Cut the BS: The Struggle for Authenticity in Social Media | Untamed Social Podcast

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Rachel Strella: Welcome to Untamed Social. I'm Rachel.

Laney Goff: And I'm Laney.

Rachel Strella: Today's topic is awesome. We're going to talk about Cut the BS, the struggle for authenticity in social media.

Laney Goff: Yeah, because it's a struggle for a lot, I feel like.

Rachel Strella: Yes, um, it really is. I think that it's not getting better. I think that, like, our lives are lived on our phone now, so we're really putting up that, like, front that our life is so great. It's so perfect.

Laney Goff: Yeah, and I feel like most of the content that we consume these days, it's people doing the same thing. So then, the level is raised, the expectation is raised for how we have to show up, and so, it just is getting worse and maybe not better. I feel like in the beginning there for a little bit, like a couple years ago, there was like this shift, right? From this really polished look with your social media and we were starting to get into a more authentic vibe, but now I'm not quite sure that we're there anymore.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, and I mean, and AI isn't helping either. Um, there's a lot going on there. But that's a whole other topic for another day.

Laney Goff: Yeah.

Rachel Strella: Um, you know, for us, we're in a unique situation because, well, we're kind of leaders of a company. So, um, you know. We kind of have to lead with authenticity and especially in this business, we run a social media business.

Rachel Strella: We've got team, we've got ourselves, we've got our clients. Um, you know, and I think we do a really good job of that in our roles, uh, because we're so different, you know, and unique and we really embrace those strengths. Like I'm the anal project manager, you know, and you're more of the creative kind of free spirit.

Rachel Strella: And I think it really, it works well for our type of business.

Laney Goff: Yeah, I think that with us being kind of different, it allows us to show up more as ourselves and more authentic because people know what to expect. Um, and I think it gives them diversity because if you have people on the team who are more like you and they are more detail oriented and, you know, really great at project management, then they're going to gravitate towards you.

Laney Goff: Whereas if there's somebody like Anna on the team who really thrives in creativity and that side of things, then they're going to gravitate more towards me. So I feel like it helps our team too to have that diversity.

Rachel Strella: Absolutely. And I think it's great that we could showcase that we embrace our strengths, you know, we're not trying to be something that we're not. And I think that's a good way to kind of tell our team how to embrace their own strengths as well.

Laney Goff: Yeah, I think so too. I think that, um, obviously in leadership, you know, what you portray is what your team is going to, to do. So, um, in fact, recently I was in, uh, a webinar with, um, James, what is his last name, that writes, uh, the Atomic Habits book.

Rachel Strella: Oh, yeah.

Laney Goff: I can't remember his last name. But anyways, um, and even he was talking about that, that like, when it comes to leadership, like, your team is gonna mimic how you are.

Laney Goff: So the more authentic you are, then the more authentic they're willing to be.

Rachel Strella: Absolutely. I totally agree with that. And I think it kind of starts with leadership. And I think one of the things we'll talk about a little bit later, we're going to get into some stories with some celebrities and other stuff. But, you know, it doesn't matter how big your company is. You kind of really have to take it from the top down, you know, if you want other people to distill the same type of characteristics.

Laney Goff: Definitely.

Rachel Strella: Um, and we've been through a lot of different scenarios to with our team, different, um, they call it like right people, right seats. Um, and we've had people in the wrong seats and we've had the wrong people. Um, you know, so we really had to work on, like, what is somebody's true strength and you know how, like, back in the day when we went to job interviews, it would be like, oh, what are your strengths and what are your weaknesses?

Rachel Strella: And even you, you twist your weaknesses, they'd be strengths. You know, now I feel like we've totally embraced, like the culture of being real. About what you're really great at and what you're not so that we could work with each other that way.

Laney Goff: Yeah, and I think that's something that works really well within Strella also is the idea of the right people in the right seats, but also we want to keep people in what they're great at. Um, you know, as much as it's helpful to have people doing lots of different things, we also know that we're not going to get the best results if we don't have them like authentically in the place that they love to be.

Laney Goff: So if they're doing a bunch of tasks that they're not enjoying, then their work isn't going to match up with that. Um, so I think that that's something that we've done really well. And by we, I mean you, you've done really well is making sure that, you know, not only are they able to like authentically be themselves, but they can authentically love what they're doing.

Rachel Strella: Right, absolutely. And I, I totally think that we do that well. And, and we, we check in with our team to make sure that we're on the right track, you know. And you have to be willing to accept feedback from the team as well. Like if we're not doing something that they feel like we should be doing. And I think that's a big part of being an authentic leader as well, is being able to accept feedback.

Laney Goff: For sure.

Rachel Strella: Yeah. Well, let's talk about our clients for a minute, because that's fun. Uh, you know, here's the thing I've learned about social media. A lot of people just don't really know what they don't know. You know, and they're used to living in like the professional world, where you show up and this is how you did certain things.

Rachel Strella: You know, social media has totally changed the game. And we have some clients who struggle, you know, to find their voice or authenticity online. Because it's just new for them. Um, so I thought we could talk a little bit about like how we guide them in that circumstance. Cause I know we just had a really interesting conversation with one of my clients on Monday, um, about his blog, because it's very technical, lots of information, but I need to know who this guy is.

Rachel Strella: Why would I want to work with him? You know, and really…

Laney Goff: Yeah.

Rachel Strella: That has to come through and pulling that out takes some time. You know, you really have to give them concrete examples.

Laney Goff: Yeah, you definitely do and I think that's one of the reasons why we have kickoff meetings. In my mind, I am, I am there to listen to how they're talking about their business, how they're, you know, using language and what their tone is, because I feel like the more that we can really evaluate how they show up in person, then that allows us to show up exactly like them on social media, um, which I think also is a struggle for a lot of people when they are looking for social media management is they're like, am I gonna find somebody who can really like show up and talk to my audience the way that I would talk to them. Um, mainly younger clients, I feel like struggle with that.

Laney Goff: The older ones are more like yeah, keep it real professional and you know and I don't think that they understand that that they wouldn't talk I mean, there are some instances where they would speak like that in real life, but you know for this specific client, you know, he works one on one with these businesses and these CEOs and when you talk to him, he's very straightforward, very blunt, tell it like it is, and his blogs aren't necessarily showing that.

Laney Goff: And I think that people actually like to hear somebody who's going to tell them the hard truth, the things that they don't want to hear.

Rachel Strella: Yes, that makes it relatable too, you know, you don't want to, you can get this type of technical information anywhere, you know, you really want to know what you're going to get by working with this particular person and you have to have that personality, you know, and the way that they handle things kind of shine through.

Rachel Strella: Um, so, you know, one of the things that we try to get people to understand, too, is like this, they've got to have some sort of authenticity to have long term success on social media. Um, and Laney's like, you're so good at explaining that to our clients. Um, I would love to hear you just pitch to me.

Rachel Strella: I'm a client. How should I be sustainable, you know, um, and authentic? And why does that matte long term?

Laney Goff: Yeah, well, at the end of the day, you know, social media is flooded with all kinds of people in every industry. Whether you think that you've got something special or not, at the end of the day, you don't. You don't. Somebody else is probably doing what you're already doing. So, what actually puts a spin on what you do and makes you unique is how you show up.

Laney Goff: People buy people. And they're not going to buy your product or your service. They're buying into you as a human. And so if you're not showcasing your true personality on social media and it feels stiff and they can't differentiate you between, you know who you are and Joe Blow, who's doing the exact same thing, then they're less likely to buy from you.

Laney Goff: If you're not showcasing who you are, it's about creating that relationship based on personality, which means you have to have your personality actually come through.

Rachel Strella: Yes, absolutely. 100 percent agree. And again, it's a struggle, you know, it's a struggle if you're not used to that. It takes some time to get used to it, but once you see that, you know, like a great example, we work with a comedian. Um, you can't get more authentic than a guy who's, who's a, who's a heavy guy making fun of himself in something called fat milestones.

Rachel Strella: Um, you know, and I just love that and it's funny because it is relatable and it is authentic and that's what works. So.

Laney Goff: I wanna get in my car and drive to my mailbox. It is so relatable.

Rachel Strella: Yes, um, and that's, you know, that's obviously a really easy, you know, example, but, you know, I just think everybody should start thinking like that, like, how can I get in my zone or my place where I'm comfortable with myself to be able to showcase how I really am online?

