Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello and welcome to Storyteller in depth, a podcast where we go behind the scenes to learn more about the school of communications media arts and designs, people, places and things. I'm your host, Pat Quigley. In today's episode, we have Rachel Node. Rachel is the program coordinator of our Lifestyle Media program, a writer and editor for more than 20 years, experience in the field, and the founder and editor in chief of in between magazine. Her knowledge of social media, building a brand for yourself and influencer marketing is incredible, and that's exactly what we're going to get into today. So without further ado, let's get into this episode.
Thank you so much, Rachel, for being on the podcast today.
[00:00:44] Speaker B: Thanks for having me.
[00:00:45] Speaker A: Yeah, no, it's going to be a really cool conversation. And, you know, you've had such an amazing career as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. You are the founder and editor in chief for Inbetween magazine and you're the program coordinator of the lifestyle media program at centennial. You've been asked to be a guest on several shows, one opportunity, most recently being on breakfast television. I think I saw you on there not too long ago, actually. And so many exciting elements of your career thus far. Can you start, though, with how you got into this career and the writing, social media, influencer industries?
[00:01:17] Speaker B: Yeah. So, I mean, it all started here at the story Arts center.
I am a graduate of this very campus, the journalism program, back in 2000. So I have a journalism background and, you know, I started off in the magazine world because that's where I wanted to be.
And then, you know, I sort of transitioned from consumer magazine to trade magazines and finally to national newswire, where I was working as a feature editor. And then, you know, life happens and I had my son and that's when I decided I was going to quit the comfy nine to five and go on my own and be self employed, which is probably the scariest thing that I have ever done.
But, you know, being self employed, I started freelancing and I was freelancing for major daily papers like the National Post and, you know, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, the Canwest papers. But I was also freelancing for consumer publications like today's parents canadian family, and I was writing a lot about babies and, you know, their motor skills and things like that. And I said to myself, what's gonna happen when my son is 15 and coming home and, like, being just super rude to me and, you know, being a teenager, there's no resource out there to help us, right? Because all the parenting magazines ended when your kid is 1212 or 13. That's when they cut it off. So I'm like, I need to start something that picks up where they leave off. And that was how I came up with in between magazine. So I've been doing that since 2013, digital magazine. And I started doing the tv side of it probably around 2016, not really knowing what I was doing, but just knowing that I needed to do it right. Like, I needed to be there. I needed to be on those major morning shows to spread the word about the publication.
We were at the time, we were having celebrity covers. Sometimes we were having the morning show hostess covers. So it was a great way to tie it in, be like, hey, I think one of our covers is Rosie Etta. At the time, she was on global news in the morning, right in Toronto. I'm like, why don't we come in? We've got Rosie on our cover. It's back to school. We'll talk about back to school trends. And I showed up and I remember, like, just like, shaking, right? Like, my hands are shaking. I'm like, what am I doing?
But, you know, it led to career that I mostly do now. Now I appear on morning shows across the country, talking about and connecting with brands that sort of are relevant to that demographic. So the career has transitioned a lot. I've, you know, starting writing, editing, I still do that, but now I do the tv side as well. And of course, teaching here at story arts. So it's been a journey.
[00:04:08] Speaker A: Yeah, no kidding. It sounds like there's. You've got so much going on, honestly, like, it's putting it very lightly, obviously, but you're a busy lady.
[00:04:16] Speaker B: I am, yeah. But, you know, I love it. I don't do the same thing every day. That's why I love it. It always changes. Right. So it keeps me on my toes.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: Yeah. And, you know, being a guest on a national tv show or on tv shows or morning shows in general, like, what is that like? And what might somebody not know or expect about being a guest? I.
