EP. 28 / Host Kim Rittberg’s Delivery Room Epiphany + How To Turn Content Into Cash: Using Video To Grow Your Business
SHOW NOTES:
EXCITING NEWS Kim is launching a small-group coaching course for business owners and professionals to grow their revenue with content! Click here for info & special early bird bonus & discount! You’ll learn secrets from a media insider on how to make awesome content, be better on camera and convert followers to clients!
Grab her free 10 Tips To Make Awesome Video tips here.
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This week our inspirational mom guest is…drumroll please…our host - Kim Rittberg! Special bonus she's also bringing 15 years of her media experience to teach you professionals & business owners video strategy and on-camera tips.
Kim spent 15 years climbing the ladder in TV and digital media; she was an ambitious mom leading a 17-person digital video team at Us Weekly Magazine after 15 years in TV news, Netflix & PopSugar. Her work-life epiphany struck while shifting uncomfortably in a hospital awaiting the birth of her second child while simultaneously reading resumes—she had to rebuild department after a messy acquisition.
On this episode Kim details her journey of realizing she wanted control of her career, and that she didn’t need a boss to give her permission to lead the life she wants. Kim gets real about the challenges of slowing down, being present, imposter syndrome, the fear of failure and how her identity was wrapped up in her work. As she quit corporate, she began meeting other moms also desperately seeking fulfillment and flexibility–on their own terms. So Kim birthed Mom’s Exit Interview for them–for you–as a resource for inspiration and action!
Kim now runs an award-winning video strategy and on-camera media training company - and loves helping professionals and other small business owners find clients, leads and grow their business through high-quality content.
Spoiler alert: It’s going awesome.
Professionals & Business owners, listen up for her awesome tips on:
-How to make great social video content that actually grows your business (more leads, more clients, more sales) with Kim’s signature framework
-How to be more confident on camera - actionable tips
-How to pitch yourself effectively to clients or the press (Kim’s special ABC method)
LISTEN BELOW! And don’t forget to ‘follow’ and leave a rating & review!
Run a small business? Are you an entrepreneur and looking to bring in leads and clients and sales through social media video content?
If you’re not harnessing the power of social media to grow your business or brand, you’re not too late! We’ve got some great digital marketing tips - insider secrets from TV and some of the biggest media outlets on earth! From how to make better social video, to how a podcast can establish you as a thought leader, to how to get calm and seem confident on camera, and how to pitch yourself to press or clients, we’ve got you covered.
In this episode you will learn:
Kim brings her 2 decades of experience in TV News, Netflix, PopSugar Branded Content & launching Us Weekly’s video unit to offer tips on:
How to grow your business or side hustle with amazing content
How to make great videos
How to be more confident on camera
How to pitch yourself to media and clients in just 30 seconds.
SHOW TAKEAWAYS:
How to Make Amazing Video to Grow Your Business - Kim’s “M.E.S.S.Y.” Framework
M - MESSAGE
Your message needs to be SIMPLE! You need to have a solid and simple BRAND message before you begin filming.
E - EASY TO UNDERSTAND
Ask your granny Ask your 7-year old cousin If they can understand it - GREAT! If not, keep distilling your points down.
S - STRATEGY
Don't just start filming without a plan. Figure out your goals, your budget and how much time you’ll commit. You can profit from video no matter your budget.
S - SMILE, YOU'RE ON CAMERA!
You absolutely need to be on camera if you're running a business. People buy from people. You will build relationships and trust.
Y - YOU'RE A JOURNALIST
You’re NEVER SELLING! Get into the mindset of a journalist what do people want to watch? What’s a snappy headline? That’s the key.
*Grab my free download of how to be confident on camera and 10 ways to make great video! DM me “tips” or click here https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/s3v5t7
5 QUICK TIPS TO BE MORE CONFIDENT ON CAMERA
Step out of “model” mode - step into “teacher mode.” Shift your mindset from “everyone’s looking at me” to “how can I educate this person with what I’m saying”
2. Practice your message!
3. Use everyday opportunities to practice public speaking, even if it’s in front of a smaller group
3. Use deep breathing techniques to calm you down
4. Harness your own energy. If your tendency is to talk fast, balance out with breathing and try to speak a little slower.
