#25: Annie F. Downs—The Strategy Behind Her Breakthrough Personal Brand

Summary

Podcast Summary: Why That Worked – Episode #25: Annie F. Downs—The Strategy Behind Her Breakthrough Personal Brand

Release Date: June 23, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode #25 of Why That Worked, presented by StoryBrand.ai, hosts Donald Miller and Kyle Reed delve into the intricacies of building a successful personal brand with special guest Annie F. Downs. Annie, a bestselling author, speaker, and host of the podcast That Sounds Fun, shares her journey and strategies for creating an authentic and impactful personal platform in today’s crowded digital landscape.

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The Start of Annie F. Downs' Personal Brand

Annie F. Downs began her career with a singular focus on becoming an author. Her debut book was published in 2012, marking the start of her 13-year journey in writing and building her personal brand. However, she observed early on that her audience sought more than just her recipes for success; they were eager to "watch me cook", craving insights into her authentic life experiences rather than step-by-step guides (02:47).

Notable Quote:

"Don't just tell us what to do, tell us how you do it."
— Annie F. Downs [02:48]

This realization prompted Annie to shift her approach from providing mere instructions to sharing her personal experiences, fostering a deeper connection with her audience.

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Developing Authentic Messaging

Annie emphasizes the importance of authenticity in her personal brand. She strives to present a platform that is "anything but gimmicky", focusing instead on being "human, generous, and fun". Her messaging revolves around hope, aiming to inspire her audience by showing that no matter the challenges—whether it's writing a book, navigating single life, or exploring spirituality—there is always hope (06:00).

Notable Quote:

"If you're friends with Annie, you're going to figure out how to find hope in the life that you have."
— Annie F. Downs [06:00]

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The Role of Vulnerability

A significant aspect of Annie’s branding strategy is vulnerability. She acknowledges that the most impactful stories are often those that are most painful to share. By opening up about her personal struggles—such as being single at 44—Annie not only makes her brand relatable but also provides her audience with a sense of solidarity and hope (08:27).

Notable Quote:

"The thing that will impact people the most, is the thing that is most painful for you to talk about."
— Annie F. Downs [09:58]

Annie underscores the importance of sharing resolved experiences rather than ongoing struggles to position herself as a guide rather than seeking sympathy (10:19).

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Consistency and Strategy in Social Media

When it comes to social media, Annie advocates for strategic consistency. She shares that while platforms like TikTok require multiple daily posts, she focuses on quality over quantity, posting once a day along with daily stories (20:35). She meticulously analyzes her audience's behavior to determine the optimal times for engagement, ensuring that her content reaches the maximum number of people when they are most receptive (23:24).

Notable Quote:

"The thing that matters most is you are rested enough and have a full enough soul to do the work you want to do."
— Annie F. Downs [22:21]

This approach allows her to maintain authenticity without overwhelming herself, balancing her personal well-being with her professional responsibilities.

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Advice for Building a Personal Brand

Annie offers valuable insights for small business owners and individuals looking to build their personal brands:

1. Identify Your 'Why': Understanding the underlying motivation behind your work is crucial. Consumers are drawn to the passion and purpose that drive your creations (13:28).

2. Develop a Sound Bite: Crafting a clear and memorable message helps in consistently communicating your brand’s essence across various platforms (14:13).

3. Engage with Your Audience: Regularly survey your audience to understand their needs and adjust your messaging accordingly. For instance, Annie discovered that her audience was primarily interested in fun coaching, aligning her content to meet this demand (32:40).

4. Balance Authenticity and Oversharing: While being genuine is essential, it's important to maintain boundaries and share personal information thoughtfully to avoid overwhelming your audience (08:34).

Notable Quote:

"Every company that gets started, there's a why behind it, and the consumer wants to know the why."
— Annie F. Downs [13:30]

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Trends and Future Directions

Looking ahead, Annie identifies a growing market for family-friendly and faith-oriented content. She highlights the success of creators like Nate Bargatze, who navigate a middle ground between secular and religious themes, appealing to a broad audience without being pigeonholed (35:10).

Annie’s long-term goal is to integrate her brand across various media platforms, ensuring that her presence is felt in bookstores, TV, magazines, and beyond. She aims to make her work universally accessible, allowing people to "walk into any section and find a book from Annie F. Downs" (35:25).

Notable Quote:

"I want people to experience Jesus through my life. Whether that's the hope conversations, the podcast, or the books, that is the end goal."
— Annie F. Downs [35:32]

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Conclusion

Annie F. Downs’ journey illustrates the power of authenticity, vulnerability, and strategic messaging in building a successful personal brand. By focusing on her genuine experiences and consistently engaging with her audience’s needs, she has created a platform that resonates deeply and fosters lasting connections. Her insights offer a roadmap for anyone looking to carve out their unique space in the digital world, emphasizing that true success lies in being real and intentional with one’s message.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

1. "Don't just tell us what to do, tell us how you do it."
   — Annie F. Downs [02:48]

2. "If you're friends with Annie, you're going to figure out how to find hope in the life that you have."
   — Annie F. Downs [06:00]

3. "The thing that will impact people the most, is the thing that is most painful for you to talk about."
   — Annie F. Downs [09:58]

4. "The thing that matters most is you are rested enough and have a full enough soul to do the work you want to do."
   — Annie F. Downs [22:21]

5. "Every company that gets started, there's a why behind it, and the consumer wants to know the why."
   — Annie F. Downs [13:30]

6. "I want people to experience Jesus through my life. Whether that's the hope conversations, the podcast, or the books, that is the end goal."
   — Annie F. Downs [35:32]

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essence of Episode #25, providing listeners and non-listeners alike with valuable takeaways on personal brand building from Annie F. Downs.

Transcript

[Kyle Reed]

Foreign.

[Donald Miller]

You're listening to the why that Work podcast presented by StoryBrand AI. If you've ever wondered why certain brands, trends or cultural phenomena find success while others don't, you're in the right place. Every week, we unpack why something worked, then give you actionable insights that you can use in your own life. Now let's dive in with your hosts, Donald Miller and Kyle Reed.

[Annie F. Downs]

If you're trying to build a personal brand, and by the way, every professional needs to build a personal brand, the biggest question you might have on your mind right now is how do you do it? Well, today's guest is none other than Annie Downs, a best selling author, speaker, podcast host of that that Sounds Fun. And one of the most trusted voices when it comes to showing up authentically and having a lot of fun in a very noisy world. Annie has built a personal platform that feels anything but gimmicky. It feels human. It feels generous. It feels fun. And if you're a business owner, coach, creator, or someone wondering, how do you actually connect with people online, today's conversation is going to be a powerful masterclass in building a brand. Annie Downs, thanks for joining us today.

Such a generous introduction. Kyle, thank you. That was really kind.

It was only like the fifth time I've read it.

No, no, no.

I mean, I got that.

So kind. Thank you. That meant a lot to me. Thank you.

So, Annie, Don, Annie and I have been friends for a very long time. And I go all the way back.

[Kyle Reed]

We've been friends. We've all been stuck around each other 10 years longer. No, no, like six.

[Annie F. Downs]

So it makes this extra fun. Sitting and talking with friends about business is one of my favorite things. So. Okay, well, y' all gonna have to tell me to stop. Cause this is what I live for right here.

Well, Andy, we asked you on the show because you have built a personal brand, but you've built a business off that. And going back to when I met you, you were kind of in that you're an author. You're starting into that. But one of the things as Don and I were talking about this episode is we've talked about the power of building that and why every professional needs to do that. But we thought you were the perfect person to talk about that. But take me back to when you first started. Where did you begin? What were you kind of thinking? Was it planned? Where were you at in that moment?

Long before it was a brand, it was writing books. That was the real goal was to be an author. And as I and my first book came out in 2012. This has been my full time job for 13 years. What I noticed I experienced this with my blog in the 2000s leading up to my book coming out. Is that what people wanted from me? That felt a unique ask was, we want to see how you do the thing we want to do. So they didn't want me to give them a recipe. They wanted to watch me cook. And I didn't have language for that. Right. At first, I just kind of was like, why are they asking me these questions about where I bought the shirt? I put it on Amazon or, you know, and it just felt like I started to hear the reflection. Back to me was, don't just tell us what to do, tell us how you do it.

Interesting.

And so that's kind of. Since then, the building has been, how do you stay authentic? How do you stay honest? How do you still have a personal, private life, but invite people to not only learn how to do the thing or what the thing is to do, but how I actually do it? There is a.

[Kyle Reed]

And when you say it, for you personally, is it how you write books? How you.

[Annie F. Downs]

Sometimes it's how I write books. I mean, Don, the real real is it's kind of everything. It's less about my work and more about my life. How do you. How are you satisfied when you're 44 and not married? I wanna understand how your life is. Okay. Cause I wanna be okay. How have you moved to a new city? I'm thinking about moving to a new city. Tell me exactly what you decided. How have you learned to pray? How have you made friends? They look at my life and say, I would like to do. I have a similar need that you have. I see how you met it. Teach me how to meet it. So if it's fun, if it's dating, if it's contentment, if it's writing a book or starting a podcast, we use.

[Kyle Reed]

A term around here called controlling idea. It's like an old screenplay term, but it means what's the story really about? If the controlling idea is Benji gets separated from his family on a camping trip and has to find his way back home to his family, then that kind of creates a filter for the whole story. And I actually recommend with brands, even with personal brands, that there be a controlling idea. For instance, the controlling idea of Dr. Becky's personal brand is she's going to teach you how to be a parent. But even more than that, the controlling idea within that controlling idea is that your kids are actually good. They're not Bad. And you don't have to train them. They're actually good, and you bring the good out of them. So that's interesting. Peter Attia's controlling idea is modern research and protocols on longevity, so forth and so on. Do you feel like your personal brand, Annie Downs, has a controlling idea? Is it single, in your 40s, or how to be satisfied or how to navigate modern spirituality, or. Or is it all of that?

[Annie F. Downs]

So I'll give you two answers quickly. One is when we think about the that sounds Fun podcast. The podcast has a different controlling idea than almost everything else I make. Our podcast is I am a trusted bridge to other resources that are gonna help you grow in your faith and in your thinking. So every. If they stop with me, the listener of the podcast, I have not actually met my goal. Our controlling idea is we want to send you to. I want to be the bridge. And so when people come up to me at a table or at a restaurant or at a signing table or at a restaurant or airport, and they say, I have spent so much money on books this year because of who you told me to buy, bingo.

[Kyle Reed]

You're curating the thought leaders and bringing the best of them.

[Annie F. Downs]

So when we talk about the podcast, we are very clear about that. When we talk about Annie F. Downs as a brand, I would say we haven't written down a controlling idea, but I'd say the trunk of the tree is there is hope. There's hope for you. There's hope for you. And. And there's hope for you. And if you want to write a book, there's hope for you. If you don't have the life that you want, there's hope for you. If you're trying to figure out your spirituality, there's hope for you if you feel lonely. And so the. The. The controlling idea is if you're friends with Annie, you're going to figure out how to find hope in the life that you have.

