Hi, unclench your jaw
+ TikTok takeaways + Amanda Gorman is the poetic queen we all need
Hi friend,
We've recently had many waves of holding our breath, then emphatically letting it go.
Maybe you felt one of those deep exhales yesterday. Maybe it was simultaneously followed by a big hold.
Every day I find myself slowly clenching my jaw, tensing my shoulders, and holding my breath throughout the day. I picture it as an intense knot of pressure. Whenever I remember and notice this happening, I let out a big deep exhale.
I'm not naïve enough to say that we should simply try to eliminate the need for a big exhale.
But if we can remind ourselves and those around us to unclench, to relax, to breathe – hopefully the peaks of the waves will be smaller. The quiet wake between crashes will be longer. All before we get swept up in the current again.
So... you know where this is going.
Is your jaw clenched? Undo the pressure.
Are your shoulders tense? Relax those down.
Are you holding your breath? Let it go.
Feeling a little better? Good. Make sure to remind someone else to do the same this week
with warmth + love,
N
—
📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the content pro, marketing geek, or meme lord
Influence.co: How a Sea Shanty Took Over TikTok: Viral Singers on the Song's Appeal
This weekend I discovered Sea Shanty TikTok + I don't think I'll ever be the same. Not sure what I'm talking about? This article is for you.
a16z: Community Takes All: The Power of Social+
What's not a social network but feels like a social network? This piece dives into how companies like Fortnite + Tiktok have become successful by being intrinsically social.
Modern Retail: TikTokers are building Amazon product recommendation empires
Let's be real: even as marketers, we're not immune to good advertising + trendy buys. This overview explores how TikTokers are giving us Amazon product FOMO. Warning: you might end up impulse buying something here.
Adweek: Where Taco Bell's Potato CEO Failed
When Taco Bell first posted their CEO talking potato video last week, it had zero captioning on the video making it inaccessible for many viewers. They've since remedied it, but this important article from my friend Alexa explains why accessibility shouldn't fall only on the social teams.
—
🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
Okay, I know I basically gave you a mindful moment in the intro letter to take a breath but I PROMISE you can't overdo it on giving your body more time + space.
This 5 minute yoga stretch is easy to do at your desk, at your kitchen table, while brushing your teeth... let's just get into it + take a quick stretch:
—
🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that you might like too
I can't not talk about Amanda Gorman's incredible poetic performance at yesterday's inauguration. It has nothing to do with social media or marketing, but WOW what a beautiful masterpiece of words. If you haven't seen it or you'd like to read the transcript, check it out here. One of my favorite parts:
"This is the era of just redemption.
We feared at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.
But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?"
This week I tweeted about my stressful to-do lists getting some aesthetic looks this week. I've talked about my love for my Passion Planner, even amongst other new digital planning tools. But this weekend I bought myself a set of Tombow Dual Brush Pens in the Cottage color set. It's this week's boring mundane buy, but I've been a fan of hand-lettering for some time. Excited to get back to my creative roots. $16 USD, michaels.com
We just finished binging Bridgerton this weekend because I'm a sucker for trendy shows. I know a few of you reading this might still be hoping to watch, so no spoilers. But I will say, I've since been obsessed with the TikTok Bridgerton musical. Coming on the heels of the TikTok Ratatouille musical, this is a similarly crowd-sourced musical + it is brilliant. *ahem* Shall you fancy a view, you can peruse the programme right here.
—
💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
There's always more we could be doing. There's always a new trend or new network or new topic.
Many social media + content teams, perhaps yourself included, are teams of one.
The conflict here lies in the amount of resources + time you can possibly squeeze out of one person each day. This is why many social teams of one burn out so quickly.
Here's the truth: your brand does not need to be on every social network or pick up every trend. By building intentionality into your strategy + putting effort into more purposeful activities, you'll not create more meaningful content but also save your one-person team from some exhaustion.
If you want to invest into more channels or content, invest in your team. Just because one-person teams can exist doesn't mean they should.
—
👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel
