Month: December 2022

Entrepreneurship/

Use These Tips to Create Popping Social Media Captions for Your Brand

As a copywriter and story strategist for my clients – and for my own business, digital magazine, and personal brand, I know one thing to be true. And that’s the fact that compelling captions are a crucial part of your brand’s social media content. The caption is the most important part of the post, because it can make or break what you’re trying to say. Here are some guidelines:

A good idea…

A good idea is one that stands out. As the saying goes, this phrase is more than just a cliché: it’s a rule of thumb. If your caption is a great idea that can’t be found anywhere else online, you’re on track to building trust with your audience and establishing yourself as an authority on whatever topic you’re discussing.

A good idea should also be relevant to the post. If your caption doesn’t fit what’s going on in the picture or video, people may think that it doesn’t fit at all—and they’ll wonder why you’re wasting their time by posting it anyway!

It’s also important to keep captions short but sweet—especially if they include hashtags. You don’t want someone scrolling through their feed only to have their eyes glaze over when they see your caption!

…and a relevant piece of content.

A good caption should be relevant to the image or video you’re posting. Your caption should also help the reader understand what is happening in the image or video.

…written in one of your brand’s voice.

One of the best ways to get your ideal client or customer to engage with your content is by using captions that are written in one of your brand’s voices. Your brand’s voice is a collection of words and phrases that convey the tone, style, and attitude you’d like to portray on social media. It can be as simple as changing up some words here and there, or it could be more strategic by focusing on a specific type of language (e.g., conversational) or even tone (e.g., funny vs serious).

…that’s complete and concise.

A good caption should be complete and concise. If you’re sharing a photo of your family, then just share the photo! Don’t try to force in information about how much you love them or how cute they are. It’s fine to mention that they’re your family, but adding more information is unnecessary and will detract from the message you’re trying to convey.

Also, avoid over-explaining or rambling on with an explanation of what’s happening in the photo—you can say it once back at home base and let people click through if they want more details. Similarly, don’t use too many hashtags or emojis. Their purpose is not so much for conveying meaning as for categorizing content for search engines (and other users)

…that’s consistent with your other posts.

Consistency is key. If your social media posts are all over the place, you’ll confuse your audience and look unprofessional. When writing a caption, it’s important to think about how this particular post fits in with your other posts as well as what kind of tone and style they have.

If you’re posting on a regular basis and want to be consistent with your content, I recommend using a social media calendar or planner so that you don’t accidentally forget an important post or event!

…that is designed to engage your audience.

While it’s important to use your best judgment, there are a few general tips and tricks that will help you write social media captions that are designed to engage your audience:

  • Use a question.
  • Give them something to look forward to.
  • Make them feel something.

…with a hook that provides an incentive or some kind of reward for the reader.

A good social media caption can be the difference between a post that connects with your audience and one that languishes in obscurity. And what makes it so effective? A hook, of course! The right kind of hook—one that grabs your audience’s attention and holds it long enough to read the whole thing—can turn an otherwise unremarkable post into something worth sharing.

What exactly is a hook? It’s basically any reason or incentive for someone to read your blog post: a question, statement, promise or other element of surprise. They don’t have to be complicated; they just need to make you stand out from the crowd by providing something unique about your content.

Good social media captions are original, complete, concise, consistent, engaging, and rewarding.

To be considered a good social media caption, the following must be true:

  • Originality. There are no generic quotes to be found here! Make sure you come up with something original for your caption.

  • Completeness. You want your caption to convey everything necessary in order for it to make sense and be understood by your followers. It should have a beginning, middle and end that flow together seamlessly. If you’re having trouble finding the right words for your post, try writing down what you think would make this particular post perfect before coming up with some captions—this can help guide your thoughts in the right direction!

  • Conciseness and consistency across all platforms (if applicable). The more concise titles/captions are often more engaging because they don’t require scrolling down past several paragraphs before getting back into reading mode again; this means people will spend less time on each individual page but still feel rewarded by what they read there because there was enough detail provided without being overwhelming or boring at all!

There you have it! A few tips for creating captions that will give your content the boost it needs to stand out in social media. Hopefully, this post has given you some ideas and inspiration for your next post or project.

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Entrepreneurship/

Your Guide to Creating Eye-Catching Flat-Lay Photos for Your Brand

It’s no secret that smartphones have become incredibly powerful photography tools. But did you know that you can use your phone to create beautiful flat lays?

Flat lay photography is a way of taking photos of items that are laid out on a flat surface. You can use notebooks, pens, pencils, food, flowers, beauty products- simply any type of everyday item that makes sense for the theme of your photo.

I love a good aesthetic! I actually used a lot of my experience from shooting my own TV news stories into this creative pastime of creating beautiful images to use for my personal Instagram page or here on my blog.

Additionally, I also find tons of inspiration from a stock photo site that I’m a member of. It’s called Pixistock. The images in this blog post are photos that I took with my iPhone and shared on Instagram.

Flat lay example from my personal Instagram page.

Here are my tips for using a smartphone as a flat-lay camera:

Choose a backdrop.

Choose a backdrop that is simple and clean. You want to avoid busy patterns, as well as light or dark backgrounds.

If you’re using an object with a pattern, make sure it matches the color scheme of your objects (i.e., blue-and-white china with red flowers).

To see what kind of background will work best for your flat lay, try taking some photos without anything behind your items first—this way you can see how they look on their own before deciding which background would work best.

Style the background.

Once you’ve chosen a background, it’s time to style it. A great way to do this is by adding some props that complement your subject. The type of prop you choose will depend on what kind of mood you’re going for and what the overall aesthetic of your photo is. For example, if you’re trying to create a clean, modern look with bright colors and simple lines, then use geometric shapes as props. But if you want something more fun and playful with lots of color, try using toys or stuffed animals instead!

Hopefully by now I’ve convinced you how easy it can be to take flat lay photos on your phone! If this tutorial was helpful at all or gave any inspiration for some new ideas (or just made me look like an expert), comment below so we can chat about photography together.

Create an interesting composition.

Creating an interesting composition is the most important part of flat lay photography. It’s all about using negative space to create contrast and balance in your photos.

Flat lay example from my personal Instagram page.

Don’t put too many objects in the frame. If there are too many items on a flat lay or if they’re placed too close together, it will be difficult for someone viewing your image to understand where their eyes should focus on first (and second, third and so on). You want each piece of fruit or vegetable to have its own visual weight; even if it’s just a small bite-sized piece, try not cramming them together like nobody’s business!

Don’t use two similar colors next to each other (like blueberries next to raspberries). This creates confusion when looking at the picture because both colors look similar but aren’t actually identical shades—so it becomes hard for people who don’t already know what type of berry they’re looking at tell whether they’re different types of berries or not!

Take a lot of photos from different angles.

The key to getting a good flat lay is to take lots of photos from different angles. When I worked as a TV news reporter and shot my own stories, I found it super helpful to shoot video from tons of different angles, so I could have plenty of options when I sat down to edit.

Flat lay example from my personal Instagram page.

Don’t be afraid to try new things, whether that means using different lenses or lighting your photos in an unusual way. Try setting up your phone on a tripod and taking pictures from above or below the subject using different lenses. You can also use natural light as well as artificial light sources like lamps and candles.

Editing

When it comes to editing photos, I usually use my iPhone’s editing features to edit or the Lightroom app. And if I need to, I’ll use Canva as well.

Hopefully, this post is helpful for you to create photos for your social media pages, website, or other marketing assets.

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Self-Care/

Need Help Navigating Grief During the Holidays?

The holidays can be a time of reflection, celebration, and fun, but they can also be a time of loss. The death of a loved one is never easy, but when it happens during the holiday season it can seem even more difficult to handle.

While I think about my parents every day, since I lost them, the holiday season can be difficult if I don’t really tap into the things that can make the season a bit smoother for me. Over the years, I’ve found ways to handle the holiday season without them, thanks to God’s grace and strength.

Allowing yourself time to grieve is normal.

It’s a natural reaction to loss, and you’re not crazy for feeling this way. You might feel sad, angry, numb or like you’re going crazy. It’s hard not to wonder what happened if your loved one died suddenly or young of an illness—or at all!

It’s also easy to feel isolated in your grief because other people may not understand how you feel, or they are afraid of saying the wrong thing around you. Even if they do know how to help you through it, they may still be unsure what their role should be during such a difficult time (and some will offer support in ways that can actually make things worse).

Talk about your loved one.

Talking about your loved one with other people in your life like friends or family – or even strangers who you happen to have a random conversation with. Maybe that stranger you bump into at the grocery store or Target, brings up something about a particular loved one in their life and it makes you think about yours. It helps you to process, remember and honor the life of your loved one. You can also talk about your loved one with anyone who shares similar values as you do.

Look for ways to give back to the community.

Volunteer at a local shelter.

Volunteer at a food bank.

Help out with a community event.

Volunteer with your church.

Donate to a charity.

Get Creative

Create a scrapbook of memories that includes pictures and notes from friends and family members. You could also make a book about their life, with photos and notes written by people who knew them well.

Write a poem or story about your loved one’s life, then share it as you wish to. If this seems too sad for you right now, don’t worry—you can always save it until you’re ready.

You can also cook or bake a dish that you enjoyed with your loved one during this time of the year. In 2021, I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner. The food consisted of everything I enjoyed from my mom’s kitchen on Thanksgiving Day. I also like to make certain desserts like banana pudding that I loved my mom to make.

Find a way to simplify your holiday season this year.

This is a time of year when many people feel more pressure to overbook themselves. It’s also when you may be tempted to try to do every holiday tradition that you did last year, even if it means being away from home or working on Christmas day. It’s important not to feel guilty about taking time for yourself, whether that means taking an afternoon off or spending Christmas Eve on the couch instead of doing all the “holiday” things. And for goodness sake, don’t be pressured into buying tons of gifts. Rest in be still in God’s word. Reflect on His word.

Oftentimes, I love to listen to worship music and hymns that I enjoyed singing with my parents. One of my favorite memories from my dad – at any time of the year was waking up on the weekends to hear him singing hymns while making breakfast.

You’re not alone if the holiday season brings up difficult emotions for you; grief is an individual process that everyone experiences differently. For many people, the holidays are a time when they feel particularly vulnerable because they feel pressure to act happy and festive around other people who don’t know what they’re going through inside. It’s okay if this year’s holiday festivities don’t go exactly as planned—in fact, sometimes it’s better if they don’t!

The point is to honor yourself by taking care of yourself during this difficult time so that when January rolls around again (and beyond), you’ll be ready to start fresh.

I hope this post has given you some ideas for surviving the holiday season as a person who has lost someone they love. The most important thing is to remember that there is no one “right” way to handle grief; everyone deals with it differently.

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Entrepreneurship/

How to Create a Solid Social Media Strategy

I started marketing using social media back in 2014 for my digital magazine, Virtue & Memoirs. These days, in addition to the magazine, I market my copywriting and brand storytelling business Chayil Media Publishing using social media – and I also create social media strategies for clients that I write social media content for. And lastly, I market my personal brand using social media as well.

So where do you start? Well, let’s dig into everything in this blog post.

Pick your platform.

You need to pick your platform, and this step is pretty simple.

Is this a place that aligns with your brand? You want to be where your followers are—and not somewhere else that may or may not be useful for the same purpose.

Follow people and brands that align with your mission

This is a fairly obvious one, but still worth mentioning: follow people who are relevant to your brand. If you have a service-based business, connect with people who are your ideal clients and people who compliment your brand.

For instance, if you’re a website designer, connect with graphic designers. Since, I’m a copywriter and story strategist, I love connecting with website designers who I can possibly collaborate with or refer people to in the future. Additionally, I love connecting to people who are ideal clients.

Understand your audience.

You should know who you are talking to and understand the needs of your audience. Simply put, the content you produce on social media should speak directly to your ideal client or customer. Now, you’re probably wondering, “Danielle, how do I figure this out?”

Well, you simply need to ask questions. A great way to do this is by jumping into Facebook groups to ask questions about what your ideal client or customer is struggling with – or even finding out what they like best when it comes to a problem you solve.

You can also jump into these groups and use the search bar to find out everything you need to know. Type in a keyword associated with what you do and another word like frustrated or struggle. You’ll see quite a few conversations pulled up from your search.

Conduct surveys with customers or prospects. Ask them for feedback about why they follow or engage with certain accounts on social media, what types of posts inspire them to interact with your brand online, etc.

These surveys can be done on sites like SurveyMonkey or Google Forms.

Create an editorial calendar.

The next step is to create an editorial calendar that includes the days and times you will post, as well as the topics you will cover, and images you will use.

Make sure your editorial calendar is in sync with your marketing goals. This will help ensure that your social media strategy aligns with the rest of your brand’s mission.

Now, while it’s important to need to post regularly and consistently, you also need to make sure that what you’re posting is worth sharing. The key is finding the right balance between quantity and quality.

It’s important to have a good mix of different types of content: video, images, carousel posts, etc. This will help you reach an audience across all platforms while remaining relevant at all times.

Track and analyze your results.

Once you’ve put your social media strategy into action, it’s time to evaluate the results. You’ll need to know if your plans are working.

There are several ways to track and analyze performance:

Use analytics tools such as Facebook Insights, Google Analytics, and Twitter Analytics. These tools help you understand how many people are seeing posts on each platform as well as what content is reaching them (and what isn’t).

I personally, use a scheduling tool called Loomly to track and analyze my results.

When you have a solid social media strategy in place, you’ll be able to build authentic relationships with potential clients or customers – and generate sales.

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Self-Care/

6 Journal Prompts for the Holidays

The holidays are a time of year when feelings run high, and emotions can be intense. So, if you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed during the holidays, try writing out your thoughts and feelings. I’ve found that writing prompts have helped me work through strong emotions in my past.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. What important lesson has this year taught you?

The holidays are a time to celebrate what we have, but they’re also a time to reflect on the year past. What did you learn from this past year that will help shape who you are in years to come?

What did you learn about yourself as a person, or about life in general? How do those lessons apply to your future plans and goals?

