Rooting Your Brand in Community-Engaging Rituals with Crown Affair's Dianna Cohen
ABOUT THE EPISODE
In a notoriously saturated market, new beauty brands need more than just a solid formula to stand out. They need transformative ideas.
When Dianna Cohen set out to launch Crown Affair, she wanted high quality hair care that was more than just another clean product in a pretty bottle. She wanted to turn haircare into a special moment, rooted in ritual. You know, those little practices that make up the in-between time stamps of the day—those personal moments that help you feel calm, centered, and whole.
Though Crown Affair is relatively new to the market, it has earned a respectable place disrupting the haircare space thanks to its innovative products and Dianna’s commitment to the craft of taking care—both in haircare and business practices.
On this episode of WorkParty, Dianna shares how she built her business from the foundation of such a personal practice, and why that alone is so important to owning a successful business.
EPISODE TOPICS
Taking the Leap: Her Pivot From Levitate to Crown Affair
Why Creating a Ritual Has Been Crucial to Her Success
How She Knew It Was Time to Build Something of Her Own
Utilizing Her Art History Background to Influence Branding
Process of Developing Custom Goods vs. Contract Manufacturing
Tips and Tricks to Help You Reach Your Hair Care Goals
Practicing Mindful Leadership to Improve Company Culture
The Power of Community, Connection, and Mentorship
Importance of Hiring Fast, Firing Slow, and Finding Seasoned Professionals
RESOURCES
To connect with Dianna Cohen click HERE
To connect with Jaclyn Johnson click HERE
To learn more about Crown Affair click HERE
To follow along with Create & Cultivate click HERE
To submit your questions call the WorkParty Hotline: 1-(833)-57-PARTY (577-2789)
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
OTHER EPISODES YOU MIGHT LIKE . . .
Model, Influencer, and Entrepreneur Rocky Barnes on How to Turn a Blog Into a Business
How Annie Lawless Scaled Lawless Beauty Into a Wildly Successful Second Business
Making a Comeback: How Perseverance Can Help You Pivot to New Possibilities
How Samara Walker Bootstrapped Her Business While Working 9-to-5 at Amazon
How Celebrity Dog Groomer Jess Rona Turned Her Passion Into Dollars and Cents
Slow Stories: Creating and Consuming Content During the COVID-19 Outbreak
“We've never had more tools at our disposal to create content that inspires action.”
Photo: Courtesy of Slow Stories
The spread of COVID-19 has upended the business community on a global level. However, living in an age of profound interconnectivity has brought people together in ways that we never expected—especially on social media.
Like so many others, I've tirelessly refreshed my news and social feeds and watched as they've unearthed a variety of responses to the uncertainty that we're all facing. Recently, I've also ruminated on the ways content can play a role in facilitating productivity in a time that will inevitably call for slowing down in nearly every aspect of our lives.
In one of my earlier columns, I outlined a few key pillars that our initial podcast interviewees attribute to the slow content movement. But as I look at the below touchpoints again (and in the context of present-day challenges), I find myself thinking about how we can take these one step further:
Slow content provides value and purpose.
Slow, thoughtful content has a clear intention. Whether it is to inspire or educate, creating content in this climate forces us to think about how we can provide value beyond our immediate business goals. Ask yourself: Can I provide value to my community by sharing a founder anecdote or reposting a fun image that evokes laughter? Even in a professional context, times of uncertainty offer the opportunity to create value for our customers in new (and necessary) ways.
Slow content considers data and fact-checking.
Content can be an incredible tool to drive conversations forward. Still, the spread of misinformation can also make it difficult to discern the difference between what is fabricated and what is real. During times where there is an uptick in sharing information, creators and businesses can engage with their community by using content to call attention to credible institutions and outlets.
Slowing down our relationship to content makes us nicer, more well-rounded people.
In a rapidly-changing news cycle and digital sharing landscape, slowing down our relationship with content can create more mental runway to think about the things that add value to our lives (beyond our devices). In the case of a global pandemic, finding a balance between staying aware and engaged while establishing healthy digital consumption habits will be essential in how we relate to one another through this trying time.
With so much hanging in the balance, our professional endeavors are certainly no exception. Many people in my own network have begun to think about how content and storytelling will play a role in their brands over the next few months. Below, I'm sharing a few things to consider as we recalibrate our routines and work through the challenges that are becoming increasingly present in our digital age.
Re-evaluate your communications strategy.
