Your name may be the reason you're not getting the reach you want.
You put so much effort into creating amazing content. Your branding is on point. Your content calendar is jam-packed with some of the best, most creative content you've thought out. You're consistent on social media and you show up every day! But you're still not getting the reach you want. The reason could be something as simple and harmless-looking as the name you picked.
I know, because it happened to my own brand. I didn't carefully research and think through what the best name for my brand should be. So I'm going to share the three ways I failed massively at this, what it looks like when you get it right, and why your name can be the day-and-night difference between content that gets the reach it deserves and shadow-bans and low-performing videos you can't explain.
Mistake 1: It Sounds Cool
Maybe you went with a name because it's a nickname your close friends gave you, or a movie character you really resonate with. Great. Now, how many other people picked that same name?
Have you stopped to consider that many people just like you found that movie and that character inspiring? Now you're not only competing with that character or public figure, but with everyone else who loves that name too.
Think about how hard it will be just to get a username without a bunch of numbers and characters tacked on, because 10,000 other people love that name and you ended up as @myawesomename112233.
I made this mistake myself. As I mentioned in my last article, What I Wish I Knew Before Launching My OnlyFans, my first stage name was my Call of Duty: Mobile gamer handle. It sounded amazing in my head, but a big trans creator already had the same name, and people came to my account thinking I was her. Trans accounts on Instagram reposted me and promoted me as if I were trans, and many times it affected how I saw myself. I'd catch myself analysing whether I really looked masculine.
A name like that is a recipe for disaster. With a bit of creativity, you can pay homage to the name you love and combine it with one of your real names instead.
Mistake 2: It's Trending, but It's Not Really You
Maybe you put something like "waifu" in your name because it's trending and you see other creators using it. Does that mean you should follow along and do what other creators are doing? No.
Maybe you're starting your journey during a certain cultural moment, and riding the hype around a specific name seems like a good idea. Before you do, make sure it actually aligns with who you are and stays congruent with your brand. Don't call yourself a “waifu” if you aren't genuinely into anime and manga and the archetype of the Japanese wifey who is here to serve and please. If that's not who you are, your fans will shun you for it, because you're playing a character you're not. People on social media today can sniff out bullshit faster than ever, so think twice before hopping on a trend and picking a name you think will hit.
I made this one too. My second name leaned into the anime waifu fandom, and it never matched my real tastes or who I really am.
Mistake 3: Using Your Real Name Without Checking It
Now, there are real benefits to using your real name, like getting verified on Meta, where you go through an ID check to prove you're the person behind that Instagram profile before you get your blue check mark. Okay, great. But how many other people already have your name?
Here's what happened to me. When I finally decided to take my branding seriously and pick my own name, I didn't do my due diligence to check whether anyone else had it. To my sad surprise, my name (a variation of it that I thought sounded best) belonged to a rising Mexican actress who was getting famous from a reality show that was trending at the time.
Here I was, getting shadow-bans and flags from TikTok & Meta saying I was "impersonating another public figure." Now, I'm no stranger to getting my TikTok account banned. I don't think you can really call yourself a veteran in this social media game without getting at least one of your accounts banned (at least the other times, it actually was my fault). But this was a new one for me, and I couldn't figure out why it was happening.
When I finally did my research, it turned out that yes, a big influencer and actress shared my name. Her fans were probably reporting my account for impersonating her, or it was just the platforms up to their usual tricks.
On top of that, it hurt my reach from another angle. Lots of people came to my videos expecting to find this famous actress, and when they found out it wasn't her, they left immediately. That had a big effect on my videos' numbers, because all Meta sees is that people watched a video or two for 1 or 2 seconds and quickly left (probably feeling deceived, because they didn't find the actress they were looking for).
Had I done my due diligence and seen that someone else was using my name, I would have found another clever way to use it that didn't put me in direct competition with a famous actress. I probably would have avoided a lot of those shadow-bans, and the suspension that came from TikTok wrongly assuming I was impersonating somebody else, even though it was 100% me. I submitted my ID plenty of times, but TikTok's and Meta's AI bots honestly don't care. They simply do whatever they've been programmed to do, with no concern for ever getting you a real human to listen to your sob story about why you're being wrongfully shadow-banned.
What a Good Name Looks Like
Now let me show you a strong name with zero competition, the kind that allowed one of our newest creators to really shine and hit her stride when we launched her account.
When we first started working with her (I'm keeping her name private to protect her identity), we went over everything: her interests, her background and the languages she speaks. That told us what kind of name would suit her.
Then we researched names that tied her background to her interests. Before we committed, we had Claude verify that:
- There's no negative association with the name.
- It passes the American barista test (more on that below).
- There's no competition for the name, and we can safely secure every username and domain.
We settled on that name and stuck with it.
After launch, she was very easy to find on Google, because she wasn't buried under 10 pages of other brands, movies, blogs and creators competing for the same name. The name was short, sweet and memorable. We believe she has the potential to be the next big influencer, partly because of how powerful her name is, but also because she's a hardworking girl who goes above and beyond to create her content and follow our advice. She's having amazing success because of it. But I strongly believe none of it would have been possible if we hadn't started off on the right foot from day one.
How to Pick Yours
When picking a name, I'd recommend starting with a brainstorming session to find what actually aligns with who you are. Then run every name on your list through these checks:
- The American barista test. Imagine a gringo orders his cappuccino at Starbucks and gives your name. If the barista hears it once and immediately knows how to spell it, say it and write it on your cup without completely butchering it, you pass. That makes your name easy to remember when someone comes across your profile and wants to find you again later.
- Available everywhere. Your domain and every social media handle: Instagram, X, YouTube, TikTok and the rest.
- Nobody bigger owns it. Most importantly, make sure you're not competing with a public figure or influencer who has the same name and will outrank you. People will be searching for them, not you, and that stunts your growth.
- No bad connotation. Make sure the name doesn't carry a negative association.
You can put everything I've mentioned here into your AI of choice and go through this exercise with it: have it work through a list of names that resonate with you and check each one for availability, competition and bad connotations. That way, you have the best chance of attracting the audience you're looking for.
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Besos!
Mari Minx