Storytelling through Social Media
“All that matters is that you are making something you love, to the best of your ability, here and now.”
Note: This is an amalgamated version of the keynote speech I gave to the Sandusky County Chamber of Commerce during their social media summit on April 30, 2026.
Preface: Thought-provoking Cinema
Setting the tone. Everyone loves a good Tommy Boy movie reference, after all.
Your approach to managing social media…
Should address:
Embracing “chicken wings” (like Tommy Boy) with a child-like spirit.
The social media landscape. AKA - best practices.
How to immediately take action with simple tools. It shouldn’t be hard.
For me, in my role at Cedar Point, I hearken back to the many years of visiting the park as a young guy.
When I got older, my first job at the park was working as a bell hop at Hotel Breakers. Then, after college, I started my professional career.
Pictured is me as a bell hop at Hotel Breakers, gathered with my best friends who were interns in group sales from long ago, and a couple photos of me and my marketing colleagues at the openings of Alpen Fury and Siren’s Curse.
Now, I bring my family to share in the life journey of having fun at the park.
Chicken Wings in Practice
Cedar Point 2025 Organic Social Media Recap
Context
To establish that I actually do know what I am talking about, because I put this into practice every day, here’s a mini recap at Cedar Point organic socials from 2025.
Before we begin, let’s get context:
2024 - social media position is vacant. It also was a tough launch year for Top Thrill 2.
2025 - social media manager position is filled (me) and applied strategy refocuses on:
Prioritizing organic; storytelling.
Adhering to platform standards.
Diversifying content types.
‘25 Content Beat Highlights
We deployed a plethora of content in 2025. Here are some high points.
Siren’s Curse Chronicles detailed Construction progress updates of the record-breaking tilt coaster.
Quick Bites was a quick way to show that the culinary team cooks up more than just fair food. The series demonstrated that the park has a breadth of offerings.
Behind the scenes to viewers behind the curtain and meet the people who make Cedar Point tick.
And don’t forget other content worthy of mention like Operation Light Switch, Speed Tours, silly FOMO videos and season pass sales videos that stepped outside the box.
Diversity of Social Media Content led to Strong results
The diversity of content types across the board were present and our followers noticed the difference. The content resonated with them.
What does “diversity of content” mean? Carousels, video, static, graphical and narrative-based, memes, behind the scenes, employee relations and so so much more.
Let’s move onto metrics.
2025 Audience Growth by Platform
Engagement Rate Trend
Macro Trends
Total Impressions by Year
Interesting tidbit. Our new capital, Siren’s Curse and Top Thrill 2, represented 40 million and 12 million, respectively, of our total impressions in 2025. These two scream machines accounted for a lot of attention.
Video Views by Year
What made our social media strategy work?
Three things, really.
Content fit platform standards.
Diversity of content types.
The content mattered to fans!
It all comes back to knowing the story…
“If you get the art right, the commerce side of it works itself out.”
Social Media Landscape in 2026
It’s always good to do a field analysis and audit sources to know where trends are.
Pew Research and Sprout Social were a couple resources that give you social media platform volume (where the audience is at) and behavioral patterns, respectively.
Here are some high points.
Cross-Platform Trends
Retention is #1. Watch time, completion rate, rewatches, shares, saves and sends.
Authenticity over AI. Anti‑AI/spam filters penalize AI‑generated & low‑effort content; reduced reach if overused.
Social SEO. Keywords in copy, titles and alt text; hashtags are no longer as relevant.
Quality > quantity. Fewer, higher‑value posts outperform high‑volume posting.
Video first. Strong hooks in first 3 seconds are essential; original audio and UGC outperform trends.
Audience Comes First
How can brands jump in to entertain their audience?
Make social relationships the foundation of your ROI .
Post like a friend, not a brand.
Bring audiences behind the scenes.
Engage in real-time conversations.
Jordan’s Hot Takes
Social media ≠ advertising
People are sick of ads.
Prioritize “organic” social for your audience.
Keep it simple, stupid.
Our best-performing content was low effort.
Am I too old for this? NO!
Carl Jung said: "Life really does begin at 40. Up until then you are just doing research.”
You always carry the tools:
Your brain. Your phone.
“We don’t post unless the content is ‘save-worthy.’”
Easily Create Compelling Social Content in 4 Steps
Make “chicken wings” you ethos.
Now, let me preface. This is a list for those starting out or who may not have technical abilities. I would consider myself an expert in content, storytelling and run up my computer’s processing power on Adobe Creative Cloud.
But, we’re talking simple do-it-yourself tactics here.
Here’s your pattern for developing a solid organic social media strategy. Entertain your followers. Then, at the right time, strike with a reason to patronize your business they cannot refuse.
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1. Develop a Strategy
Make a social strategy…even if it’s only one page! Include:
Goals. Include follower targets, engagement, rate and brand voice.
Post cadence. How many posts will you share per week?
Platforms. Where will you spend your energy? Instagram? TikTok? Threads?
Content buckets. At Cedar Point, this includes grouping content into like-things: resort, nostalgia, coasters, unique moments and behind the scenes.
Measurement. More on this later.
2. Write down 1K ideas
Visit your favorite coffee shop for an hour and brainstorm:
What makes you unique?
List the things you take for granted in the business.
What inspires you? Think of movies, books, pop culture, etc.
Trends – use only what makes sense for you.
World events.
Caricatures/personas.
Write all of them down. Who cares how expensive or dumb the ideas are. Figure out what you can actually achieve later.
3. Create content with simple tools
First, use your creativity. We all have it. It’s a muscle that must be exercised if you want to thrive.
Recommended apps for newbies:
Canva
Edits
Adobe Rush
Capcut
Think about content management too. Especially if you manage multiple channels. Your life can be made easier with a resource like:
An agency…
Sprout Social
Hootsuite
Constant Contact
Monday
There are billions of others…
PS - nobody paid me to say any of this.
4. Measuring your social content results
Engagement Rate. The formula is simple: Likes + shares + comments / impressions * 100.
Audience Growth. Get them in the door with your personality. You can tell them what to buy later.
Track Conversions. Here, we’re talking about website traffic (Google Analytics / GA4). Homework - look up how to use Google Tag manager and Facebook Pixels. Perhaps an AI tool can give you simple instructions here as the subject matter can be complicated.
“People don’t buy what you do. They buy
why you do it.”
Thought-Provoking Cinema - Reprise
This is at the point where Tommy begins to get it. He finds his voice. His messaging resonates with his audience. He makes a sale.
Boom.
With all this in mind, you’re now inspired to go develop your own social media strategy. More importantly, you understand how applying “chicken wings” logic can help you tell your own story.
Welp, what are you waiting for?