← Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
Creating Confidence with Heather Monahan
Confidence Classic: Build Confidence on Camera and Grow Your Business with Kim Rittberg
00:44:28
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- [00:00]
Heather
Here's something most small business owners don't.
- [00:03]
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- [00:47]
Kim Ritberg
Nowadays it's all about being authentic. And so I think that professionals just have to be themselves. And I really like I'm the biggest cheerleader who's never been a cheerleader in high school. I I really am such a cheerleader. I believe so strongly that everyone can put themselves out there and can use that to grow their business. Because you don't need to be perfect. Like you really don't. You don't need to be anchor. You just need to be yourself and the most confident version of yourself. Because if you believe in what you're talking about and you're knowledgeable, you're teaching people, you're educating people, and if you're funny, then you're entertaining them.
- [01:20]
Heather
Come on this journey with me each week when you join me. We are going to chase down our goals, overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow.
- [01:31]
Kim Ritberg
I'm ready for my close up.
- [01:32]
Heather
Tell me, have you been enjoying these new bonus Confidence Classics episodes we've been dropping on you every week?
- [01:39]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
We've literally hundreds of episodes for you to listen to.
- [01:41]
Heather
So these bonuses are a great way to help you find the ones you.
- [01:45]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
May have already missed.
- [01:46]
Heather
I hope you love this one as much as I do. I'm so excited for you to meet Kim Ritberg today. She's an award winning content strategy expert in tv, digital, video and audio. She's been featured in Business Insider and spent 15 years as a media executive at Netflix, People magazine TV news and launching the first ever video unit for Us Weekly. I love Us Weekly. Kim has been a speaker and instructor at Penn, Syracuse University and General assembly and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Annenberg School. Through her company, Kim helps brands and professionals be better on camera and make unforgettable content to grow their business. She also hosts Mom's Exit Interview podcast, which I was just on after deciding to quit corporate to run her own business after working in the hospital while giving birth to her second child. And the podcast helps women craft careers that work for them instead of the other way around, even when it seems terrifying. Kim, thank you so much for being here today.
- [02:48]
Kim Ritberg
Thank you so much for having me.
- [02:49]
Heather
First of all, tell us a story. How were you working when you were giving birth? Like, what is that whole nightmare? What happened?
- [02:56]
Kim Ritberg
It was a whole nightmare. That's exactly true. So I had been working in Media for 15 years, and I had the opportunity, like, seriously, dream job. I'd been in TV news for 10 years. I switched into digital, and I got to run the Us Weekly video unit. And not just run it, but, like, build a business inside a business. And it was everything I wanted. Like, I'm really, like, very ambitious. I love, like, building something and I loved running a team, and it was such a dream come true. So I was leading a 17 person team. I had my first baby there. I joke. I had two babies, Baby Lily and Baby Us Weekly. And a very amazing unit full of great creative people. But when I was pregnant with my second, we were getting acquired and typical messy acquisition. Everyone's getting fired or laid off or quitting or whatever. I wasn't laid off. None of my team was. Was fired or anything. Actually, the new. The new people said, we love the video unit so much, it's a big part of the reason we bought it. I'm like, oh, well, this is my reward. Like, everyone on my team is quitting. All of my peer executives were laid off. And I had to build everything I had just built over the last two and a half years while nursing a newborn again, all from scratch. And I just, I was just. I realized this is just not what I wanted. Like, I just felt like this caricature of myself. I'm in the hospital in the labor and delivery room getting fluids, you know, the IVs. And I'm on my phone saying, okay, if John doesn't want the job, then you should offer it to Eliza. And then if Eliza can't have and for this job, look at this person. And I'm like, what am I doing? I felt like such a caricature of myself. Like, I'm actually like a whole, well rounded, normal person who doesn't do that. And I just. Everything felt out of whack. And I decided that day I need to figure out a different way where I can bring my skills and my experience to the working world, but in a way where I just have more control. I want to be fulfilled professionally, absolutely. But I also want to be present with my children and I have little kids and for as long as they want me around, I want to be there a little bit more.
- [05:00]
Heather
So that's when you decided, you decided that day that you were out?
