If you’ve ever seen movie bloopers or an interview from your favorite actor on the set of their next film, you’re familiar with the thrill of seeing the magic behind the curtain. From memes to videos, behind-the-scenes (BTS) content gives a glance into the people behind our favorite products, services and social content. Behind-the-scenes content humanizes brands, strengthens their online presence and nurtures customer relationships. For example, a meet the team series on LinkedIn or Instagram could shine a light on a brand’s workplace culture.
In this article, we’ll show how businesses can foster trust and transparency through behind-the-scenes content. We’ll discuss why it works and how brands can leverage it to its full potential. And we’ll cover 10 examples of BTS social media content to help inspire your strategy.
What is behind-the-scenes (BTS) content?
Behind-the-scenes content gives a glimpse into a brand’s inner workings by showcasing candid moments and exclusive looks at how products, services, events and productions come to fruition. Social media is an ideal channel for BTS content because it can include videos, photos, blogs and other content formats that highlight the employees, procedures and creative processes that bring the business to life. For example, inside looks at how a product is made from start to end are popular because these videos are both entertaining and educational.
Why behind-the-scenes content works
According to The 2023 Sprout Social Index™, the top three things consumers don’t see enough of from brands on social are authentic, non-promotional content, transparency about business practices and values, and information about how products are made/sourced.
BTS content can support all three consumer desires while building brand authenticity.
10 behind-the-scenes post ideas and examples for your next campaign
1. Show the people behind your brand
Employee spotlights showcase the faces behind the business, but these posts have additional benefits. Employee highlights that reference the skills, expertise and dedication of your team establish your brand as an authority in your industry.
For example, to celebrate Sprout making G2’s best software list for the seventh consecutive year, we shared several posts featuring our product and engineering team members reading customer reviews:
2. Show off your office or store in a creative way
If you have physical stores or showrooms, reinforce your brand identity by highlighting their layout, design and atmosphere. This type of content is visually engaging and shows audiences what they can expect when they buy in person. This type of BTS content is also great for promoting special sales or events, because it encourages people to visit in person.
In the examples below, Warby Parker spotlights two locations. Their Nob Hill store parodies 90s sitcom theme song intros while the Grand Rapids team pays tribute to the Real Housewives franchise. Both teams can be seen walking around the store and showing off the brand’s eyewear.
This behind-the-scenes content example can double as “meet the team” content, but you don’t have to be limited to a storefront—you can recreate similar concepts in your office.
3. Bring your audience along to your events
If your business is hosting or attending an event or conference, bring your audience along to enjoy the excitement. For example, when Sprout attended South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2023, we created an Instagram Reel showing how we partnered with TikTok for a conference session. We also shared four takeaways from the workshop to encourage people to attend the next session:
4. Share your day-to-day tasks and workflows
Don’t limit BTS to photo and video: blog articles and other content types can also give a look into the everyday workings of your brand. For example, in our post about social media team models, we explain our team structure and how they manage Sprout’s various accounts. We outline the specific tools and features the team uses, all the while sprinkling in elements of storytelling.
5. Spark curiosity around upcoming releases with static and video teases
Use static posts to tease other BTS content or encourage your audience to take action. For example, in our Instagram carousel post below, the first slide shows a conversation between team members working on an episode of Unread. In the next slide, they show a video clip referencing a topic in their conversation:
6. Take audiences on your video production sets
Give a sneak peek at upcoming videos by sharing moments from your brand’s production set. You can create an authentic story by showing how the production set is organized, sharing bloopers and sound bites.
In the video below, we share candid moments from our social team to promote a new Unread episode. We include unscripted moments from carrying equipment to selfies:
7. Showcase brand values and workplace culture
Leverage the power of storytelling to illustrate your brand values and culture. Illustrate how your team members navigate working at your company. In the video below, Team Sprout highlights work-life balance by sharing how we unplug with flexible working hours:
8. Illustrate the manufacturing process for your product or service
As we mentioned earlier, the Index reports that consumers don’t see enough information about how products are made or sourced. Showing the process behind what it takes to create your product or service provides transparency into business practices. This type of BTS content example is especially great for transforming tedious and time-consuming tasks into fun, digestible and intriguing moments.
For example, a company could post a short fulfillment time-lapse video on TikTok or Instagram, or walk through the entire toilet paper-making process in a YouTube video like Scott Brand did in the video below:
9. Share day in the life content
Day in the life videos are staples in social behind-the-scenes content showing a typical day for a team or individual at your organization. Along with supporting transparency and authenticity, day in the life videos can also educate viewers.
Take your audience through the entire workday or a specific task. For example, the owners of Sani take us along their fabric shopping adventure. They explain their thought process when looking for materials in the TikTok below:
Day in the life of content can also include short clips that briefly feature a routine, challenge, etc. In the TikTok below, one of the owners of Sani is shown trying to pull a load of boxes in their warehouse:
10. Share progress or before-and-after content
Consider sharing a progress video or before-and-after photos for an exclusive look at an upcoming project or launch to create hype among your customers. For example, Krispy Kreme shows how they transform their classic glazed doughnuts into a new seasonal treat. In the caption, they encourage doughnut lovers to learn more and order via a link in bio.
How to get more from your behind-the-scenes content
BTS is an important part of your business and content strategy. If you want to seamlessly incorporate BTS content into your strategies, you’ll need a tool like Sprout to help you create, schedule, track and amplify your posts. Here are three ways you can use Sprout to take full advantage of your BTS content:
1. Use social listening to find BTS ideas that will work for your audience
Use social listening insights to inform your BTS content. By monitoring and analyzing relevant conversations and topics related to your brand and industry, you can identify what interests your audience the most. For example, you could create a BTS video that also solves a common problem your target audience or customer experience.
2. Monitor BTS post engagement to see what resonated
With Sprout, you can monitor the performance of your past BTS content. By analyzing engagement and awareness metrics, pinpoint your highest-performing content and use it to iterate your future content strategy.
3. Amplify post reach with employee advocacy
Employees are the heart of BTS content, so adopting an advocacy plan will help amplify it. Creating an employee advocacy content strategy will extend your brand’s reach without additional paid spend.
Sprout’s Employee Advocacy platform centralizes shareable content so team members can easily post approved content to their various networks. For example, in an Edgio case study, the company used Employee Advocacy to generate $126,000+ in earned media value (EMV) in three months after launching the program.
Grow your brand with behind-the-scenes content
BTS content holds a window to the stories behind your brand, fostering a deeper connection with audiences while also serving as a powerful tool for marketers. Experience how Sprout will strengthen your BTS content strategy by signing up for a free 30-day trial.