Laney Goff: Yeah, and that I feel like also, especially with this client that we're talking about with this blog, you know, that involves storytelling in all aspects. The best way to showcase your personality, the easiest way is to tell stories, whether that's with past clients or transformations you've experienced yourself.

Laney Goff: That is the easiest way for you to actually portray who you are deep down and relate to other people.

Rachel Strella: Absolutely. I a hundred percent agree. And you're, you're actually, you're going to remember a story more than they were any of the data that you're going to put, you know, in that post. So, gosh, oh man. So where do we want to go from here? Do you know, I think one of the things I've been asked a lot lately is about social media strategies, like, and how do we do that?

Rachel Strella: Like, how do we align our social media strategies, um, for our clients and for our team? So, you know, we said that we have these kickoff meetings, you know, we try to extract as much information as we possibly can, you know, but tying that together into a strategy is really like where the magic happens.

Laney Goff: Yeah, I think it 100 percent is and it all, I think, really correlates with what the tone is for your business. If you are someone who's looking to provide peace, for instance, whether that's like a medical spa or, you know, something like that, where you're you have this more calming tone to your business, then the way that you approach it needs to be incorporated in that strategy.

Laney Goff: It's all about how you actually portray it to people. And if you're coming out and you're like, come on over and get your, uh, massage, you know, like, and no, you want the words to encompass that tone that you want to portray because at the end of the day, you're trying to get that emotional pull.

Now, for instance, with, you know, the client with the blog, with him having a more blunt tone, that's actually a really great way to like show authority in his field.

Laney Goff: And so you want to incorporate that with the strategy. Not only are you going to have a tone that is, is blunt and authoritative. You're also going to have content that matches up with that as far as expertise. So you tell them the truth and then you give them a solution and that's how you line it up together.

Rachel Strella: Perfect, that's a great way to, that's a great analogy for it, great, like, formula. Um, you know, I think one of the things that we do, that, that, when you really think about it and it boils down to it, is we we're building a brand. Like, most people don't realize they already kind of have one because they don't know how to extract what that looks like online, you know, and that's what we're doing for them.

Rachel Strella: We're really translating their brand into the online space and it is a struggle because it's, it is different for a lot of people. You know, when you see the written word or you see it on video, it makes it more permanent. And I think that's scary to people.

Laney Goff: Yeah, I think it definitely is just getting past those fears that you have of judgment is a big one.

Rachel Strella: Yeah.

Laney Goff: But you know most of the time your clients are going to be really in alignment with who you are as a person. Um, and I think people forget that they, especially if like, you know, they're going for somebody who maybe they think in their mind has more money than them or has more education or something like that, then they feel like they aren't leveling up to who their actual client is.

Laney Goff: And the truth is, is that most of your clientele is going to come from people who are exactly like you.

Rachel Strella: Right, right. Or want to be like you. I mean, really?

Laney Goff: Exactly.

Rachel Strella: Yeah. So, let's talk about social media trends for a minute. Because, you know, there are people who, it's kind of a love or hate thing with social media trends. You know, you can jump on that bandwagon and it's like so exciting and you get like that immediate gratification.

Rachel Strella: Because usually it's going to perform well. It's a trend, you know. But then there's also like, well, like, I don't want to do that. I just, that doesn't make any sense to me, you know? And, you know, I've kind of navigated both of those, just trying to play around in my own TikTok. And, and I do get that, like, oh man, this is cool.

Rachel Strella: Like, I just hopped on this trend and I've already got thousands of views. But then I'm also like, well, so what does that do for me?

Laney Goff: Right. It gives you a boost in how you feel about yourself. It's vanity, at the end of the day. Yeah.

Rachel Strella: Not really, but it's cool. It's like, oh, wow!

Rachel Strella: Something I did, people actually liked.

Laney Goff: Yeah, the truth of it, that's what a lot of people are doing, especially these influencers, is that they're, they're looking for that validation for themselves. And the vanity, it feels good. It feels good whenever you see those high views.

Laney Goff: And is it actually meaningful? Is it doing anything for you? Maybe not, but internally it feels nice.

