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00:00:00
00:00:01
Erika Veurink
95 Plays10 hours ago
Thanks for listening to our episode with Erika Veurink.
To keep up with or connect with Erika:
✨ Substack: https://longlive.substack.com/
✨ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erika-veurink-091869112/
✨ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikaveurink/?hl=en
✨ Website: https://www.erikaveurink.com/
To stay in touch with Meredith and Medbury:
Follow Meredith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-farley/
Follow Medbury on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medbury_agency/
Subscribe to the Medbury newsletter: https://meredithfarley.substack.com/
Email Meredith: Meredith@MedburyAgency.com
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Transcript
Introduction and Erica's Background
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, Erica. Hi. Good morning. Should we tell people what time it is? It's 8 a.m. on a Friday. english And we're both here. I'm so excited to have this call with you. I would have done this call with you at 5 a.m. on a Friday.
00:00:15
Speaker
That's so sweet. I know. I've been looking forward to it all week. For anyone who doesn't know you and what you do, could you introduce yourself? Happily. I'm Erica Verink.
00:00:26
Speaker
I'm a writer and the brand consultant, and I'm the founder of EV Salon, which is an event series that I run mostly here in New York, but we have members all across the country.
00:00:39
Speaker
i really want to get into EV Salon. I've got some questions later. And you're always doing some great posts about it on LinkedIn, which obviously going to want to talk about. You have worked with so many cool brands across fashion, beauty, tech.
00:00:54
Speaker
When I think of you, I think of your superpower as like figuring out brand voice and then figuring out how that becomes like a personified version of the brand people can connect with out in the world. Is that how you think of your superpower? or like No, i think that's perfect. I'll take that and run with that. I think it's great because I definitely started off more as like a true blue copywriter.
00:01:15
Speaker
yeah And now I don't copyright anything. I try to stay like as high level as possible. But I think like all those years copywriting brought me here. I hear that. I think I've a lot of questions on that too.
Common Mistakes in Brand Voice
00:01:27
Speaker
What do you think is a really common mistake that companies make when they're trying to find or build their brand voice? I've worked with a lot of companies that have... Been lucky enough to have an incredible copywriter, like a junior copywriter on staff.
00:01:42
Speaker
And they do the brand, the disservice of throwing everything at them. And then eventually that person who's making $70,000 leaves no structure. yeah and there's no structure So it doesn't have to be like a brand book that's maybe a bit old fashioned. But if you don't have a place you can come back to, deck or a one pager that sort of breaks down the fundamentals of your brand voice, you're really taking away your ability to be agile.
00:02:10
Speaker
Is that something that you work on with brands when you're putting content? I do. And it's like a red yellow flag if I'm onboarding with a brand and they don't have a document like that. I'm like, wow, I have my work cut out for me a little bit.
00:02:22
Speaker
But I think that's also like work I did after I was leaving copywriting. It was like more in that sort of like brand tone of voice. And then now I'm looking to onboard with brands who have that pre-existing.
00:02:35
Speaker
No, that makes sense. like One thing when you're talking about moving from copywriter to just the concepts, I feel like things that are occurring to me is that I know Medbury, we do a lot more now strategy training, but we also still do ah ton of copywriting for clients.
00:02:53
Speaker
And it is it's really hard work. Like it's very exhausting to really do a great job. You're using, I think, a lot of yourself energetically. But I think there's also a challenge or like one thing I'm curious for your experience navigating is I know sometimes when we are just doing this strategy, like really good copywriters are hard to find and trusting that it'll be well executed is out like, what was that experience like for
Client Expectations and Measuring Brand KPIs
00:03:21
Speaker
you? Like almost letting go of control in that way and being like, here's exactly what you need to do.
00:03:26
Speaker
i know you'll be able to do it. And I'm on to the next project. I know. Well, it's like part of the perk of running UV Salon is I feel like I have a stable of like really talented copywriters. So a lot of the time I'll bring them on with me for a project.