[00:04:37] Speaker B: Yes, it depends on what you're going on to talk about. Right. So I think you mentioned BT, I was on there a couple months ago just as myself. Right. So I was on there talking about how to help your child sort of transition if they're just graduated from high school and they don't know what to do next. Right. Like, what school to go do. Maybe they should gap year or what have you. So that was an idea that I had pitched breakfast television, and, you know, when you're trying to get on these shows, you're pitching them as if you're pitching any story, maybe that you would want in a newspaper or magazine, right. You got to tell them a unique angle and why you're the best person to be on. Right. So for me, I have in between, which is geared to parents of teens, my son is graduating from high school next week, and we were in that phase of life where we're like, oh, what is he going to do? He doesn't know. It's fine. You know, there's all this stress and pressure that kids put on themselves. So I was able to be on there very authentically. Right. And I think that is very important when you are a storyteller, to be able to do that from that authentic space, because that's going to resonate with audiences for sure. So I would definitely give that advice. If you're going talking just as, you know, an expert or talking about your own experience. If I'm going on with a selection of brands, you know, that started months ago, right. You don't see that. So that started with me coming up with the idea, having those connections with brands, maybe, you know, going to events, showing up, doing social media. So it. It's not automatic. It takes. There's a lot of work on the back end. There's. It. It means keeping those connections and making those connections with working relationships, you know, with pr people and different brands, if you want to, you know, work with them on these tv spots. So it's a lot of work behind the scenes, for sure. And then, of course, getting, sometimes even getting the brands to the stations, depending on how many you have or how big they are. I remember doing in tv segments with, like, big, huge monitors and, like, big, huge units. I'm like, oh, my God, I have to take this to Hamilton. Like, how am I going to do this? And then you have to think about setting up, right? You're not just throwing stuff on the table. You've got to make it look pretty, right. You got to put some effort into it. So it means you're going to invest in maybe some table decor to make it look nice. You're going to invest in those risers, right. So you can elevate different bottles, whatever, so they're more clear on camera. So there's a lot of behind the scenes and you're, you know, you're kind of like a rover. I don't know.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: I've never really thought about that. Especially when you're just being guests, right. To bring everything that you need to present what you're presenting. Right. To get your point across, to kind of prove that you know what you're talking about.
[00:07:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:24] Speaker A: Right.
[00:07:25] Speaker B: And if you ever see food that they, maybe they have one that, you know, they've made beforehand, like, oh, look at this beautiful burger. Don't eat it.
Don't eat it. Because that was made probably a day or two ago. And it's probably travel depending on how many segments you're doing of the same, of the same site. So it looks delicious, but don't eat it.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: It's good to know anybody out there who really wants to eat that stuff. Don't touch it. Don't even look at it.
[00:07:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:51] Speaker A: The host know, do you have any memorable experiences or a story from your career thus far that sticks out to you?
[00:07:59] Speaker B: Oh, gosh, that's a hard one. Because my career has not been linear.
Right. It's really zigzagged. And that's one of the things, you know, I talk about in my class of my lifestyle, media, student career paths and how it's not one way up, right? You're going to take twists and turns you never imagined.
At one point in my career, I was doing a lot of travel writing, which I loved. Right? I mean, who wouldn't want to travel? Ride. You get sent on these trips, beautiful places. You're having these amazing experiences, and you meet so many wonderful people. And one time I was in Colorado, and they thought it would be fun to put us journalists on ATV's. And you know how you have, like, a gut intuition? And I said, okay, I don't want to do this. Like, this is not for me. Like, I realized my limitations and it just. It didn't appeal to me. I didn't want to do it, but, you know, peer pressure, I guess. And so the journalists were like, that I was with. They were like, okay, Rachel, don't worry about it. Like, all right, in front of you, I'll ride behind you. We'll be totally fine. And I was, okay, fine. So we get on this ATV, and, you know, I'm on. We're on the stretch of road, and it's beautiful mountains, scenery. I'm like, what? Was I so scared? Like, why? Right? Like, sometimes we get the best of us. We're like, this is not scary at all. I'm having the best time. And then he takes us off road. So we had about a five minute lesson on an ATV, like in a parking lot.
So maybe going off road wasn't the best idea. So my ATV hits this divot right? Because we're off road, we're on a trail. And you know how like, the gas is on the handlebars?
Well, you know, old school handlebars meant brakes. Right? Like growing up riding those kind of bikes. So I hit the handlebars and I hit the divot and I, it was like slow motion. I felt myself flying. I felt the ATV. I saw it flying behind me and I hit the ground. The ATV hit me. And those journalists who promised to be in front of me and behind me were well ahead of me. So I was the last one in line. So thankfully, they turned around. They realized I wasn't there.