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SHOW LINKS:
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EPISODE LINKS:
Kim’s new course - how to grow your revenue with social video
FULL EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Kim Rittberg (00:02):
Welcome to Mom's Exit Interview, a podcast for moms seeking balance and contentment outside the traditional nine to five. If you're considering taking the leap or you're already mid-air, this is your podcast. I'm Kim Rittberg. I was a Netflix executive and former head of video at US Weekly, and I'm a mom of two. I quit the corporate world and I've never looked back. On today's special episode, I'm telling you about my why I quit a big media job to pursue running my own business and start this podcast, and I'm also the expert On this episode, I'm going to bring you actionable tips on how you can grow your business or side hustle with amazing content, how to make great videos, how to be more confident on camera, or at least seem that way, and how to pitch yourself to media and clients In just 30 seconds. every week, you're going to hear from real working moms across all industries and levels on how they're finding fulfillment on their own terms.
As consultants, freelancers, entrepreneurs, part-time workers, stay-at-home moms list side hustles, flex workers and more and every episode will also have experts with actionable tips to help you chart your own path. We even conducted a survey of hundreds of moms across the country to make this truly be a resource for you. I want this show to be a roadmap for you. I went through this and I felt a little lost, and it was hard. I didn't see all the options and opportunities that existed for me, but now I know that we don't need a boss to give us permission to create the lives we want. And my goal is to help you create a career path that leaves you fulfilled in your professional life and present in your personal life. But first, who am I and how did we get here? So there I was in the hospital delivery room awaiting the birth of my second child, getting poked with an iv. I was anxiously working away on my iPhone and no, I wasn't looking at nursery decor. I was frantically reviewing resumes for my 18 person video team to replace all the people that fled after a mass layoff at my company.
I didn't lose my job, to be honest. We were crushing it, but I definitely lost my desire to work in corporate America ever again. Let me back up. The great resignation was not a huge shock to me.
News Announcer 1 (02:26):
It's what's being called the Great Resignation. Many moms say their lifestyle during the pandemic was a wake up call.
News Announcer 2 (02:33):
All of them are feeling really, really embattled right
Kim Rittberg (02:36):
Now. Moms already had it. Tough long work. Weeks commutes plus the infamous double shift of extra domestic duties add on Homeschooling your own kids. Yeah, what you just heard, those are real moms screaming their brains out because they're completely fed up. I understand. I had been working in the corporate world climbing the ladder for 15 years until recently. I've always been very driven. I'm so rude. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Kim Rittberg. I was a TV news producer. Kim Rittberg went to the scene of the Cry. Our Kim Rittberg has a story. I was a writer for TV and then a Netflix marketing executive. I or my hand <laugh> interviewed celebrities for a national entertainment show. Oh wait. And I had a side hustle, a jewelry line I sold at Bloomingdale's. Ugh, just reciting my own resume is exhausting. But I became a real boss, like a hashtag girl boss or a hashtag boss bitch. When I launched the video unit for US Weekly, it was my dream job executive producer. I am here with executive producer Kim Rittberg. I pursued my boss for a year to get hired. I started with a bang, a baby bump hidden under my empire wasted dress, which was probably from Anne Taylor. When I had my first child, I was going 110 miles per hour. I grew my digital video team from three people to 18, built a new TV studio all while pumping inside my office twice a day
And we were succeeding big time, churning out quality content and making the company money. I had an awesome team of creative and hardworking folks working under me. Plus I had a supportive boss who was also a parent. After two awesome years later,
I was on top of the world and then the earth started shifting under me. I was pregnant with my second child and my company was being bought. It was really chaotic and scary. The company sold for a hundred million and the new owner told me the video unit that I launched was a big part of the attraction. As huge layoffs happened all around, tears in every corner of the office, and many people in my unit quit amid the uncertainty. But I had an epiphany. I have no control. I was successful, but this was my reward. Yes, I was the boss. Yes, our unit was making money, but so what? It seemed to all mean nothing. I realized a few things I want control. Control over my career, control over how I spend my time, control over my mental energy. Time is precious and I don't wanna waste it.
CHILD: (05:28):
Mama come play with me.