00:03:42
Speaker
And that way I just I have that immediate trust that like they'll be able to execute. But I also think it's... ah What I kind of love about being a consultant, it's not your business, like how it gets executed. Like you really have to be willing to let go and I'll work with a brand and then I see like copy for an ad in the wild and I can think, oh my God, I would never do that. But I'm not on their salary. People are going to interpret it however they want.
00:04:09
Speaker
So much of brand consulting work has been visible. It's like the positioning, the strategy, instinct and gut checks and research. When you're working with clients, do you ever find yourself having to set expectations about results?
00:04:23
Speaker
Do you have some brands coming to you saying, what would be the measurable KPIs in six months from this work? Or does everybody get it? They understand. Because it's like brand is imperative work and and the results are nebulous, but you have to do it.
00:04:36
Speaker
Some clients want numbers though. I know it's two things. i was head of brand at a family tech startup for a while and I worked directly under a founder who was really intense about everything being measurable. And it frustrated me at the time, but it actually was like such an amazing skill and something I'm grateful for. So If a client is asking for that that KPI, I'm willing to find something to give them.
Trust and Intangible Benefits in Branding
00:05:03
Speaker
But and the reality is most of the time when people approach me, they're sick of their growth strategy, their meta ads aren't hitting. They've gone so far in the other direction and they're just like exhausted and want something impossible to measure.
00:05:19
Speaker
That's really cool. I feel like it's something that I'm trying to, i have like in my previous work been very metric driven and everything had a KPI. And around something like LinkedIn or social, where it's very top of funnel and awareness, there are the social KPIs associated. There's impressions, there's engagement, there's audience growth.
00:05:38
Speaker
And there are some down funnel elements that you can track, but also something that we're trying to get better at at Medbury is like expressing in a way that clients trust and understand that like there are tangible benefits from this awareness building work and not everything is going to have an obvious number or report.
00:05:57
Speaker
aspect attached to it. And I think, and I don't know, sometimes people really get it. Other times I feel like they think we're like pulling the wool over their eyes or something. You know what I mean? Like it's, you they have to trust you to trust it. And they'll probably come back in six months and be like, okay, now we're ready.
00:06:13
Speaker
Yeah. All
Early Adoption and Benefits of Substack
00:06:14
Speaker
right. I want to talk about Substack. Your Substack is amazing. I feel like you were really early in seeing the potential of Substack for brands. And when did you start and how did you clock the power of it? Like, why do you feel like you were so tapped into that? Yeah. So I started my sub stack almost three and a half years ago.
00:06:35
Speaker
and i don't even really remember what appealed to me about the platform then other than ah recognize its ability to connect me directly with a reader, in between.
00:06:48
Speaker
no editor, no approving comments in a comment section in a story that was published for a magazine. And that was really appealing to me. Like I could get direct feedback.
00:06:59
Speaker
And also i was interested in talking about the KPI thing, being able to see real numbers like open rates, clicker rates, subscriber growth, and then use that to inform my strategy, which I really didn't for the first two years.
00:07:14
Speaker
And then it's only in the last year that I've taken it quite seriously and let it become a larger part of my job. For brands, I think for the longest time, i was just like, there's so much space here.
00:07:26
Speaker
And then it feels like in the past two months, I'm finally having those conversations with brands and I'm always encouraging, but I do think there's a lot of merit and being early to a space like a brand like Tory Burch has had a sub stack for years.
00:07:42
Speaker
And that means a lot. Like any fashion brand could launch now. But the fact that Tori believed in it so early and was featuring sub stackers and commissioning photos just for the sub stack as readers and lovers of the platform that resonates.
00:07:58
Speaker
Yeah. When you talked to me through what you're doing on sub stack, I was like, this is brilliant. Can you talk people through what your offerings are there? Yeah, I've been having so many intro calls and I think the core definition of my work on Substack is I will build you an editorial strategy for Substack.
00:08:17
Speaker
I will help you launch a letter. I'll teach you best practices and can build out a content calendar and then I'm going to leave you and you're going to have to do it on your own.
