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How to Create “Pause-ability”

The Tribe
Published
02 Feb 2018

When it comes down to it, what makes a good social media post?

Is it tons of bells and whistles and flashing lights? Transformative, life-changing copy? Thought-provoking imagery?

It’s the fundamental question separating great content from mediocre – brands who succeed on social and brands who inflict more damage than good to their reputation and bottom line.

In a series of blogs, I’m going to breakdown the key traits all top social media posts share, regardless of platform. Today’s trait – “Pause-ability.”

Weird term, right? “Pause-ability” is my word for how capable posts are at forcing social audiences to “pause” what they’re doing and consume content. A post’s ability to tap the brakes on social users’ million-per-mile scrolls down their newsfeed and command attention.

A number of factors play into generating pause-ability – by far the #1 is eye-grabbing imagery. What exactly does great imagery constitute?

Lots of things. It could mean great design (a Tribu speciality), excellent photography, videos, local recognition (think seeing The Alamo if you’re a San Antonio resident), colorful user generated content, emotion-evoking subject matters (think seeing Martin Luther King giving the “I Have a Dream” speech), interesting/curiosity inducing focuses (a majestic old house), pictures that tell a story of the human condition (happiness, sadness, pain, rejection, etc), or incredible beauty (Big Bend National Park) – it’s all about eye-catching imagery that’s presented well – (eg – cropped correctly, no unnecessary space, fits, etc).


What makes pause-ability so important is its role in not only organic (non-paid posts), but also social ads. Whereas the importance of other post factors (like copy) can vary depending on circumstance, pause-ability is always important.

Here’s a few examples of Tribu-client posts with great pause-ability. Note – these posts have all sorts of different imagery types – professional, raw, graphic-based, curiosity-inducing, etc. The key thing to remember – great pause-ability imagery comes in all shapes and forms.

Tribu San Antonio Texas digital marketing advertising graphic design content strategy social media agency firm Tricentennial SA300 Facebook post DRW Devils River Whiskey metrics strategic
Tribu San Antonio Texas digital marketing advertising graphic design content strategy social media agency firm post Facebook 2018 Asian Festival Institute of Texan Cultures EAA Edwards Aquifer Authority metrics
Tribu San Antonio Texas digital marketing advertising graphic design content strategy social media agency firm Trio Modern Mediterranean post Facebook
Tribu San Antonio Texas digital marketing advertising contest strategy social media agency Millennial creative graphic design Folklife Asian Festival 2018 Institute of Culture

I hope this piece helps guide you in your efforts to generate quality “pause-ability” content. At Tribu, we pride ourselves in generating tons and tons of it each and everyday.

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