Kim Rittberg (05:30):
Me. Oddly, I still couldn't quit corporate America. I knew I wanted to be a consultant and start my own branding and video strategy business. Basically building a company within a company from scratch at my dream job proved to me I could be a founder, I could be a leader, but still something held me back. Finally, after 15 years, I took the leap and never looked back. I started this podcast because I had been hearing mom friends saying things like this over the past few years. I
Katie C: (06:00):
Literally cannot do that again. The hustle that it requires to maintain that with a one-year-old and a
Kim Rittberg (06:06):
Three-year-old.
Ruth: (06:06):
I've been working my whole life in my career towards this goal, and now I'm at this point and I'm thinking, is this all there is?
Kim Rittberg (06:13):
As I started working for myself, I met two types of people. Group one were people who kept sending me job listings. They just thought I was unemployed. I love my freedom. Group two were moms, teachers, lawyers, psychiatrists, people in media, the arts, medicine and more. These moms looked at me with longing in their eyes. They wanted to know more. They'd whisper, how did you do it? Were you scared? Are you making any money? Yeah, I am. I love working for myself. But I'll be honest, at first, I was scared, scared. I would never find clients scared. I would not have colleagues to laugh with, teach and learn from scared of what my identity was without a fancy business card. I also still struggle with leaving behind the rat race culture and slowing down and being mentally present for my kids. But on the upside, there have been so many great projects, clients, and periods where I'm so busy, I turn down work.
And honestly, I've been earning a very similar income as before, but I've been realigning my priorities and trying to be more intentional with my time. I wanna get more time with my kids, and I wanna do work that has impact. And you know what? I feel content. I feel balanced at the largest macro level, even if it's not every single day. I feel more present with my kids, closer to my passion and further away from office dynamics that I can't change. But I definitely do not have it all figured out. So I am on this journey with you on this path. I've met so many brave dynamic women venturing out on their own, sharing advice and building community, whether they're entrepreneurs, freelancers, consultants, part-time workers, stay-at-home moms or anything else
Rachel: (08:05):
Four days a week and Fridays are family
Kim Rittberg (08:08):
Time.
Kar Brulhart (08:09):
I'm working significantly less than 40 hours a week and making more than I ever made in corporate.
Rachel (08:16):
I just realize I don't think I can be the mom I wanna be and the teacher I wanna be.
Kim Rittberg (08:21):
I've never felt so happy professionally On this podcast, these amazing women will share their own unique paths from point A to B and discuss how they're tackling questions surrounding identity, perfectionism, money, self-confidence, imposter syndrome, anxiety, perfectionism, guilt, wellness and contentment. Yeah, we'll be talking about the big stuff. So deep stuff. And each episode will have an expert with guidance and steps on how you can do it. Like Rebecca Minkoff, happiness expert, Gretchen Rubin, the knot.com co-founder Carly Rony, and more,
Terry Rice (08:56):
I would charge whatever you're afraid to charge and then add 20%.
Rachel Cruze (09:01):
I want you completely debt free. Cause when you have no payments, you have options.
Lisa Damour (09:05):
Really get past that idea that we're only as good as our profession.
Gretchen Rubin (09:09):
Relationships are a key to happiness.
Carley Roney (09:11):
So I loved hiring working moms. Why? Cuz we all got in there and we got [inaudible]
Kim Rittberg (09:15):
Done. I'm not telling you to quit your job tomorrow, but each podcast episode is like a door into someone else's life. So I'm inviting you to peek in and I wanna make clear it is a privilege to have this choice to have choices at all. My husband has health insurance through his job, which definitely helped clear a huge obstacle in my path to self-employment. And I am not judging anyone else's choices. Many people have to work five days a week, others want to work five days a week, and that is great, and they are making it work for them. So I applaud them and really truly think that's awesome. And I brought in Aliza Friedlander to help me produce and publicize the show. Aliza was a stay-at-home mom for six years. I realized I wanted her perspective as a stay-at-home mom returning to the workforce.
Aliza Friedlander (10:00):
I would've loved to have this community or had something like this for me eight years ago when I was starting to get back into the working world. Not only these inspirational stories, but tangible takeaways and tips.