When there's an increase in online communication, content creators and business owners have the opportunity to streamline—and in some cases, reevaluate—their content, PR, and brand messaging so that the message they wish to convey is consistent across all communications channels. Use this time to think about what your brand wants to say, how you want it to come across, and how it can stay in-line with your usual voice and tone to avoid sounding inauthentic to your followers or customers.
Create content that inspires social/philanthropic participation.
We've never had more tools at our disposal to create content that inspires action.
However, it's essential to consider how to do this in a way that encourages inclusivity. From sharing charity donation stickers on Instagram Stories to creating bespoke content that ties in more personal brand narratives, creating content that can diversify how your community can get involved can elicit a powerful response. Thinking holistically about content in this way will also create more avenues for charitable goals to be reached, too.
Pause the post.
One of my interviewees said it best: "There is power in the pause." As we become more inundated with content from all directions, we have another option at our fingertips: to pause and step away. As consumers of content, we often forget to be discerning in what we choose to engage in a landscape that demands so much of our time and attention. Communicating what you want (and don't want!) from your favorite brands can be valuable feedback for business leaders to make informed decisions about their future storytelling and brand strategies. At the other end of the spectrum, if you're a content creator and unsure about how to proceed with your current storytelling efforts, use this period to take a step back and reflect. Your followers will thank you for it in the long run.
The points I've laid out in this article only scratch the surface of what we can be doing online. In any case, I hope this piece provides a jumping-off point for you to make thoughtful decisions about the kinds of stories you or your brand wants to tell in the near future. For more insights and musings on creating slow content and stories with longevity, I invite you to check out the ”Slow Stories” podcast (stay tuned for new episodes launching this spring) along with articles from my column here. And, most importantly, I wish you all health and happiness in this tumultuous time.
About the Author: Rachel Schwartzmann is the founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.
You can follow Rachel at:
The Style Line: @thestyleline (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter)
CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL: @connecteditorial (Instagram)
Rachel Schwartzmann: @rachelschwartzmann (Instagram) @RMSchwartzmann (Twitter)
MORE ON THE BLOG
Slow Stories: Using Slow Content to Build Important Communities and Conversations
Creating content that can be a source of happiness, value, and community.
When I first launched Slow Stories last October, the reason was two-fold: to further refine my agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL's point of view as a service provider, and more importantly, to create space for the conversation around slow content to not only be present but to be put into practice too. The response from our first season motivated me to build upon the themes in our original episodes and extend the Slow Stories initiative into a namesake column here on Create & Cultivate.
Since then, the last six months have been an eye-opening experience in learning about how modern professionals from all walks of life have responded to the idea of slow content's role in our marketing and storytelling efforts. And as I close out another season of the podcast (and practice what I preach by slowing down and taking a break from the column for the summer), I want to kick off this seasonal send-off with a few highlights from some of our more recent episodes:
1. Slow content inspires presence and encourages self-care.
The consensus throughout the entire show indicated that by honing in on the content that resonates with us most, we are left with more time to be fully aware and present in the spaces that inspire us to create this content in the first place. And when it comes to slow content itself, many of my guests also spoke about the content they gravitate to the most advocates for self-care, digital detoxing, and community-building.
2. Slow content is of heirloom quality.
Tactically speaking, when deep diving into the logistics of content ideation and production, slow content prioritizes quality, originality, and humanity beyond the standards of fast, and often fleeting, content. With that in mind, many of our guests also referred to slow content in relation to terms like "heirloom" reinforcing a thoughtful piece of content's preciousness and ability to outlast a single content platform or trend.
3. Slow content can create impact and facilitate essential conversations.
Finally, the above two ideas culminated in another vital theme that our interviewees continually touched on: From modern healthcare to design, the different brand-builders I spoke with this season alluded that the best content is something that is created in collaboration with not only their teams but with their customers or members of their brand's community. By slowing down and opening the door to a sense of partnership with different stakeholders, slow and thoughtful content has the opportunity to shape communities and ignite vital business, social, and political discussions.
The latter point is something that I've realized to be the heart of what this movement is all about. Earlier in the season, one of our podcast interviewees reflected on an instance where they read "content" (as in "happy") as content in the context of marketing. That strikes a chord. With social and digital's increasingly powerful influence on the way we perceive things, the slow content movement is forcing our hand to collectively create more content that can be a source of happiness, value, and community. So, if you're wondering how to build community (either on the customer or collaborator side) here are a few of my tips for utilizing slow content to take the first step.