Rachel Strella: Yeah. Yeah. And I, and I know that like, we struggle with that with some of our clients too. Some of them have like the shiny object syndrome or like they see something and they just want to jump on that bandwagon, you know, and it's also like trying to inform them that no, it doesn't really align with your brand though, if you're going to jump on that trend, you know?

Laney Goff: Yeah.

Rachel Strella: And then we have other clients who like, you know, they don't know anything about trends and they don't really get how that would help them anyway. So, but we're also trying to say for your business, maybe it might fit, you know, whatever it is that we have going on. So, it's just trying to inform people of the different things that you want to take advantage of and what you don't want to take advantage of.

Laney Goff: And I feel like it's always one or the other. Like, there's never an in between client. It's always one client who's like, I'm not doing that. Like, that's not me. And then you have the other one who's like, can we please do a trend?

And it's like, that isn't what you should be doing.

Rachel Strella: Totally. You never know what you're going to get. Um, but we, I think we do a good job of trying to get the real selves no matter what it is that they're doing. You know, that authenticity needs to shine through. And I think that's, I think it's, it's hard for people too, who like, you know how some people are writing people, I'm more of a writing people, camera person, you're more of a camera person.

Rachel Strella: If you're like, find a writer person and you tell them to get on camera, it's like deer in the headlights. There's something that's very unnatural for them about that. And then they freak out. Like, you actually see them on camera and they do look unnatural.

Laney Goff: Right, right.

Rachel Strella: You know, just trying to really get them to embrace, like, being comfortable in different types of content forms.That's a challenge sometimes.

Laney Goff: Yeah, it is. But again, I think it all comes down to like, how you speak is, is how you would talk in real person. You're going to attract friends in real life based on how you show up in real life. The same is for video content. If you're talking to the camera like you would to a friend, then you're going to attract the type of people who would want to be your friend at the end of the day.

Rachel Strella: Right. That's a really great way to say it. Just talk to somebody like they're your friend. Like, the camera's on, I know it's weird, but.

Laney Goff: It's definitely weird.

Rachel Strella: You get used to it, right? But talk to somebody like they're, like, like you're talking to a friend, you know?

Laney Goff: I mean, I feel like I definitely have gotten used to like talking on camera, but if I have to do it with other people around me it no.

Rachel Strella: I know what you mean.

Laney Goff: If i'm alone, I'm good, but like if other people are in the mix, nope, it's not happening.

Rachel Strella: I, I know what you mean. Like, if my husband's running around while I'm trying to film a video, something seems really weird about it. I'm like, I gotta wait till he's done.

Laney Goff: And then it makes you question like how authentic am I? You know, like. How authentic am I actually being?

Rachel Strella: I, uh, it's a, hey, it's a challenge for everyone, right?

Laney Goff: Yes, it is.

Rachel Strella: Even the social media experts.

Laney Goff: It really is.

Rachel Strella: Oh, well before we go into a little game we're going to play here, um, is there anything else you want to say about this topic as far as authenticity, social media, professional wise, business wise, anything?

Laney Goff: I think, um, I, I really think that, like I said before, we, we started on this trend of showing up more authentically on social media, but I feel like it's kind of dying a little bit and there is a desperate need for us to pull it back. Um, And I think that there's this creator, I don't know if you've heard of her, but her name is Kylie Pitts, and she's this southern stay at home mom who has blown up on TikTok recently, and, you know, people are in shambles over the fact that she gained like 40, 000 followers in, less than two weeks and she's earned enough money on TikTok that she's bought a new house a new car like she's killing it.

Laney Goff: She's absolutely crushing it and all she does is just show herself cleaning her house on a normal day to day basis with like a voiceover over it. And people can't understand it and at the end of the day, it's because of her authenticity. So that alone is proof that there's a desperate need for authenticity, because it's dying, and she's doing it, and so of course she's getting tons of followers and money.

Rachel Strella: It's kind of like she's on a reality show that she narrates, though.

Laney Goff: Yeah, and she's by herself, she's like washing her curtains every week, you know?

Rachel Strella: I mean, that's actually, I would do it. I would, I would do something like that. Like, I mean.

Laney Goff: Yeah.

Rachel Strella: But does she like, I mean, are you watching her all day? Or is it like, like live streaming? Or is it like she's editing the video for a day?