- [05:04]
Kim Ritberg
I decided that day that something was off. But just like real world, it's messy. I took two more years and two more jobs to launch my business. So, you know, I come from media. The sound bite is like, I was in the hospital and then I launched my business and now it's so successful. No way. I earned like a few thousand dollars freelancing in that area. I thought I would launch my business and then I was a little bit stressed out, like, how am I really going to make this be a full time career, a full time salary, a full time income? And so I took two other jobs. I worked at Popsugar as a vice president of branded content and then I worked at Netflix in marketing. And I loved those experiences, I valued them, but I a hundred percent knew I wanted to work for myself at that point. It just, you know, it just, I really had that clarity of I want to take all the things I've learned and help people. And I do feel like I learned all of this from media and also branded content. So I'd worked with Target and SE and Kia and AT and T crafting these really interesting branded content projects and, and I feel like there's all these professionals and smaller brands out there that could use someone like me. So I'm like, you know what, I'm just going to try it. I'm just going to go for it. I have no idea what's going to happen. And I just started like you said, you know, I just started putting one foot in front of another. I told a few people that I was looking for clients or projects. I made sure to say I'm not looking for full time work. And I launched my business. And so my business, I help businesses and professionals be better on camera and make amazing content to grow their revenue and their client base. And it's been amazing. But like, I definitely had that at the beginning. My confidence was like all over the place. I'd have a great project and then I'd be like, no one's ever going to hire me again. But of course, like, if, if you're doing good work and you're meeting people and you're Networking, you will get clients again. Like, your business will keep growing. And I'm on year three and every year is better than the last.
- [06:57]
Heather
Oh, that's. I'm so happy for you. I'm so happy that you finally made that leap. All right, so let's get into. I love this topic. The importance of video content. How to become confident on video, how to shine on video, and how to create content for businesses with video. Because so many companies that I've consulted with, I'm on the board of a company that doesn't create video content, right? But then I even look at myself, Kim, and you and I were talking about this off air. I can get up on the biggest stage in the world and I'm like, wind me up and let me go. But the minute I'm sitting at my house alone and thinking, okay, I guess I should probably create video content, I'm sitting with the phone. Then I get frustrated, like, what am I even going to talk about? Forget it. No. And I put it down and I don't do it. So what is this whole why are people afraid or resistant on like, what, what is this stuff point with video content?
- [07:48]
Kim Ritberg
So you raise the best point. As soon as you put a camera or an iPhone in someone's face and you turn that little red or green button on, it steals your soul instantly. Everyone's insecurities, self doubt, just feeling like you're not interesting comes out. So I've worked with executives, CEOs, congresspeople. Everyone is like, I don't know what to say. Like, I'm not interesting, why should I talk? I'm like, of course you are. Like, you're so smart, you're so established. So the first thing is everyone feels this way. I think the level setting is super, super important because it doesn't matter who you are, what your background is like, you know, your job. Everyone feels self conscious on camera. So I think understanding that helps. Then to the next stage, figuring out, why are you putting yourself on camera. Once you really identify that this is a business goal, I think it's a lot easier to say, okay, maybe I don't feel that comfortable. Maybe I'm not really sure why I'm filming an Instagram story in my bagel store. But I understand this in some way is helping people connect to me, is putting myself out there to grow my business. So I think, number one, everyone's self conscious. Number two, like, that is just so important to understand that you need to remember it's a business goal. Otherwise if you're Trying to be an influencer, that's a different thing. But you're primarily trying to put yourself on video or on podcasts because you want more clients or you want more revenue. So then from there, it's really, really all about practice. It's a skill. And you have to start every single day talking to your camera. It's an uncomfortable and awkward thing to do. And the first 10 times you'll record yourself, you will hate it. You'll hate hearing your voice, you'll hate seeing your face. It doesn't matter what you look like, you'll think you look terrible. So every time it gets easier. I have a couple of, like, nitty gritty tips that I give people. So first there's the mindset stuff. Before you're about to film, play some fun music. Whether you're, you know, a yoga person or you're like a EDM person, play that music that makes you feel great. And that's going to get you into the right mindset right before you're on camera. Got to do breathing. Our body does that. Fight or flight. It's like, I don't want to do this. I'm so nervous. Like, your breathing is off. Your brain is shutting down a little bit. The breathing will help you come into the body. So you're feeling good with music, you're getting your breathing, and then you have the messaging, which it's a little out of order. You gotta have your message down, because I think you can never, ever be good on camera if you don't know what you're gonna say. Like, you have to have that. So those are the three main things I think is really important for people to remember being on camera. So it's that messaging, it's that getting into the right mindset, and then there's that breathing. So those are, like, the three things. And then as you're filming to your camera, you have to just get into practice. Every single time, it's gonna get a little easier. You gotta feel like you're talking to your friend, whoever your friend is. You have to be conversational. And this is a hard thing because it is one of those things that only comes with practice. But the more you do it at the beginning, I did on camera reporting for, like, local news, like, many years ago. My first videos were awful. I was a deer in the headlights. I was robotic. I was impersonating what I thought a reporter should sound like. Everyone does that over time. You'll get your own voice, and your own voice on video will soon sound like your actual voice. So I think those are the real keys. It's messaging, it's getting to the right mindset, it's doing the breathing and then it's talking casually and conversationally to your phone, which over time will be more natural.