[Kyle Reed]

Okay, that's great.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah. And did you sit down with a napkin and kind of carve that out, or. It just sort of slowly evolved, and you saw it in hindsight.

[Annie F. Downs]

It slowly evolved. And actually, Don, I think this is an important point. It took me facing that that meant I had to talk about things I didn't want to talk about to really. To really impact people the way I wanted to impact people.

[Kyle Reed]

How important then is vulnerability in building a personal brand?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes, you. Because the unfortunate reality for all of us is the thing that will impact people the most, is the thing that is most painful for you to talk about.

[Kyle Reed]

I remember. I remember decades and decades ago, sitting down and writing Blue like Jazz. And literally in the third or fourth paragraph of that book, I remember writing that I was a bedwetter until, however, seven or eight or nine. I mean, you know, something that, to me, felt really humiliating to say. And I remember writing it, deleting it, writing it, deleting it, writing it, and deciding to leave it. And I remember thinking, I'm going to try going one step beyond where I want to go. Not three steps.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

But just one step beyond where I want to go. And I became convinced within a year that opening the book that way was actually a key to engaging readers.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes. Once I started actually talking about probably three years ago, into 13 years of my career, really talking about being not married and being still having this desire, but building a life that I really love around it, things change drastically.

[Kyle Reed]

And what changed?

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, people flocking. There are single women flocking to me that want to know if.

[Kyle Reed]

How do you navigate?

[Annie F. Downs]

They're gonna be okay. Yes. Is there any hope here? And so. But the reality is, everybody knew I was single. Y' all knew I was single. It wasn't a secret you had to say. I just wasn't talking about it.

[Kyle Reed]

There's a principle there, Kyle. There's a principle there. It's like, don't assume. You know, my mentor Doug Keim used to say to me, don't put people in the mind reading business.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

You got to say it. You got to actually communicate it.

[Annie F. Downs]

What's the balance there, though? You know, I think if someone's listening to this, they might go, oh, okay, I'm just going to share everything. There's got to be a balance, though, right? Is it? Is the. Because I love that idea of curation. I do agree with that. Someone's got to go. You got to go first.

Yes.

You got to go. Honest, you got to go. I mean, I think that's why your podcast is successful, is because it represents you. You're fun, you know, that's kind of your personality. It's not fake. But what is the balance between authentic, genuine, and then, like, too far.

Yeah. I think it's timing is some of it. Or some of it. You know, if you're in the middle of a cancer battle, you can share from the middle or you can wait just a little bit from your diagnosis to when you say it out loud to the public. Right. It's a matter of who are you telling when? And this is why I am. I love what y' all do. And I am this way, too. Like, I've got coaches around me on every side. I mean, you wanna talk about. If I'm running my race, it is lined with people who keep me in the middle, from a business coach to a mentor to a counselor. And I'm bouncing a lot of that. And my team, I mean, you know, my team at work, like Ashley, I'm bouncing a lot of it off my team of going, are we ready to talk about this on the podcast? Are we ready to talk about this in Single Purpose League, our community for single women? Are we ready? Like, am I ready to talk about this? But. So I think a lot of it is timing and inviting other people in and going, hey, I wonder if the fact that our family had to downsize to a different house and we're having to live on a different budget than we did five years ago, I wonder if that would impact people if I really talked about it. Well, I should talk to my spouse about it. And then maybe I should talk to a coach or a mentor about it and see, is this a lane that could help people? And are we far enough, which could be a day or a month, Are we far enough from the pain of it that is so acute that we can speak about it in a helpful way versus a. I think when people. There are times where I have talked about something right when it happened, and my raw emotion actually distracts from the message.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

It is not that it is bad to be vulnerable or bad to cry, but my raw emotion takes away from what I'm trying to say.

[Kyle Reed]

Well, people are looking for. In a podcast or something, they're often looking for somebody who can help them and somebody who has had, past tense, the same problem they have now. But the word is. The had is important.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's right.

[Kyle Reed]

Because it's the difference between offering advice and asking for sympathy.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes. That's good.

[Kyle Reed]

So you could actually say, hey, I've been exactly where you are. In fact, I'm only three steps ahead of you. But the reality is I'm three steps ahead of you because people are looking for some help. I've always written about issues in my life after they've been largely solved. So I'll only write in hindsight of I was dealing with this rather than I am dealing with this now. And I think there's something to that. If you want to position yourself as the guide and not the hero, the guide is the one who helps the hero. You know, they're not the one involved.

[Annie F. Downs]

If it is just a decade Difference, meaning my life is not different about being married than I was at 34. But women that are 34 feel a lot of hope looking at me, even though my life hasn't changed. They didn't need me to get married. They needed me to get older, to feel like I could offer them hope. Because then it didn't mean I'll be okay if I get married. It was like, I'll be okay if I just keep going. And so you're right. It isn't even that the guide needs to change and get the thing they wanted. They just need to grow from the place they were.

There's also a progression there too. You're not the same person.

That's right.

And you've shared that along the way, which I think is super powerful.

It's one of the challenges of writing books is people can go and pick up Blue Light Jazz or go and pick up Remember God? Or some of my earlier ones. And I'm like, that is a time locked capsule that you can absolutely read and grow.

[Kyle Reed]

And for the reader, it's you yesterday.

[Annie F. Downs]

And it's right now.

[Kyle Reed]

It's really you two years ago.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's a weird part.

