Out of doors content material creation provides a possibility to flex your creativity whereas exploring the wilderness. It’s an effective way to assist join others to backcountry adventures too. Certainly, many outside adventurers are keen to search out methods to leverage social media and different digital platforms to align their passions with their work. That’s why we began our outside content material creator sequence!
On this sequence, we ask various kinds of outside content material creators:
- How they received began in outside content material creation
- What they take pleasure in about being outside content material creators
- How they steadiness content material creation with merely having fun with the outside
- Ideas they’ve for others trying to get into the sphere
In half one, we chatted with our very personal model ambassador, Michelle Zhang, about what it’s like being a model ambassador and her recommendation for getting began as one. In half two, we dove into all issues gear with Liz Thomas, editor-in-chief at Treeline Evaluation!
Now, partly three of our outside content material creator sequence, we’re taking a hike into all issues TikTok with Kacy Guajardo, also referred to as @kacystrails!
Kacy Guajardo is a Colorado-based hiker, skier, and type-2 fun-seeker. Her TikTok account focuses on academic and provoking outside content material. Immediately, she has greater than 50,000 followers on the platform. We caught up with Kacy to be taught extra about what it’s like being a TikTok influencer and the way others can get began too!
Gossamer Gear: Are you able to begin by telling us a bit of about how you bought began making outside content material on TikTok?
Kacy: I’ve all the time liked sharing my adventures with family and friends on Instagram, so when TikTok got here up in 2020, it was a pure development for me. I labored in social media for a couple of skilled sports activities groups in faculty and early in my profession, so it’s been cool to make use of my skilled expertise for content material that I’m actually keen about. My dad and mom mentioned that the video format makes it simpler for them to remain linked to me and observe my life since I’m so unhealthy at calling residence. Sorry, mother and pa!
What about short-form video do you suppose helps encourage others?
It’s fast and to the purpose. Once I’m in search of recommendation on gear or a fast overview, I don’t need to learn an excellent lengthy article or sit by a 10-minute YouTube video. It’s a straightforward strategy to share data with out getting slowed down within the particulars. I need my followers to have the ability to scroll by my web page and get all the data they should get into backpacking with out spending hours researching themselves. I put lots of time and analysis into my academic content material so I is usually a one-stop useful resource for brand spanking new adventurers!
What’s the time dedication like for enhancing movies, sharing them, interacting with followers, and all that jazz?
It takes much more time than you’d suppose! I sometimes spend about 10 to fifteen hours every week specializing in my social media. Interacting with my followers is my favourite a part of it, so I spend lots of time replying to feedback and constructing my neighborhood. My aim for TikTok has all the time been to construct an superior neighborhood of rad adventurers that I contemplate pals reasonably than simply followers, in order that’s why I put partaking with my viewers above all else.
How do you select which manufacturers to focus on or associate with? What sort of issues do manufacturers count on from you and what do you count on in return?
I attempt to associate with firms that I really feel are a pure match for me in my life. With Gossamer Gear, I used a GG pack on my thru-hike of the Colorado Path in 2020 and have been an enormous supporter of the corporate ever since. I discovered myself recommending their merchandise to everybody I knew, so it simply made sense for me to shoot my shot with them, and I’m so glad I did! I feel my GG content material did rather well as a result of I had the liberty to create what I felt would work finest on my web page and it translated properly to the model web page too. Freedom to create is significant to a superb partnership!
I additionally choose to work with smaller firms with in-house advertising groups as a result of I really feel like I can join on a deeper degree with the model. Usually, the staff of outside firms share related pursuits within the outdoor, so they only get it. It’s vital to me that every model deal is collaborative, however I even have the liberty to create as a result of there’s not a cookie-cutter template for a profitable advert.
Is it arduous to steadiness curating content material on a display screen with having fun with the second within the outdoor? How do you discover your steadiness?
I attempt to maintain a powerful boundary with myself once I’m within the outdoor in order that I don’t begin feeling like each hike is a content material journey. I’ll set my intention earlier than I head out—like, okay, this journey is for content material, so I’ll carry my digital camera gear and never really feel unhealthy about taking longer on a hike. Quite a lot of my journeys, although, I set the intention of staying current and off my cellphone as a result of mountain climbing is my time. It’s actually vital to me to carry this boundary as a result of I don’t need to lose my love for the outside by filming each second of my journey.
Do you’ve gotten any recommendation for others who could also be eager about sharing their outside content material on TikTok?
Simply begin posting! Your first few (hundred, lol) movies will in all probability be crap, however don’t fear an excessive amount of about that. You’ll discover your content material model and your workflow will turn out to be simpler and extra environment friendly. An enormous a part of this for me was getting over the concern and embarrassment of filming in public. It’s all the time going to be low-key embarrassing, however for me, I do know my content material helps so many individuals navigate the outside life-style, so I simply should remind myself why I’m doing it! You possibly can’t join with individuals except you set your self on the market, and belief me, it’s value it!
Use Quick Movies to Educate and Encourage Different Out of doors Fanatics on TikTok
Our predominant takeaway from chatting with Kacy is that quick movies could be actually impactful for educating people who find themselves newer to backpacking or different outside actions. We additionally discovered how this type can create significant neighborhood. Changing into a TikTok influencer is a time dedication, however with wholesome boundaries round if you find yourself and usually are not creating new content material, you possibly can nonetheless discover loads of time to easily benefit from the outdoor.
You possibly can observe Kacy on TikTok at @kacystrails.
And we need to see your quick movies with our merchandise! Tag us on social media (@gossamergear) and utilizing the hashtag #takelessdomore to indicate off your outside content material creation expertise.
Have one other sort of outside business gig you’re interested in? Attain out and tell us at korrin@gossamergear.com. We’ll see if we are able to spherical up one other interview to be taught all about it!