But, yeah, that was probably, you know, very memorable for that reason. But I've had so many lovely experiences, especially with the travel writing, like being in oceans and swimming with nurse sharks. And it's, you know, these are experiences that I probably would not have had. And of course, you know, within, between getting to interview celebrities, some of which, you know, I have admired or I was a fan of. Right. I'm like, oh, I can't believe this is my life. Like, it's, it's, it's, it's so crazy when you think about how, you know, your path changes and the opportunities that come up and you never know. So, you know, when I say to my students, I always say to them, say, yes, you don't know what's going to come up, right? That even this doll at the story arts center came about it because I was asked to teach one course, one seven week course. And that's how I started here. And I was super scared. I'm like, I can't teach like, I've never taught my life.
And it worked out fine. So I would not have had this opportunity and met the wonderful people here and all the students I'd met if I hadn't said yes.
[00:11:05] Speaker A: So that's, wow. Just wow.
The lifestyle media program, is that a newer program to the school?
[00:11:16] Speaker B: It has been here, I believe, about seven years.
[00:11:19] Speaker A: Seven years? Okay, well, I guess I've graduated about ten, more than ten years ago now. So to me it's new because I didn't know about it. So let's talk a little bit about that. Like, there's so many different areas of that program, one of which is the course on social media, and it plays such an incredibly significant role in today's world. And in Canada, there's a shift happening toward micro influencers working with brands. Can you share some of the current social media trends that you're seeing and how they impact your teachings in the program.
[00:11:52] Speaker B: Okay, so I guess I'll answer that part of the question first. Okay. So when we're talking about trends, and it's funny because we do teach social media, obviously, as part of the lifestyle media program.
But for myself particularly, I'm the teacher for storyworks. And in the program, storyworks is they run a website, and they're also responsible for the Instagram and the TikTok. And, you know, one of the ongoing conversations I have with my students is find out what's trending. Okay. The only way you're going to find out what's trending is to be a consumer of these platforms. So the first thing I asked them is, who has Instagram? Everybody puts up their hand, who has TikTok? I get maybe half.
And I say, who loves Instagram? Okay, everybody loves Instagram. Who loves TikTok? And most of the time, you know, the hands go down as you better learn to love it because that's, you know, that's the space and the platform where we're seeing a lot of these trends happening. And there's so much opportunity there. So first off, you got to be on those platforms to identify those trends, because when you're hopping on those trends, you only have a small window to do it or you're not going to reap any of the benefits of doing it. The second part of it is you can't just hop on a trend just because it's trending. Right. Especially with storyworks. I'm like, you how to think about how to take those trends and make them relevant to what we're doing in this classroom. Right? So the class that I have right now, they're doing an amazing job with this.
So, you know, one of the trends you'll see on social media is transition. So it'll start off somebody falling down the stairs, let's say, right? And then they cut it to themselves and they're falling down the stairs, but then they pop up and they say, three more days. Three more days till we launch the website. Right?
So that's, again, taking the trance, but then making it relevant to what we're doing in the classroom. So it's important that there is that relevancy there. Otherwise people are like, why am I watching this? Right?
And starts the micro influencers and brands. Yes, we are seeing that.
And I think there's a real value there because people think, oh, well, I don't have a million followers. I can't work with brands. Listen, I don't have a million followers. I have, like, 1700 followers on Instagram, that's not big, right. But I work with brands. I think one of the values of, from the brand side is that you're going to get maybe a more authentic connection with that message. Right. Because somebody who has a smaller following probably has a more authentic connection to their followers than somebody who has maybe like a million followers. Right. So there is that real opportunity there to share and to storytell that maybe you won't get with somebody who has 10 million followers. Right. They're just. Maybe they'll just go through the motions, right? So micro influencers. Yeah, maybe there's maybe a bit less of a reach, obviously, because you don't have 10 million followers, but at the same time, you're gonna have real people commenting. You're gonna have the time to comment on their comments. There's gonna be shares, there's gonna be engagement and that opportunity to really start conversations, which maybe you won't necessarily get if you go with Kim Kardashian.
[00:14:53] Speaker A: Wow, there's so many nuances to it, right? Like influencer marketing and being a micro influencer. Like, I don't know, I just, I haven't been able to wrap my head around it, mostly because I didn't want to get into that side of things. But the more that I work in what would be, quote unquote, like, traditional media, right. The more I've got to think towards the future and how the future is going to be. Right. How do I make this thing that has always been the staple for this industry and transform it to today's audience? Right. So what would be some of your top tips that you would give someone in helping to create a brand for themselves online?