It's a weird part of it where you go, like, here is a shelf of my yearbooks, but you're reading them like they're 20, 25. And I wrote that in 2014. But yeah, the growth is part of what we get to do, especially when your personal brand is the face they're seeing and that they're watching me age over online, particularly for the last 20 years. And they are seeing me go through breakups and they're seeing me build businesses and they're seeing things not work that we thought. I mean, professionally and personally, they're seeing successes and failures and mistakes. I've made mistakes that were very public. And so in all of that, it is the. You are welcome to come along this journey because in the same way, hopefully I'm having enough wisdom to share at the right time and share the right thing. But the connecting idea. Is that what it's called? The connecting idea?

[Kyle Reed]

Controlling idea.

[Annie F. Downs]

Controlling idea. Sorry. The controlling idea of you can find hope here remains true.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah. What do you say to somebody? Let's say they're a small business owner. They're not driven to create kind of a personal brand, but they're listening and going, I probably need to have some more structure around my online presence, maybe a little bit more strategy. What are some messaging ideas that you would share with them to say, hey, here's Some things to consider as you kind of try to build a mini personal brand. By the way, I have a friend who calls it 15 mile famous. And the idea is like, you don't need to be known in Zimbabwe. You need to be known. And 15 miles is not just geographical. Right. It's to the thousand Instagram followers that you're going to eventually have. And. But you're known. You've carved out a little niche in their world.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

What's some advice that you would give to them?

[Annie F. Downs]

I mean, I think the basic one would be every company that gets started, there's a why behind it, and the consumer wants to know the why. Why did you start creating quilting patterns? Why did you build this restaurant? Why did you create this thing you wanted to create? Because your passion behind why you spent the hours and the years to build this is going to make me want to buy. And so I like. Even if it's a clothing store, Vinnie Louise is a great example. I liked knowing the why behind that store. It just. I think there's a connection. There's a humanness. So you don't have to be the face and you don't have to be. We don't have to know all your secrets and all your pains. Just. Just tell us why this was the thing you. You gave your life to. Yeah, Right?

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree. And do. Do you think that they need to work on a sound bite that they can actually repeat that sort of helps distribute that message?

[Annie F. Downs]

I think so.

[Kyle Reed]

I do too.

[Annie F. Downs]

I think it really helps if there's a.

[Kyle Reed]

It helps you.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

It's not just something you're repeating for propaganda's sake. It helps you understand. And also, I just think marketing is an exercise in memorization. What I mean by that. Messaging is an exercise in memorization. What I mean by that is like you're trying to get people to memorize where to put you in their life.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

Right. That's. You're trying to go, here's the spot I want to occupy in your mental real estate.

[Annie F. Downs]

This kind of connected with me. The other day, my wife and I were at this farm to table dinner with this kindred farms. They're out.

Yeah. I love them. Yeah.

Have you been there?

Yeah.

So Chef Steven, he's the best.

He is the best.

A while back, he was talking about, like, their struggle with social media. And it clicked in my brain. I was like, oh, you're trying to solve the problem of what should I post? And it hit me, I go, that's not what you need to be working on. What you need to be working on is a message, sound bites for what you do. So that every time you.

[Kyle Reed]

What problem do you solve?

[Annie F. Downs]

Every time you stand up in front of the people who go, People go and eat dinner there. They buy a ticket. There's like 60 people. What do you say every time you stand up? What's the sign? What does the sign say when you walk in? What is the email that you send? Post they're trying to solve. I think that's something that people can do inside of a personal brand, is they think showing up is just making content. So I'm just gonna make an Instagram post. The reality is, is you actually need a messaging campaign, which is what we've been talking about, or some kind of talking points or sound bites or a controlling idea that you hit over and over and over.

[Kyle Reed]

Yep.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's where the content comes.

And it comes between. Here's what I wanna make. And over time, here's what the audience actually wants from me.

Yeah.

So you start with that.

How'd you discover that for you? As you. Cause you blog. Start a blog.

Yes.

To be an author.

Yes.

And then that evolved very quickly. How did you figure that out?

As I kept making what I wanted to make, people kept saying, that's not what we want.

Interesting.

And so I was going like, no, no, no. I want to tell you about.

[Kyle Reed]

This can be disheartening, I would think.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, for sure. Because I don't. I didn't. The four labels you put on me today are not the ones I would have picked. But it's what the audience kept saying, hey, we see this about you, and we need to understand that. We'd like to understand that for our lives. And so you're right. What someone like a Chef Steven could start doing, and he is doing is, here's what we do, here's the needs we meet. And then people say, but do you also sell flowers? Could I come buy flowers? And he goes, why is everyone asking about flowers? Okay, we should start saying, here's the best place to buy your fruits, your vegetables and your flowers, you know?

[Kyle Reed]

And so that's what sort of incorporate.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes. But that one took time for me to start going, oh, man. Everyone is asking me about this one particular thing, whatever that particular thing is in the season a lot of times. Because I'm most known for my books about courage and fun. Those are things I'm most known for. And so which. Great. Why not? It could be way worse than seven, I'm guessing, bro. With A seven set of wings. Right? I mean, when I'm in the office, my 8 is pretty, pretty significant. But yes, I am a 7 for sure. And so when someone walks up to me and says, you've really helped me, I usually can know it's in one of those two buckets, because that's what I have made and what people have asked for. And the only coaching anyone's ever asked me to do as a coaching label is fun coaching. Really? Yes. People want help with books. Sometimes people want help with podcasts, but we do that in the that sounds fun network side. But when they come up to me, help me solve a problem, it's a fun problem every time.

