The Creative Edition Podcast

Are you feeling stuck about generating new content ideas? You aren't alone!

Emma and Maddy also hit writers/creators block every so often. Emma always hits a creative block after the holiday season through mid January. Maddy shares how she doesn't fight when she stumbles upon a creative rut. But when Maddy does hit a moment of inspiration, she leans into her inspiration and bulk creates her content.

If you're looking for new content ideas, here are 5 questions that can help you get started.

Question #1: What content (photos/videos/captions) does my audience respond to?

Emma and Maddy share how looking at their Google and Instagram analytics gave them the insight on what type of content their audiences were responding to. Emma shares her best practices on looking at analytics and finding the insights from those metrics. Maddy and Emma also share their top Instagram posts of all time.

Question #2: What are other people in your in my industry doing?

Both Maddy and Emma share how looking at what other content creators are doing during this time at home as been really helpful for inspiration and ideas.

Question #3: What are my favorite things about my niche? Or lifestyle?

If you’re able to identify what you enjoy about your niche or lifestyle, it makes content creation so much easier.

Question #4: What products or experiences do I want to review?

There are some content creators out there who only do reviews. Their blog posts, videos, and photos are all focused on reviewing their niche.

Question #5: What current events do I want to discuss?

Maddy and Emma both discuss how they've talked about the global pandemic in their blogs and Instagrams.

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

In part 2 of Regan’s interview from Coastline Creatives, we answer:

• How do you find a manager as an influencer? 
• When is it the right time to bring on a manager?
• What does a manager specifically look for when potentially taking on an influencer?
• What performance metrics are brands looking for?

Regan shares how important referrals are to the influencer industry – especially if you’re looking for a manager. Instead of using Google search to find a manager, she recommends reaching out to an influencer you admire to see if they're managed. 

Regan shares her perspective on when it might be the right time to bring on a manager as an influencer. She recommends asking yourself the questions:

• Where am I located? Are you located in a mature market Like New York or LA? Or are you located in a secondary tertiary market like Seattle?
• How much work am I getting?
• How much time do you have?
• What would bringing on a manager do for you?

Additionally, she expands on what managers might look for in content creators. She shares what type of red flags she looks for as well as the performance metrics an influencer brings.

Follow Regan on @venturetravelist and @coastlinecreatives

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

In Part 1 of this interview, Regan shares with us her personal journey on how she got into the influencer world and owning her own business. 

She attended Northeastern University where she studied criminal justice and minored in business and international relations. She shared her early career experiences at the Ocean City Police Department, the attorney general’s office, as well as supporting a state senator for Massachusetts and Virgin America. Regan shares how she discovered that entrepreneurship is in her DNA.

Regan discusses her life changing moment when she experienced the Boston Marathon bombing. She was at the finished line when the bombs went off. She decided to take a pause on her life, travel 3 months throughout Asia, and start her blog Venture Travelist. 

Regan also explains how she started taking photos for influencers in Boston after she got back from Asia. She worked and photographed a major Boston blogger for 18 months. Regan shares how grateful she is for that open hand she was given into the influencer world. 

Regan describes how she started Coastline Creatives. Her company Coastline Creatives runs digital marketing campaigns for clients as well as manage influencers. Her agency helps influencers get paid brand deals, speaking engagements, ideate different types of content, and understand best practices on social media platforms. 

In part 2 of this interview (will be released next week), we’ll be answering questions like:

·       What are the benefits to bringing on a manager?

·       How can content creators go about finding a manager?

·       When is it the right time to bring a manager?

Follow Regan on @venturetravelist and @coastlinecreatives

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

Introducing the Content Creatives Podcast very first podcast guest: Tori from Her First 100K! 

Tori is a financial coach, speaker, and writer. Tori met her goal of saving $100,000 before age 25. She's been nationally recognized as a millennial money expert. She's also been featured on Good Morning America, CNBC, Forbes, and more.

In this podcast episode, Tori shares how she built, pivoted, and rebranded to Her First 100K. She first started a blog Victori Media alongside her corporate job in 2016. She originally shared her life as a millennial woman as well as her professional experiences as a 22 year old manager responsible for marketing at a 5,000-person company.  After a few years, she realized that personal finance and money were going to be what she talked about. 

Tori explains how she rebranded and picked out “Her First 100K” as well as how she’s used media and pitching herself to rapidly build her brand. Not only does Tori share what she’s outsourced to help her run her business, but she also discusses how she picked one social media platform to focus on. Tori reveals when she knew it was the right time to leave her full-time job and take Her First 100K full-time. 

You can find Tori at https://www.herfirst100k.com/ on Instagram @herfirst100K

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

What does in-source and out-source mean for your brand and business? What do Emma and Maddy in-source and out-source?

Emma and Maddy define what in-sourcing and out-sourcing mean. They share how content creators and businesses can perform tasks and functions either within or outside their business. 

Maddy shares how she recently out-sourced pitching and negotiating with brands by hiring a manager. And Emma shares how she started Emma’s Edition with the intention to out-source and hire a photographer. Both Emma and Maddy share why they chose to out-source these things for their brands and business.

Additionally, Maddy and Emma dive into various functions and tasks you can choose to in-source and out-source for your brand and business:

·       Photography

·       Pitching/Negotiating (hiring a manager)

·       Editing (copy, blog posts, captions, etc.)

·       Engaging

·       Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

·       Pinterest 

·       Accounting/Finances 

They also share a few guided questions to help you decide whether or not you should decide to in-source or out-source these tasks.

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

Introducing a new segment of the Content Creatives Podcast: Emma Explains. 