Kim Rittberg (10:14):
We are still in the middle of this experience and on this journey too, I do not have all the answers, but I will bring on fellow parents who will inspire you and experts who will help you on your own unique path because everyone's is different. Every week on Mom's Exit Interview, we bring you experts to help you grow your business, find your path, gain confidence. Well, today I'm the expert. I'm super excited to drop some knowledge. I have recently been guest teaching at Syracuse University's Newhouse School. I'm speaking at a big real estate conference in the spring. And in my job I help professionals get better on camera and I help them make amazing video and podcasts to grow their business. We're talking laser focused, holistic content plans that truly bring you clients, leads and revenue. How do I know how to do that? Well, I learned from the best.
I worked in Netflix marketing, branded content at Pop Sugar, and I launched and ran the video unit for us weekly. Before that, I spent 10 years in TV news, writing stories, interviewing people, and helping people get ready for live tv. That can be really stressful, but it's not. If you're prepared. I'm so passionate about this because I have seen my clients and myself find clients and grow their revenue directly through content. For example, a real estate client of mine land a multimillion dollar home sale directly from a YouTube series that we came up with. Our goal was to raise his credibility and really position him as an expert. And it worked. I personally have found clients directly off of LinkedIn and Instagram. It happens and it can happen to you. So if you're focused and you're strategic, it will happen. So today I'm going to answer some of the most common questions I get from clients and students.
How do I make great content that drives business? This is super, super important for the business owners out there, whether you're trying to take your side hustle and grow up big, or if you're ready running a company or you're a self-employed professional. My tips is the acronym messy, m E s s y. First, you start with your message. Your message is a very crystal clear message about who you are and what you offer. This cannot be too complicated. People's brains can't hold too much information. So come up with your pitch. Come up with your brand strategy pitch. Tell your granny and tell your seven year old neighbor if they understand what you do, you're great. You're golden. E, make sure it's easy to understand. Again, you really wanna lay person to be able to understand this. The S in this is strategy, strategy, strategy. You cannot just start filming, I'm sorry, even if you bought all this equipment from Amazon and you have your ring lights set up, do not press play.
Sit down and prioritize. Where are you going to put your content? How much money and time you can commit to this and what your goals are. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time and money and look back and realize you have not hit your goals. The second S is for smile. Smile because you are on camera. You need to be on camera to grow your business. And I know a lot of people, they feel like that red light goes on and it steals their soul. I see it. I've been there. Please. I did live TV reporting and my first videos were awful. I was total deer in headlights. I sounded like a robot. I was clearly trying to impersonate a TV reporter. But over time, with more practice, everyone gets more confident and calmer. An important thing to remember is that once the red light of the recording goes on, you act differently.
So you have to compensate by really challenging yourself to speak to the camera as if it's a regular person and not a weird computer. So smile, you're on camera. That is that S So we're m E s s y. Message. Easy to understand. S for strategy. Smile. You're on camera y, you are a journalist. What do I mean by that? You are not selling. If you're online and you're selling, you've sort of already lost. The idea is to do content marketing. Marketing through content. Your goal is to make content that people really want to process, really wanna watch, really wanna read and wanna engage with. And if you're settling, you're making an ad, people don't really wanna engage with that. No one likes ads unless it's a Super Bowl.
Oh, I love this question. How can I be better on camera and in public speaking on Zoom meetings? Great. Well, this is for everything public speaking, live public speaking on Zoom and being on camera. The first thing that's super important to know is that everyone is self-conscious. I'll tell you, I work with CEOs, celebrities, every single person turns and is like, did I sound okay? So just know that you're not alone. A really, really helpful tip to remind yourself is remembering your why. You are speaking, you are speaking a presentation. You are on social media. You were on a stage to help others. Forget about model mode. Like stop thinking that everyone's looking at you and judging you and looking at your hair or your clothing. Get your mind into teacher mode because no one cares about your shirt or your earrings or your lipstick or whatever.
They care about what you're telling them and what you're teaching them. So really think about how you're helping others through this content. Next, you gotta practice. You have to get your repetitions in. It's like the same as a gym and go to the gym. You're not going to get strong unless you're doing 20 of the bicep curls or pushups or whatever. Practice is the key to getting better. Get practice everywhere. This is a funny little trick. Think about your day-to-day. Maybe you're going to a parent-teacher meeting and you're speaking in front of a group of people. It might only be eight people, but that's the perfect time to practice your public speaking. I actually recently did that last year. We were thinking the kindergarten teachers pre-K teachers for what they did that year. And you know what? There were about 20 people in the audience.
