Sara Douedari meets Chris Odysseos to discuss his efforts in promoting Cyprus globally through social media
In an in-depth conversation, Chris Odysseos, the New York-based founder of the popular “Cyprus” Instagram page, reveals his profound bond with Cyprus and his commitment to showcasing its wonders to the world. Chris shares his ambitious plans for its future and his enthusiasm for Cyprus, evident in every aspect of his work.
What made you decide to dedicate a platform to promoting Cyprus?
I love Cyprus so much and learning more about the island and seeing great things come out of there. I would post about Cyprus almost all the time on my personal social media accounts, so I figured it was time to build up a platform dedicated solely to the island to reach the entire world instead of just my personal followers. For a small island it has so much to offer from a rich history, culture, food, over 300 days of sun, some of the best beaches in the world, and I could go on. I feel like Cyprus is way under-marketed to the world. Not many people globally even know where Cyprus is or have heard of it and I want to show as many people as I can what a beautiful place it is.
As the founder and curator of this page, can you describe your workflow? How do you choose what to post?
Running @Cyprus is interesting and rewarding. My inbox is flooded with DMs, mentions, and tags daily and I weave through them first thing in the morning searching for cool content to repost. Most of the stories shown are reposts from people who tag @Cyprus. I like that because the audience can see what’s going on in Cyprus in live time from people currently in Cyprus. That’s the easy part!
Searching for what to post is more challenging. To stay active on Instagram, I aim to post three to five posts a week. I usually plan what I post one week out.
Once I figure out what I want to post I schedule the posts in a queue to post at certain high traffic times throughout the week. I usually spend a few hours on the weekend searching Instagram for inspiration and content.
When I’m in Cyprus, I shoot and create my own content. I also message and meet up with creators for content. I look for high quality pictures or videos with a certain aesthetic that really show off what an amazing place Cyprus is. After all, I want the person who visits the page to eventually want to visit Cyprus if they haven’t already.
For those who have previously visited the island, I want them to look forward to coming back. My favourite thing to post is nostalgic content that Cypriots can relate to so that Cypriots at home of abroad can be reminded and proud of their home. Lastly, I try to reply to comments on my posts and DMs as best as I can to help people out with any questions they ask about Cyprus.
Could you elaborate on what the country means to you personally?
Cyprus for me is definitely a place I call home. It’s where my family is from and where my roots are. There’s this indescribable, yet amazing feeling I get every time I’m on the airplane and the wheels touch down on the runway in Larnaca. Living thousands of miles away for most of the year in New York City, I think about the island quite a lot. I feel that being away from Cyprus makes me treasure it more. Its culture has definitely shaped me in my approach to everyday life. Part of Cyprus lives within me.
What future projects do you have for the “Cyprus” page? Are there any specific goals you’re working towards or new content types you’re planning to introduce?
The possibilities for @Cyprus are endless! This all started out as a hobby for me and slowly but surely it grew to the scale it has today. Being given the chance to collaborate with luxury hotels, brands and artists in Cyprus was a dream that’s become a reality. I still think this could be just the beginning of something great.
My goal now is to make @Cyprus more than just an Instagram page and build a community of Cyprus lovers while developing a brand.
This summer, @Cyprus is planning on hosting an event in Limassol for our community. Details for the event will be announced on our page soon where we hope to create good vibes and give out some cool merch!
I’m also working towards building a website (atcyprus.com) which will feature a blog, helpful resources, a newsletter and more. It’s important to reflect on your accomplishments and equally on your mistakes each year and set new goals for yourself in order to have something to look forward to and grow as a person but also grow your brand.