[00:15:33] Speaker B: So we're talking about, like, finding your niche.
[00:15:35] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:37] Speaker B: So that is one of the hardest things you'll ever do, like, because when you think about what's happening in the social media space right now, there's, you know, we're not reinventing the wheel. Somebody is probably already doing what you want to do. But doesn't mean you can't put a unique spin on it that's specific to you. Right. Or unique to you.
And the only way, even if you don't know what your niche is, you just have to try. You just have to keep posting things, because a lot of the times that niche is going to find you, and you're going to realize that by looking at what you're posting and seeing what's resonating with your followers or with your audience. Right. You don't look at those analytics and say, oh, you know what? When I do these kind of posts, I get this much engagement or I, this many likes or this many views, right? Um, whereas, you know, maybe if you try something else and it flops and it's fine if it flops. Listen, you got to fail fast. You got to fail often, right? And you can't be afraid to fail because you're going to learn more from those failures than anything else, right? So I, if anybody's looking for, you know, to find their niche or to find their voice on social media, you just got to go, you just got to try. You just got to keep posting and see what's sticks, right? And you can't be afraid. And what I mean by not being afraid of, like, oh, gosh, what if it fails? Don't, obviously, don't be afraid of that, but don't be afraid in the back of your head thinking, but what if my mom doesn't like it or what if my sister doesn't like it or what my friends think I'm silly or whatever it is, right? You can't think like that, right? And most of the time, people aren't even thinking of you. This is, this is the problem. We always think that, oh, everybody's judging us. Everybody's looking at us. Everybody's like, oh, what's Rachel posting? Ah, right. They're not, they don't care.
They don't care. So have fun with it and just be as authentic as you can, because if you're authentic and that's, that's what's going to resonate and that's what's going to come through to your followers and that's what's going to gain your following. Right. If people can see through, through you where you're like, oh, that's not them, or they're just being fake, or they're just doing it for, you know, the likes or the shares, that's not really them. They're, they're not going to stick around.
[00:17:35] Speaker A: And while, and while we're on the topic of tips and advice, you know, writing is, can be a huge part of lifestyle media. As someone with your experience, what advice could you give someone interested in the writing side of this industry rather than being in front of the camera?
[00:17:49] Speaker B: Well, there's different opportunities for writing, right. And lifestyle. And typically, we think lifestyle writing is writing about things like fashion, travel, beauty, food, relationships, what have you. And it is. That's what it's about. So there's opportunities there, obviously, writing for web, web articles, obviously traditional writing, like writing for magazines and those sections within newspapers, of course, those opportunities are there as well.
Writing social media captions. Right. People think that maybe they're not as important, but a good caption sometimes is what people are going to stick around for. Right? So it's important to be able to write effectively. So we talk a lot about that, uh, in a, within our program. Um, and if you're writing for tv, like, I write my own scripts, okay?
So when I have, when you're working with brands, you receive key messages where the brand is like, okay, Rachel, you got to hit this, this and this. Okay? Otherwise we're going to be mad at you and we're not going to work with you anymore. Right.
There's this pressure. Okay? They're not that serious, but sometimes they are, so. But you can't stand up there and, you know, write something that's just generic. Right. This is where we're really sort of bringing in our storytelling abilities and our storytelling skills to a point to make it authentic. So, for instance, everybody who follows me knows I have a dog named Louie. Okay? He's a nine month old holding the sheepdog.
I'm obsessed with him. So he's all over my feet. So everybody follows me knows about Louie. So sometimes I would partner with pet value to bring on their products onto a station.
If I stand up there and write a script, whether it's for tv or maybe if I promise them a social media post, if I stand up there and I say, pet value has 36 leashes to choose from, you can get them in all different lengths and colors and whatever, nobody's going to care. So what, right? But maybe if I start the story about how I was walking Louie down the street and he caught wind of a squirrel that I didn't notice, but he certainly did, and then he went full blast running, and then I fell over because I didn't have control of him, that's maybe going to get somebody to listen, right? And then I lead into, you know, if. If you have a Louie at home like me, and you would not want to, you know, bust your face on a walk, maybe you want to get them a vest, right? And you can get that at pet value, or you can get gentle leaders or what have you, right? So it's all about storytelling, almost like you're the brand first, and then you incorporate the actual brand on a secondary level as they are relevant to you. Because if they are relevant to you, that is what the audience is going to resonate with. So when you're writing this, that's what you have to think about. And yes, you're going to think about those key messages, but you're not just going to spew out those key messages. You're going to find a way to weave them into the story of what you're telling me, whether it's about your life or what have you.