So I thought, why don't I use this as an opportunity to practice my public speaking? Our body pumps a little bit more blood when we know we're going on stage and speaking. So you have to practice every single time you can. If it's four people or 20 people, think in advance of what you're going to say and practice getting your breathing right. And speaking of breathing, my last tip to be good on camera is to control your body. You have to breathe and you have to get into the right mindset. Our body goes into fight or flight mode and we need to calm that down. There are a lot of great breathing techniques. You can count and breathe in and out to the count of five. I personally also like a mindfulness technique where I touch my thumbs to my fingers. And because you're focusing on that, you're sort of not focusing on other things. There are tons of tips, but it's really important that you're in control of your body and you're calming yourself down. And that also relates to some people's tendency is to speak fast while others are to speak slowly. And so getting into your body at the last minute really helps regulate you to be even
A lot of you are pitching yourselves. So this one is, how can I pitch myself effectively for press, for business, for my clients? I love this. It's all about confidence. It's all about selling yourself. I think that there is a trick that anyone can sell yourself in 30 seconds. So my personal opinion is if you have a four minute speech about who you are, that's too long, you need to be able to say it really succinctly. Cause people have really snap judgments and they're going to trust you or know you or work with you in the first five seconds. So you have to really have a tight pitch. Here's how to sell yourself in 30 seconds. Use this A, B, C method. A is your accolades. So that helps set you apart. Your accolades could be an MBA from Harvard Bravo. If you have that, good for you.
But if you don't, it could be anything that sets you apart a degree, a certificate, an award, something you did amazing at your last job or with your last client. But brag a little bit. Let them know why you're there and why you're so capable of doing this. Your business background, your personal relationship to your trader or a passion. So yes, you are selling T-shirts or yes, you are a dentist or you're a lawyer, but why do you care about this? Why should someone feel like you're going to going to love doing this? You're going to fight for them, you're going to work with them. You're going to be the best. So it's really important to tap into your why. The last C, the A, B, C is confidence and creativity. So you have to be confident. If you are not confident, no one's going to believe in you.
So if you're like, I'm a dentist and I really love teeth, I mean, I'm not going to take my kids to that dentist or I'm not going to go to that dentist, right? So you have to really be confident. And the last bit is creativity. Think of something fun. I recently started sharing that I hate olives. Okay, it's such a random fact, but I do hate olives and it's polarizing. Everyone loves olives. So I try to insert that as like a conversation starter. So these tips about selling yourself, they can be used in a lot of ways. So if you're using this for clients, you're using that ABC method, accolades, business background, confidence and creativity for clients. You're also going to wanna make sure to put in how you can help them. It's not just about you. Just don't brag about yourself. Make sure it's clear how you are going to bring your passion and your accolades to help their business.
And when you're talking about the press, I got pitched thousands of times as a TV producer and people would come over and they would pitch themselves. I can't just put any expert on tv. I need to know what sets them apart. What are their certificates, what are their degrees? Have they been on other tv? So that would go under accolades. If you have a master's degree, if you've been on live TV or if you've been featured in a magazine that goes in that accolade section, it really sets you apart, especially for the press when they're reading through thousands of pitches.
As I mentioned, I do this for my business and I'd love to help you transform your business with amazing content strategy and help you feel more comfortable on camera. So check out my website, kimrittberg.com for my services and hit that contact button and we'll connect and join us each week for an exploration of this new world of opportunities. On Mom's Exit Interview, you'll meet moms who are finding fulfillment and contentment on their own terms. Consultants, entrepreneurs stay at home moms with side hustles, part-time workers and more. And each episode will have experts with concrete tips, all in the hopes of helping you create a career path that leaves you fulfilled in your professional life and present in your personal life. So be entertained, be inspired, and join our journey to what our couriers can be. So please listen to and follow Mom's Exit Interview on Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast. And please give us a five star rating and review and let us know in the comments who you would like to hear from Next. I'm your host and executive producer, Kim Rittberg. The show is produced by Henry Street Media, edited by John Haitz. Aliza Friedlander is our editorial producer and publicist, and we also got more resources on kimrittberg.com. You can find our newsletter there and you can find our blog post, and you can also follow me on Instagram at Kim Rittberg. I'll see you next time.