- [11:23]
Heather
Meet a different guest each week.
- [11:30]
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- [14:33]
Heather
I asked you to try to find your passion so around the messaging because this is super interesting to me. I always figured and I, I know, I don't know, I figured just like ad lib, turn the camera on and just talk. Right? I never thought about like be strategic Heather, and have a plan. However, now that I'm thinking about it, I sat down with a friend of mine and she had written out all these questions. She was off camera and she was asking the question. It was so easy to create the content that day because there was a, it was very much planned and you know, she knew what the goals were and what questions she was asking me. So it was very easy for me to answer. When you are working with a person or a brand, how do you guide them around that messaging strategy?
- [15:14]
Kim Ritberg
So messaging is the most important thing before you even lift a camera or take your phone out. So at the very core of it, you have to know what you're offering people and you have to know who you are as a brand or as a professional. Once you have that, you write down your message. I generally recommend for people to slash 30%. Okay. Because you want a really succinct and high energy message. The more words slows it down, slows down the energy. So my number one thing is you write down. I'm Kim Ritberg. I'm an award winning content expert. I spent 15 years in national media and now I help professionals and brands be better on camera and grow their business with content. Every time I try to say, okay, can I take out one or two words? You try to get it tighter and tighter so that messaging is really, really important. So that's, that's one of the things. And then I do, I think the elevator pitch that I teach people also comes into point for messaging. When we think about messaging, it could be for brands, it could be for professionals. Messaging is also selling yourself, right? So if you're doing an Elevator pitch, you have 30 seconds probably to sell yourself. And no more than that, truly. And I think about that message is A, B, C, A. You get your accolades right at the front. You tell somebody, if you have your Harvard mba, you put that right in the front. Business, your business background or anything like that that relates to the thing that you're talking about or selling. And then C, creative, Any fun spin that makes you you. You know, if you traveled the world for a year, if you're an Olympic lacrosse player, just like something fun, that's personal, that cracks open a way to talk to you. So that elevator pitch message can be applied to a lot of different things. But I think that's the way and the reason I created this framework. When I worked in media, I sat on these panels with hundreds of people pitching me, and I got pitched all the time just because I was a TV producer. And people come up and they'd say, oh, I'm a dentist. I do this and that. I love kids. And then I would be like, you went to Oxford. Or like, you invented the type of enamel for teeth that is used all over whatever that accolade is. That should be the first thing you're saying, because that's really selling me in on you. Because when you're trying to get on media or trying to get press, that journalist or producer, they have to love you, but they have to sell you to their boss, too. They have to be like, heather is the best. She was a CRO. She was the number one person in her area. She made $55 million. I'd be like, wow. And then I feel like I can sell you to my boss. So those are a couple of things to really keep in mind when you're creating that elevator pitch or the messaging.
- [17:49]
Heather
When you look back at your career having been people at us, Netflix, what were some of the commonalities, things that each one of these massive companies did around their content strategy that you saw was a theme so that we can, you know, all learn from that. And then what were some of the nuances or differences that made each one of them different?
- [18:09]
Kim Ritberg
This is such a great question. So what I love about my career is that I feel like I've gotten to learn so many different things. So I started in TV writing stories that are 30 seconds, maybe two and a half minutes, breaking news and entertainment. And then over time, shifting into digital video, which is not on tv, obviously. Like, it's on your phone or it's on your computer, short form. But within there, I also did hour long Content, So I really understand how to tell a story short to long. And then I switched into podcasts as well. So now I'm sort of like a Jane of all trade. One of the things that I find for all of these things that I help brands apply to it is we talked about this before, about the message. When you're starting to do content, you get your message, make sure it's not too complicated. So all of these things that you never will. See a media outlet tell a story that's about like 20 different people all around the world doing something. It's always like there's three potential people or there's, you know, one couple and this other couple and they're intertwined. Like it's not too complicated because people don't like something that's so complicated. So when I teach people, I have this, like, I'm auditioning a new framework called the messy framework. I'm auditioning with you, Heather. So. And your message, not too complicated. Tell your granny, go call your granny. Explain what you're about to do. Explain the message you're about to do. Read her your script. If she doesn't understand it, that's not your message. Okay, Keep boiling it down. Boil it down until your 7 year old cousin and your granny can both understand it. Then you have a great message. So that's something from Netflix to Us Weekly to cable news, the message, super simple. You're on camera. This is more like for professionals, being on camera. A lot of professionals don't want to be on camera, but you have to be. I think there was this trend for a little while that I saw in digital video where it's a lot of content and words but not a lot of sound. And if you still see it a little bit, but not as much. People really like connecting with faces. They really like seeing people and getting to know you. So I'm all a fan of an inspirational quote, but putting yourself on camera is really the way to go. And so I think you're seeing that as a trend back to that. You're seeing that really everywhere. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, people putting themselves on video. Because that's how you build connection, you know, that's how you, that's how you get to know people. So putting a moving quote on a screen, it's just never going to build that connection in that same way that a person will. Oh my God, this thing, as I said, this is a messy plan, right? M E S S Y message E easy to understand. That's the E s strategy. Plan, you need a strategy. So every one of these places, you would never just turn on a camera and be like, guess what, we're recording. You know why? That is a huge waste of money. It's a huge waste of money. So every time you're recording something, you don't have a script or you don't have a plan, you're wasting your, your time, you're wasting your money. If you hired a camera person or an editor, you're wasting everybody's time and money. So you really have to come in there with a strategy. And so that's for every single place. And it's, it's interesting, you know, now that I work more with professionals or brands, they sometimes feel more time starved or perhaps budget starved, but so does everyone. You know, I was running a 17 person team at Us Weekly. I had to say no to plenty of great ideas. So plenty of celebrities would pitch Us Weekly to do a video and I would say no because you're always going to run out of time and money. So you have to have that strategy and plan and decide like what's important to me right now in this quarter or in this half year. And you have to be really ruthless and you have to really stick to that because money and time's going to go away. Okay? And then the why is you're a journalist. You're always a journalist. You're never a salesperson. No offense, Heather. I love me a good salesperson. But the main thing is you will never see media outlets and you should never see brands selling. No one wants to watch commercials unless it's the Super Bowl. So that is like one of the keys. And when I did branded content within these media outlets, you know, when we're working with Swiffer or Target or SE or AT and T or whoever or nyquil, zquil, you're never making an ad. You're really always thinking, how can I make this fun? How can I make this feel like something somebody would want to watch on their phone? So that could be entertaining, that could be educational, it could be touching, it could be moving. But it can't just sell. As soon as it sells, everyone's swiping by it. Nobody wants to watch that. So those are some of the things that I feel like run through both all of the media outlets and also the branded content I did at those outlets. I feel like those are the messages that I have taken with me. And now I try to apply to brands and professionals because people don't know that if you're a lawyer You're a doctor, you're running your wellness clinic. You haven't spent 15 years in media. So why would you think about that? You shouldn't. No problem. You know, but now that I have thought about that, I really do apply that. And that's what I think is like, really, really interesting, is just getting your headset as a journalist. Like, what do you think somebody would be interested in hearing from you? And it takes a little bit of mindset shift, but once you do, you will have just like a Google Doc full of ideas. Like, once you unlock that, the brainstorm's just gonna flow.
- [23:11]
Heather
How do you get these brands and companies to drive revenue if you don't want them selling on video? How do you convert?
- [23:19]
Kim Ritberg
So converting is, you know, that slow process. You know, like no one trust all of that. Like, people have to feel a connection to your brand and you have to stay relevant to them continuously. You're going to have multiple touch points, right? So they might not buy from you. From that video about the best smiles in America, I'm just like, making up a random thing like maybe you're a toothbrush brand or you're a dentist or whatever, and you're doing something about like, the greatest smiles in America. And it's videos of, like, old ladies and babies and whoever, right? Maybe someone's not clicking and buying from that video, but it's got to be a part of your mix because if all you're doing is selling, you're not even going to have followers. If you're only selling, it's like the equivalent of your mail being full of junk mail. You know, it can't always just be offers and discounts and coupons and stuff. It has to be. You have to build that relationship. And you see brands, there are lots of brands doing amazing on social. That's because so little of their content marketing is selling. So much of it is marketing and also some of the content marketing. So content marketing, obviously, you know, is the sort of marketing that companies are doing that make it fun and make you want to watch it. But you think about fashion brands, you know, they're doing lookbooks or shoes. Like, you know, I get Incas in my Instagram feed or allbirds or whoever. Some of those, in theory, they're selling because it's full of their product. But they're cool and they're fun. It's more like a music video rather than like on sale now, 50% off, you know, it. It's bringing you into an aesthetic experience and it's fun and it's colorful and, you know, so it has to be a part of that because if all you're doing is selling, you've already lost.
- [24:55]
Heather
So you're, you're more advocating for creating content to develop the relationship rapport and then maybe drive them to a website or drive them somewhere else where you're going to then convert.
- [25:05]
Kim Ritberg
Yeah, I think there you have to have those convert points, but it's not the majority of your content, because if the majority of your content is the conversion points, you don't, I think you honestly don't have enough people even in there to then even get to converting. You have to have the majority of your content being things that people truly want, want to consume, and then that's going to convert. And I think that's forever. I think that's for professionals, I think that's for brands, that's for products, that's for services. And I think you see that with, with the most successful people and the most successful brands. If you really look at their content, a lot of it really is things that you're like, oh, that's pretty. Or oh, that's interesting. You're not saying, you're not looking at their feed going 50% off. Oh, sale. You know, it's a part of it, but it's not all of it. Yeah, for sure.
- [25:44]
Heather
What are your thoughts on? Because so many companies that I've worked with and consulted and the one that I'm on a board of, the CEO is not having a personal brand. They're not having a presence around content creation. They're saying, yes, agree with the video strategy. We're all in. I'm going to have my team do that. They can be on camera. What are your thoughts on that?
- [26:03]
Kim Ritberg
What kind of company? I always like to think, like sometimes it depends.
- [26:07]
Heather
Okay, so I have a company that is a digital and marketing services company and the CEO is brilliant. Founded the company, you know, has so many great success stories, is so funny. And I, I'm always advocating for him to be on video and he's always telling me why he shouldn't be in.
- [26:23]
Kim Ritberg
His team, should be, oh, well, you should tell him he's wrong and that Kim said so. I, I really do think that when you talk about someone who started a company. Right. This person must be really passionate about digital marketing, that they started a company. So I think that to hide that person away and lock them in a little tower and not put them on video is doing a disservice to the company, but also to the client, because clients can feel that energy. The person who's most connected, who's most lit up about the message, should absolutely be on camera. Because that is going to build that relationship. To say, oh, not only are we an expert, we're going to do X, Y and Z for you. But, like, I love talking about this. I love doing this. If you work with us, we're going to make your business, you know, skyrocket it. And I think that it really does a disservice. And I think, again, you know, we talked earlier about being on camera and everyone hates. Hates how they look, hates how they sound. Everyone feels that way. But at the end of the day, you're doing it for your business. And I do think it needs to be a business goal. And sometimes to help unlock some of the professionals I've worked with, I've said, well, what are the things you love? Why don't we sit down and film a YouTube series? Only about those things. Like, let's do a little YouTube playlist about just these five topics that you love. And then let's see, you know, because I think it is hard to push people to be like, get on a panel and get on and do this and do that. But, like, let's start with the thing that lights you up and just see where that goes. Yeah, I'm a huge advocate. I just think it's really, really important. Like, I feel like you put me somewhere. I'm like, I'll talk all day. I love this. And I really believe, like, I also believe everyone can be great on camera because I think we're in such an amazing and lucky time. When I was in my 20s, of course, I'm still in my 20s, as you can tell by my voice. Just kidding. Obviously not in my 20s. So in my 20s, I started in journalism, and it was sort of that era where no one on TV was sort of a regular person. It was like everyone was a gorgeous woman who came from a pageant. And then maybe there were men in suits. But for women, it was a lot of pressure to really look perfect and be perfect and speak with the perfect diction from the middle of the country. It's not like that anymore. So nowadays it's all about being authentic. And so I think that professionals just have to be themselves. And I really, like, I'm the biggest cheerleader who's never been a cheerleader in high school. I really am such a cheerleader. I believe so strongly that everyone can put themselves out there and can use that to grow their business. Because you don't need to be perfect. Like, you really don't, you don't need to be anchor. You just need to be yourself and the most confident version of yourself. Because if you believe in what you're talking about and you're knowledgeable, you're teaching people, you're educating people, and if you're funny, then you're entertaining them. But I just think it's really, really important. And I, I do. I just love, like, unlocking that for people. I'm like, look how good you are. Oh my God, you're so much better than you were two weeks ago. You know, and it's, and it's the process. It's not overnight. You put yourself on camera. It's not a one week process, it's not a three week process. It's months and months and years and years. But over time, it really is worth it. It's so worth it. So you tell that CEO that Kim Rickard believes in him and he can give me a call.
- [29:35]
Heather
I think he needs to because he's got a great founder story. And I personally, for me, brands that I want to invest in, I love knowing that backstory. I mean, Sarah Blakely is such a great example of a CEO being a face of a company and sharing that founder story and connecting meaning and so much more to something other than just a product and solving a problem. So I'm all in with that. You know, founders need to be sharing these stories, inspiring and bringing that energy and excitement and passion that they have for their business 100%.