1. Work with collaborators to create and cultivate powerful stories—and relationships.
As storytellers, we know the most memorable content derives from our ability to marry our unique perspectives, skill sets, and talents. I touched on this in my most recent article, but the power of coming together over a common goal to create something that genuinely resonates can't be understated. Use slow content as a starting point to create something lasting, as well as a foundation to work with like-minded collaborators to continue keeping that story, and conversation, going.
2. Spend time on developing systems for content that inspires consumers both visually and conversationally.
Whether you're a content creator or brand founder, the current digital climate has proven time and time again that content must provide holistic value for modern consumers. The best way to capture the attention of and maintain a relationship with your community is to take the time to create content that checks the box in visual inspiration and transparent communication. This is where tools like brand books and content calendars come in handy when developing a long-term strategy to sustain both of these elements—rediscover more tips from my industry Interview with Brandy Pham.
3. Use your platform to start a conversation—and take it offline.
Many of the world's most respected influencers and brands have mastered the delicate balance in having quality content translate into quality experiences. I've often said that I look at slow content as a gateway to capturing someone's attention via compelling content and building on this in ways that provide value for people in more intimate settings. While online storytelling is the best way to build a global community, taking this one step further in an IRL venue (whether it's a dinner party, meeting or panel) is the best way to nurture relationships in our fast-paced landscape.
If I've personally learned anything from building Slow Stories so far, it is that slow content transcends industries and professions. It is a universal framework that many of us are craving in our content and marketing endeavors—and that alone is something that fosters conversation and community no matter what our individual stories are. I hope this article provides insight into how to utilize slow content as a vehicle for community-building in your work. And in the spirit of slowing down, I invite you to revisit the articles in this column and enjoy all episodes of seasons one and two of Slow Stories on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Have a great summer.
About the Author:
Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.
Links + Handles:
The Style Line: @thestyleline Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL: @connecteditorial
Rachel Schwartzmann: @rachelschwartzmann and @RMSchwartzmann
MORE ON THE BLOG
Slow Stories: Slow and Steady: How Sustainable Relationships Lead to Quality Content
“As I look back at how my company has evolved as a whole, I attribute its success to our ability to remain committed to a singular vision — and with the acknowledgment that it takes a village to keep the wheels turning.”
The more experience I've gained throughout my career, the more I'm continually reminded that all good things take time. And as I look back at how my company has evolved as a whole, I attribute its success to our ability to remain committed to a singular vision — and with the acknowledgment that it takes a village to keep the wheels turning. Since launching Slow Stories in October 2018 (and subsequently, this column earlier in the year), I've outlined the many ways to approach slow content and storytelling in your own endeavors. And whether you run a small business, manage a large team, or embrace a "solopreneur" venture, cultivating sustainable relationships is an essential part of building brands and telling stories with real longevity. Enter my latest article.
Even with the accessibility of technology, communication tools, and social media platforms, we're constantly faced with the challenge of fostering substantive relationships both in our personal and professional lives. That is in part, why slow movements in industries like fashion, food, and business have started to pave the way for conversations about the importance of simplifying in the digital age so that we can create more space to focus on the people in our lives just as much as the products that we're selling. This idea has been especially prevalent in this season of the podcast:
1. Transparent communication ensures long-term success.
Many of my interviews so far have touched on the importance of finding the courage to facilitate harder conversations with higher-level decision-makers, managers or clients. While this can sometimes lead to discomfort, it's something to work through so that you can create the best (and most honest) work long-term.
2. Checking in with your people matters.
With the above point in mind, a lot of the women I've been speaking with this season bring up the important matter of checking in with your internal team specifically. Providing the opportunity for everyone to pause and weigh in on certain initiatives is a way to hold one another accountable to your company's overarching brand mission, and in turn, make sure it's amplified consistently and thoughtfully across channels.
3. Use online as a vehicle to build offline relationships.
While it may seem like a no-brainer, these interviews have also reinforced the idea that digital platforms and storytelling should be a driver for offline relationship-building. As professionals in content and marketing, it's essential to spend time away from our devices and create an environment for discovery and connection that might not be possible digitally, but in turn, can inspire compelling storytelling online.
