Not an apology for life happening
+ more new social networks + we should be talking about mental health
Hi friend,
Coming at you one week late because life* happened!
I felt really guilty for leaving you hanging last week. One of the highlights of my weeks is sending this out and hearing how certain things are resonating with you.
But honestly, we need to stop guilting ourselves into feeling bad for doing the things we need to do. Even as I'm saying this, I know I need to practice what I'm preaching.
It's hard because I'd guess we all have really high expectations for ourselves. Often higher than we have for others around us. And it's hard when we don't meet those expectations.
But sometimes LIFE HAPPENS. And all you can do is try to get through each day, drink some water, eat some food, and try to get some sleep, just to do it all over again tomorrow.
It doesn't necessarily mean anything's wrong, it's just life doing it's thing and happening.
It doesn't mean you're bad at doing life. It doesn't mean you necessarily need to change anything.
It's just another season, and you're getting through it.
We're getting through it.
with warmth + love,
N
*life = an unexpected internet outage, planning + executing a baby shower, a weekend on an air mattress in NYC, lots of post-vaccination family time, a busy work season, overcommitting myself, doctors appointments, oh and also casually moving in a week and selling our current house 🥴
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📚 The Click Throughs
Long-form reads for the marketing geek + content creator
Vox: Do we really need influencers' Israel-Palestine hot takes?
Look, I think it's great that some influencers want to share their political takes and support on social. But this article brings up an incredibly important point: maybe we don't need to demand influencers make a statement on every complex political issue.
Digital Native: The Startups Reinventing Social Media
I'll just say it: it's hard to keep up with every new emerging social network. This piece does a good job of covering three of the latest ones to know (BeReal, Poparazzi, Dispo) + the new ethos of using social media (less filters, more authenticity).
Vice: We Talked to the People Who Go LikeLikeLikeLikeLike on Your Instagram Posts
You know the people that like 15 IG posts in a row. What's the deal there? This piece cuts it into 3 different possibilities: the new friend, the horny rando, and the networking hustler.
Vox: Who wins Instagram giveaways? An investigation.
Two Vox articles in one newsletter?! I know, I know. But they're both fire + this one digging into the results of the endless influencer giveaways is fascinating. Does anyone actually win those?
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🧘🏼♀️ Mindful Moment
One actionable thing to get you through this week
Mindfulness doesn't have to be something productive or meditative. It's about being in the moment.
Lately, I'm trying to find the fun in the moments I'm in. With that, I present to you:
Try it out and see what random part of the internet you end up in. Have some fun in this moment – no self-optimization needed.
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🔗 Link(s) in Bio
Things I’ve been loving that have absolutely nothing to do with marketing or business
Culture Study: Just because your early career was hell doesn't mean others' has to be – I wish I could send this to every person I know later in their career. Anne Helen Petersen never misses.
USA Today: Want to erase yourself from the internet? Here's how – Hypothetically speaking, if you wanted to leave the internet forever... this guide is helpful.
W Magazine: How a Spotify Playlist Became Gen Z's TRL – I vividly remember coming home from school to watch TRL. I'm probably too old for this now, but I still loved diving into this playlist.
Wired: Gummy Bears and Candy Bars Are Casualties of the Pandemic – Overall, I'm not the biggest impulse buyer. But I might cave if Amazon let me add some fruity Mentos at the end of each order.
With Naomi Osaka's withdrawal from the French Open, there's been a lot of talk about mental health in the media. I'm so glad we're finally having these conversations. Here are some of my favorite recent related pieces:
HuffPost: Mental Health Struggles Don't Care About 'Success' – Mental health difficulties don't immediately disappear once you've hit a certain level in life + it doesn't mean your difficulties are any less valid.
New York Times: Naomi Osaka and the Power of 'Nope' – "Women have long functioned as players in sports industries designed by and for men. Now Ms. Osaka is part of a growing group of female athletes who are betting they'll be happier – and maybe perform better, too – by setting their own terms."
PR News: Osaka Fallout: Are Press Conferences Still the Answer? – From a PR angle, maybe we should be reevaluating the importance + usefulness of the traditional press conference.
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💭 Content Calendar
Ideas for you to take into your week ahead as a content creator
People tend to glorify the creation process. Sure, there are tactics everyone has to get in that perfect state of flow.
But when your job is to create things for a living, you're going to have some duds.
Sometimes you have to power through the downtimes.
You might need to create a lot of content that honestly isn't that great.
The cycle of continuing to create even when you don't feel particularly creative can get you to the place you want to be.
So, keep creating even if it sucks. We all know it's hard. It's okay. You'll get there eventually (or you'll have a bunch of content that's probably good enough).
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👋 The (ring) Light at the End of the Tunnel