00:08:27
Speaker
I don't write this. I don't ghostwrite the Substacks. Again, it's like I like to bring in a copywriter to execute on that or maybe there's someone internally. But that's what I'm offering brands right now. I also do seeding for certain brands who just want to show up on Substack and be in the cool letters. But I'm doing a little bit less of that right now.
00:08:47
Speaker
Got it. What would that be? Just helping them make connections with Substacks that you think they'd be a fit for like a reference in essentially? Totally. So if you're a skincare brand and you're on a platform like ShopMy and you want to be included in Substack letters, I can work with you to either...
00:09:05
Speaker
organically gift writers or liaison those paid partnerships between like writers in your niche. No, it makes sense. When you're talking to brands about Substack, is there some advice that you're giving everybody where you're like, look, we need to do this and this to really get things moving?
00:09:21
Speaker
I'm probably shooting myself in the foot, but I think 90% of brands shouldn't have Substacks because it's so much work. It's an yeah entirely new platform and your social manager isn't going to be able to take it on. Your copywriter might not have bandwidth.
00:09:37
Speaker
And it's also not something you can launch and then set and forget it. This is going to be ah core tenet of your editorial strategy. Are you willing to invest in that financially and with your team? So I'm pretty upfront about that conversation. i think a lot of people have got a slack from their CMO in January being like, Substack, question mark. And that's why they're on the phone with me. And it's totally fine, but that's not enough.
00:10:07
Speaker
Yeah, that's funny. I think we definitely have some conversations at MedBerry, too, where somebody got some type of quick message from an exec that's, we need to be huge on LinkedIn, which is fun for us. But I think the work you're doing on Substack is really cool.
00:10:20
Speaker
I hear you, too, on the resource and the knowledge. I think the network on Substack is so cool. I think there's something so intimate about, to your point, getting a letter and there's real opportunity. I totally hear you that for most brands, it's not a fit.
00:10:34
Speaker
What are the brands where you're like, you are the unique creature where this is actually perfect for you and it makes a lot of sense for you to double down on
Substack Opportunities in Specific Industries
00:10:42
Speaker
this? I think, okay, fashion and Substack have gone hand in hand for a really long time.
00:10:49
Speaker
I bring that up because I think the space is a little oversaturated. I'm still working with fashion brands. There's definitely like if you're really sharp, you'll succeed. But I think there's so much more room in categories like beauty, lifestyle. Like I would like to see a Yeti sub stack that's sort of talking about hiking trails or cooler ah hacks. I have no idea. But I think that's where brands have a chance to shine. If you go onto Substack and zero of your competitors, like, yeah, this is your green light.
00:11:22
Speaker
And also it comes down to budget because You need someone, you need a community manager subsec every single day posting notes. I think a lot of brands overlook the chat as a strategy, which I think is really exciting and untapped. So you need someone to moderate that chat.
00:11:42
Speaker
And just not every brand is willing to. Yeah, it's like it's tool where the power of people and the connection is so important, but like you can't put a bot. There's no AI script you can write that's going to send good chats.
00:11:53
Speaker
How do you recommend folks work with
Vulnerability and Consistency in Content Creation
00:11:55
Speaker
notes in chat? I feel like i don't really it's not something I'm super doing a lot of, but I'm trying to sing out on it and should be doing more.
00:12:03
Speaker
I know when I work with founders who are launching letters, I always prescribe four notes a week, which at the beginning feels really overwhelming, which I'm sure you find with LinkedIn when you work with clients. But I think it's just a muscle. It's basically Twitter.
00:12:18
Speaker
You can post images. You can restack from other people's letters. You can... revive old content of yours. The options are limitless, but SubSec is great in the fact that the platform does such a good job of exposing your content to new readers when you put it out in the form of notes or chat.
00:12:38
Speaker
Chat, I think it takes a little bit more strategy and you have to grow your readership a certain amount to like understand what they want from you and your chat. Yeah. So that is like less prescriptive. That's interesting about the notes. I think that's a helpful way to think of it. it's just like any other content strategy. You can repurpose things. You can just totally get interesting and keep it alive for people.
00:12:58
Speaker
Yeah. I think a lot of founders and execs are really great at talking about their work, but they really struggle with making their content feel personal.