With all of this in mind, and in the case of this column, when it comes to creating compelling content, there needs to be a level of trust. So much of the successful storytelling we see online and on social media is a result of collaboration and shared expertise — but this is something that takes a level of focus and commitment to establish. Below are a few steps to consider when creating healthy and lasting professional relationships:
1. Human relationships = humanized content.
Tactically speaking, building relationships in a professional setting may be a strategic move, but it is key to balance your work-related aspirations and ensure that you are respectful of the other person's talents and needs. When looking to create big-picture relationships, make sure to come from a place of authenticity, which can ultimately lead to discovering shared experiences that can make your content and storytelling that much more relatable.
2. Build your network, but nurture older relationships, too.
While we're taught to attend as many events or engage in as many networking opportunities as possible, it's critical to consider the idea of "quality versus quantity" and be selective about how you spend your time — and who you spend your time with. In the content and marketing space, having a robust roster of people to call upon is vital as this industry is dependent on fresh perspectives, unique skill-sets, and diverse thinking. And while I'm all for meeting new collaborators, clients, and friends, it's important to also keep in touch with older peers. You never know when there might be a project opportunity that you can reconnect over.
3. Establish communication workflows and set boundaries accordingly.
As the owner of a service-based business, creating and fostering long-term relationships is a two-fold approach: client-facing and internally with my team. This in itself can be a lot to manage as a small business owner and can sometimes lead to certain relationships taking priority over others. However, as my network and client roster have both grown in tandem with one another, I've learned that the best way to attend to everyone appropriately means that it's essential to set expectations and boundaries accordingly and based on the communication needs of the particular individual. Doing this will provide a baseline understanding of what your team and/or clients can expect from you regarding how you communicate and what means you use to stay in touch. If you're able to establish these guidelines, this will ensure proper communication channels so that all involved parties can remain in touch and see a project through — content or not — to its fullest potential.
The art of relationship building is in a constant state of evolution as we work to keep up with the changing expectations of the modern workplace. And coupling this idea with the changes we see in content and brand-building, it's never been a better time to find your tribe and work together to tell stories with impact! For more on slow content and brand-building I invite you to deep-dive into past articles in our column, and of course, follow along with the Slow Stories podcast on iTunes.
Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Slow Stories: Slow and Steady — Building An Enduring Personal Brand
“If you're generally feeling stressed about changing your regular posting schedule, simply start by using social media as a vehicle for it was inherently created for: be social.”
For many of us, the digital landscape has played a pivotal role in the development (and success) of our careers. Even in its earliest form, the web has provided a place for creativity and connection to intersect, for side hustles to flourish into lucrative businesses, and for online communities to transcend the web into long-lasting relationships. However, the advent of the internet has also created a new set of standards both professionally and socially that has given rise to the conversation around the troubling effects these expectations can have on our mental health and overall productivity.
This idea, in many ways, was my personal catalyst for pivoting my own business away from the constant demands of pumping out 24/7 content into working with brands to tell stories that have true longevity. And while we've spoken a lot about slow content as it relates to brand content in our past articles, today I want to address this further by honing in on how this can be applied to our content efforts as individual founders and content creators.
In our golden age of influencer marketing and digital entrepreneurship, many women I know (including myself) are presented with the challenge of building personal brands online that are reflective of our professional ambitions while catering to the creative demands of an ever-changing algorithm (if you haven't already, I recommend checking out Tavi Gevinson's hilariously candid take on the Instagram algorithm). This inevitably has created a "performative" environment that has given way to highlight reels and filtered realities. Furthermore, this topic is something that's come up a lot in our recent Slow Stories podcast conversations, and touching on this, here are a few primary trends that have arisen in these interviews with fellow founders:
1. Slow content goes beyond the surface level.
If you remember in our February column, we deduced that slow content is all about creating value and purpose. So while there's absolutely nothing wrong with striving for a swoon-worthy travel photo or striving to achieve and share a 30 under 30 list award, it's equally important to consider what value this content will ultimately bring to your audience and your personal brand beyond just beautiful aesthetics. Furthermore, it's also essential to think what you care about offline and if what you're sharing is reflective of the things that personally matter to you IRL. Establishing this narrative both online and offline is key when holistically creating a consistent personal brand across all channels.
2. As founders, slowing down our content can give us more time to do the work.
With the above in mind, and while it may seem obvious that the less content we create, the more time we have to actually work, the pressure to share the victories (and losses) in real-time has almost become expected of high-profile founders. From CEOs posing in power suits in beautiful offices to sharing "sneak peeks" of upcoming launches, planning and posting these moments can often detract from doing the work that's actually needed to bring your product or services to life. So being mindful about when and what we choose to share in this capacity can ultimately provide us with more headspace for innovation at work versus just filling space online.
