Volume 13
Paid media geniuses, how envy impacts women, vibey sunscreen and why brands should be cautious around "because you're busy" messaging. Not in that order.
Hi and welcome to Volume 13 of Content People! Thanks so much for reading. Liking it? Consider sharing it with a friend, giving us a shout-out on your socials, or sliding into my LinkedIn DMs.
Here we go.
The Content People Episode
What does it take to run a podcast that gets 10 million downloads per year? In our episode with Liv Albert, host of Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby!, we find out.
This is an edited-down (25 minute) version of a longer convo I had with Liv back in S1. It’s a great listen for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes work of running such a successful show.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s ep - a convo with Susan Wenograd. Susan’s a fractional CMO, paid media genius, and co-host of the podcast That’s Marketing, Baby!
Check them out on Spotify, Apple, and Google.
Reading
📚 HBR’s research around how being busy impacts consumer behaviors - and what brands should consider when using what they termed the “busyness appeal.”
The TL;DR: Don’t frame known unhealthy choices (like fast food) as an ideal solution for busy people. Find another angle.
What I took from it: Actual consumer behaviors are different from their aspirational behaviors. Branding needs to appeal to the latter.
📚 Also reading: The Chronicles of Prydain - the YA novels that the 1985 Disney movie The Black Cauldron was based on. If, like me, you’re a sucker for anything that hits The Hero’s Journey beats, they’re a fun summer read. It’s like Diet Lord of the Rings.
Listening
🎧 The Gloss Angeles podcast.
One of my favorite beauty podcasts - as much for the beauty industry tea and smart takes on branding as for the product recs. And - I am still delightfully shook by this - co-host Kirbie Johnson is a guest on an upcoming ep of Content People. I cannot wait to share that convo.
Warning: If you’re into beauty products (🙋🏼♀️), this show has the potential to ruin you financially.💄💸
🎧 This Jungian Life.
Speaking of The Hero’s Journey - this is one of my favorite podcasts. The long, in-depth eps are relaxing and fascinating. Perfect for when you need to disconnect a bit.
This episode, which breaks down the archetypes, symbolism and wisdom in the OG version of Beauty and the Beast, was a great listen.
PS. This Jungian Life co-host Lisa Marchiano joined Content People back in Season 1. We talked about her exceptional book Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself. You can find the ep on Spotify, Apple, and Google.
The Quote
“I have noticed in my practice that a lot of women have trouble protecting themselves from envy. Because they can’t imagine that anyone could be envious of them.”
- Lisa Marchiano
(31:10 in the This Jungian Life ep I referenced above)
That sentence felt like a truth bomb. 💣 I immediately knew I’d want to include it here. I think it might resonate with many women.
Accepting that someone might envy us feels uncomfortable - it seems egotistical or narcissistic. But if we don’t allow it to be a potential explanation for aggressive behavior from other folks, we’re often being naive (like Belle in the fairy tale) and leaving ourselves vulnerable to bad actors.
Following
✨ Molly McPherson on TikTok (Again!). Molly points out that #Threads isn’t the savviest way to stage a personal brand comeback. Yikes, Ellen. 😬
✨ Sonder & Tell’s weekly newsletter, The Word.
This London-based branding agency has a fun, thoughtful weekly send. H/T to my friend Kelli Corney, who was recommending it even before she was Strategy Director there.
Brand Shout-Outs
Vacation, Inc. It’s a classic story of: vibey Spotify station → turned hit sunscreen brand → turned Instagram performance art. Good Glossy article on the brand’s history here.
Did the Club-Med-in-the-80s vibes get me to buy a tiny bottle of SPF 30 Baby Oil for $30? Yeah. So, good job Vacation, Inc. I guess.
Medbury
Before I posted this on LinkedIn last week, my heart was pounding a bit. What if absolutely no one liked it and I spent the weekend in a state of Deep Cringe? Thank you so much to everyone who sent messages, made comments and supported it.
The TL;DR: My agency, Medbury, launches later this month. One of our offerings is helping female founders, leaders, and executives build up their personal brand (and LinkedIn presence) to target and attract:
Job offers
New clients
Speaking engagements
Podcast appearances
And other targeted goals
Check out the texts below from one of our first few clients - and reply back to this email or shoot me a DM if you want to chat.
Your Turn
Thank you so much for reading! We’ve got a number of new subscribers lately. I’d love to get to know you. Feel free to reply to this email and tell me a little bit about yourself.
Any feedback? We can take it 💪
Know someone who should be featured in this newsletter or on the Content People podcast? Reply back and hit me with the links!
I hope you all have a great week.