00:13:09
Speaker
What's your, if you're working with a founder, you're helping them put a newsletter together. Let me talk through some experiences I've had in similar things. And I'm curious if it's similar on Substack and what your advice is.
00:13:20
Speaker
I think sometimes the concept, like an exec or a founder is willing to do something like, my case, LinkedIn, and your case, Substack, where they're like, yeah, I'll do it. It's great for the brand.
00:13:32
Speaker
And then when you get in there and it's you're about to hit send or publish or post, there's like a new vulnerability that can pop up where they're like, didn't expect it to feel so personal, to feel so nervous about what people would say.
00:13:48
Speaker
maybe something that they loved before. They're now like, I hate this. It's like a little mini freak out, essentially, because you're about to do something vulnerable. And it takes then a few months. I've also noticed too, sometimes with some of our clients, it's actually when things start to get huge that then they start to freak out a little bit. And they're like, this was okay when 30 people were liking it and we're getting a few thousand impressions. Now that it's a lot bigger, it feels scarier.
00:14:12
Speaker
Have you ever had similar experiences? Because you're also shepherding founders through putting out kind of personal content. What have been your experiences there and what advice do you have around?
00:14:23
Speaker
Yeah, I think it would mind blowing if you knew the kind of ultra successful founders that I mean, not you, but like listeners who feel nervous to post on LinkedIn and text me, can you engage with my post or send out their sub stack letter and are like, I don't know, is it wrong? Can you read it?
00:14:42
Speaker
I'm just big on shots on goal with a lot of what I do. It's like a personal ethos to like you have to send out 10 sub stack letters and then you can talk to me. It's not going to feel good. This is a new muscle you're exercising.
00:14:56
Speaker
Yeah, it's not easy for anyone. There's no reason why it should be easy for you. And I think a lot of founders get like really comfortable in their role and their daily outlook, how they show up in the world. And this is new. So I'm like, I hear you, but let's get some reps in and then we can talk about it.
00:15:12
Speaker
I love two things that you said there. i love when you're like, it's not supposed to feel good. And I think that's so important. Sometimes people I think are like, oh, this is my like fun project. This is me working with someone I think is cool to put this content together.
00:15:26
Speaker
And then when it feels more vulnerable or less immediately successful, they think there's something wrong and I should stop. But to your point, No, it's you just started jogging. Like you're not going to stop at the end of the block because you're like, I don't feel strong yet.
00:15:40
Speaker
You got to keep going. You're posting on LinkedIn and I think you're really great at it. Like, I love your posts. They're short. I feel like you write them the way you speak. You're the opposite of some LinkedIn pick me girl. They're just like the coolest chill post.
00:15:56
Speaker
What's your take on the platform? Why are you using LinkedIn? What's your I'm OK.
LinkedIn for Business Connections
00:16:01
Speaker
All my close friends are like so sick of me evangelizing about LinkedIn.
00:16:06
Speaker
think it was like a year ago that I decided to make it my personality. But. what I always say is that decision makers are on LinkedIn and middle managers are on Instagram.
00:16:18
Speaker
So if I wanted to post, you know, these event recaps or talk about my offering, whatever on Instagram, I could, but it would probably reach, you know, someone who can't really like green light bringing me on as a consultant.
00:16:30
Speaker
Those people are all LinkedIn and people on LinkedIn have a huge FOMO. so if a post does well and I'm talking about how I work with brands, I usually get like a ton of leads from them.
00:16:41
Speaker
And I don't have to outbound. I don't outbound anymore. And I think a lot of that is because of LinkedIn. And again, it's not the platform isn't like sexy or fun. I don't love being on LinkedIn, but I can see direct results. And that's why I'm so bullish on it.
00:16:58
Speaker
Yeah, I really like the post where you're shouting out like when you do EV salon events. I've been loving lately the series you're doing where you're just talking about folks who are consultants you've worked with or folks in your network.
00:17:10
Speaker
Can you talk a little bit about EV salon and everything you're doing there? I think it's so cool.