3. Slow content will take a long time to become financially viable... unless we change our habits.
Just the other day I came across a friend's tweet who posed the question of how one can take a break from social media when they utilize it to make a living. The reality is that slow content has a very long way to go when it comes to normalizing our content creation and consumption habits. And for those select individuals who rely heavily on monetizing social and content platforms for their income, we'll all have to collectively work together to recalibrate our relationships to content both personally and professionally.
With all of the above in mind, the question then becomes: How do we build a personal brand without personally burning out? Whether you're a fashion influencer posting style photos or a food blogger sharing video recipes, these factors will depend heavily on your industry and your own relationship to content, but the universal starting place is simple: Think about your overarching narrative and how this can be carried through your content long-term. Below are a few tips to start planning a strategy that considers your personal needs as well as your audience’s needs:
1. Refine and redefine your content strategy.
In my first article, I spoke about the importance of creating a content calendar, and while doing this is helpful for long-term planning, it's important to recognize if and when you're overextending yourself or your resources. With that said, many influencers and content creators often face the dilemma of "oversharing" in order to cater to an established content cadence that their followers eventually grow to expect. And if you find yourself wanting to slow down your output, take time to refine and redefine your content strategy, the conversations you want to have with your audience, and what kind of content makes the most sense to do this. For example, it may be a case of putting your energy into one longer-form piece of content versus a series of daily updates that still gets the point across and allows you to really focus on the quality of the content and your message.
2. Decide how personal is too personal.
Many leading influencers and entrepreneurs often take positions on complex conversations relating to politics, religion, and so on. And while slow content is built upon the idea of authentic and honest content, it's still important to establish boundaries so that you can participate in conversations online that make sense for you and your platform long-term.
3. Engage and invite your audience to slow down too.
If you're generally feeling stressed about changing your regular posting schedule, simply start by using social media as a vehicle for it was inherently created for: be social. Connect with your followers and communicate with them. Effective change happens when we hold one another accountable, and inviting your followers into your process as a content creator or founder will ultimately prepare them for any drastic changes, and perhaps even inspire reflection on how they too can apply slower, thoughtful practices into their own content and brand-building endeavors.
Building a brand of any kind in 2019 can be challenging, and if you don't know where to start, I invite you to check out more from this column, and of course, listen to Slow Stories for more candid conversations from some of the world's most innovative founders and creators.
Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Slow Stories: Industry Interview: Brandy Pham of PLANOLY
“If you want to build a conscious business, it needs to connect with people, and you have to take the time to craft a mindful strategy before even bringing it to market.”
Since extending CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL's Slow Stories Podcast into a column, I've loved connecting with the Create & Cultivate community around the conversation of slow content. I’m also thrilled to announce that season two of the podcast has recently launched on iTunes, and with that in mind, I'm even more excited to share an exclusive portion of our first episode with Brandy Pham of PLANOLY right here on the C&C blog!
For those of you who aren't familiar with her story, Brandy is the co-founder and chief creative officer of PLANOLY, the leading visual management and scheduling tool for Instagram. In our podcast interview, Brandy and I discussed her transition from jewelry designer to technology entrepreneur, and today she follows up on our discussion with some tactical advice on how to implement slow content and planning into your social media strategy.
Check out the full episode here and enjoy musings from Brandy below.
Why is it important to slow down as a digitally-minded founder? Can you share an instance of when slowing down inspired innovation at work?
I don’t remember ever getting inspired by staring at a screen or working tirelessly. So inspiration really comes when your mind is clear and you’re well-rested. When I took a mental break from work, that meant saying no to meetings, no to coffee dates, and not even going into the office for a while — and that's when PLANOLY's new product StoriesEdit came into fruition. I took a step back and really evaluated our roadmap and brought everything back to the perspective on why we first started PLANOLY, and that was to give power to small business owners like me. With that said, I wanted to go back to focusing on how we can further help our users build and grow their businesses. What type of products can we build (in addition to PLANOLY) to give them this power? In this day and age, it’s so vital to have an online presence and a digital strategy, and content is actually the most challenging part for businesses to create. Digital marketing is generally part of our everyday life now, and we can’t hide from it because that’s how consumers are learning what’s new, what they should buy, and so on.