[Kyle Reed]

Huh? Like, they're not having enough fun.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

Or their family's not having fun and there's a block.

[Annie F. Downs]

There's some sort of block in their fun and they want me to solve it.

[Kyle Reed]

Interesting.

[Annie F. Downs]

It happens. We've sat and thought about how to do a fun coaching cohort and do like a mlm. I mean, if you knew how many times we've been like, how do we do a certification for fun coaching with absolutely no education? Like, what would we do? What classes? Yeah, there's something there. And we're. Because what? Everyone feels trapped in a way. That's why they're coming to any of us for help. They feel trapped in a way. And the ones who are coming to me feel stuck in either the spot they are in life or stuck in a problem and they're in pain. And so who better to run to when you're in pain and want to get out than a seven? Because a seven's gonna be like, yeah, let me show you 18 escape hatches. This is what I do.

[Donald Miller]

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[Annie F. Downs]

When I've talked with people about starting something, you know that my favorite line they use is, you know, I've had to get over like going viral and I'm okay with doing that. And I always laugh because I'm like, okay, glad you're moved on from going viral after your first post. But I think the message I take from what you just said, I think it's important our audience hears is there is something though about starting and starting and being consistent.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah, let's talk about consistency. How often. And I realize this changes so quickly. I mean, we used to say, hey, at least once a week. Can you imagine once a week? Now it's every day. You know, you've got to hit your social media at least once a day. And honestly, the brands that I follow, I mean, it's three and four times a day.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

You know, they're text messaging me and I'm seeing their Instagram posts. I mean, they're fricking up in my grill.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

And I'm curious from your perspective, like how often, if you're trying to build a personal brand, do you need to communicate something?

[Annie F. Downs]

Well, I think it depends on the outlet you're going to. So TikTok, in order to really hit on TikTok, I think you have to post three or four times a day. So I'm not doing it because A, I don't have the sole bandwidth to be that person on TikTok. Well, the biggest day is I tried to have it on my phone to do R and D and I was addicted immediately.

[Kyle Reed]

TikTok.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes, Dawn, I'm telling you, my second night of having it, I got the hey, do you want to stop and take a break and go to sleep? It was that good and that addicting. And I sleep in a bed by myself and so I have nothing else to entertain me. And I was like, oh, I can't do this particular app because I can't create on it because I can't behave with it. And so it became a non starter for me as a person now. So I don't have the sole bandwidth to do TikTok for me. And for three to four times a.

[Kyle Reed]

Day it's also a Chinese data mining organization.

[Annie F. Downs]

To be true, this is not a conspiracy theory.

No, it's not a conspiracy. The. I knew your answer to this. Oh yeah, I already knew.

[Kyle Reed]

There's a reason I'm not on TikTok and it looks like.

[Annie F. Downs]

Let me just explain.

[Kyle Reed]

One month ago, I'm in the office of China Policy at national security. And I mentioned that and they all just said it absolutely is. Please tell the public this is exactly what this is. You're doing the woodwork right now. It's not a joke.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes, fair. Okay. So for that outlet, I think for the others, Don, honestly, the first thing I would say to a creator is the thing that matters most is you are rested enough and have a full enough soul to do the work you want to do. If you're gonna be 15 miles radius, famous and impactful, you have to have what it takes to do the job every day. And if that means social media comes second, it has to come second. We have to say us to pastors, we have to say us to leaders of like, you cannot bow to social media or it will steal your soul.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah. And so everybody I know who it's not true about everybody, but everybody I know who has a successful presence on social media hates it.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's right.

[Kyle Reed]

They wish they could quit.

[Annie F. Downs]

If I could do my job without social media, I absolutely would.

[Kyle Reed]

Me too.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, I would. And you just. I can't. But I don't do it all. I have some of my team do pieces of it. But I'm with you so long. Answer to your question. I think once a day is about what I do on socials right now. But I'm also writing some things. I mean, I've got. I only have so many hours and so I am doing about once a day posting and once a day storying right now. Now I'm strategic about what time of day I do it because I've paid attention to my analytics and I am paying attention to when are people watching for me. So an example is Saturdays are my day off. I don't get on the Internet if I can help it. I'm not. I don't do a single ding dang thing. But Saturday after Saturday dinner time and Sunday dinner time are my hot moments when people. When my content does the best.

[Kyle Reed]

Fascinating.

[Annie F. Downs]

And so often I don't do anything Saturday night. But I'm very thoughtful about what I put up Sunday after dinner because whatever I do Sunday after dinner is going to be seen by the most people.

Okay.

And so I'm usually.

[Kyle Reed]

You actually know a little bit of the algorithm.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

Yes. Yeah, yeah. And so then I have released myself from like shabby posting right now. And it's like, no, the actual best time this weekend is Sunday after dinner, so just don't worry about it. And Sunday after dinner post the thing that you've either written earlier this week or And I try to do heartfelt Sunday evenings. I try to do something that, like, will matter. We. We are a faith and lifestyle brand. That's what we are. Afd that we are faith and lifestyle brand. And so I'm trying to meet faith and lifestyle all the time together. And so that's what I try to do the most on Sunday evenings.

Can we get a little. I'd like to get a little granular.

Yeah, let's do it.

You know, Don kind of has his system of creating content. He. He. I've watched him do it. He's kind of got his thing. What. How do you go about creating content for yourself? Is there a system? Do you like to start with words? Do you like. Are you native to Instagram where you're like, I can make a video here. Walk me through that. Yeah, I think that'd be beneficial for anyone listening. What's your kind of granular process for that?

