If you're looking for the right answer
+ your one-stop shop for content accessibility tips + prepping for spring cleaning
Hi friend,
Think of a time when you’ve had to face a difficult decision. Maybe you’re even going through this now.
You debate it. You ask others for advice. You toss around pros and cons.
But at the end of the day, maybe there is no right answer.
Personally, I love the comfort of a “right” answer. It feels sure, it feels secure.
And in the world we live in, it can be easy to feel like, with enough research, we can inevitably come to the “right” answer.
We can look at reviews. We can look at testimonials. We can dig deep into imagining how our lives might be with one decision over the other.
But we can’t always really know what’s right.
So, we do what we can. We make decisions with the limited information we have and our best intentions.
If you’re going through a tough decision now (or whenever you go through one next), think about it: is there even a right decision? Or do you just need to take a chance and decide?
with warmth + love,
N
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📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the marketing geek + content creator
Rest of World: How a YouTube channel is transforming a remote village in Bangladesh
I found this piece fascinating on how a schoolteacher in a tiny village in Bangladesh travels more than 100 miles to share the stories of his village’s community kitchen to over 4 million subscribers. Incredible to remember how much social media can connect us to different lives around the world.
Marketing Brew: How BookTok changed Book of the Month’s influencer marketing strategy
Last weekend I went to two bookstores and I was shocked to find shelves covered in “BookTok recommendations.” The power of online creators is incredibly strong within TikTok’s book-lover audiences + retail companies are taking note.
ProPublica: In the Ukraine Conflict, Fake Fact-Checks Are Being Used to Spread Disinformation
It’s already so difficult to fact check social media posts, but now Russian media are circulating fake fact checked posts supposedly debunking Ukrainian disinformation. This article breaks down how this is happening + what social networks are doing about it.
Mashable: Instagram launches new feature to help credit Black creators
Too often underrepresented creators aren’t credited for their work, such as originating popular Reels/TikTok trends + dances. To combat this, Instagram is rolling out enhanced tagging that provides more information when users are tagged in content. This is your friendly reminder to please always give credit where credit is due and tag the OG trend creator in your posts.
Accessible Social
This is such an important resource for any content creator, especially those in social media. My brilliant friend Alexa Heinrich has worked tediously on collecting all the resources in one spot to help you navigate how to make your content accessible + viewable to all audiences. She’s also launching a downloadable handbook on the topic on March 31, so definitely follow along!
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🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
Have you heard of the concept of box breathing? It’s a simple concept: Breathe in for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts, exhale for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts, repeat.
It’s an easy exercise to try anytime you’re feeling a little tense.
Want to give it a try? Here’s a quick video to walk you through it:
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🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business
Fast Company: How introverts can prepare emotionally for offices reopening – As an introvert, I’m so thrilled to work for myself and never have to go into an office (for the foreseeable future). For those of you who do have to go in, good luck (+ here’s some tips).
The New Yorker: A Guide to Getting Rid of Almost Everything – Spring cleaning is that time of year when I realize just how much useless stuff I own but have no idea what to do with. This list is a good starting point.
The Cut: The Costs of Oversharing With Your Boss – I can’t tell you how many of my past bosses I feel like I’m friends with, but sometimes there are moments when you realize that maybe boundaries are healthy? This piece sheds light on what can happen when you’re a little too comfortable with your manager.
McSweeney’s: I, High-Powered Fashion Editor Miranda Priestly, Demand an Assistant Who is Terrible – If you’re like me and in love with niche references to the 2006 film Devil Wears Prada, then this piece is for you. “I want an assistant who claims to have zero free time but sits nightly with other young people in hipster restaurants seemingly for hours.”
Wired: How to Keep Work Notifications From Taking Over Your Life – Sure, we live in a world where people should realize it’s rude to send a Slack message at 9pm on a Saturday, but since work etiquette isn’t always easy to come by... here’s a whole list of ways to hold your own boundaries with work tools.
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💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
If you’re creating brand content, you’re often working with others on getting from idea to post.
Which means that you’re probably familiar with feedback loops and edit rounds.
These can often feel like a punch to the gut – people moving your ideas around, crossing out that line you were so proud of, and transforming it into a new thing entirely.
But this feedback and collaborative working are so important. We’re certainly not all perfect and having eyes other than our own can help make our content better.
So, instead of panicking next time you open your content Google Doc to tons of lines of suggested edits, breathe. Remember this is coming from a place of productive progress.
Your work may be better for it. And you know how to work through the edits, you’ve done it before.
Breathe. You’ve got this.
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👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel