Power of Influence: Elizabeth Holmes & the art of a franchise
The first time I came across an Elizabeth Holmes ‘So Many Thoughts’ Instagram story, I knew it was something special. Before that moment, the ‘Instagram story’ function lacked a certain depth for me. Yes, there was the lighter fare of influencer selfie streams and boomerangs, and some more serious photojournalism with article swipe-ups, but none of it married the information and the tool in an original way.
Elizabeth effectively took her fashion reporting expertise, her interest in the British royal family and applied it to ‘stories’ in such a compelling way that it’s no surprise she’s grown the franchise to live events, a New York Times bestselling book, merch and beyond. Not to mention that she’s also become an influencer herself inspiring a community passionate about her writing, infertility awareness [and three adorable children], challenges of working and momming from home, fashion, nap dresses and of course, the royals.
If you are new to ‘So Many Thoughts’ or SMT, for short, here is a breakdown: When the royal family does a public appearance - think charities, holidays, anniversaries, etc. - photos are released to media outlets and the public for purchase by photographers [note: Elizabeth avoids SMT’ing paparazzi photos because of the unhealthy culture they perpetuate, which we love]. Elizabeth then goes to town breaking down and explaining all different facets of the images. She goes into the fashion first and explains if something is a repeat outfit, for example, or the significance of the designer, color scheme, jewelry, shoes, hairstyle. She offers historical context, relevance to today and weaves in her own point of view here and there. And, for the most part, she does it on a single story slide. (!!!)
She shares so many insights and her voice is so enthusiastic that it’s hard to not get swept into the excitement with her. Every SMT is incredibly produced - don’t be fooled with the fact it’s only one slide - building something like this takes a ton of time and effort. Her information is so robust -- to the point that many news outlets link back to her and she’s become a first-stop for coverage of the royals. Curious about her coverage around recent royals events, like the Harry & Meghan Opah interview? Get comfy and read through her detailed Instagram highlights. We guarantee you will learn so much.
As fellow entrepreneurs and moms at M.T. Deco, we are fascinated by how Elizabeth not only made the shift from traditional journalism at the Wall Street Journal to venturing out on her own. She’s growing a personal and business brand simultaneously while monetizing them. That takes major skill. And, bonus, she’s generous with documenting that process, which we love and makes us feel even more invested in her success.
For example, just this week she posted a series of stories explaining to her community that she wants to grow ‘So Many Thoughts’ and in order to do that she needs to find appropriate revenue streams, which includes sponsorships. Then, just as if it was a podcast episode or commercial break, her stories broke into a series of sponsored content with Acorn TV, a British content streaming channel, and culminated with an Instagram Live with her husband Matt [also, in a nod to her news background, it was tied to Will and Kate’s 10-year wedding anniversary. Gotta have a news peg!]. It felt natural, she was open with her audience - which is what we always encourage, especially when you are introducing something new or different - and the content collaboration felt organic to her brand. If you are going to work with sponsors, this is a great example of how to do it and how to bring your community into the process without turning them off.
Backing up though, and before even thinking about sponsorships, it’s important to take note of what she is doing so well organically. Here is a look at her tactics we can all take note of for our own digital strategies →
Substantive content matters -- Avoid getting distracted by what others are creating on social platforms and focus on what you are uniquely good at, and work at doing it incredibly well. Don’t worry so much about followers and engagement until you have your content strategy locked in. You’ll establish a much stronger, multi-platform brand with staying power this way
Enhance a platform experience -- Before you jump into publishing on a platform, get to know it, learn your competitors and look for opportunities where you can create something new and different. When you are able to bring valuable content to your audience in an effective, interesting way, you’ll make the magic happen
Voice plays a big role, work on it -- Voice is tricky, which is why we’re focusing on it throughout the month of May. It’s really the glue that holds all your content together, it’s the reason why your community builds a relationship with you - why they like and are INVESTED in you - and it’s what makes you human. All the other stuff, the content pillars, branding, it doesn’t come together without an effective and consistent brand voice
If you want your community to behave like your friends, treat them as such -- Community building comes about with all the spaces in between the content publishing and voice. It’s how things are served up, understanding your community and how you bring value to them, and most importantly, how you bring them together. Be open. Be vulnerable. Communicate. It will payoff
The final and biggest takeaway is that her content is unique. There are plenty of people obsessed with the royal family, experiencing infertility, or writing books, but it’s the unique blend of all of them, bolstered by the SMT franchise and tied together with her engaging voice that takes it to the next level. When we say stick to what you know and be yourself, Elizabeth is the perfect role model for why and how to do that. We love her for it and can’t wait to see where she takes ‘So Many Thoughts’ next!