2. What types of memories have brought you the most joy this year?

The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends, but they can also be a stressful time.

This prompt will help you focus on the positive memories you have this year, so that you’re not overwhelmed by stress during the holiday season.

3. How can you use your experience and skills to be of service to others over the holidays?

The holidays are a time of giving, so why not get involved in the community and give back?

You’ve heard it before: it doesn’t have to be Christmas for you to be kind. But if your schedule allows for some extra good deeds this month, consider using your skills and experience to make someone else’s life just that much better.

4. Have you ever tried a new holiday tradition and incorporated it into your yearly plans? What happened?

If you’re like me and don’t have many traditions, it might be time to try something new! Get creative and come up with something fun that will make this season even more special.

5. What role does gratitude play in your life? How does it impact or change during the holidays?

Gratitude is a powerful tool for making your life more positive. Gratitude helps you:

Feel better

Be more positive

Be more mindful

Be more generous

Be more empathetic

6. Who has had the biggest impact on your life this year? Why have they helped you so much and how can you show them your appreciation?

You should think about people who have helped you, but also include those that have challenged you in some way. If there’s something in particular that they’ve done to help improve your life, describe it and explain why it was important to you.

Think about how to show this person that their efforts were not in vain by giving them an appropriate gift or gesture of gratitude. Don’t worry too much if it’s not something big. Small gestures are sometimes more meaningful than large ones!

Writing down what’s on your mind may help you work through strong emotions.

When life gets overwhelming, writing can be a safe way to express yourself. You can use it to work through strong emotions and get clarity on what you’re feeling or thinking.

Writing may help you deal with negative emotions, such as anger or sadness. It may also help you understand your feelings better if they aren’t clear to you at first glance.

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How to Overcome Seasonal Depression

This is the time of year when many people feel sad, anxious, and overwhelmed. It’s normal to have low energy when the days are shorter and darker, but if you’re feeling more than just a bit down, you could be suffering from seasonal depression. I personally, don’t like how the sun goes down super early during the fall and winter months. Usually around 4 pm, my entire mood dips.

Maybe you feel the same, which is why I thought to encourage you with this blog post.

Let more sunlight in.

Now that we’ve established the importance of sunlight, let’s talk about how you can get more of it. Get outside as much as possible. You don’t have to go on a long walk every day, but a few minutes outside is better than nothing.

If you can, maybe open up the windows and let some fresh air in your home. Even if it feels like winter outside, your body needs fresh air! Go for a walk in the park (or somewhere else green and natural). Even if you’re going slow, just being outside will make you feel better!

Accept your feelings and be patient with yourself.

Accept your feelings. It’s important to realize that your emotional struggles are real and valid. If you don’t feel like yourself, or if your mood has changed drastically, it’s okay to allow yourself to accept this and feel the way that you do. Don’t be too hard on yourself; self-compassion is especially important during this time of year as it can help alleviate feelings of shame or guilt (which are often associated with seasonal depression).

Be patient with the process. It may take some time before seeking professional help feels like an appropriate step for you—and that’s okay! There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to addressing seasonal depression, so be patient with yourself and give yourself permission not just to accept what you’re experiencing but also explore different ways in which treatment could work best for you (whether through therapy sessions, medication support from a doctor/psychologist or both).

Have a routine and stick to it.

A routine can help you feel more in control of your life, and can give you something to look forward to each day. For example, make sure your routine includes some time for relaxation or meditation. It’s also a good idea to include regular exercise—even just 20 minutes per day can have a big impact on how good you feel overall.

Try to make your routine as realistic and achievable as possible. For example, if getting up early every morning makes it hard for you to sleep at night, try waking up 15 minutes earlier than usual instead of half an hour earlier.

When picking out what part of your routine will be most beneficial for overcoming seasonal depression symptoms, consider finding activities that are enjoyable and relaxing for both body and mind (e.g., reading).

Get moving

If you’re feeling the effects of seasonal depression, you should know that exercise is one of the best ways to combat it. Not only can it help improve your mood, but it can also improve your sleep and reduce stress.

Keep calm and get creative.

Many people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder find that it’s helpful to stay calm and get creative with a few creative hobbies. I personally have an adult coloring book – and I also like to practice hand lettering. A few other creative hobbies that you can also try are cooking, writing, or playing an instrument. And when it comes to keeping calm and relaxing, pick up a book or watch one of your favorite movies.

Work through the feelings of seasonal depression gently, with self-care and compassion for yourself.

Don’t let seasonal depression get you down! It can be hard, but it’s also manageable and treatable.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the demands of life, especially during the holidays. But getting depressed or anxious about it won’t help you cope. Instead, you need a plan for how to deal with seasonal depression and anxiety so that you can feel better.

Curious about what I’m learning every week on my creative journey as it relates to faith, self-care, and entrepreneurship?

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