In the first segment of Emma Explains, Emma shares four business concepts to apply to your creative passions. She brings in her lessons and experiences from business school and her corporate career in aerospace. 

She discusses the importance of goal setting as well as why you should also track your goals. Maddy and Emma share how they’ve personally tracked their financial goals for their blogs and businesses.  Emma shares how she set her goals to learn how to use Pinterest in 2019. By the end of 2019, Emma hit her annual goal of driving 1 million monthly views on Pinterest a month. She breaks down how she sets her annual, quarterly, and monthly goals.

Emma breaks down what variable costs vs. fixed costs. She defines what fixed and variable costs are and gives examples of what those costs could look like. Emma shares how she tries to limit her variable costs – like shopping each month.

Additionally, Emma and Maddy breakdown business terms like:

·       Net Profit: Gross Profit – Expenses         

·       Net 30 or Net 60: Payment 

·       Exclusivity 

·       SOW (Statement of Work)

And how these terms could apply to your business or creative passions. They share how you can negotiate the terms of net 30/60/90 payment terms, exclusivity, and the statement of work. Emma also shares a tip on asking brands to be specific about exclusivity terms.

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

How do you create content on a budget? How do you save money on props or clothes?

Emma first shares why you should set content creation or marketing budget. If you’re starting to take content creation seriously for your personal brand or business, you have to think about how much you’re willing to spend on tools and production cost. Depending on your budget, you might pick and choose different things to spend or splurge on.

Maddy and Emma dive into tips on saving for photography, clothes/shoes/accessories, and props. 

If you’re at a place where you aren’t hiring a professional photographer, you can reach out to a blogger friend to take each other’s photos. You can also reach out to friends and family to see if they would be open to helping you take photos.

In regard to cameras, Maddy recommends exploring camera rentals in your city or college (if you’re a student). Maddy also suggest checking out Costco or Amazon for DSLR bundles if you’re just starting out. She also recommends researching if these retailers have payment options. 

If you’re looking to save money with refreshing your wardrobe with clothes, shoes, and accessories, both Maddy and Emma recommend shopping secondhand. It’s great for the environment and it’s also great for trying out seasonal trends. 

Thank you to @morgiesharmony for submitting this question on Instagram!

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

What cameras can you use to create content? What free tools are available for Instagram stories or Pinterest fliers?

Maddy and Emma share the top 10 tools they use to create and organize content. They go in depth about the cameras they use and why they chose to purchase those cameras. Maddy shares what type of lens she uses for her Nikon D750. Additionally, they discuss the pros and cons of their cameras.  

Emma shares how she uses Splice to create her Tiktok videos. She uses Splice to remove the original sound, cut the video, and upload still images. While Maddy uses Videoleap for her TikTok videos, IGTV, and Instagram stories. Both Splice and Videoleap are free apps to edit videos.

Both Emma and Maddy discuss how they use Flickr and Google Drive to organize their photos. Maddy shares that Flickr used to be a free resource, but now is a paid platform to bulk upload photos. Emma shares how she uses Google Drive to stay organized for long-term brand campaigns.

Maddy's camera: Nikon D750
Emma's camera: Canon EOS M50

Follow Karya on Instagram: @karya.schanilec 

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

Maddy and Emma went to their first Create & Cultivate event last month in Los Angeles, California. They both share some of their favorite panels and moments during the conference. Both Emma and Maddy loved Antoni’s (from Queer Eye) panel as well as the Inclusivity Panel with Nyma Tang and Adrienne Bailon.

During the conference, Emma was surprised to learn that Maddy is an introvert. Both of them realized that they both were navigating Create & Cultivate together, but having different experiences as introvert and extrovert.  

In this episode, they dive into 6 tips to help you navigate your next networking event. Maddy and Emma go in depth about introductions, what to wear, and how else you can prepare for networking events – whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert.

 Maddy shares how important it is to set a purpose or intention before an event. Maddy shares how an intention can help her navigate the networking event. She also opens up about when she experienced a few “freak out” or panicked moments during Create & Cultivate. 

Emma discusses what an elevator pitch is and what you should include in an elevator pitch. Both Maddy and Emma share how having your elevator pitch ready makes introductions and meeting new people much easier at events. 

Both Emma and Maddy also discuss how and why they embrace active listening during networking events. Emma shares how being an extrovert sometimes prompts her to get excited as she meets new people but knows that leads to her interrupting in conversations. Practicing active listening helps Emma focus on the conversations. While Maddy discusses how active listening helps her get out of her head as an introvert. 

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.

How do you get comfortable taking photos in public? What tips can you use to start getting comfortable taking photos outside?

Emma and Maddy share some of the most public places they’ve ever taken photos. One of them was shot next to a freeway and the other took photos in the middle of the Suzallo Library in the University of Washington. 

If your easing into taking photos in public, Maddy shares that paying attention to when the sunsets and sunrises because shooting early in the morning and the end of the day allows you to avoid crowds. She also recommends shooting at off hours for popular tourist destinations.

Emma shares how she practices posing in the mirror and tries all of her outfits before she goes out in the photo shoot. She talks about the different things she’s done posing with a pleated skirt vs. jeans.

This question was submitted by @compasslanechic via Instagram. Thanks for asking a question Rachael on the Content Creatives Instagram account! 

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition

Follow Maddy on Instagram: @madcrayy

Follow the Content Creatives Podcast: @contentcreativespodcast

Join the Content Creatives Podcast Facebook Group!

Follow us on Instagram: @creativeeditionpodcast

Follow Emma on Instagram: @emmasedition | Pinterest: @emmasedition

And sign up for our email newsletter.