Power of Influence: All hail the Skinny Confidential, our digital strategy queen
Few influencers offer more value to their audience than entrepreneur Lauryn Evarts Bosstick, founder of the lifestyle brand The Skinny Confidential. Hands down. Which is why she’s had such a long and sustained career that started with blogging over a decade ago. We consider ourselves students of Lauryn and not only admire her business savvy, but her ability to juggle it all. She’s an author, her latest book Get the Fuck Out of The Sun is an Amazon bestseller, and a beauty innovator, her Hot Mess ice roller is a must-have to cure facial bloat. She’s also a producer -- her incredibly successful podcast ‘The Skinny Confidential Him and Her’ (which she produces with her husband Michael Bosstick) has nearly 100 million downloads. She’s managed to build a powerhouse, multidimensional brand, and a dedicated community, all while being a mom to daughter Zaza (1.5).
We also admire how Lauryn documents her process in real-time on her digital platforms. She’s real, honest, and fearlessly vulnerable, which makes her feel like a badass, cheerleader friend, even though most of us don’t know her personally.
It’s important to note that while we fan girl over her, it’s not the final results we’re most obsessed with [though how she manages to produce such an aesthetically pleasing Instagram grid is truly an art form], but it’s about the editorial PROCESS and VALUE she consistently brings to her audience. If you read her longform Instagram captions, listen to her podcast, and follow her blog, she loves to “get specific” with lots of “details” and gives actionable takeaways for her audience. She and Michael are also steadfast in their focus to bring a wide range of views and perspectives on their podcast which makes them always stand out. The latest episode with TikTok’s big sister Tinx, deserves its own analysis, [and for any of you sleeping on TikTok, you need to change your ways].
In a world where we’re inundated with lifestyle and self-help content, what Lauryn produces somehow feels fresh and always has a slight twist , like her How to Launch a Brand and be a Mom post or Reese Witherspoon’s Famous Green Smoothie or Why I Shut Down my Facebook Group with over 60K followers. Don’t underestimate the pink aesthetic or her cheeky language, under the gloss, there is so much depth to this content, even in the most subtle ways. It’s not just how to launch a brand, but how to do it as a mom, and it’s not just any green smoothie, it’s Reese Witherspoon’s smoothie, who happens to be a movie star, rockstar businesswoman, and mom, and regardless of the high follower count and engagement in her Facebook group, the discourse got toxic and controversial, so she took control, shut it down and shared why in a meaningful way [brands that need pr advice on navigating controversy should probably solicit her help]. She takes the broad things we care about and makes them specific and unique in micro ways.
Lauryn’s obsession with giving value to her audience has become our mantra as well, and one we instill in all clients. At the end of the day, if you center your digital strategy around creating value that you can uniquely provide for your audience, you will not go wrong. This should always be your primary goal.
In fact, for all of you interested in digital strategy, and besides following M.T. Deco, we insist you check out the TSC podcast. You will learn so much. From newsworthy guests to juicy conversation to wellness tips & tricks to business acumen, Lauryn and Michael hit it all. But for digital strategy specifically, it’s a master class. They discuss the importance of prioritizing your owned platforms over social platforms, building a master brand with staying power [in one episode Lauryn referenced the brands that women like Suzanne Somers, Jane Fonda, and Oprah have built over many years as her inspiration.]. They also cover why having a ton of followers doesn’t mean that much if they aren’t highly engaged . It’s so refreshing and such a gift for people so successful in the digital space [of course don’t underestimate Michael as well!] to explain HOW they do it all. We truly love + thank them for it.
We could keep gushing and do an ongoing series on Lauryn, which maybe we will, but in the meantime, here are some of her practical tips to consider for your own process + digital strategy:
Self-discipline & hyper-organization are key. From batching time to essentialism, to productivity, to perfecting the morning routine, to goal setting, Lauryn values her time above all else and constantly analyzes + tweaks how to be most effective. We can all learn something from her to optimize our own approach.
Multiple businesses can make sense as a whole. Lauryn has successfully built a master brand that started as The Skinny Confidential blog and has since expanded to sub-businesses + revenue streams like the TSC podcast, her books, products and collaborations. It’s a lot, but it also makes sense in this powerful way, built from the ground up. If you want a brand with staying power, she’s plotted a great course to follow.
You need high-quality, value-add content. Lauryn is all about her audience and respecting their time, and producing content that is unique and special, even on the tiniest levels. She is a master at it across all platforms. We can’t say enough about this.
Be fearless about trying new things. The Skinny Confidential started as a blog and has evolved in so many ways, largely because of Lauryn’s openness and willingness to try new things. In the most recent episode of the TSC podcast she asked @Tinx for advice on how to be successful on TikTok. Tinx recommended setting a goal of doing it daily for 21 days and you better believe we’re excited to watch Lauryn tackle that next.
Tune out the noise. In much of her self-care work, Lauryn focuses on being present, spending time in nature, not opening her phone up first thing in the morning, setting boundaries, all with the intention of performing and creating at her highest potential.
Always be curious and open to learning. Besides optimization in business, time, beauty and wellness, Lauryn is also constantly reading [mostly biographies] and pushing herself into new ventures, like when she and Michael conceptualized the TSC podcast over spicy margs in Mexico or launching the Woo More Play sex product line, she does her homework, masters the branding and throws it out into the universe in a high-quality way, over and over again.
At any rate, we believe Lauryn is just getting started and we’re loving watching her on this journey. If you give her a follow, you’ll be sure to be inspired and feel like you, too, can conquer the world.