Laney Goff: No she's editing the video. She might do two or three posts a day. It like she also is really known for like this special coffee that she makes every morning. Um, but like that's really all that it is. She's just showing how she cleans her house every day. So people like that.

Rachel Strella: Hey, you know what? I would do it. I'm, I love reality television. But we all know there's like, not a whole lot of reality in that, but it's as close as I could get to, like, not having to watch the scripted stuff, but I'll tell, I'll give everyone a piece of advice. If they want to feel like really relaxed and more authentic, just get a gummy, a marijuana gummy. That will do the trick.

Laney Goff: Let's all witness it Let's all witness it.

Rachel Strella: If anyone wants the video, see me.

Laney Goff: I hope you know I laughed so hard. I laughed so hard. Like, it was so good.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, word of the wise too. Don't take like a full gummy that's like 50 milligrams all at once and swallow it whole. Pace yourself.

Laney Goff: Your husband was, was feeding you. He was getting your dinner ready. It was so good.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, it was fun. I don't remember much of it. I'm glad I recorded some of it.

Laney Goff: The fact that you thought I need to record this in that moment is amazing.

Rachel Strella: I wish I had recorded the whole night. All right, now that we've had some fun, let's, let's move on to something called Real or Not Real. So we're just going to break down a couple of people that have been known maybe for like their wholesomeness or like their brand online in a certain way, but then other things are coming into the picture.

Rachel Strella: It made me think, well, I don't know if they're like actually legit, like for real people online. So we'll start with Ellen. All right. So I have to admit, I don't have, I only time I've ever watched the Ellen show is when I'm at the dentist and it's on that screen. I never like watched the whole show, but my mom used to talk about all the time and how great Ellen is and all these things that she does in the show gives away things.

Rachel Strella: But she has a brand called Be Kind. Um, which looked into, you know, it's like, it's like sustainable, like really, um, give backy kind of stuff, you know, that's just a little bit more like non cruelty, all that. So, um, that's her brand. And obviously if you've watched her show, she's also all about giving things away, you know, like always giving back.

Rachel Strella: Some reports kind of surfaced that there was some toxic stuff going on with her, her employees and her team. Um, and I read the longest article ever on the whole thing, you know, where employees are basically coming out and saying like, oh, well, her leadership team, um, you know, they were racist. They treated us poorly.

Rachel Strella: They fired us for poor reasons. And, and, you know, obviously Ellen doesn't care.

Laney Goff: Yeah, no, she doesn't care. But I also think, this is what I'm going with not real. Because there's too many people chirping the same things for it not to be true.

Rachel Strella: Well, I mean, if we're talking about brand on their actual person, are they real? Um, I'm actually going to go with real because I run a business and I know how hard it is when you're growing. And she's had like a thousand employees, you know, on that show. Um, I know how hard it is when you have people in place and then things just, you know, seem to crumble at certain places. Now, should I know about it and handle it? Yes, but I think this was just a her, like, trusting her executive team, leadership team to handle things, and like, she didn't hear any issues personally, so how is she to know?

Laney Goff: Mm hmm. Yeah, well, I will say I do think that she is probably authentic in like the giving part of her life. I mean I. There are certain people who just like literally have a heart for giving and I do think that that is authentic. But the way that she shows up on her tv show versus maybe how she is in real life.

Laney Goff: I don't know if I believe that.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, she seems pretty inaccessible. And like, that's not her brand on TV. I will say that. Based on everything that I've read and seen, it's like, she's like locked behind a golden door. Nobody can ever get to her. You know?

Laney Goff: Yeah, yeah.

Rachel Strella: Um, so another one that's really, you know, popular are Kardashians. Um, and you know, specifically I think the things that, there's a lot you could say about all of the different, you know, Kardashians that are part of the show.

Rachel Strella: But, as a family unit, how they kind of portray themselves, you know, like something always happens and then the other family members all rally around to help and they're like, hi, you know, um, but like, we're hearing that's not really how it is. That's just for TV. What do you think?

Laney Goff: I don't know. I think that, um, you know, they share a lot of their lives on social media, obviously their show, but they also on a day to day basis, I'm on Snapchat and I follow Khloe Kardashian on Snapchat, and they're always together. I mean, her and her family are in every single video. Like there's usually not a video where one of the Kardashian sisters or Jenner sisters isn't involved.