I like reels. I like making reels. I'm not very good at them. So what I do is I do all the videoing of them, and then I send them to our video producer, Craig, and he makes them for me and he says, when do you need them back by? And I go, let's. Let's share them this week. So if there's anything that is, like, time sensitive, I just handle it. If it's a real about. So here's one that I'm about to do is I changed my shower faucet thing. Is that the right word?

The faucet sounds good.

The shower head y. It sat. It's a podcast sponsor. It sat in my house for two months.

[Kyle Reed]

You have a shower head podcast sponsor?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, bro.

[Kyle Reed]

That's. Get in the game.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's impressive.

Get in the game. Impressive. It is so fun. Yeah. And it's great.

[Kyle Reed]

That's the only shower head I could. Jolie, Jolie.

[Annie F. Downs]

So it sat in my house for two months because I thought, I don't know how to do this. And then this narrative starts in my brain. There are just things in my house I don't know how to do. If I was married, if I had someone out, da, da, da, da. So it sat in my house.

[Kyle Reed]

Let me just explain this to you. If you were married, you would still have nobody in your house.

[Annie F. Downs]

There's a real chance. There's a real chance that would still be sad. My wife is married.

[Kyle Reed]

She could also learn from your post.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes. So here's what I did. We made the reel. I made the reel of. And when I changed it it took me four minutes. Everything was in the box. I just never opened the box. My content will be about faith. Hey, you think there are things you can't do. I believe that too, but actually, everything I needed was in the box. I'm curious if the problem you're facing if everything you need is right there and you just don't know it. And there's a lot of hope here.

[Kyle Reed]

You're teaching a sermon through a Sherman head.

[Annie F. Downs]

Through a shower head.

[Kyle Reed]

Shower. Through a Sherman.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

Yes, that's exactly right. So that is the faith and lifestyle where they meet. The lifestyle is. I got a new showerhead.

[Kyle Reed]

This is gonna dramatically expand my social media abilities now, you know? Cause there's like a snake. There's a rat snake around our house. She shows up on our front porch every night.

[Annie F. Downs]

You do this already, though.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah, but I could just walk around and go, what's the snake in your life?

[Annie F. Downs]

That's exactly right.

[Kyle Reed]

And are you afraid to pick up this snake that Don jump.

[Annie F. Downs]

Did you pick it up?

That would go. I'm about to go bananas. That would go bananas. Because people.

But you do this. You do this with your content, though.

Yeah, you do. That's what I was gonna say. You did a dating one not long ago that all my friends and I watched.

[Kyle Reed]

Really?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

Well, here's the thing.

[Annie F. Downs]

You do this. Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

As much as here.

[Kyle Reed]

Now talk to me about this. If I do business content.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

Which is what? Just by the way, how I make my living.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

Is business content and coaching certifications and things like this. I get like 12 likes if I do. How do you know if your boyfriend's a narcissist? I get 6 trillion likes, which. I don't have any products on that whatsoever. What do you do when the wind is blowing a direction you don't want to sail? Now, it's not that I don't want to sail that. It's just that, like, I'm not the relationship guy.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah. And I know a little bit because I'm 50 something.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

But you know, what do you do with that? Where it's like the world wants you to talk about something that.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's the pay attention part. Right. I mean, that's the same. Yes. That's exactly how I got to where talking about being unmarried is a central thing I talk about now.

[Kyle Reed]

Because everybody.

[Annie F. Downs]

Because the one time I would do it, it would.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah, yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

And so they would show up, and then it was like, well, I'm not interested in doing that again because I don't Want to be there. Because here's what I thought, Don, if I become the poster child for single women, I'm going to stay single forever. I am making.

[Kyle Reed]

That's the lie that you.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's right.

[Kyle Reed]

Which is bullshit, by the way.

[Annie F. Downs]

Thank you.

[Kyle Reed]

That's not true.

[Annie F. Downs]

Thank you. Yeah. A does not equal B in that story. And so. But there are a of our friends who go, well, I don't want to talk about this in my personal brand because I wish this wasn't true of me. And you go, I understand. Just because you wish this wasn't true if you. Doesn't mean it.

[Kyle Reed]

You know, one reason, like, in my personal faith journey, I talked once about not being much of an attender of church. Let's just say it that way. And I backed out of that so fricking fast. Not because I don't have a lot to say. I actually have a lot to say because I don't want to be that guy.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's right.

[Kyle Reed]

Like, I don't want to be the guy who, like, found faith outside of institutional religion. I don't want to be that guy. Let's. We'll go over here in the corner. We'll whisper about it.

[Annie F. Downs]

I'm that way about my physical health. I'm that way about my body. I'm like, I understand y' all are seeing whatever you're saying about my body. You have thoughts about my body. I'm just actually not going to talk about that right now. Like, maybe at some point, but. But I'm with you. That. That the. I stepped into it one time.

[Kyle Reed]

There are things that you can be known for that you can't get unknown.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, that's right.

[Kyle Reed]

Right. You can't get unknown for that because it is such a sort of felt need area of interest. And I would actually caution people. You are directing. You are directing your life. You are directing hundreds of conversations from here on out. And yes, people are gonna be super, super interested, and you're gonna get a lot of attention for it. Is this the attention that you want? And there is part of me that goes, look, if you want to talk about simple strategies on the American political system, if you want to talk about simple strategies to make more business, you want to talk about growing a small business. I'm in all day long because it's what I want to talk about. You want me to talk about this, which occasionally I will do, but I'm not going that far because I don't actually want to have. Those conversations aren't very interesting to me.