[00:20:50] Speaker A: In just your small example, as soon as you started talking about your experience with, with Louie, be it, be it a real story or a made up story, it made me think of the Louie that I have at home, my dog captain, and I went, yeah, I do need a new leash for him. You're right. And, oh, they are at Penn. I could go there and get that. And I went, oh, it's working. The influencing is working so well just on the podcast.
[00:21:12] Speaker B: There you go. Yeah, you're welcome. Ped value.
[00:21:18] Speaker A: Not sponsored by pet value.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:21:20] Speaker A: So you've had over 20 years of amazing experience in writing and editing. What are one or two ways the industry has evolved over the years in terms of storytelling, the material being shared or the method that it's being shared.
[00:21:33] Speaker B: Oh, gosh, it's changed so much. Right? So when I started, it was about writing, traditionally writing for magazines, writing for newspapers. I remember when I started in between, and I would go on these meetings, talking to different people and companies, trying to get them on board.
The biggest question I would get to them or get from them is, are you just digital or are you in print? And it was always, are you just digital or are you in print? And I would say, we're just digital.
And I would get that same response from other editors and writers in the industry as well, like from the big consumer magazines, are you just digital or do you have a print issue?
And I'm like, I'm digital.
As the years went by, everybody changed the tune, right? So now when I meet somebody, I say, well, in between magazine is a digital publication. They're like, yeah, of course it is, right? Because there's been a real shift about how we are sharing, you know, articles and stories online or in publications, right?
Same with the travel writing. So, like I said, I used to be big in the travel writing, so I would go on these travel trips and fam trips, and everybody on the trip, there's always, like, a group, right? They'll invite, like, maybe six people, and they were always editors, staffers, writers, right? As the years went by, I noticed less editors, less staffers, less writers, more bloggers, right? And then as the years went by and more, it was more influencers, right? Instagramers TikTokers.
That's how it's shifting, right? Because there's an immediacy there when you think about how often a magazine comes out or what have you. Okay, what if you have a magazine that's on the quarterly, right? Whereas if you're on Instagram, you could post, you know, how many times a day and get your message out. So, you know that social media has changed the game. It has completely changed the game. And the way we storytell, it's completely changed the game in the way that we are able to. As well as, you know, we can rebrand ourselves on social media, right? Like, you can start a whole new account today with a whole different niche than maybe what you already have and rebrand yourself. And that's. There's such an opportunity there, right. Because it allows us to keep changing, keep trying new things. Whereas, you know, back in the day, if you were just a fashion writer, that you were just a fashion writer, right, but now, okay, well, I have my fashion account, but also I'm interested in food, blogging, or I'm interested in music or whatever it is, right. You can rebrand yourself on the daily if you want, right. With social media. And it's. I think that's the biggest change that I have seen throughout the years. It's still about storytelling at the heart of it. It's always about telling the story. Just, it's. We just have different ways in which we could do it, and we have different platforms, and I think we have more of a voice now than we ever had.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: And something like social media is 24/7 right? Like, it never stops. I. And that really brings up the conversation of, like, maintaining a work life balance. So I'd love to know your perspective on that. So when it comes to creating content that can be shared online, what advice would you give to someone pursuing this career to maintain that balance?
[00:24:55] Speaker B: Yeah. So work life balance is an issue that everybody, I think, has, especially if your world is online, right? So some people's whole careers are online. If they are, you know, a big tiktoker or big instagrammer.
