How creator and disability advocate Molly Burke created a safe haven on Facebook

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q: How did you get started on Facebook?

I started my Page in 2012, when I was traveling as a motivational speaker. I never intended to become a content creator, I wanted a way to connect with people. Around 2014, I decided to pursue creating content outside of public speaking. I wanted to focus on one platform at a time and actually, I started cross-posting my Instagram content first to Facebook. I built my Page slowly, over time.

My strategy on each platform, including Facebook, has really evolved in the last 1.5-2 years, in the pandemic. I think the nature of the pandemic changed the entire ecosystem of content creation, how we create and why we share.

Your videos typically feature you, they’re in first person and showcase your experiences. Talk to us about that decision.

My goal with content creation is to bridge a gap. I still face a lot of ignorance as a disabled woman, there’s a lack of knowledge, lack of awareness and education out there. Growing up, we were never educated around disability. My generation, we were told: “Don’t look, don’t stare, don’t ask questions,” which is the worst thing you can teach young people. It cultivated a generation that avoids disability, is even fearful of it. But disability is the only minority community anyone can join at any time, as a result of illness or injury. So it’s important to bridge that gap and dispel that fear, and the best way to do that is to be human. Show people the human side of disability.

The prevailing narratives in media are typically pity, or they put people with disability on a pedestal. I want to show the human–I can be your sister, friend, coworker. I love yoga and cats, sushi and fashion. The best way to share myself is in this first person-style content. When people get to know me as a person, it makes them care to know about my disability, the hurdles and the injustices we face as a community.

How do you go about producing and posting content consistently?

The hardest time for me to create has been during lockdown. I suffered from creative burnout. When I’m living my life, content just comes naturally. When I’m stuck inside, there isn’t much I can share. But I realized it’s important for me to stay consistent because I’m a source of escape for many people. It’s important to keep creating and connecting.

Your Facebook following has grown impressively this year – 81% over the last 12 months*. To what do you attribute this growth?

I definitely try to utilize all the tools that Facebook has to offer, whereas previously I may have only used certain areas of Facebook, but I didn’t use it to its fullest. Now I crosspost Instagram content, I use Facebook Stories, Reels, Soundbites, Facebook Live. I also post more native video content.

Similarly on Instagram, I try to utilize each tool as much as possible: Instagram Video, Reels, Feed, Stories, Live. I try to be consistent about each and to create meaning and purpose beyond aesthetics. I want to add value with every post I create so that showing up in followers feeds feels like it’s worth their time.

But admittedly, I don’t look at numbers. I don’t keep up with how many followers I have. It’s easy to tangle your self worth with numbers and as someone who’s struggled with mental illness, I avoid going down that rabbit hole. I also worry that getting hung up on views will alter my content strategy. It could potentially change the content I create, from content that excites me to content that people signal that they want to see.

The interactions on your videos skew very positive. Second to Likes, people react with Love*. How have you cultivated this safe, positive space?

It’s been my intention to create a positive space and I’m thankful that I’ve been able to do that. I believe that you attract what you put out. I put out love and honesty and authenticity, a safe space for everyone, disabled or otherwise. I’m building an environment for people to feel like their bodies are welcome, however someone wants to express themselves is welcome, their identity is welcome. People feel acceptance from me and from each other.

This positivity also comes through in the comments, and you often leave comments yourself and spark conversation. What’s the strategy behind those?

When you want to build community, it’s important to have a conversation with the community. I get to make content for a living because I’ve built a community that engages with me and they know that I engage back. I make an effort to get to know them and I do that by asking questions in my videos, asking questions in the comments and replying in an authentic way, either in the comments or in direct messages.

Most of the videos you post are longer than 3 minutes. Are longer videos an intentional part of your strategy?

It’s hard for me to make short content. I’m wordy, for one, but I am also passionate about education. Fitting a proper story, that feels like I’m educating to the level that I would like, is hard to do in under 3 minutes. And I’ve found that people will watch longer videos, videos that are 5-10 minutes.

What value do burned-in subtitles add to your video content?

Subtitles are extremely important to me. I pay to have all my videos captioned on all platforms. Accessibility is so important to me, and not just the kind that benefits me but accessibility that benefits everyone in this community including those deaf and hard of hearing. Subtitles are also beneficial for people who are ESL [for whom English is a second language]. It helps them engage with my content by hearing and reading at the same time.

You’ve leaned into Soundbiteson Facebook. Talk to us about that experience.

I enjoy Soundbites. I’m an audio-first person, that’s how I perceive the world and it’s the way I consume content on every platform. So the idea to create short-form audio content that is purely audio is fun!

What advice do you have for emerging creators who want to find a community, or build a community, on Facebook?

Engage with your audience. Don’t be afraid to be niche– a lot of people try to be mainstream these days, it’s gotten crowded. Be authentic to who you are and create stuff that excites you.

And don’t be afraid to give up a bit of control. I hire out anything that I can. I’m a creative, I create every single day on every platform, I aim for each platform to have its own unique content. That’s a lot. I need my brain, my energy and headspace to be creative. So anything from editing videos to editing thumbnail photos, I hire out. Then I use my brain for concept creation, filming, photography, live streaming, writing captions and replying to comments.

But I often meet creators who are afraid to relinquish control and they burn themselves out. So I say, you don’t have to do it all. Finding someone who’s an expert in their space, when you get to collaborate creatively, your content will benefit from it. You get something that is better than what you could have made yourself.

While it’s not easy to bring on a new team member, don’t give up. It might take someone five edits to get it the way you want it to but remember, they don’t live in your brain.

Review our best practices for more tips on optimizing video content on Facebook.

*According to publicly available CrowdTangle data, 11/01/20 - 11/08/21