- [30:06]
Kim Ritberg
And listen, I'm a mom of two and I think that there's a lot of, in the business world, you're like, and do I acknowledge I'm a parent? Do I hide it? Do I like, it's a photo on my desk, but I never talk about my kids, Whatever. There's all those questions about, like, how do I incorporate my family into my work life and the founder story. Like, why would I not share the story that I was in a hospital bed? And then I realized, yes, I wanna work. Yes, I love working and helping people and making great content. But there's more to life. There's more to life than that. And there's a way that you can take control and take a risk on yourself and create the life you want. And so, like now, pretty much like any day of the week can just be like a day where I take my kid for ice cream after school. Oh my God, what a life I live in. And in the summers, I try to work less so I could pick them up from camp and go to the beach with them and collect shells. I literally never thought my life could be like that. And so hiding that story of having my epiphany in the labor room, that makes me feel like. Seem like a robot, actually. So when you hide that founder story, it actually, it makes you seem one dimensional. And I think when you can bring the real you. And I still work, Everybody still works. I'm not that vulnerable. There's a lot of other stuff in my life I'm not talking about. You know, I think we all have our privacy and our, like, real secrets. Secrets. The next episode is about secrets. I'm just kidding. But I think being vulnerable, to whatever extent you can be vulnerable, really brings people in. It makes people so much more interested. There's a hundred digital marketing companies, but only one was founded by person X with the most amazing story. And so I think that just bringing that in brings that humanity. And it's funny because I advocate all of these things for my clients. And now I try to practice what I preach more. And I've been called for all these speaking engagements, to be on all these panels. I've been on TV like three times in the past six months. And that's because I'm telling my story. But before that, I was like, oh, I'll help you grow with video. I'll help you be better on camera. And I was hiding my own personal story, not because I was embarrassed of it. I just was like, who cares about my story? But then I really thought about it. I'm like, oh, I'm a journalist. This is my headline. You know, this is my headline. This is my why. And so once I decided to apply my own principles to my own business and my own story and trying to grow my business with that, it's really unlocked a lot. So I think that anyone who is a founder of a company or is the face of a brand, and even if you're not the face of the brand, think about putting yourself as the face sometimes, you know, it doesn't have to be all about you, but it should be sometimes about you.
- [32:36]
Heather
Meet a different guest each week.
- [32:41]
Kim Ritberg
Confidence Creator.
- [32:43]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
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- [34:24]
Heather
I asked you to try to find your passion. Like you said, people do business with people they know, like and trust. And you've got to, no matter if you're a salesperson or you are the CEO, you've got to let people know they're dealing with a real person. There's, there's such a higher probability of getting close business. And the other thing I hear from people is, well, I don't, I don't need to share my vulnerable story. It's been told enough times by so many other people. It's too similar to someone else's. And I really want people to hear this. There are different frequencies, people connect with different people. The same person that might listen to my podcast and shout out for all of you listening right now, thank you so much. But for that person isn't necessarily listening to your show or isn't necessarily like you and I could have the exact same message, but the way we tell it is just a little bit different. And people have to understand different individuals will reach and connect with different individuals and your message is worthwhile because of that. No one is going to tell it just like you. No one has your exact unique experience and it's going to make you unique and different and you're going to reach more and different people that I can't or you can't.
- [35:30]
Kim Ritberg
I totally agree. And when you think about our fractured world of content consumption, who knows where people are listening from? You know, people listening to podcasts, people listening on YouTube, they're watching on Instagram, they're watching on TikTok, they really don't know your whole story. And so don't. This is the other thing, I think, just in all of this is like, we feel like, oh, well, they've heard my story, or, oh, I'm going to be judged. Or, first of all, people are too busy thinking about what they're having for lunch to think about you. They're deciding between a turkey sandwich and a blt. Like, they're not thinking about you. So in the positive side of that is, you have to remind them about yourself. And so every time you're on an interview or. Or on a video or a press interview or whatever it is on social media, you have to remind people who you are, and you have to remind them of that backstory, because they don't remember that people meet so many people. Like, you were in sales, Heather. You've invested with thousands and thousands of people. Even regular people who don't do sales meet hundreds and thousands of people in their lifetime. They really don't remember the nuances of your story. And so you should remind them you're interesting. Like, everybody thinks they're not interesting. They are. Everyone's interesting. And so that's. It's just important to remember that everybody feels that way. But you have to remember you are interesting, and you have to get your story down. I think that's the other thing. Whatever your story is, you need to write it down. You need to perfect it, you need to keep saying it. You need to keep telling people, because it feels weird to say that. It feels weird. I used to feel weird bragging. I used to be like, oh, I launched the video unit for Us Weekly and it sold for $100 million. And then I'm like, why would I not say that louder and brag about that. That's bananas. Not that many people could do that. Not that many people have done that. So you have to remember, whatever that thing is that you do, say it loud and proud, practice it. Keep pitching with that, because it is interesting. You are interesting, and everyone has something to say.
