Gopi Shah’s guide to shaping clay: a Web Story
How do you come up with ideas for content?
I tend to showcase the day to day of my life in the studio. My content is created by me, so sometimes I stop and think other potters may want to try this technique, or it would be a good way to showcase my process to my greater audience and customers. I think more people are taking ceramics and pottery classes, so they tend to understand how pottery is created, but for those who don’t, it’s pretty exciting to see how a lump of clay becomes something you use daily.
How do you manage your content calendar? Any suggested tools or resources?
I don’t really have a content calendar. I just end up posting what I’m doing in the studio, and if a holiday or a studio sale is coming up, I add that to the mix.
How do you make your content interesting? Keep it short? Add photos and videos? Other?
I like to diversify my feed by showing my process as well as my final products. Making pottery is an interesting subject, and so many people tend to receive benefits from watching pottery being made, [almost like] ASMR or an “oddly satisfying” moment. I just started doing reels this year, so I can show an entire process rather than just small snippets of a process to really engage a viewer with how something is made.
How do you post content across platforms? What types of content work best on each platform?
I like sharing events on Facebook and on my website through my blog, so that when people are searching for an event, my website will also hopefully pop up using SEO and keywords. I also like posting news on my Instagram as well as my website. For example, when I got a new kiln, I wrote a blog post about how and why I decided to go with the kiln I selected. I consistently post about my kiln on my Instagram, and if people ask about it, I can refer them to my website with my blog post that goes into more detail about it.
What advice would you share with your earlier self when you were starting on this journey, based on what you’ve learned along the way?
Stop being scared and believe in yourself. It has taken me a while to have the confidence I have now in my work and my skill, but I’m grateful that I have such a strong and supportive community backing me.