You need someone to steer the ship obviously, but then a wider team that can be trusted to run their own areas too. There’s no way social at scale should (or could) ever be a one-person job.  Everyone has their own point of view and expertise and that should always be utilised, and I think we do a good job of that at TCE.

In your view what does good social content look like?

Committed. A great example of this is Urban Tandoor on TikTok. They aren’t the best singers or actors, yet their social videos are incredible because they give 100% of themselves every time and people love it.

We recently filmed with a security guard in Westgate Oxford for our clients Landsec and although being on camera wasn’t something he was used to, he was so authentic and so committed that there's nothing that I could have done  – or anyone who regularly works in social  – that would’ve looked better or been more engaging. It’s so nice when you find that energy. 

What’s a misconception people have about people who work in social media?

I think a lot of people think we just sit there copying social trends, but everyone I work with cares about the way our social is filmed, the way it looks, the energy that goes into it, the stills we take. There is always a creative process. Even if something looks amateur, that’s a creative choice. 

Is there anything you're particularly proud of in your year here that you've done?

The feedback I get from the Content Creators in terms of how I mentor them, and the way that I care about them, and the business. I'm really proud of that. I’m a really passionate person and I really care about people’s development and growth. Hearing from the Content Creators in the team that they’ve learnt a lot from me and can see my value makes me feel really happy and proud of the last year.

Any predictions for where social is headed next?

I think (and secretly want) 2026 to be the year of irreverence. I think brands are going to start taking themselves a little less seriously and finally start just having fun! You see brands like Argos or Hobbycraft who are just leaning into their team having a laugh and I think that’s what it's all about – being ridiculous – I am here for it!

Discover more on how to make social media trends work for you and tips for social seo success