- [37:16]
Heather
Oh, so true. And you might inspire one person by your story and by what you were able to do it at Us Weekly. You could inspire some young person out there to say that they have that same potential, too, and they wouldn't have known it was possible if they hadn't heard your story. So if you're not doing it for yourself, do it for those people coming after for you all day.
- [37:33]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
And.
- [37:33]
Kim Ritberg
And yeah, and I love to be honest about the fact that, like, I have an amazing resume. Except I also feel the same self doubt that everyone else feels. I didn't feel comfortable building my business. I didn't know I'd have clients. And you know, we feel superhuman confidence in sometimes and we feel super low in other times. And so I think being honest about that with people and reminding everyone we are all humans, we all feel bad about ourselves sometimes. We all need like to call our mommies or our brothers to be like, am I awesome? Tell me I'm awesome. You know, we all need that. And so at the end of the day just like remember that we all are interesting, we all are great and we all are worth telling a story. And I just, I'm like, I'm truly the biggest cheerleader. I just think everyone has a story to tell and should be putting themselves out there because they're hurting their business by not.
- [38:18]
Heather
Yeah. And it doesn't have to be some crazy. I got fired at 43 and reinvented myself. Sometimes the more relatable and you think it's just a basic story. That's what people really connect with. Don't think that you have to have some dramatic story out there or you definitely don't.
- [38:33]
Kim Ritberg
But like even your passion for your business is interesting. You know, like I think that that's the other thing that when you're passionate about what you do for people who write, maybe it was the semicolon that drove you crazy in 11th grade and that led you to be a writer. Okay, you know, whatever, whatever your story is, maybe it's, you know, you smashed your tooth on a skateboard ride when you were 12, you want to be a dentist. Okay, that's fine, you know, like no problem. Like everyone's got a story. It's not, it doesn't have to be as, as mega as everybody else's.
- [39:00]
Heather
So tell us about once we, we have the messaging, we have the story, the different platforms and TikTok is talked about all the time. And I get so much flack from people for not being active on TikTok. When is it enough? Enough? When are we on enough platforms and what are the platforms that we should be on?
- [39:16]
Kim Ritberg
It's such a good question. I start every plan with a client with their goals. So when someone says, what should I be on? I say, well, what are your goals? Because I think the different platforms are perfect for different brands and professionals goals. So I think LinkedIn, we all know it's a very professional platform. All of the platforms are, you get what you give and you gotta be on there. And you have to be engaging, but it really is a lot of connecting with people. So TikTok is the hottest thing ever right now. There are adults, grownups and professionals on it, but, you know, still a lot of dancing young people. And so you can hit it, you could strike it, you can blow up on TikTok. You can also spend so much time on TikTok and it's not doing anything. So I see it both ways. I think it really depends. If you have a lot of time and money and you could be on all the platforms, great. But truly, I think you should pick like one or two to focus on. It's hard to do more than that depending on the size of your business. I think you really have to focus and prioritize within that. I would say as you're creating content, try to squeeze that orange. So I just did this blog post on my site, kimbrickburg.com, where you work from your biggest content down. So right now we're on a podcast. We're talking for like 30, 40 minutes. You have that podcast on video and audio. So that's your hero content. You've got a big piece of content, a YouTube or a podcast. Then you cut that up, you squeeze that orange, you squeeze all the juice out of it. Can that be a blog post? Can that be pretty quotes that you could put on Instagram or LinkedIn? Can that be a LinkedIn text post? Can it be a newsletter? So you can really be creating like 10 pieces of content in 10 minutes once you have that hero asset. So it's important to remember that while it's very overwhelming to do everything, you actually have like little hacks that once you're talking, once we're talking about content, for example, we're talking about content, we could be making 10 pieces out of this conversation. And no one's checking all your different platforms. So don't worry if you're being duplicative. And also you could pull. We're talking for 30 minutes. We probably have seven amazing quotes. We are so brilliant. Of course we do. So, you know, we probably have seven great quotes to make, really pretty quotes. We probably have seven short form videos you can cut up. You know, you do vertical for Instagram, vertical for TikTok, horizontal for YouTube, whatever. So you could just be cutting that up in different ways. But I think if you're limited in terms of like time and money, I think you should really stick to two platforms. Try to go all in, try to engage, try to build that community there. And then, you know, you look at the analytics and you see, like, how is this content performing? And you follow that. If you have a lot of money and a lot of time, you should try everything. Great. If you have a team and they're willing to engage on all these platforms, go for it. But most people really don't. And so I think that I'd recommend being on a few different platforms. And I also like to say, like, don't sleep on blogs, don't sleep on blogs, don't sleep on newsletters. You know, if you use that content across video, but you're also putting on a blog, you're getting that SEO. So Google's loving you. When Google loves you, that's great. You want to be Google's lover, you know, so it's. Heather's laughing at me. But it's important, you know, to really just be trying to get as much as you can out of it without killing yourself. And by. Without looking at your week and being like, I spent nine hours making content. You don't want to do that. You know, you want to keep it a little, little bit less than that, a little more manageable.