[Annie F. Downs]

Okay. So my other question for you though, Don, when you're talking about your content, between the narcissist, the boyfriend narcissist, and the business is. One of my friends who works here often says holidays are our biggest days because people are working on their side. Hustle, huh? And so she says, I have a busier day because this story brand people are paying attention. Cause they're not at their everyday job right now.

[Kyle Reed]

Oh, that's interesting.

[Annie F. Downs]

I'm curious if you post on a holiday about business, if that's gonna go farther. Because that's when business people who are inside of us. Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

It's worth experimenting with.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's it too. It's experimenting.

[Kyle Reed]

How do you make more money off Christmas while you're.

[Annie F. Downs]

How do you. While everybody else is at the lake.

[Kyle Reed]

And you're sitting here building, make a million dollars on Christmas Day is now available to you?

[Annie F. Downs]

I do think there's a principle, though, inside of that. One of the things I appreciate about what you have created your brand and who you are is it's authentic to you. So a lot of the stuff that comes out is not fake. It's not phony. It's not trying to be someone else. It is authentically you. When you ask what sounds fun, that's a legit question that you want to know. And I think that that that's something that can think. Oftentimes people show up and feel like they have to be someone else or they have to talk in a certain style or I saw that guy in the car with his tie on. I'm going to try that. There's a blend of authentic authenticity and value. And I think that's why people sometimes show up for the dating stuff. Because it's authentic, it's good. People are looking for that next step ahead is what I see. And that's why it goes crazy. And it's just super shareable. Yeah, that's the other. Like, let's skip over. This is super shareable because it's a broader audience versus go take this business.

And I mean, certification. Single women are sitting on their phones looking for dudes. It's what we do. So when we're on socials and we see, is my boyfriend a narcissist? We're like, is he. Is that what happened with that guy that I just broke up with or just broke up with me? So it's just very. It's meeting a real felt need and people who already care about Donald Miller. Right. Like it's shooting fish, you know, it's Interesting.

[Kyle Reed]

If I talk about business kind of as a business, as a guy who's grown, a successful business, you know, interest level is maybe 2 on a scale of 1 to 10. Because there are just so many people doing that. It's a flooded market.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes.

[Kyle Reed]

But if I actually talk about the fact that I'm wired as an artist and a memoirist of all things, like the most artsy fartsy, sit around your underwear and write books, running a successful business, interest is up to like six.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, that's right.

[Kyle Reed]

You know what I mean? Because it's like, okay, this is, that's a different angle on the problem, that you're not actually wired to do this. You've had to figure out structures and processes. And I only say that to say, what is that for you? Like, what is that for the listener? What's your sort of unique angle in the category that you are inside?

[Annie F. Downs]

And it may be worth surveying for all of our friends watching. Listen, maybe we're surveying your people. When we did a survey a couple years ago and said, you know, are you married, are you single, do you work, do you have kids? 9% of my audience was stay at home moms. We're like, oh, no wonder we're not getting any interaction in the day. All my people work.

Yeah.

And so everything we're sharing at 11am is doing nothing because 9% of my audience is home. 91% of my audience is interested at 6pm Yep. Or at 6am that's the other really hot time for me is if I'll post anything about reading the Bible that morning or a worship song or my morning rhythms in the six to seven central bananas. Because 91% of my audience hasn't gone to work yet.

[Kyle Reed]

Yeah, that's really good.

[Annie F. Downs]

And so that has, that helps a lot. So asking, asking your, hey, what do you want from me? What is the thing? What is the problem you'd like me to help you solve? If you just put that Instagram box up there or, you know, and your 15 mile radius, people answer you. You go, oh, everyone's asking me about biscuits. I had no idea they cared about my biscuit recipe. I thought they wanted me to teach them how to trap flies. And they want a biscuit recipe and you go, I should shift.

Yeah. So, okay. So you.

[Kyle Reed]

Any biscuits?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, biscuits. You've written books, you've started a podcast, podcast network, you've gone on tours. What. Where are you seeing the landscape going next? For. For you, for brands, for people? What's, what's on the horizon?

Oh, what's on the horizon? You know, I think we're seeing this with Nate Bargazzi. We're seeing this with the chosen. We're seeing this with some of these Amazon prime partnerships. There is a real market for family friendly content. I think, I think a lot of it. The election indicated that the heartland has a lot of power and I think that, that Amazon is. I know Amazon's putting a ton of money into that. And so I think this is a really interesting time for personal brands that are family friendly and even faith or not faith, but family friendly. I mean, one of the things I love about Nate is he doesn't spend a ton of time talking about his faith. Because what was true about eight years ago is you were either a dirty comic or you were a talk about the church comic. Those were the options. And now there's this really cool middle ground of people going, like, I don't have to make that kind of content. I also don't have to just do church stuff, whether it's comedy or books or whatever. I don't have to go like all the way into the church. I can make things that are family friendly right here in the middle. And so. And that's a pretty big audience. I mean, if you look at what Nate's building. Yeah, there is an audience. I mean, I am like, he's playing chess when other people are playing checkers. Right now, right?

Yes.

And so I'm watching him and going like, I want to build like that. So that's kind of what I'm working on, Kyle, is how do we keep expanding? What I used to say when books were my main thing is when you walk into a bookstore, I want you to walk into any section and find a book from Annie F. Downs.

Okay.

I want to be your friend in any section of the bookstore because then I think eventually you will work your way to the faith books.