StoriesEdit came to mind because we wanted something that was very easy and would be on web, but also give users the power on mobile to create more content and share products or stories that they may be sharing on their blog, and then easily post it all to social media. We started by launching with Instagram Stories templates, but we’re actually adding more canvas sizes for your grid and Pinterest too. We’re adding more templates that will help anyone who wants to share their products and their content easily on social media — With StoriesEdit, it’s like you have your own graphic designer on your team and no one knows it. That’s the beauty of this new product that we’ve launched!
How would you advise women who want to create a thoughtful content strategy, and what are some ways to utilize PLANOLY in this process?
I think that everyone should narrow down their goals and list out what is their purpose, what value they are bringing to their audience, and then work back from that. What are you really good at and what are people coming to you for specifically? And with PLANOLY, you’re able to actually create all that content, lay it out, and thoughtfully craft out your story so that you can work more seamlessly and efficiently. I think that using our grid and drafts features are great ways to strategize content because with drafts you can plan out by topic and then add content back to your grid whenever you are ready. I believe that people should decide on their content buckets and then use drafts first — you can do it the same way for Instagram Stories content too. You can use drafts for Stories and then really carefully plan out what type of stories you want to share. For example, on Mondays you share “A Day at the Office” or Tuesdays can be “Behind the Scenes at a Shoot," and so on. There are so many ways that you can use PLANOLY for your content strategy.
A big theme that’s always come up in these conversations includes how the fast- paced business landscape coupled with our content consumption habits can affect our productivity, and more importantly, our mental health. How have you learned to strike a balance or understanding when and what to post?
It's different between my personal account and the PLANOLY account. For PLANOLY, we always follow our content calendar, but we try to be very thoughtful about what type of content we're sharing on there. We really do ask what value the content is going to give to our audience and how it will spark inspiration or motivation. Our tone and brand voice are always positive (we never want to be negative!) even if it's something like having enough sleep, we turn it into something you can find funny or laugh about in a positive way, and in turn, that makes our audience smile.
For my personal account, it was very hard for me at first to share really personal stories, but I feel like it's my responsibility given my platform to share experiences with my son having autism by being an advocate for him, and also letting parents know that they're not alone. So, even when I'm drafting out those captions on PLANOLY, I take my time because I really like to sit on it before I post it. I would even tear up and cry before posting! I think it's ok to be vulnerable on your personal page and I always try to be mindful of not coming off to negatively, even if I'm sharing some type of struggle. For me, those are the two ways of posting on a personal and business account.
Slow content in many ways is all about the idea of “quality vs. quantity.” With that said, as an expert in the space, what would you say are the top pillars of slow, quality content?
I think for me, the top pillars are the following:
- Quality Images
As a marketer, branding professional, and consumer, it's important to share really clear, beautiful images. For example, say you're a photographer, and you've posted something really blurry — I automatically think that's the quality of your work and that can be a really bad look! So it's essential to have high-resolution photography.
- Messaging & Brand Voice
Your brand has to have clear messaging. Whether it's the graphic on your content itself or your caption, you should be really clear with your audience, and they should know exactly what you're talking about. The content also has to be on-brand.
- Value
The value of content is so important. I think everyone should always ask themselves before posting or even creating content, "What type of value is this bringing to my audience?" or "How does it make them feel?" And I would even ask myself, "What values does it bring to me and how does it make ME feel?" As the content creator, you should put yourself in your audience's shoes and really have that empathetic view, and if it makes you feel good/brings you value then your audience will receive it well too.
Are there any last words of wisdom that you’d like to share regarding slowing down, creating enduring content strategies, or building a conscious business?
I think too often that people want to launch a brand or business without really thinking it through, and don't really think about what it takes to build a successful company. If your brand is relying on just your product, there's no way it's going to stand out in the crowd. And if you want to build a conscious business, it needs to connect with people, and you have to take the time to craft a mindful strategy before even bringing it to market.
There's room for everyone, and everyone has a story, and you have to remember that people hold on to those stories. That alone is really intimate and powerful. So when you're starting off ask yourself, "What's the story I want to tell? What is my purpose? How is my product bringing value to potential customers?" You also have to ask yourself how you're going to make a living from this because you can't fund your business or pay your bills at the end of the day if you don't have a business strategy and think about these details before starting.
Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Slow Stories: The Big Picture—The Relationship Between Content and Sustainability
Slow Stories: Part 2
This is the second installment in a series on slow content. See the first installment here.
For most modern marketers, content has become an essential component of their overarching digital strategy. But with content's increasingly present role in both our personal and professional lives (in tandem with an often complex social and political landscape), the conversation is now shifting in a thoughtful direction toward considerations of its role in social epidemics surrounding mental health, the evolving news climate, and more.
Since launching the Slow Stories podcast, I've spoken with leading brand-builders who have collectively alluded to the fact that our current consumption habits are forcing new ways of thinking about content's relationship to sustainability. And when looking back at our first season as a whole, my collective takeaway from these conversations revealed three primary elements that make up the slow content movement today:
1. Slow content provides value and purpose
Beyond aesthetics and virality, many of our podcast interviewees defined slow content as being something that offers true value in a densely saturated landscape. Understanding a piece of content's purpose and how it will serve an audience—whether through educating or inspiring—gives it a better chance of leaving a long-term impact beyond just fleeting inspiration in our day-to-day scrolling.
2. Slow content considers data and fact-checking
The immediacy that social media and self-publishing affords us has presented new challenges in how we detect what is real and what is being obscured. To create a credible storytelling environment, our interviewees contend that a return to a slower, well-researched process is critical for all conscious storytellers.
3. Slowing down our relationship to content makes us nicer, more well-rounded people
Finally, a lot of my conversations with these incredible women signaled that there's not necessarily a need to create content all day, every day. As we all work to discern what it is we want to say (and consume), it is equally important to create space to take a step back, recharge, and connect with what drives us offline just as much as what inspires us online.
With these pillars in mind, today's article is going to further expand on the importance of thinking about creating content through a sustainable, big-picture lens. If you find yourself struggling to think about or implement "slow" content in your own strategies, let's look at a similar movement like slow fashion.
At their core, slow fashion brands are commonly known for championing ethical and sustainable production practices, educating consumers on how their pieces are made, and rewriting the rules regarding social and business expectations surrounding their brands. As a result, companies like this have slowly begun to transform the greater fashion industry by creating new standards that are more conscious of both the modern brand builder and consumer's needs. The content and marketing space can surely borrow from these efforts to create a more sustainable landscape for storytelling professionals on both sides of the equation. Below, I've listed a few considerations for brands and content creators to ask themselves—and each other—to enact more sustainable, mutually-beneficial opportunities to create content that has longevity.
1. Set the expectations
The same way a fashion brand would set standards regarding their production process, a content creator can similarly follow suit and establish their own set of best practices when taking on projects. Part of this exercise is educating brands about the importance of ethics—which extends to proper compensation, creative resource allocation, and so on.
2. Ensure consistency and communication
As I mentioned in last month's article, setting yourself up for success in the slow content space begins by laying a long-term foundation in collaboration with your team or client. Part of this is not only communicating what resources you need to bring the content to life, but further educating your team on how it fits into their big picture brand story and mission. When creating enduring content for a brand of any size, it is essential to discuss the end-goal, and what elements must be considered to bring it all to life in an on-brand way. That is where tools like brand books or guidelines come into play to ensure that all relevant details are considered during the production process.
3. Champion the investment in content—and the creators needed to bring it to life
At times, it can be hard for brands to justify the additional spend on custom content (especially when UGC is alive and well). But going back to our slow fashion example, whenever I've found myself in a new business meeting, I often compare the investment in content to investing in quality-made clothing: I'm purchasing a well-made garment and supporting a brand I love as a result. Not only does this demonstrate an interest in championing the brand as a content creator, but it often helps contextualize why putting resources into original (and quality) content is vital for the brand's business goals—and on a more human level—sustaining the support of/relationship with content collaborators.
In a world where trends, expectations, and platforms can change in an instant, thinking about sustainability's role in content isn't always an easy task. I hope this article provides a framework to have necessary conversations with your clients or team to establish systems and tools that allow you to create content that is thoughtful (and provides value) for years to come.
For more musings on slow content, I invite you to follow along with the Slow Stories podcast on iTunes and my monthly column here on the Create & Cultivate blog!
Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.
MORE ON THE BLOG
Slow Stories: Introducing the Slow Stories Column
“For all intents and purposes, I was busy—but I sacrificed the energy and resources that I needed to implement sustainable systems for my business long-term.”