- [42:21]
Heather
I totally agree. I went all in. I decided five years ago when I got fired, I'm going all in on LinkedIn. That was my one thing I was clear on. That was my goal. That's what I was doing. And I've never deflected from it. And it's paid major dividends. Of course, the longer you're on, the more you show up, you know, the more credibility you have. And then, you know, over time, now I'm able to add different platforms on, but I agree with you. Just be really consistent and constant and clear on what that top one or two platforms are and just start showing up. And then you can start reassessing if you want to add a TikTok or not.
- [42:53]
Kim Ritberg
And people also feel like, oh, goodness, I need to have all of these followers. Like, you really need the right followers, because if you have a million followers and. But you're not getting clients from them, you'd rather have a thousand followers that are buying from you. So I think that it's just like, people need to get out of that popularity contest. Like, I always, every client I sit down with, I'm like, followers is never a goal. Driving revenue, drawing client leads, driving business. Those are goals. Those are real goals. And I just think, like, that's the most important thing to remember. So LinkedIn, you could meet three people on LinkedIn. They could be clients. Today you could be on TikTok for a year and have a million followers and never sell one. One dollar. So I just think it's, like, an important thing for people to remember. And one thing I just thought about this, about what we were thinking about content earlier. The idea of using the journalistic elements of, like, telling a fun story. So as a popsugar, we were doing this branded content for Swiffer. You know, the cleaning, mop y thing.
- [43:50]
Heather
I have it. Yeah, I know.
- [43:52]
Kim Ritberg
Who doesn't have a Swiffer, right? I have a Swiffer. I think I have two. Anyway, we're doing a Swiffer video and we're brainstorming it, and we're doing it with, like, animals. Okay. So cleaning up after animals, that's cute. But I was like, you know what? People love not just animals, but the most. The biggest, the superlative, right? So we did this video to be the fanciest pig in America, and we featured. Or it was the most. The most. What's the pampered. Most pampered. The most pampered pig in America. And this was a pet pig that was getting dressed up in pearls and, like, had a feather boa on. And when this pig would walk through the kitchen, they would swiffer and you would keep going. That is a good example of a video that you'd watch because it's fun, even though it's branded content, you're watching because it's fun. So I think that's a good example of you're getting your messaging in there. People understand, oh, Swiffer does a good job cleaning. But you're watching it. It did really, really well. It performed really well. You're watching it because it's a cute pig and it's a pig worth, like, a diamond necklace on. So that sort of drives home that message of when you're coming up with content ideas, think about what might your listener base, your viewer base, what might they be interested in, your clients? What. What might make them laugh, what might make them learn. And instead of always just trying to sell, sell, sell.
- [45:07]
Heather
Well, Kim, for those that don't know how to be that creative and come up with ideas like this, how can they follow you? How can they find you so they can get some more of these tips and hacks from you?
- [45:15]
Kim Ritberg
Great. So my website is kimritberg.com I'm on Instagram. Instagram.com Kim Ritberg. Why did I even say that? Everyone knows how to go inst. Um, you can also follow me on LinkedIn. I love talking content. I just started a blog because I do believe in the power of blogs. They're old school, but they're valuable and reach out. You know, I love hearing from people. I love hearing what's working, what's not working. And I'm just super passionate about making great client great content to grow people's businesses. And I believe that everyone can be on camera.
- [45:40]
Heather
Well, I believe it too. And I am challenging everyone listening right now. Here's a challenge. Get your phone out, get your video out, and put. Put up at least one piece of video content this week. Make that commitment to do it. Someone challenged me to do that a few years ago. I took that challenge. I made it happen. And I promise you, it helped my business and it will help yours. Until next week. Keep showing up and creating confidence. You know I will be. I decided to change that dynamic. I couldn't be more excited about or what you're gonna hear. Start learning and growing. Inevitably something will happen. No one succeeds alone.
- [46:22]
Kim Ritberg
You don't stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it.
- [46:25]
Heather
Come on this journey with me.