Interesting.

And that is my long term goal, is that people experience Jesus through my life. And so whether that's the hope conversations about being single or the podcast or the books, that is the trusted. If I'm gonna be a trusted bridge, he's the end goal in the end. So I want them to work their way around a bookstore. Now I'm going, I want you to work your way around every type of media and bump into me. So we have TV dreams and magazine dreams and more books and expanding podcasting. And so all of that is how do we show up in anywhere you want to go? We love going into parties and restaurants where a Friend is already there. Like, I'm just going to. I'm going to look for my friend and I'm going to walk right to my friend. I want to be that.

[Kyle Reed]

That's a great way to look at it.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, I just. When someone walks into a room, a podcast.

[Kyle Reed]

What's Annie Downs think about this health and fitness trend? What Annie Downs think about growing their own tomatoes.

[Annie F. Downs]

Because we're already friends. They feel like we're already friends. That is the.

[Kyle Reed]

You're really selling your perspective.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

I wonder what this person's perspective is on X, you know, which is what.

[Annie F. Downs]

Which is what social media is today.

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

Which is a. It's going to be a fun perspective. It's going to be a lighthearted perspective. It's going to be a somewhat, you know, candid perspective, somewhat vulnerable and a female perspective and a single person's perspective. That'd be neat to do a little exercise if you're trying to build a personal brand on. What's unique about your perspective?

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, that's right.

[Kyle Reed]

What's your neat. What's unique about your perspective on this? And then lean into that to test the waters.

[Annie F. Downs]

That would be the controlling idea of this, I think. Whole.

[Kyle Reed]

We arrived.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yes, we made it. Because, truth be told, 90% of Instagram is people consuming, and the numbers actually probably higher than that. There's very few creating feels like. But, yeah, most people are consuming, and there is an opportunity there for people to get that perspective.

And you know what?

[Kyle Reed]

You can trust this. I had this experience yesterday. I flew to Atlanta and spoke somewhere and flew back. And Dan Cathy and Horst Schulze spoke the session before me. Now, this is the guy who made Ritz Carlton what it is and the guy who made Chick Fil A what it is. Both known for exceptional. Exceptional customer service and attention to people and dignifying the humanity of everybody they meet and treating everybody they meet like that person is Jesus. I mean, Dan Cathy literally said, turn on your airdrop and I'm going to give you my personal phone number to the audience.

[Annie F. Downs]

Oh, my gosh.

[Kyle Reed]

Right? And I got up afterwards and thought the whole time, I'm going, okay, I love these guys. I'm an introvert who gets drained.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, that's right.

[Kyle Reed]

Talking to strangers. I mean, it's like, just cut me open and bleed me out. And I thought, do I tell this audience that? And so I got up and I went, you know what? That was amazing. I agree with everything those guys said. I'm the opposite. I can't do it. I can't so how do you be an introvert? And the whole audience was fricking leaning in.

[Annie F. Downs]

Of course they were.

[Kyle Reed]

They were leaning in because they were like, yeah, those guys are right. And so are you.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, that's right.

[Kyle Reed]

You just.

[Annie F. Downs]

Because you connected with every personality in that room that went like, that's so cool. But I can't do that either.

[Kyle Reed]

But not only that, they were like, the balls of this dude.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah, that's exactly right.

[Kyle Reed]

To get up and go, hey, they're absolutely right. They're absolutely right. And I can't do it.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah.

[Kyle Reed]

So how do I do it? That's exactly when I can't do that.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's exactly.

[Kyle Reed]

And I was like, you know, I think I just learned something about telling the truth and being who you are.

[Annie F. Downs]

Yeah. You know, and you said the word earlier. Perspective. I think you nailed it. That's what people are looking for.

[Kyle Reed]

Here's my perspective. Here's an introvert's perspective on customer service.

[Annie F. Downs]

There's a lot of noise out there, and people are looking for trusted perspectives that help them. Makes sense of the world.

[Kyle Reed]

That buttons it up right there.

[Annie F. Downs]

That's it. Well, Annie, thank you so much.

Thanks, guys.

Tell everybody listening a you know where they can find you. But what's. What's coming up. You got book tour. What's going on?

I'm embarrassingly easy to find. Marketing brain will love. I'm just Annie F downs everywhere. That's anywhere you need me. That's how you can find me. If you're walking into a party, that's where you can find me. I'm going on tour this fall with Kane, which is really interesting. 40 cities, 10 weeks, brutal schedule. We'll see how that goes.

[Kyle Reed]

40 cities in 10 weeks, right? Yeah.

[Annie F. Downs]

Weird that I'm not married, huh? Weird that I, as much as I'm home, fall in love with guys on the road all the time. So, I mean, that's kind of what we're working on now. And it is. It is a really fun. I'm having a lot of fun making things good and being. I like that. I like that people think we're friends. And so I'm having a lot of fun being out places and people coming up and saying, I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like we're friends. I'm like, doesn't sound crazy. Sounds like I'm doing my job like I want to. Sounds like I'm right on mission.

[Kyle Reed]

Yep.

[Donald Miller]

Thanks for listening to the why that Worked podcast, presented by StoryBrand AI. If you like the show. Follow wherever you get your podcasts. And if you're Enjoying this on YouTube, hit that subscribe button and leave a comment letting us know what you think and what you want the guys to talk about in a future episode. Curious about how StoryBrand AI can help you create clear, effective messaging? Well, you can try it out right now and create a free customized TIP tagline for your business. Just go to storybrand AI. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time.