EV Salon and Meaningful Connections
00:17:15
Speaker
So sweet of you. started a year ago and it's mostly in-person events where there are no plus ones, invite only. You show up, your name is on a name tag across from someone you don't know.
00:17:27
Speaker
with a point of connection in between. So the whole idea is like taking away the nerves or like, what do we talk about when you show up to an event by yourself? And now we do them presented by brands, which is great.
00:17:38
Speaker
And we do study halls in the city, which are basically just like co-working days. And it's become a network of of people who are in-house or freelancers. if We don't really use the word networking, but it is like low-key a networking event. So many people have closed investments from people they met at AV Salon or gotten full-time jobs or but become like really close friends.
00:18:01
Speaker
And it's just like my favorite thing. It's certainly not like the way that I make the most money because we don't charge people to come to them, but it feels really special and and a project like a project I'll work on for the rest of my life in some capacity. What's on the cards? Are you telling people what to talk about? You're like, hey, you or how are you? No, it's actually it's less structure than you would think, which I think freaks out a lot of type A people. And I get it. I'm one of them. But the energy in the room is so impossible to describe like phones down eyes up people are so ready to chat and the odds are there's going to be someone there either from social or real life we do these events for like 30 to 90 people so it's a lot of people in a room and let's say ours would be like linkedin fiends i would come up to you and be like hey i'm erica
00:18:51
Speaker
And you'd have your name tag on and we'd be like chatting and and maybe someone would come up to me and be like, Erica, I know you from this. And I'd be like, oh, let me introduce you. And it becomes really organic.
00:19:02
Speaker
And by the end of the night, you've talked to usually like five or six people. How do you decide who you're going to math? I could be wrong, but I feel like maybe you have a little special magical ability to do that.
00:19:15
Speaker
I OK, because it started I was sending so many intro emails and I was like, I need to see so many people just catch up for a coffee. But this is when I was in house and I was like, I just don't have time. So let me get 30 of these girls, women in my apartment.
00:19:29
Speaker
And they all vaguely know each other, but I'll just make name tags and match them just in case. Yeah. Matching part is interesting. Like from a growth perspective, it is not scalable because unless I know the person, i ah can't match them. So that's been our issue. Like we have this massive wait list, but I can't match a stranger with a stranger. Now I could use AI technology and like definitely get close, but the matches are the secret sauce. Like the matches are the thing that yeah people coming back. And I don't know if I want to sacrifice that.
00:20:03
Speaker
I feel like there's like a thread that I'm catching in your work across the board where you're like, with Substack, you're like, you need the human. You need to put the time out. With the matching, you're like, yeah, to your point. But you could probably throw a bunch of profiles in AI and be like, match these folks up. But it's not going to do it as carefully and thoughtfully as you might have.
00:20:20
Speaker
That is it's so cool. And also, too, I think it's cool, like joining a group of some kind is one thing, which for a lot of people is a big step even. But what do you think? I don't know. It's really cool that you're like, I'm going to put my own together.
00:20:34
Speaker
you feel like you're naturally someone who is willing to start things and be the one who's, yeah, i guess, guys, I'll create the networking group. Yeah, I think starting has never been my issue. I love the beginning of things. I'm like an ideas girl.
00:20:51
Speaker
i get a little like less interested in things like after I've been working on them for a long time. And so I have to like keep myself and engaged. But i just saw a need. And I think I also understand the value of being like the nexus the epicenter of all these connections like it doesn't and don't make money from it now necessarily but I really believe that a lot of the people in Evie's salon will go on to be incredibly successful and if not like just great friends and wonderful people to know so I trust that yeah and I know what you mean too about the starting of things I feel like some people feel guilty about that and but I think there's a superpower i keep saying the word superpower i actually hate that word
00:21:31
Speaker
There's something really cool, though, about being able to have a vision and start something. It sounds like your consulting work is perfect for that. You're like, look, yeah, we can give you the plan. I can put it all together.
00:21:42
Speaker
You don't want me over here typing shit out two years from now because I'll be bored. Really don't want that. Well, I kind of want to switch over a little bit to fashion and personal style because if I feel it's something you're
Erica's Personal Style and Career Influence
00:21:52
Speaker
also known for. Also, I love the turtleneck.