And there's different ways to go about it. For instance, sometimes my world's clawed, right? I have a teenage son. Sometimes I'll say to him, hey, can you help me out with this video? Can you be this video? Right? And I'm lucky he's always like, okay, mom, fine, right? So he'll do it with me. And I actually have an idea that he's gonna do with me, but he doesn't know yet. But I, that's how I sort of meld those two worlds. But at the same time, if we are out, maybe, let's say, you know, just last, late last year, we all went to Miami on a family trip, right? Yes, of course I took some video. Of course I took that shot of what we were eating, you know, the beautiful seafood or what it was for my own memories, not necessarily just for a TikTok or an Instagram reel, but then I put the phone away because you have to know there's a time and a place for everything, right? So if you're there and you think, okay, I've got to get content. I got to get content. Get your content. Absolutely. Get your content. Maybe allocate. Okay, I'm going to allow myself 30 minutes or an hour or whatever it is to get my contact or my content, and then I'm going to put this phone away, right, so I can be in the moment. It's the same thing when you go to concerts and like, you could have floor seats and maybe, you know, the band of your dreams is up there and all you see is the sea of screens and people that are watching this artist through their screen and yes, for sure get a couple of snippets of your favorite song, of the vibe, what have you. Right. But then put your phone away, be in the moment because you're going to feel that energy, right. And the energy is what's going to give you the memory. Right. You're going to remember how you felt when they were on that stage singing your favorite song and everybody surrounding you with singing as well. Right? I mean, think about what's happening right now. Edmonton Oilers versus Florida. Right? Could you imagine being at the final game, right. And maybe it's the, maybe the score is tied and Edmonton is going for that final goal and McDavid scores and wins Stanley cup and we bring it back home to Canada. But you were sitting there uploading an Instagram story. Could you imagine?
You have to be in the moment, so there's a time and a place. You have to know when to put that phone away because, you know, we don't live through our screens and sometimes people forget that, right? And there's nothing worse than going out with somebody and they're just on their phone. Right? The thumbs are going, they're looking at the screen. They're not even looking at you. And I think, you know, there's, you know, that has an effect on relationships, right? So you have to know, okay, we're gonna go for dinner maybe I'm gonna take a little quick video of the restaurant so I could show it. Of course I'm gonna take a picture of our food, but then I can put that away so we can have a conversation. Right. So you just have to. It's self regulation, really, because nobody's going to do it for you but you. Right. And, you know, you have to put away your phone sometimes. Sometimes in the evening, I'll put my phone upstairs in my bedroom, plug it in, and I'll go downstairs for an hour or two. Even an hour or two makes you feel rejuvenated, right? Because you're not having your phone pinging, you're not having the notifications, because that's what will drain you. And when you talk to content creators, that's one of the biggest issues, is burnouthouse. Right?
You hear that all the time. I got burnt out because they don't know when to stop. But if you don't self regulate, nobody's going to do that for you. So you kind of have to know in your own personal life, okay, how many hours am I going to dedicate to this? When am I going to put this away? Because that's the only way you're going to have some balance.
[00:28:36] Speaker A: Oh, for sure. Yeah. As you were talking about, you know, putting your phone down, experiencing moments, I'm recognizing that in my own life because we have a newborn son, he's about four or five months now, and, you know, you capture as many memories as you can right on your phone. My wife has aphantasia, so she doesn't. She can't recall memories. So the best way to do that is to take videos and take photos and all this stuff. But every so often, I'm like, I don't want to miss moments in my brain to be there for it when, you know, there's also a video of it and all that kind of stuff. So there's been a couple times that he's done something cute, and I'm like, I'm glad I've got that up here. I said, then on the other side is like, I'm glad that we have the video of it as well. For my wife, for the future.
[00:29:24] Speaker B: Yeah. So it's finding a mix.
[00:29:27] Speaker A: Yeah, it's definitely finding a mix.
[00:29:29] Speaker B: Like, if you go on TikTok and Instagram, a lot of times I see these, you know, parents with younger children, and it's like they've been conditioned to have a screen in front of them where they're being recorded, so they know. Right. So it's like, oh, and then they, like, put on a show almost, and it's. For me, it's like, my son, he was born in 2006. This is obviously pre social media, so of course we took photos of him and everything else that wasn't. I didn't have that sort of, oh, I need to record him everything he does or here, talk to the camera, or look at this. Look at my son. Look how cute he is. Kind of thing like that. And when I see, like, parents do that, all I think about that's so sad for the kid. He's just trying to eat his Cheerios. Like, leave the poor guy alone, you know? So again, it's time and a place. There's a time for it, right? So, no, no, it depends on everybody and what they want, really. Like, if they want their whole life on social media, then they're gonna put their whole life on social media, and that's theirs to live, right? That's. Maybe that's their truth or how they want to live. But, you know, there's a real danger there be burnt out if you are a content creator, for sure.