Laney Goff: Um, so as far as the family aspect, I think that's authentic. I think they truly, you know, really value each other. Um, I, I, overall, you know, I'm going to go with real all the way across the board because I do think that they're very vain. But I think that's just truly who they are.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, I agree.

Laney Goff: I think that's just truly who they are.

Rachel Strella: Oh, man. Ah, I want to go definitely real on the family side. The social media side the public side is I just don't know for sure. It's so hard. Fame does something to you, you know, and I think that they've gotten so successful, you know, that maybe they aren't always like who they are, um, when they're on social media or whatever they're doing.

Rachel Strella: Like, you know, that's kind of like what their, their brand is now. Like, it's to just be an entertainer. Like, I think about Paris Hilton. One of our clients recently actually met her in person. And, you know, he confirmed that all these things that she's done in the past, and the things that she's been in the media about, that's all just part of her act.

Rachel Strella: It's part of her brand.

Laney Goff: Yeah, right. But I wonder also like if the show and the fame and all of that has really transformed their personalities completely into making that who they are. So like they really now are exactly who they're showing up as because of the fame.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, yeah. It's exactly what I was thinking when I originally mentioned it too. Like, you changed in this process.

Laney Goff: Mhmm, definitely.

Rachel Strella: Yeah. Okay. All right. I do not know how to pronounce this lady's name because I didn't hear about her until today. So.

Laney Goff: Huda Kattan Huda Kattan, she's, she is the CEO, creator, all of that, of, uh, Huda Beauty. And so, she, I'm pretty sure she got her start on like, YouTube, and I mean, people just have always really thought of her as this makeup expert, and that she is, you know, authentic because she kind of shared her life on YouTube and on social media.

Laney Goff: Um, but, really, she, she built her following on that beauty expertise, but some are saying that it's too perfect. Like her life is just too perfect and even though she does share some of her struggles, she's not really like portraying her lifestyle the way that it is on a day to day basis.

Rachel Strella: Okay. All right. Um, one thing that caught my eye. I saw this, uh, one of her profiles. So she has one for the business one for herself. It said, uh, no filters, like no edits, something like that. Um, and all I could think about though, is just looking at her presence. You could tell she's had some work done. Like she's very, like, like you could tell.

Rachel Strella: So I think about that aspect of being real, you know, like, obviously not you own this beauty company. Um, but like, you know, how real are you if like you're saying no filters, but you've obviously had work done?

Laney Goff: Yeah I mean that is one perspective.

Rachel Strella: I'm just saying.

Laney Goff: You're making me feel like I shouldn't get Botox anymore.

Rachel Strella: As long as you don't have no filters all authentic all over your stuff, like.

Laney Goff: It just takes away from my authenticity. Um, I don't know, I, I, this is a hard one, but just because I also like don't follow her too much, but I did recently see a video, um, where they have this new foundation and she did come out and say that there was a big mistake with the launch of it, um, because one of the shade ranges was incorrect and she owned her mistake big time, um, because it was a really, really big deal in the black community because of the shade difference and what it was supposed to be and what was actually produced.

Laney Goff: So. I appreciated overall, like her approach to just fessing up and saying, look, I made a, we made a giant mistake and we're correcting this. So I'm gonna go real.

Rachel Strella: Yeah, yeah, see I, I don't, I didn't actually really follow her until today, so I can't fully make a decision there. Um, but I'll go with real just based on what you've said and if, if that's like sustainably authentic, like she's continued to show up like that, I would say real.

Laney Goff: Yeah. Yeah, I'm with you.

Rachel Strella: Alright, well, I think we're gonna, we're probably gonna have to call it a day, huh?

Laney Goff: Well this was fun, I mean every time that I do one of these and it's somebody new on the team I think it's so cool to see like the different aspects of like our relationships together.

Rachel Strella: Yes. Yeah. Just wait. We're all going to be in the same room soon.

Laney Goff: I know, I'm, God bless anybody that has to witness it.

Rachel Strella: I'll bring the gummies. All right. Well, thanks for tuning in to the Untamed Social Podcast and we will see you next time.

Laney Goff: Bye.