00:21:54
Speaker
Blue is my favorite color, so I had to. Is it I actually feel like I don't wear it that much. And this morning for some reason, I was like, I don't know. Thank you. I'm really into people's style uniforms.
00:22:07
Speaker
I was reading all of your Cup of Joe profiles. Did Caitlin write those? We had Caitlin on the show. I love her. I am obsessed with Caitlin. Janelle wrote this. now Maybe Joanne. I think Joanne actually interviewed me maybe for the outfit one. But yeah, Caitlin's amazing. That episode is so good, by the way.
00:22:24
Speaker
Oh, yeah, she's she's really lovely. I was happy to get to do it and to know her. But your Cup of Joe style uniform and apartment profile are so cool. i feel like in one note, you said something about you talked about your personal style becoming a little boring, but in a way.
00:22:38
Speaker
Can you talk about that? Like, how did you land on your own style uniform? And one thing I'm curious, I feel like I'm doing sub stacks about this and thinking about it right now is how do you think your personal style has impacted your career, if at all?
00:22:54
Speaker
Geez, I'm lucky in this regard because I've always thought about fashion and personal style. I'm really obsessed with it. My whole life, I've always thought about the day ahead through the outfit I'm going to be wearing. And I've been wearing the same outfit since I was really in like kindergarten or first grade, like always bun downs, always like a menswear shoe. And I got made fun of in middle school because I like dressed like a boy.
00:23:21
Speaker
But then i went to FIT and all those losers stayed in Iowa and I just like didn't care. But I always go for something a bit more masculine. Like that feels good for me. And then like occasionally I'll do something ultra feminine, like a really frilly top or a batch of a dress.
00:23:39
Speaker
I think my work has changed so much since I graduated from college or even after I went to grad school. And like having a consistent style way of dressing has been like such a great through line for me personally.
00:23:54
Speaker
and anyone who's known me for like the past 10 or 15 years would probably say, yeah, you're wearing the same outfit. That's funny. Do you feel like it's just like natural for you? Like you have a real talent and sensitivity in that area? Or do you think you put like more work into it than other people?
00:24:09
Speaker
I mean, I think it's comforting to open your closet and look at every single piece of clothing and know, A, that it fits you and it doesn't fit like your ideal body. That was like a big thing for me as someone who came from a disorder eating background. I just got rid of everything that...
00:24:25
Speaker
I would wear to test myself if I was thin enough. After you get rid of that, it feels so good to open my closet and be like, i could wear any of this. And it all feels like me. And I've worn most of it before. And have such wonderful memories associated with a lot of it.
00:24:40
Speaker
That's like such a gift you can give yourself versus I know people open their closet and just feel overwhelmed or not like themselves. I wish everyone had that feeling. You do some really cool vintage shopping and finds in your chat.
00:24:53
Speaker
So for anyone who doesn't subscribe to your sub stack, can you talk a little bit about maybe that focus there? And honestly, everyone should go subscribe. I had the free subscription. i just upped it to the paid.
00:25:05
Speaker
We'll put the link in the show notes, but tell folks what you're doing over there. And your focus on vintage is so cool. Yeah, my sub-site is called Long Live, and it's mostly about secondhand fashion, but it's evolved a little bit.
00:25:18
Speaker
I do a paid letter every Tuesday and then a free letter every Thursday. the Tuesday letter, I've started talking a little bit more about work and money and life outside of fashion, which just felt really good and great to connect with people on that level. But again, I'm just like obsessed with secondhand clothes, so...
00:25:37
Speaker
and There's always going to be a plethora of links in every letter of eBay or Poshmark, etc. And my chat is for paid subscribers only. And it's like such a great way for me to be like, okay, this is a Gucci bag I'm obsessed with.
00:25:54
Speaker
I just need to put it somewhere. So I'll put it in the chat and it's good. I'm hosting my first in real life long live event in April, which is actually going to be a vintage sale. We're partnering with Rothy's like the shoe brand, but it's just going to be so cool to see that community in real life. It's not EV salon. It's these readers from all different walks of life. So ah can't wait to get them all in one space.
