Volume 24. Blast off.
On the hunt for Instagram followers. An inspiring brand choice. The complexities of likeability for women at work. A basically magical product for podcasters.
Hi and welcome to Volume 24 of Content People.
Let’s get into it.
The Content People Episode
This week we talked to Felicity Wild. Felicity is the creative force behind Brand Language Lab - a brand language consultancy company.
I reached out to Felicity because I’m so enamored with her site. Think copywriting consultancy. But also an immersive, branded experience modeled on a 1970s sci-fi space adventure. I saw it and thought: here’s a woman who had a vision - and then fucking went for it.
Our conversation covered:
The brand’s origin story.
How a short break from client work positively transformed her business.
The creative perks of really long walks.
Turning to art (rather than competitors) for inspo.
A healthy reframing of personal branding. And why it doesn’t need to be 𝙨𝙤 personal.
Find it wherever you get your podcasts.
Also: Felicity’s self-guided courses for B2B brands and freelancers just launched. Check them all out here.
Reading
🎧 Last week I recommended the audiobook version of Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier. This week, I want to suggest a companion read: The Likeability Trap by Alicia Menendez.
In Glossy, Emily Weiss’ likability (or purported lack thereof) comes up frequently. In The Likeability Trap, Alicia Menendez explores the complexities and paradoxes of being liked - or not - as a woman at work.
To try and sum up Alicia’s many eloquent points and ideas:
The behaviors that lead to promotions and raises (taking credit for your work, asking for the opportunities you want, projecting confidence) can also reduce a woman’s “likeability” in the eyes of her managers and peers.
And, unfortunately, female leaders are often promoted and evaluated based on their likeability. (More so than male leaders.) Therein lies more than one rub, no?
Learning to thread (even unconsciously) the likeability needle - warm but competent, perceptive but impactful - is exhausting. Just writing about it makes me want a nap. But let’s keep going.
If you don’t have time for a whole book: Alicia had a great Ten Percent Happier podcast interview here.
Listening
🎧 The Fat Mascara podcast interview with Emily Weiss. After learning so much about her in Glossy, it was interesting to hear Emily talk about Glossier in her own words.
Related: Marisa Meltzer, the author of Glossy, is going to be a Content People guest. Can’t wait to chat with her. Here’s Marisa’s recent Vogue interview. If you read Glossy and have questions you’d want me to ask - LMK. Open to suggestions.
Following
Can I say … us? 😁 Thus far, Content People (pod and newsletter) has been built solely on LinkedIn. (Hey. Don’t give me that look. It worked. Ok?) But this week I started an Instagram account. I hope it’ll be a fun space to build out the community, share updates, and engage. Check it out here to follow along. Would be honored to have you there.
Recommending
Podpage. A simple podcast website tool that spun up a very polished Content People website in, like, 20 minutes. I would earnestly describe it as “magical.” And it’ll automatically update new episodes moving forward.
Not an ad, just a real rec for anyone reading who has or is considering a podcast. Check out the Content People site here as an example.
Ok. that’s all she wrote.
Thanks for reading. Hope you have a great week. Hit me up with links, recs, or Content People guest requests by replying back.
Liking it? Consider sharing it with a friend, giving us a shout-out on your socials, or sliding into my LinkedIn DMs.
Meredith