[00:30:31] Speaker A: Well, yeah, let's. Let's talk a little bit about that as well as, like, let's talk about burnout and how dangerous that is. Right. And what are some ways to avoid that in the best way?
[00:30:45] Speaker B: I think you just have to make a schedule for yourself. So if you're a content creator by trade, a lot of the times that means you are going to different events throughout the city, right? You're getting. You're getting invited to all these public relations events, sometimes several events within a day. You're going there, you're taking photos, you're taking videos, you're taking, you know, videos of yourself going there.
And then you think, oh, my gosh, I now have to produce all these different reels, all these different stories, all these different posts. But maybe you also want to get this article out or, you know, you have a brand meeting or whatever it is you. It's like any other job. You just have to look at it like any other job. Say, okay, you know what, I going to work today from nine to five or eight to four or whatever it is, and if I don't get all my reels done today, then that's okay, I'll get them done the next day, right? So that we feel this pressure. Especially when you are invited to events like that, there's an expectation there, right? They're not these people, and these products or brands are not inviting you just for the joy of it, right? They're inviting you because they're like, okay, Rachel's gonna come. She's going, I know where. She's gonna take a video. She's gonna take a video of our brand. She's not just gonna do a reel, but she's going to do stories as well. Right? Obviously, there's an immediacy to that because if you went to an event, you're not hosting about that next week, it's old news, right? You. You want to post it while you're there or. Or at least when you get home, right? Oh, this is what I did tonight. Some influencers don't post while they're there for security reasons and safety reasons. Right. They're like, I don't want people to know where I am, especially, you know, within the city. So they'll wait until they get home, or maybe they'll do it the next morning, which is totally fine. So I think it's just like, avoiding yourself that downtime to say, okay, I'm tired. I was at that event late. I will get to the real, I'll do it tomorrow. Right.
And just not putting so much pressure on yourself, because if you do and you keep sort of loading all that on your shoulders, you're. You're going to get burnt out. There's no other result. Like, there's, there's none, right? Because don't forget, yeah, you're creating content, but maybe you have families at home or maybe you have, you know, a nine to five job and you're doing this on the side, right? So many people do this as a side gig where they're juggling both, and then you can really get burnt out. So you just have to, I say a lot of certain time period during the day where you say, okay, I will work on this. If I don't get it done within this time period, then I will push it till tomorrow. And you have to be okay with that.
[00:33:07] Speaker A: I'm only making, like, one or two copies of things, and sometimes I still feel the burnout. So I can't imagine having to replicate something and create specific content for four or five different platforms and making sure it goes out on time, making sure your messaging and your tags and everything, like, just the scheduling and the planning that goes behind that that I don't even think about is incredible. And I don't think a lot of people think about that when they're looking at people's social media stories, when they're looking at, you know, the. The Instagram Stories or the TikTok that just came out. Right. They're not seeing all the hard work that an influencer, a micro influencer is doing to making sure that everything goes smoothly. So you don't even have to think about that.
[00:33:53] Speaker B: Yeah. And obviously, you know, we have things like scheduling platforms that we can use so you can schedule something beforehand, but then you also need to be online when it, when it releases. Right. So they say, okay, if you're even if you schedule it, you have to be online, ideally ten minutes before and then right away when people start commenting. Right. Because you need to be able to comment back as it's happening because that's what's sort of going to push your video more. Right. If you don't, then it won't. So you still want to be online at that time, even if you've scheduled it. And sometimes we don't realize that as well. Right.
[00:34:25] Speaker A: Wow. Rachel, we could talk probably for the rest of the day about social media and influencing and everything, all the amazing things you do. But we've got a place, have a place where we can wrap it up. So I just want to say thank you so much for being on the podcast.
[00:34:38] Speaker B: Thanks for having me. It was fun.
[00:34:40] Speaker A: Well, we'll be sure to have you back. I know. I think I'll tell Alex we need to have Rachel back on the podcast to talk more about this stuff.
[00:34:47] Speaker B: Part two.
[00:34:53] Speaker A: Thank you so much, Rachel, for being on the podcast. You offered such great advice and timely insight into this fascinating, evolving world of social media and all of the aspects that go along with it. Now, if you liked this episode, be sure to catch up on the others, if you haven't already, until the next time, I'm your host, Pat Quigley, and this is storyteller in deck. That's.
