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There’s a difference between brands that show up and brands that actually connect. Sophie Hill sits firmly in the second camp. As a Social Media Manager in the fast-moving QSR world, she’s built a strategy around one core idea: make it feel human. That means pulling employees into the content, leaning into humour (even when it comes from a 1-star review), and resisting the urge to post just because the calendar says so. In this Q&A, Sophie breaks down the strategies that are working, the habits that keep her sharp, and why some of the most common social media advice might be doing more harm than good.
1. What’s one social strategy you’ve doubled down on this year that’s actually moved the needle?
Employee generated content. Including the team and making our content more humanised and real. Especially in QSR, brands are at risk of losing their identity with more people ordering on their phone or kiosks it's nice for customers to still see the people side on socials.
2. Walk us through your best performing post. What was the idea, why did it work, and how did you know it hit?
One of our best-performing posts was actually a trend-led piece, but we put our own spin on it by leaning into a 1-star review from a customer. Rather than shying away from it, we made it self-deprecating and ran with the humour. Our brand's social presence is intentionally unserious — we'd rather be relatable and a little funny than salesy or serious. I genuinely believe audiences respond better when a brand shows some personality and doesn't take itself too seriously; it makes the company feel more human.
3. What’s a mistake you see brands making on socials right now that’s quietly killing reach or engagement?
A big one I see constantly is brands posting just for the sake of it — jumping on a trend because it worked for another brand, or putting something out because it's 'National Ice Cream Day' and it's in the content calendar. Audiences can tell when content has no real purpose behind it. It comes across as noise, and noise gets scrolled past.
4. What’s the metric you care about most and why?
For me it's any engagements (likes, comments, shares) over followers or reach. I'd rather make ten people stop and genuinely engage with the content or find value in it than reach a thousand who scroll straight past it.
5. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given about content or creativity?
The best advice I've been given is that a great piece of content can still only be a 7 or 8 out of 10. Just because something is good doesn't mean it's done. Sitting on it, coming back to it with fresh eyes, tweaking the hook, adjusting the caption, reconsidering some parts — that's often the difference between content that performs well and content that really lands - a 10/10 piece. It's taught me not to be precious about what I've made, and not to be in a rush to post it either.
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Get Access!6. What’s the worst advice you followed for way too long?
Planning all social content weeks or months in advance. On the surface it makes sense, it frees up headspace and keeps you consistent. But social media moves fast. A post that could feel fresh and relevant when you planned it three weeks ago can be completely irrelevant in a few weeks. You end up publishing content not because it's right for that moment, but because it's sitting in the calendar and it needs to go somewhere. Linking again to posting for the sake of it!
7. What’s a habit or rule in your workflow that keeps you sane and consistent?
One habit is giving myself permission to just be present in the social world — scrolling platforms, reading articles/reports, listening to podcasts. A lot of people in this industry feel guilty if they're not actively producing something, but I think passive consumption is genuinely part of the job. It keeps me close to trends, but more importantly, it keeps me close to how people are actually talking and behaving online.
8. If you had to explain your content strategy to a non-marketer in one sentence, what would you say?
We only post when we have something worth saying — keeping it real, unserious, and quietly confident that the food speaks for itself.
9. What’s something about working in socials that doesn’t get talked about enough?
You never switch off! I can't enjoy my own 'doom-scrolling' time which is when i should be switching off but you're always thinking 'could we do this' 'is this the next thing'
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