00:26:20
Speaker
and Do you find for you it's like a way to exercise wanting to buy it? If you're like, I'm not going to buy this Gucci bag, but someone needs to. So like, here's the link, guys. Totally. Yeah, I'm on these websites constantly. So I'm like, I might as well use my powers for good versus just shopping all the time.
00:26:37
Speaker
I guess I'm going back to your and of preppy style. But have you read is it called? Take Ivy? Yes. I'm obsessed. I love it. All of that. I feel like I'm so late to the party on that, but I just got it like a couple weeks ago because I listened to the articles of interest season about American Ivy.
00:26:56
Speaker
And then it was funny that then when I was prepping for this and looking at your style uniforms, I was like, this girl has definitely read Jake Ivy. Yeah, I'm obsessed with prepping style. Sometimes I forget. And then I'm like, oh, you're wearing Sperry's girlfriend. You love Brad. No.
00:27:10
Speaker
You've done a lot of beauty products and tried a lot of beauty products, too. i couldn't talk to you and not ask you, like, what are a few of your favorite things? What are like three products that you'd hate to give
Favorite Beauty Products and Skincare Routine
00:27:22
Speaker
up?
00:27:22
Speaker
So funny because I actually started my freelance writing career other than writing reviews for a local newspaper on plays, which will never see the light of day. i started writing freelance beauty reviews years ago.
00:27:35
Speaker
And it was horrible because I would always be trying new products and like messing up my skin and like getting paid $200 for the story. All that to say my relationship with beauty and skincare now is like, I just want to use the same things.
00:27:50
Speaker
I'm not interested in innovation. and so... but I guess my three items would be there's this brand called Monastery and they have a product called tar.
00:28:01
Speaker
It's a bit like Vaseline texture and it's what I use under my eyes every day. and it has like a reflective quality to it. So it just makes me feel way more awake and it lasts forever. It's like a little expensive, but it's so unmatched.
00:28:18
Speaker
I really like Sophie Pavet everything, but specifically her mandelic acid. She's just genius. And then I really like Vanna cream moisturizer, just like all over on my face.
00:28:30
Speaker
It's simple. It doesn't cause a reaction. Yeah, I'll have to try. I haven't heard of that first one, but I love a reflective. I can love a reflective selfie. I think I used her mantelic acid last night. i also think she's done such a good job with her brand. Everybody loves her. But I feel like there's just something cool about the way that she's positioned everything. People are really she's so talented.
00:28:51
Speaker
Yeah.
Connecting with Erica on Social Media
00:28:52
Speaker
If anyone is listening and they're like, oh, my God, i really need to work with Erica. How can they find you? How can they reach out? Where else can they follow you? That's so sweet. I know I seem like such a joy to work with based on.
00:29:05
Speaker
You do. I'm not Apple. I'm giving. Led Mary needs some help from you at some point. Okay. So I'm on Instagram and TikTok at Erica Brink. Long live is my sub stack. I'm clearly on LinkedIn and I have a website with my email. It's really easy to find, but can't wait to chat. Yeah.
00:29:23
Speaker
that We will put all of this stuff in show notes. We'll put them in the sub stacks and where we promote this. Anything we didn't cover that you feel like you just want to get into? this perfect. I think it's worth mentioning that this podcast is so fabulous. And I have sent so many of the episodes to people who are like trying to figure out what work for themselves could look like or how to show up online. So i would encourage anyone to like take an afternoon and dive into the episodes. It's really it's such a great resource. I think it's an incredible starting place. And then i would even send it to your girlfriend who's like maybe in the same position and be like, OK, let's listen to this and then talk about what we learned.
00:30:04
Speaker
So nerdy. That's really nice of you. That's very kind of you. I appreciate it. Thank you so much for doing this, Erica. You're like a dream guest. And I was super excited to get to have this chat with you. Thank you.
00:30:15
Speaker
You're so sweet. It couldn't have been easier.