Phoebe Cheong for The Style Line
They say that time flies when you're having fun (and getting a lot done in the process), but as I look back on the years of building The Style Line from a Tumblr blog to a website to a boutique content company, I've only just started to realize how fast my life accelerated as a result of this path. And even with all of the boxes I've checked over the years, sometimes it's hard to shake off the feeling that things just aren't growing or moving quickly enough.
As a small business owner, I know that I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the constant inundation of articles, content, and expectations set forth for female founders to "make moves" (and move quickly) in the workplace. For a while, I understood this as something that's just part of the game and I followed the unwritten rules of modern entrepreneurship. I networked, I applied for the accolades and awards lists, I secured press, I built my personal brand, I hired and evolved my team, and I created SO MUCH content for both The Style Line and our CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL agency clients. For all intents and purposes, I was busy — but even as I continued to fill the "slower" periods with projects or events to demonstrate the company's continued momentum, I sacrificed the energy and resources that I needed to truly implement sustainable systems and expectations for my business long-term. And as a content business, this obviously played a role in thinking about how to continue approaching storytelling in a deeply meaningful way.
If you're familiar with The Style Line, you know that we pride ourselves on producing thoughtful, original content. Inevitably, the stories we publish on the site catalyzed us to pivot the company into a service-based business with the introduction of our agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL. Since we started the agency in October 2015, we've been discerning about working with brands who value quality, longevity, and creativity in their storytelling — all things that are part of what is now being called the slow content movement. This idea is something that we've taken a position on here at CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL through our client work and also internally with the introduction of our new podcast Slow Stories which deep dives into this movement through candid conversations with brand builders and founders.
With all of that said, I'm so thrilled to be able to bring this important topic to the Create & Cultivate community in Slow Stories' namesake column here on the C&C blog. Each month, we're going to be assessing slow content's important role in our constantly changing business climate along with exclusive insights from industry innovators who share their take on "slow content," exclusive snippets of our Slow Stories podcast, and much more. It is my hope that these stories equip you with the tools and guidance you need to create content with longevity. Because if I've learned anything from adopting this thoughtful approach, it's that slowing down our content doesn't mean we're missing out on opportunities, but instead, creating the space we need for creativity, innovation, and happiness to help us tell the stories that matter.
Ahead of our next article, here are a few things to look at when thinking about what slow content means to you and your business.
1. Establish What Slow Content Means to You
Terms like "slow" or "sustainable" don't necessarily have a uniform definition, and are often put into practice in unique ways depending on individual circumstances. We'll explore this idea more in our upcoming stories, but in this context, it's good to think about how to incorporate slow content into your marketing strategy so that you don't overextend yourself and your company's resources. If you're unsure where to start, ask yourself questions such as: Is it about slowing down and creating a realistic posting schedule that your brand's current team can handle? Is it a matter of only sharing content that fits within a particular theme, color palette, or medium? Thinking about these things can help identify the critical pillars around the kind of content that aligns best with your brand, which in turn, can shape a content strategy that is thoughtful, consistent, and focused for the long haul.
2. Plan a Content Calendar
Once you've established the above details, logistically one of the most effective ways to slow and streamline your day-to-day content tasks is to plan ahead. Implementing a content calendar three, six, and even twelve months in advance can help create a bigger picture around what you're trying to say through your content and storytelling efforts. Having this framework mapped out will also allow you to make more informed decisions about what resources you'll need to bring that content to life. By doing this, you and your team now have a sustainable system in place which creates more time and energy to create the content itself with clearly defined goals and timelines.
3. Create a Content Budget
Finally, when talking about slow content in the past, the idea of quality vs. quantity has arisen more times than I count. So, when considering the above two points, one other important factor in crafting a slow content strategy is to think about the production and creative costs associated with creating "quality" content. Implementing this will ultimately force you and your team to be strategic when it comes to budgeting for these resources — and if anything, engaging in this is an exercise in slowing down and thinking big picture in itself. Stay tuned for more on all of this in next month's article!
Rachel Schwartzmann is the Founder and CEO of The Style Line LLC. She created The Style Line in late January 2011 via Tumblr and has fostered The Style Line’s brand in its growth since then. Rachel has been featured in esteemed sources including Forbes, Refinery29, and MyDomaine and has also spoken at Create & Cultivate and Columbia University on establishing a unique brand point of view and entrepreneurship. On October 1, 2015, Rachel took The Style Line in a new direction as a boutique content company with the introduction of its slow content agency CONNECT(ED)ITORIAL.