Graza shows why social momentum now comes from participation, not passive audience totals, and why vanity metrics are starting to fail brands.
(Expert opinion by JASON MITCHELL, CEO, Movement Strategy for Inc. Magazine)
Still tracking follower counts? For most of social media’s history, that was the easiest metric to understand. Platforms displayed it prominently. Brands reported it to executives. Agencies used it to demonstrate growth. And in the early days of Facebook, X, and Instagram, having more followers genuinely meant more people would see your content.
Follower counts were social media’s version of circulation numbers. The larger your audience, the more influence you were assumed to have. The problem is that platforms evolved faster than the metrics many brands use to evaluate them. Now, distribution is driven far less by who follows you and far more by how people respond to what you post.
The algorithms have changed. Someone with 50,000 followers can reach millions if the content resonates. Meanwhile, a brand with millions of followers can struggle to generate meaningful reach if the audience isn’t paying attention.
Graza knows this all too well. Compared to legacy food brands with much larger audiences, Graza shows up in conversation far more often than you’d expect considering that it started with bottles of olive oil. You don’t have to follow the brand to come across it in recipe content, grocery hauls, kitchen tours, and creator recommendations. People genuinely enjoy talking about it and sharing it with their audiences organically, introducing Graza to new consumers daily. And on social media, that gives their brand a huge amount of momentum that belies their follower count.
That level of engagement is a much stronger indicator of a ripple effect of influence than follower count alone. So, brands need to stop chasing followers and instead create content that people can’t resist engaging with. Here’s how:
1. Create content worth sharing
This might seem obvious but the strongest content earns distribution because people pass it along. What’s less obvious is that it doesn’t take loud, quirky or attention-getting stunts to do that. Instead of relying solely on polished product marketing, Graza shows up through recipes, cooking hacks, creator collaborations, and everyday kitchen moments that people naturally want to send to friends or recreate themselves. The content earns attention because it fits seamlessly into how people already consume food content online.
2. Build recurring formats instead of one-off posts
Even when they don’t become official followers, audiences return when they know what to expect. Brands spend a lot of time trying to create the next viral post. The better approach is creating something people look forward to seeing again. For example, Graza has built a recognizable presence by staying consistent with its tone, visual identity, and content subject matter. Whether it’s creator cooking videos, ingredient education, or its instantly recognizable “Drizzle” and “Sizzle” bottles, audiences know they’re looking at Graza before they even see the logo.
3. Turn customers into participants
People connect with other people much faster than they connect with brands. Graza has benefited from this dynamic, enticing home cooks, chefs, and creators to regularly feature the product in recipes, grocery hauls, and kitchen tours without being prompted by the brand. That steady stream of community-driven content keeps the conversation going well beyond Graza’s own channels.
4. Give people a reason to spend time with the content
Forget the big sell. Graza earns attention by making cooking feel more approachable. From simple recipes to practical tips on how and when to use different olive oils, the brand gives people a reason to stick around because they’re learning something they can immediately put into practice.
Follower counts may be simple, easy to put on a dashboard and explain to leadership. But that doesn’t mean it’s painting an accurate picture of whether content is actually working. Tracking real attention is complicated, but it’s more crucial to actually reach millions of people than it is to look like you’re reaching those millions. It’s time to ditch the vanity metrics and do the hard work of building real engagement.
Featured Image: Illustration: Inc; Photo: Adobe Stock, Graza